Windmill water pump cost

[Nik]

I may be buying some land that has a windmill water pump on it. The seller is asking about $5,000.oo for the windmill setup? This includes a 40 ft metal tower, pump, and windmill. The well is drilled and is over 300 ft deep. He uses it now to pump water out of the well for his livestock. Is this price high for a few yr old windmill tower setup? I do not need it now as I am primarily interested in this 50 acre land (no house) for use as a future vacation farm. However if the price seems good I would consider buying it as well.

 

[RonR]

That sounds AWFULLY high to me, but whadda I know.............

You should be able to check online and locally to see what a new unit like that will cost you to replace. Check both the materials and an installed price.

That will give you some idea of what it might be worth to you.

It's gonna cost him time and money to move it, if you don't buy it. Those aren't easy to take down. Not impossible, but not easy I would think.

I'd also want it specified that whatever he does to remove the mill and pump that he does not damage the well itself.

If he doesn't want to throw it in the deal, I'd point out to him that you will want it removed within 30 days of settlement, or you will want a penalty clause.

Sounds like he's playin' games to me, or trying to pry some more money out of the deal.

Ron

 

[EddieWalker]

Seems like you need to reconsider your negotiating aproach. As a general rule of thumb,it it's attached to the earth or buildings, it's included in the sale of the land, unless otherwise stated.

If he paid to install the pump a year ago,than you will more than likely need the well as well. Five grand isn't a very significant amount when buying that much land. I'd tell him your price and that it includes the windmill. If he wants to sell the land, he will. If he's playing games, you don't need the agrivation, because people who play games are also very hard to trust or rely upon.

Do you have a realtor? Is this a family member you're buying from? Seems like you might want to have somebody give you a hand just in case there's some other issue your not aware of. Easments are the biggest consern, but deed restrictions can also affect what you can do with and on your land.

As for what a windmill is worth, find out the brand and size, than do a quick search on ebay or google. Instalation will add to the price if you were to put one in, but if it's something he can take out on his own, it's probably something you can put in on your own.

$5,000 is probably what it cost brand new, not sure what it's worth used as it's condition could be anything.

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[Harleymsn]

This is part of the property and should not be anything extra. If the guy feels it's worth 5K, I'd tell him to take the windmill and you'll deduct 5k from the final sales price. No offense intended, but did you drive up to the property in a lexus?

 

[Mike120]

Here that would be considered part of the property. However, I've seen some real estate customs elsewhere that I thought were pretty weird. For a windmill on a 40' tower on a 300' well, $5,000 is probably pretty reasonable considering that it would likely cost more to duplicate it. However if he insists that he'll take it with him, you should insist that, if he does, he has the well plugged and abandonded by a licensed driller. If he doesn't you'll probably be in violation with an open hole to the groundwater.

 

[Egon]

For a pumping windmill on a 40 foot metal tower with all the downhole gear the price asked doesn't sound unreasonable.

In fact it may come in real handy in the future you have envisioned for yourself.

 

[JRobyn]

For windmill and water pump item pricing, google for Dean Bennett Supply. I think they're in Colorado. They have it all.

 

[randy41]

is there another way for you to pump the water out?
have you seen that it works properly?
seems like at this point you dont need it so why pay for something you dont need?

 

[rswyan]

I don't know whether or not the price seems good or not (the actual point of your original post) but if that's what the seller wants for it, then that's what he wants for it (freemarket economics = willing seller + willing buyer)

All the other stuff about whether it is considered part of the property or not, etc. seems irrelevant to me - either you want it at that price or you don't .... although he may well be willing to dicker on the actual amount if you are truely interested.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Nik, 1st of all, like the others have said the windmill should be included in the sale of the property. Would somebody pull an electric pump, or have an extra charge on top of the purchase price. I don't think so, the asking price normally includes any improvements to the property.

2nd, ok you have a 40' tower, what size is the mill? With Aermotor windmills you can have a 6', 8', 10', 12', 14', or 16' mill. Believe me that there is a huge price difference in the mills and the towers for 6'-16'. My brother is a dealer for Aermotor, American West, and Dakota windmills, none of them are cheap.
I'm only guessing, but I would say that the mill is 8'-10' and that the 5g's that the guy wants is less than what he has invested.

By the way, windmills are great if you have wind every day and a storage tank on a hill. If the ground is flat, typically not very good other than for stock tanks. Of course your circumstances can very. I would try to get the guy to through it in, but if not, I would buy the mill from him, maybe split the cost.

Hope this helps.

 

[Nik]

He is selling the property without a realtor. He did say in his ad that the windmill would be extra if purchased. I did see it work. He uses it to pump water into a large heavy plastic swimming pool tub and then gravity feeds it through plastic hoses to where his sheep graze. He initially wanted $8,000 for it but then lowered it to $5,000 when I told him I was not interested in the windmill pump. He stated it would cost him a good deal of money to take it down and reset it on his new property and thus sell it for his cost.

I really like the land and are mainly interested in this for future use. I would not have any use for the windmill now. If not used for months would this lead to the well water getting contaminated?

 

[Nik]

Here is a picture of the windmill

 

[Nik]

another

 

[Nik]

Drove there in a Subaru.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Nik, now knowing the rest of the story, the pump & tower are worth the $5000 that he is asking. If that tower is 40', then the mill looks like it is probably an 8 footer. I think that $5000 was material cost and the other $3000 would have been installation.

There should be no problems with the well, do to non-use. Windmills are usually pretty much trouble free. Change the oil every year and you should be good to go.

As long as the casing is up out of the ground about 12 inches, I wouldn't think that you would have a contamination problem.

How much elevation change is there? You said that you wouldn't need it right away. Believe me, it sure is nice to have water when your out at your property. I hauled water for the 1st 6 months that I had our rural property. After I got our 12' mill up and pumping, it was like we stepped out of the middle ages.

We used a 1000 gallon stock tank for a few years, now we have a 10,500 gallon tank and thinking about building a 100,000 gallon concrete tank for irrigation.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[Egon]

Buy it. A working well that requires no power is always a bonus.

 

[Volfandt]

Not everything attached on a piece of property is included in the sale price if it's excluded in the contract.
Thats why most real estate sale contracts include stoves, refrig's and window dressings as line item adds/deletes.

A friend bought a parcel of land that had an old trailer on it and he didn't want it nor the aggravation of getting rid of it. They worked it out to where the seller removed it.
Had another friend that wanted a tractor included in the sale and it was for an additonal fee

Just about anything excluding PERMANENT fixtures can be included/excluded in a real estate transaction as long as it's defined in the contract....

I don't know the pricing/worth for that windmill setup but I would think it could be very handy for future water needs so I would make a few calls to find out what one cost's new and definitely take it if prices right.

Good luck
Volfandt

 

[PineRidge]

I don't know whether or not the price seems good or not (the actual point of your original post) but if that's what the seller wants for it, then that's what he wants for it (freemarket economics = willing seller + willing buyer)

All the other stuff about whether it is considered part of the property or not, etc. seems irrelevant to me - either you want it at that price or you don't .... although he may well be willing to dicker on the actual amount if you are truely interested.

I agree with rswyan, what it boils down to is how bad you really want the mill. I currently own a 8' refurbished Aermotor, don't have a tower yet but 5K sounds very reasonable to me. This auction will give you an idea of list price on a shorter 21" tower & mill.

 

[stumpfield]

The price doesn't sound too bad if it's in good working condition. Is your location have enough sunlight? A brand new solar pump system will cost half of that and a lot more reliable.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Stumpfield, why do you think that a solar pump is more reliable? I've had my windmill up for 5 1/2 years, no problems yet, usually pumps about 10,000 gallons per day when it's turned on. Another guy that I know has his on 24/7 for the last 3 years, pumps about 20 gpm into his pond when the wind blows, usually in the morning and evening for him. Just wondering what your experiences are that makes you say that a solar pump is more reliable.