The Log house Project begins........

[Iplayfarmer]

Iplay I would love to use 1/2" Pex, but everyone I am talking to says pushing through that small of a pipe causes more load on the pump do to resistance. Have you built one similar before? I have read that some housholds use 350gal a day, but for the two of us I will bet it's under 100gal a day(well.... that's before Lesley starts taking those long soaking baths in her clawfoot tub)

Sorry I haven't made time to check the forum for a few days. The 1/2" pex would put a load on the pump only if you were at higher pressures and higher flows. At <1 gpm and 5 PSI or so, there would be no need to go bigger. The only reason I'd consider bigger would be to leave options open for future expansion. 1/2 inch pipe will handle up to 14 gpm at typical household pressure with minimal flow and pressure drop (See this link... GPM/GPH Flow ). I've never built a system like we're talking, but I think 14 times larger than needed is plenty of reserve capacity for the flow.

Here's another brainstorm... Can you determine where the water in the spring is coming from? Is there a possibility of tapping into the same water supply closer to the house?

 

[MotorSeven]

Odd, I went to the spring to fill our jugs, and the flow is way low even though we have had rain every few days....maybe I hurt it's feelings?

Iplay, no if you look at the topo you see that I can't get closer by going further back and up the holler that the spring is in. House in red, spring in blue:

Obed, I will try to sand them out, but I think it's there to stay........:muttering:

 

[forgeblast]

What is the difference in elevation between the spring and house? Looks about 100' so you know your going to have to drill 100' at least? or is there a chance you can hit something closer to the surface?

 

[MotorSeven]

What is the difference in elevation between the spring and house? Looks about 100' so you know your going to have to drill 100' at least? or is there a chance you can hit something closer to the surface?

According to my GPS it's about 140'. Nothing but a climbing ridge behind me, no water anywhere until you drop back down into that valley. There is a spring fed creek there, but the spring is not on my property and is probably about a mile away.

I think I'm drillin'.....a local water witcher is coming by this weekend.

 

[forgeblast]

That would be real cool to see a water witcher in action.

 

[zene55]

Any thought to a rain water system? We have a place in the hill country of Texas and use rain water capture system for all of our water needs.

 

[zene55]

Any thought to a rain water system? We have a place in the hill country of Texas and use rain water capture system for all of our water needs.

 

[tony Cecil]

According to my GPS it's about 140'. Nothing but a climbing ridge behind me, no water anywhere until you drop back down into that valley. There is a spring fed creek there, but the spring is not on my property and is probably about a mile away.

I think I'm drillin'.....a local water witcher is coming by this weekend.

Sounds like a good decision---the drilled well---It would be just my luck that the spring dried up and then moved on..

There is a spring I have watched over the last twenty five years, and it is just forty or fifty feet from the porch...In the driest of times, it slows to just a tiny trickle , but in the early part of Spring it flows well.....When we have the power outages I`l drink from it, but have to go to the pond to get buckets for the toilet.....Tony

 

[MotorSeven]

Zen, yes I most likely will have a collection system, but was thinking of it as a back-up. I have been giving it more and more thought and a properly sized system will run in the thousands. When comparing prices, it makes more sense to go for a well....that is if the well comes in around the average depth for this area(200').

 

[pacerron]

Zen, yes I most likely will have a collection system, but was thinking of it as a back-up. I have been giving it more and more thought and a properly sized system will run in the thousands. When comparing prices, it makes more sense to go for a well....that is if the well comes in around the average depth for this area(200').

M-7
Think of your well as a collection system,not just average depth in your area. Your state probably has well logs from the drillers on line.
People like to brag about their wells so looking at the logs will give you a more realistic answer.
The bigger the diameter of the well casing the more water you have in storage.
The more standing feet of water you have above where the pump is placed the more water you have in storage.
The longer it takes to draw down the water to the pump level, because it is coming back in from the ground faster the more water you
effectively have in storage.
The local drillers and the logs are your best source of how to drill.
Ron