Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: Water system renovation - boreholes, wells??  (Read 1974 times)

McFrosty

  • Joined Sep 2010
Water system renovation - boreholes, wells??
« on: February 22, 2019, 04:07:31 pm »

Hello everyone.
We are looking to rennovate our water supply.
Does anyone have experience of having a borehole system drilled? Or rainwater collection system? Or even just updating an existing well? At the moment we have an old well fed by a spring and also at times from a stream. These were unreliable in the last dry summer.
We are in South West Scotland so any personal recommendations for contractors would be great. The companies I have contacted are talking about charging me 450 pounds just to come and look at us!
Thank you for any help or warnings.
Lynn





Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Water system renovation - boreholes, wells??
« Reply #1 on: February 22, 2019, 05:45:40 pm »
Do you know how deep your current well is?  Have you explored it?  We have a hand dug stone-walled well, which fills from the water table. In our first summer it ran dry - ten French visitors helpfully washing up under running water, and flushing the loo after every child's tiny tinkle will do that  :rant:   Anyway Mr F and friends went down inside the well (with full safety equipment and precautions) and found it was quite silted up.  They cleared out the silt, replaced the pump, let the water settle and fitted a filter and UV light at the collection tank in the attic.  That was enough to sort the problem and we can even run the granny flat from it too.  We don't have a dish washer (no mains water pressure anyway) and we are careful about flushing too much in a drought.


At the time I did investigate getting a borehole, but the prices quoted would have bought us a new smallholding!  Same with being connected to the Mains.


We don't use this water for the smallholding, livestock, veg etc, that is all collected in giant black barrels from every roof around the place.  Drinkers are placed in every field and fill by gravity from our highest spot (the water will run uphill too) and we pump it up there using an electric pump.  In the winter we take warm water out to the livestock in buckets from the house.


This system has worked for 23 years for us.
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

juliem

  • Joined Aug 2014
Re: Water system renovation - boreholes, wells??
« Reply #2 on: February 22, 2019, 09:26:15 pm »
I have a borehole that was drilled ovee 20 years ago.Water lies at about 3m down and bole hole is about 12m deep....so quite shallow.It cost about £5.000.Since then we've had to have a new pump and pressure tank about 2 years ago which cost £1500.Very careful with water we use....still try and use rainwater for garden and car washing.
Water pressure is not wonderful for showering and of course does'nt work if you have a powercut.
It's been a very dry winter so far here in Shropshire.so I think your wise to look at making your system more resilient.
Your probably best to look to your neighbours for possible contractors..ours went into administration.

.

juliem

  • Joined Aug 2014
Re: Water system renovation - boreholes, wells??
« Reply #3 on: February 22, 2019, 09:33:14 pm »
Our fields by some quirk of the water network here....is fed by a mains supply.I think if you are using borehole supply constantly for livestock then theres the wear and tear factor in having to replace the pumps more often which can be expe sive

juliem

  • Joined Aug 2014
Re: Water system renovation - boreholes, wells??
« Reply #4 on: February 22, 2019, 09:48:52 pm »
Are there any grants available?

cloddopper

  • Joined Jun 2013
  • South Wales .Carmarthenshire. SA18
Re: Water system renovation - boreholes, wells??
« Reply #5 on: April 12, 2019, 12:22:50 am »
Fill IBC three tanks stacked , ( two stacks even on top of each other) for a reserve & toilet flushing .
 Encase the tanks in bales of straw or tarps to help protect them from frost ?


 There is a contractors plant machine called a sludge pump some can pull up sludge from 30 feet or more using an armoured suction hose 6 inches or 9 inches in diameter .
 Most big plant hire firms will be able get hold of them

This sort is a small set it can lift 12 .6 mtrs it has a 40 mm bore suction hose .. sometimes having a large reservoir of water  above ground is good , for you can syphon water from a height to fall into the bottom of the well and use the sludge pump to suck out the disturbed crud as it occurs .

 https://www.jewson.co.uk/tool-hire/pumping-equipment/pumping/products/4530/50mm-diaphragm-pump/
Strong belief , triggers the mind to find the way ... Dyslexia just makes it that bit more amusing & interesting

 

Forum sponsors

FibreHut Energy Helpline Thomson & Morgan Time for Paws Scottish Smallholder & Grower Festival Ark Farm Livestock Movement Service

© The Accidental Smallholder Ltd 2003-2024. All rights reserved.

Design by Furness Internet

Site developed by Champion IS