# Need a Well Bucket?



## Solarman (Sep 26, 2011)

I think that everyone who owns a well should, at least, have a well bucket that can be used to draw water from their well during an emergency. You can buy you own or build your own.


For long term use: 

http://www.wellwaterboy.com/

For short term use: 

http://www.lehmans.com/store/Water_...Wells___Galvanized_Well_Bucket___550202?Args=

Make your own:

http://www.alpharubicon.com/primitive/wellbucketspitfire.htm

http://livethemotto.blogspot.com/2010/02/home-made-well-bucket.html

http://www.survivalblog.com/2007/06/letter_re_well_torpedo_or_bull.html

http://www.countrysidemag.com/issues/90/90-4/Robert_Sulek.html


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## AverageJo (Sep 24, 2010)

We actually found one at a local thrift store. Nobody knew what it was!


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## Fowler (Jul 8, 2008)

I have a hand pump and a bucket


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## nehimama (Jun 18, 2005)

Excellent post and info. Thank you so much.


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## Reb (Dec 29, 2006)

Thank you for that information. I have a question tho, and I hope it doesn't sound too silly.

Our well is, I believe, over 400 ft. deep. How would I get the bucket down that far? I mean, would I need 450 foot of rope? And do I have to take out the mechanical stuff that's in the pipe? Please forgive me, I'm not mechanical inclined. Thank you in advance. Reb


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

With most modern wells, a "bucket" can't be used without pulling up the pump first.

It *seems* like a wonderful idea, but when you THINK it through, how many of you could drop it down your well without MAJOR modification to what is already there?

If you have a shallow well and an above ground pump, you just disconnect one pipe.

If you have a "jet" pump or a submersible, think about how much is *already* inside your well.

Notice the well used to test the homemade version
If your well looks like this, the buckets will work:












If your well looks like THIS, it will not without *major* effort:


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## MTTMATSUA (May 23, 2007)

good morning...

along these lines (and please bear with me...I am so not the mechanic in our home...that I shall leave to DH!) can one 'attach' a hand pump to an electric well? or perhaps hook a generator up to it? We have about 100 feet to water in ours...

thank you in advance for any information in this...


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

There are some hand pumps made for deep wells, but they aren't cheap and you'd have to take measurements to see if they will work with your well

Most any well pump can be powered by a generator


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## MoonShine (Mar 17, 2003)

This is exactly the type of information I have been looking for. Now I have to figure out what the well is like underground. *sigh* I'm thinking about getting a generator for that purpose alone, but I'd still rather have a way that doesn't require gasoline.


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## Solarman (Sep 26, 2011)

Reb said:


> Thank you for that information. I have a question tho, and I hope it doesn't sound too silly.
> 
> Our well is, I believe, over 400 ft. deep. How would I get the bucket down that far? I mean, would I need 450 foot of rope? And do I have to take out the mechanical stuff that's in the pipe? Please forgive me, I'm not mechanical inclined. Thank you in advance. Reb


No, your question is not silly. Most people have never had to pull their well pump before, so have no idea what is down there.

Your well is 400 feet, but you will hit water long before then. So, either by hand or with a windlass or pulley you would lower the bucket down the well (after removing the pump) to the water level and then pull it back up again. This is much easier to do with a windlass, but not necessary.

As in most survival gear, it is better to have it and not need it, than to not have it and need it.


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## Ed Norman (Jun 8, 2002)

You should check in to the air lift method. I bought an adjoining chunk of land and didn't want to turn on the electricity, so I used this method to get water from the well. It has a 6" casing, 55' deep, water at 30' level. There is a submersible pump in it with the usual wires and rope but I easily fed the 1" poly pipe down to almost the bottom. I took a big old propane bottle from the landfill and stuck on an air chuck, filled it with air and hauled it over. Barely crack the valve and it lasted quite a while before needing more air. If I was serious, I would rig a small windmill to compress air and fill a stock tank. If I was really serious I would have it first go into a ram pump, then up to an elevated tank to be used for tree irrigation. 

http://www.prairiewaternews.ca/back/vol2no2/v22_st5.html


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## YuccaFlatsRanch (May 3, 2004)

I have one of the Lehman ones. Now to buy a mini-horse to haul water out of my 667 foot deep well. 1.9 gallons of water weights about 16 pounds. On electricity my pump pumps 150 gallons per minute.

My neighbors windmill fan is 24 feet in diameter to pull water up from DEEP DOWN.


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## farmboyJD (Jul 21, 2011)

Rob posted:

_Thank you for that information. I have a question tho, and I hope it doesn't sound too silly.

Our well is, I believe, over 400 ft. deep. How would I get the bucket down that far? I mean, would I need 450 foot of rope? And do I have to take out the mechanical stuff that's in the pipe? Please forgive me, I'm not mechanical inclined. Thank you in advance. Reb_


Generally, depth to water is quite different than depth of a well. Wells will be drilled substantially deeper than just where water is discovered, that way water can infiltrate the pipe casing, and create a reservoir of water for your pump to draw from. In the case of simply dropping a well bucket as the OP recommends, the top level of your water reservoir probably isn't nearly so deep that a bucket and rope wouldn't be reasonably feasible. And, in answer to your question, YES, you'll have to take the internal pipe out of the casing to lower a well bucket. Pulling a water pump, if its a submersible, (which it probably is) would be a two man job with a pump that deep. A shallow well, say one that has one hundred feet of pipe and a half horse pump, can be pulled by one man, but two makes it so much easier.


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## Solarman (Sep 26, 2011)

nehimama said:


> Excellent post and info. Thank you so much.


Thanks. I have a welll bucket and I know now I have a sure way to get water from our well when all else fails. Have to be prepared!


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## Reb (Dec 29, 2006)

Oh my. So many questions.

Solarman - Thank you for your information but what is a windlass? I don't think that Hubby would let me pull up the well innerds to check or do a test run. I need to do more research on this. He's not with me on anything "prepping". I believe this is very important. Thank you again.

FarmboyJD - Thank you also for your response. I'm going to get one of my sons over to chat about this. We have a generator and Hubby believes that this is all we'll need, but the gas supply WILL run out eventually. Thank you.

I will put this at #2 research-wise. Thank you all again. Reb


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> what is a windlass?


A simple winch










All you need to do is look at your well.

If there is both pipe and electrical wire going in, you have a submersible pump

If there are 2 pipes, you have a jet pump

A *shallow *well will have a single pipe attached to the well, but it's unlikely that is what you have


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## Suzyq2u (May 17, 2010)

Thanks, now that we know the innards of our pump (it failed a few wks back and had to be replaced) Sure would be nice to have one of those on hand! I'd really like a hand pump, but they're insanely expensive for a deep well. It's on 'the list'


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## Solarman (Sep 26, 2011)

Reb said:


> Oh my. So many questions.
> 
> Solarman - Thank you for your information but what is a windlass? I don't think that Hubby would let me pull up the well innerds to check or do a test run. I need to do more research on this. He's not with me on anything "prepping". I believe this is very important. Thank you again.
> 
> ...


Thanks,

Farmboy has a good picture of a windlass. "A Simple Windlass"

Yes, do the research. Most drilled wells have a six inch casing. Some may have a four inch liner. You can check your well log for this info. If you don't have it, all you need to do is remove the well cap to see what you have.

Hope this helps.


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## Solarman (Sep 26, 2011)

Reb said:


> Oh my. So many questions.
> 
> Solarman - Thank you for your information but what is a windlass? I don't think that Hubby would let me pull up the well innerds to check or do a test run. I need to do more research on this. He's not with me on anything "prepping". I believe this is very important. Thank you again.
> 
> I will put this at #2 research-wise. Thank you all again. Reb


Hear is an example of a modern windlass for well buckets. It is a way to hoist water from a well.

[ame=http://youtu.be/WrAaQJrcJl0]Windlass Hoist for Well Buckets - YouTube[/ame]


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## majik (Feb 23, 2005)

My well is a sandpoint. It has a cement cap, but it isn't deep - or accessible - by any means. I've been thinking we need a hand pump. Thoughts?


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## Solarman (Sep 26, 2011)

majik said:


> My well is a sandpoint. It has a cement cap, but it isn't deep - or accessible - by any means. I've been thinking we need a hand pump. Thoughts?


I do not know much about the well you speak of. Do you have any pics of it?


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## majik (Feb 23, 2005)

No pictures handy, but I'll try and make that a weekend project. I don't want to miss out on good HT advice.


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## Ohio Rusty (Jan 18, 2008)

I just have a small hole in the cement cap over the well. I really need a hand pump. The water isn't really drinkable .... too much iron and sulphur, but it's great for the tomatos !!

I need to make a wooden bucket.... never done that. I need one that is taller and thinner than a standard wooden bucket. It's for carrying tools, not water. Not sur how successful I'll be at doing cooper work ...

Ohio Rusty ><>

"Captain Smith, do I understand that the Titanic just hit an iceberg?"
"Yes, Mr. Andrews."
"Do you understand that I did not design her for that?"
"I do, Mr. Andrews."
"Well, fine, then. We all win."


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## meanwhile (Dec 13, 2007)

We have a back up water cistern. Holds 1000 gallons and a 2nd cistern down the hill with another 1000 gallons. We have just a cheap hand pitcher pump on them. The well bucket idea is a good one too.


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## Solarman (Sep 26, 2011)

meanwhile said:


> We have a back up water cistern. Holds 1000 gallons and a 2nd cistern down the hill with another 1000 gallons. We have just a cheap hand pitcher pump on them. The well bucket idea is a good one too.


Sounds like your planning well. Soon we will be getting a tank or two that size for watering the garden from run off from the roof.


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