How to build a spring box

[Michele Amico]

I have the hole dug, by hand because it's up in the woods. I've dug down about 40 inches to the water and hit bed rock. The water pools up but is only about 4" deep and remains that depth. So I'm not sure how the water will fill up the spring box any more than 4" deep. I can't dig any deeper into the rock. I can see the water source slowly seeping out of the side of the hole a few inches above the bed rock. It fllows about 1-2 gallons per minute and is well above the house. It's enough flow but I'm having trouble harvesting it.

It would be difficult to get concrete up there. But I could carry a few bags. Don't really want to carry enough to make a concrete box. Any suggestions? Can I use redwood? Does anyone have a good design or plans?

Also, I have 2500 feet to pipe it down to the house. I'm planning on using white pvc and glueing it together. I'm in Northern California and we get cold and snow but I'm thinking I'll put the pipe above ground and pray it doesn't freeze ... or at least not very often. Don't want to bury 2500 feet of pipe through the woods. Should I use 1" diameter? 3/4"?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Redgoatea]

That sounds almost exactly like what I have set up for my spring. I'm sure someone else here can tell you the right kind of pipe but I really wouldn't recommend PVC. When it does freeze and it will PVC will shatter and you'll have to replace it all. You really need to bury the line and if there's a low spot before the house put in an access where you can blow the line clear as it will clog with sediment over time.

On my spring I have a concrete box filled with gravel and then sand. When the box fills enough it flows out a pipe and directly into a 500 gallon collection tank. When that tank fills it flows out another pipe that comes down the mountain and into a 1500 gl tank at about 2 gl/min. From that tank it feeds into the pump and pressurized tank and then into the house.

I didn't build the system so I can't give you the specifics. Sorry. :-(

 

[Redgoatea]

Oh and since I'm blathering on. I would seriously recommend you borrow/rent a bobcat, skid steer, or mini excavator and plow a road up to your spring. That will allow you to bury the line and get the materials you need up to build the spring. Which btw should be either plastic or concrete otherwise it will rot out very quickly. I'll check my line and see what kind it is in case no one responds with the right type.

 

[jinman]

I was just talking to my brother about a spring he dug out when he was about 18 and I was 14. He put an oak barrel into the hole and the next day, we had the clearest, coldest water flowing out of the barrel. Of course, the barrel eventually rotted away. Today, I'd suggest using one of those heavy blue plastic barrels or something similar. If freezing is a problem, then maybe you could put gravel in the bottom and rock up the sides with stones. We had another spring on the property that had been lined with rock like they used to do in shallow wells. It would silt in, but the rock held firm.

 

[tommu56]

We used a black plastic sump pump tank fro HD and polyethylene pipe down the mountain to my old cabin

We got down to 100' (elevation=~50psi) above cabin and put a tank there to store it
We used a new horizontal 275 gallon oil tank and welded in some fittings
We always let the water trickeled in the faucit during cold weather.

tom

 

[/pine]

In my situation the actual "Spring Box" is just a way to keep debris and animal litter from getting to the source... any waste from warm blooded animals can cause 'Giardia' infections...

just below the spring box (located on the side of the mountain) is a settling tank, it is about 250 gallons...from there gravity moves the water to a series of holding and reserve tanks...

I used natural stones and mortar to construct the spring box and a plywood lid...but I have also used tongue and groove 2x lumber to make other boxes and sealed the inside with hot wax (paraffin)...

I have also used stones and then used hydraulic cement on the inside (no mortar) to make a water tight box.. this takes less hauling to the site but the stones must fit fairly tight dry stacked...

PVC is fine as long as there is a fast enough continual flow to prevent freezing...otherwise it will freeze in an instant...I would only use PVC if it was burried below the freeze line...

what I do first is...right at the spring I dig a depression where the water will accumulate... and construct a manifold with a pick up and outflow stem...then I usually use a mixture of portland and sand to embed the manifold into the depression and then build the box around it...

for 45 years I have used black plastic (polyethylene) lines with very few problems...my spring box is probably 600' up the mountain from the cabin...

 

[tommu56]

We used regular concrete mix to make catch basin just use vinegar not water in the mix it will set under the water then.

tom

 

[Redgoatea]

We used regular concrete mix to make catch basin just use vinegar not water in the mix it will set under the water then.

tom

I've been mixing concrete for years and never heard this. Fascinating. Now I'll have to go get some Portland and try it just for fun.

Oh and I checked and my line is black polyethylene as well. About 2000 feet long. Good luck Michele. 7

 

[sellercreek]

I have the hole dug, by hand because it's up in the woods. I've dug down about 40 inches to the water and hit bed rock. The water pools up but is only about 4" deep and remains that depth. So I'm not sure how the water will fill up the spring box any more than 4" deep. I can't dig any deeper into the rock. I can see the water source slowly seeping out of the side of the hole a few inches above the bed rock. It fllows about 1-2 gallons per minute and is well above the house. It's enough flow but I'm having trouble harvesting it.

It would be difficult to get concrete up there. But I could carry a few bags. Don't really want to carry enough to make a concrete box. Any suggestions? Can I use redwood? Does anyone have a good design or plans?

Also, I have 2500 feet to pipe it down to the house. I'm planning on using white pvc and glueing it together. I'm in Northern California and we get cold and snow but I'm thinking I'll put the pipe above ground and pray it doesn't freeze ... or at least not very often. Don't want to bury 2500 feet of pipe through the woods. Should I use 1" diameter? 3/4"?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

I would use 1 1/4 inch polyethelene, then reduce to 3/4 when it gets to the house. A manifold with PEX inside the house is a great way to distribute the water.

 

[Rob-D]

Hi Michele welcome to TBN,

The thing you didn't tell us is the head of the spring. That is how high above the final destination it is. If it's only ten or twenty feet using 3/4 inch line for that distance will leave a very reduced flow from friction.

The other thing is whether it is going to be a constant flow or not. From what you're describing it is most likely not.

I wouldn't use white PVC, first it's not good for UV. Us the 1" black plastic pipe made for deep wells, it has a stronger wall and will not be affected by UV.

Like others mentioned here the way to overcome the low output is with a holding tank.

Also what's the lowest temperature you'll see in your area and what's the freeze depth? You really need to know these things to engineer it properly.

Rob