Hi, Jetboat,
Your query on remote water supply caught my interest & prompted me to register on this forum,this is my first post, though I have been a guest on the site for sometime. I thought I may be able to provide a different perspective as maintaining a regular cost effective/efficient water supply is a way of life for us.
We farm in Australia, & are use to being challenged by mother nature & probably do things a little differently here, so for what it's worth I'll share my experience from only ever existing on farm non-mains/self sufficient water supplies no shallow wells, only tanks, dams & deep bores, occasionally supplemented by seasonal creek flows.
Water for us is a very precious seasonal commodity. Our last drought lasted c.6+yrs & dried up almost all our dams, although this year we've had floods - as they say, it never rains but it pours - makes a change from bushfires in Dec/Jan/Feb.
First things first, despite what you may be told, in my experience water won't generally go "off" in any type of tank for at least 6-12months provided (& our local climatic conditions extend from up to c.44c/113F in summer to around freezing on winter nights, our pipes may even occasionally freeze a few times every couple of years):-
a) The water is "clean" when it goes in (i.e. reasonably free of sediment/debris/leaf litter, rather than "sterile") &
b) The tank is reasonably "sealed" ( i.e. doesn't have to be air tight but kept capped & insect screened so mosquitoes/midges or other "nasties" can't enter/breed) &
c) The inside of the tank is kept dark (i.e. it is impossible to maintain potable water for any extended period in a sunlit, transparent or light impregnated tank - e.g. don't be swayed to use cheap 1000lt/260gal caged pallecons)
d) Generally the bigger the tank, the (marginally) longer the water will keep fresh
We have a mix of underground & aboveground surface tanks ranging in size from 122,000lt (c.32,000 gal) concrete to our small "relocable" 5000/10000litre ( c.1300/2600gal) polythene tanks, all can be or are used for domestic/potable use (i.e. clean drinkable water for houses/workshop/specific farm use) & water for yarded stock - we also have numerous dams/creeks for crop/house/domestic garden irrigation & stock watering, & if all else fails some deep bores.
Pumps, for transfer to /from water sources you name it, we've got it & broadly their individual benefits/downsides in your application are:
a) On demand Auto Electric Constant Pressure Pump provided you have a very stable constant electricity supply, average lifespan around 5-10 years, a little cheaper than option b). Downside if your electricity supply is variable (i.e. subject to spikes/fluctuations) they'll blow expensive control switches regularly &/or run to burn out of motor/ if you are in fire zone or have a cabin fire, the first thing to go is electricity (& therefore no water)
b) Pressure Vessel or Storage Tank Electric Constant Pressure Pump more reliable than & as per a) with c.10yrs+ life, & able to cope readily with unstable electricity supply. Downside as per a) & some checking/filling of tank pressure c. every 6months (easily accomplished through a simple tyre value, checked by tyre gauge & filled by 12volt tyre pump)
c) Auto or Manual Start Diesel pump Large scale high volume irrigation. For your application far too expensive, even 5-10hp units in outlay to justify occasional use, maintenance & heavy to transport/set up/re-locate, & in winter diesel may "wax".
d) Manual Start Petrol Pump Cheap, reliable, easy to start, a very cost effective option if you wish to fill an elevated/above ground tank, added benefits as the pump (2or4 stroke, say 3-5hp) is light/transportable (for relocation if theft is a concern when you cabin is unattended) & multi use for fire protection or alternate duties in other environments (e.g. emptying pools, cellars etc). Downside limited running time of c.2-3hrs, carting fuel & noisy
e) Manual, Auto Timer or Float Control, Electric Pump Far cheaper to purchase than ) or b), low running cost & easy to start. Downside as per a) & b) with none of the advantages, unreliable as they usually "expire" fairly quickly if not used regularly & maintained, particularly when run times are of a very short duration, floats & timers can be fragile/tempramental, often easier/cheaper to put in a slightly bigger tank than go down this path
f) Windmills cheap running cost, long term solution, best application is for constant sustained water transfer/demand to evated hill tank storage. Downside very high initial outlay, regular "specialist" maintenance required, low volume slow transfer, site specific
g) Solar Powered Electric Pump Cheap to run, reliable, low maintenance, 12v cheap to purchase. Downside relatively high initial & battery cost for high voltage, subject to the vagaries of solar/sun capture in winter.
h) Hydraulic Self Powered Ram Pump Almost "free" to run/low maintenance. Downside high initial/installation cost, site specific requiring fast flowing volume water source & inefficient at water recovery vs flow@ c.2-5% of input flow
i) Electric & Diesel Multistage Bore Pumps unless there is absolutely no other option, avoid these like the "plague" expensive to buy, maintain & run. And if your bore water quality is heavily mineralized or brackish double/triple the maintenance & running costs & halve the lifespan to c.3-5years (Bores are expensive to drill, finding quality water is an "art rather than a science" & in my experience bores do fail/dry up on a regular basis)
Your Cabin Water Usage, Capture, Storage, Installation & Supply Options:-
I understand your need is for a small holiday cabin but this may assist to gauge your storage requirements - a household of 5 running all mod cons (dishwasher, washing machine etc.) without focusing on water conservation will use c.1000-1250gal/week. So let's be generous & guess your cabin when fully occupied will need somewhere c. 600gal/wk or c.85gallons/day to be comfortable, based on your given well dimensions you already have at full capacity c.1100gal, so let's say you use the cabin 30days in summer & summer does not provide any water replenishment, by my reckoning you need an additional c.1450gallon tank (30daysx85gal/day = 2550 less the existing well@1100gal) or (if my metric to US conversion calc's are correct) about c.14000lbs of water. This capacity should avoid all the hassles of setting up auto constant fill pump options when you're absent.
Apart from your well, you may also wish to investigate capturing roof water from your cabin; if it has a colourbond, alloy or iron roof (I wouldn't advise capturing water from wood shingles) & gutters it's easy to rig up to a tank close by & if you have a lot of debris/leaf litter plumb in a first rainfall dump valve into the downpipe (cheap & easily done). Say your cabin has a roof area of 400sqft & your annual rainfall is c.20inches, allowing for a c.90% efficiency there's around 3500gallons freely available from your roof to fill your tank. Carting water is always difficult it's heavy, volumetric, hard on vehicles/trailers & best avoided wherever possible.
Underground or Above Ground tank, Concrete or Polythene?
An underground concrete tank's benefits are usually outweighed by the high additional cost: it will general keep the water fresh marginally longer, a little cooler/constant ground temperature in climatic extremes & provide a flashover refuge in the event of a bushfire. Some negatives are it will require a slightly bigger pump & cost slightly more to pump (due to the greater pumping suction depth) & if the pump fails you better have a bucket with a long rope handy, and whilst a rare set of circumstances I have witnessed an almost empty 22,000gal concrete tank pop out of the ground & crack.
An above ground tank would be my preference in your application, has no major negatives, is loads the pump far less & provides gravity water access in the event of a pump failure. Install the tallest tank practical (up your cabin gutter height if you intend to scavenge roof water), rather than a low wide tank (tall provides the most "free" gravity pressure & will maximize your pumps output). Personally I'd go for a quality rotomoulded polythene tank or depending on your site multiple tanks in smaller sizes up to 5500gal( quality poly will last 20yrs or more), as you could cart an empty c. 2000gal or less poly easily on a ute or trailer & manhandle into place with a few mates(concrete offers no distinct advantages & too many negatives in this size).
Tank/Pump Installation Cost Effective options( based on actual experience on these installations)
Using a stand or tower sounds good in principle, but with modern reliable pumps there isn't any longer a practically application whether for a 44gal, 1500gal or more tank, unless of course you want a so called "green" solution with inherent compromises Towers & stands require substantial foundations/construction/engineering (so straight away you're behind the eight ball being "green" ), don't underestimate how heavy water is & unforgiving if it a tower fails.
As BHD suggested, if geography permits put the tank on a hill, minimum 30ft above the highest water outlet & use a single line to fill/draw from (1" poly pipe will more than suffice, allowing for a long run & friction loss) to determine static pressure, calculate how high the bottom of the tank is above the highest outlet in the cabin (vertical distance), roughly you get about 0.5psi for every ft. So, if the tank was 30' above, you should have c.15psi (Measuring only to the bottom of the tank will give the minimum head at the tank nearly empty, a full tank will give additional bonus pressure from the height water in the tank offetting most line losses). If geography allows & electricity is non-existent/unstable, this is a real practical option, buy a slightly bigger capacity tank or tanks & fill with d) Manual Start Petrol Pump.
Within your overall installation consider also your pump suction draw, under normal atmospheric conditions pump suction can draw pure water up to a maximum height of approximately 33.9ft/10.3 m & the longer the suction draw the greater negative exponential impact on pump performance - in summary if you're planning to use a single pump from you well to tank & tank to house, your well & tank will need enable a suction draw of considerably less than 33.9ft to work effectively - it's no big deal to set up this way, just requires a little foresight/planning - otherwise use a small 2/4 stroke petrol pump to fill the tank from the well.
If Electricity supply is Ok, keep it simple & go for b) Pressure Vessel or Storage Tank Electric Constant Pressure Pump as it will generally prove over the longer term a better investment & situate the tank as close to the well as practical (unless of course you wish to capture cabin roof run off)
No hills & No electricity? Run a 12volt RV/motorhome/marine style water pump from a deep cycle battery as this will best cope with continuous charging/drain (in an insulated poly case) or a "powertank" portable/jumpstart pack & trickle fed the battery with a small solar panel ( keep wire runs to a an absolute minimum).
No hills, No Electricity & Solar impractical ? Substitute small 12volt marine style wind generator in lieu of solar above
No hills, No Electricity, Solar & Wind impractical ? Fine, as the most cost effective solution I'd construction an c.8ft+ high dirt mound with a bobcat & place the tank there (filled from the well with the small petrol pump) run a gravity fed line to the kitchen sink tap & toilet ( very low pressure but it'd be workable) and an external tap close by the shower area & pressurize the shower by air. Yes air, how? Salvage or procure a couple of good cheap used air compressor tanks c.12gal/2cuft + with working pressure gauges, install the tanks externally to the cabin one is your water source, so plumb a water gate valve connections (easy via the dump valve/tap) so the tank can be filled by your gravity fed tap, from this tank also plumb a water outlet going to the shower area, plumb in the second tank as an air supply to the first with a one way nitto style valve/connection and then fill the first tank with air from a vehicle 12v compressor to c. 25psi (it's pretty simple but effective & can also done with your spare tyre or inner tubes when camping out)...the only limiting factors being the storage/12v compressor capacity & whether you want a high pressure washer instead of a shower...couple to a LPG/Propane tankless water heater or a "donkey" boiler & it's luxury in the bush....
Hope you found all this of interest & happy to provide further details if required.
PS - BTW (By the way):-
Tyre = Tire
Colour = Color
Ute = Pick Up Truck
Mates = Friends
