Advice for how to get creek water to the house.

[WayneB]

I run water up a hill approximately 200 feet, at our summer home and I am using a 1 1/5 HP jet pump at the bottom of the hill. What I did was use a well point and drove it into the ground about 12 feet.

Most of the water coming up is filtered there through the soil / sand and then goes up to the camp where I the first filter that filters sand, sediment, silt and other suspended matter in water.

After that it is directed to a UV lamp system and out of there it goes to another filter system that is a 10 micron carbon block cartridge to improve the taste of the water. It does other things as well, but bottom line the water taste better after being processed through the carbon filter.

I do have the water tested every year to make sure thing are working properly. I would suggest that you consider using a well point though as it will provide you water that is not at the very surface. You can find them on line or even Home Depot and Lowes have them around here. If you go that route make sure you buy the proper connecting flanges (don't mix and match different metals). My pump sits out in the open and has been used for about 7 years without a problem. We shut down in the late fall and I always bring the pump in for the winter months.

Wayne

 

[ToadHill]

Look up hydralic ram pumps. They are centuries old and will pump water up hill without electric power, the flowing water will activate the pumping mechanism. I used to understand the principal b ut it's been years (many) since I used one.

 

[scesnick]

hey thanks guys, that is some good info, just what I was looking for.

I did look at the ram pumps a little bit. But, I am concerned that when the flow goes fairly low in the summer that it won't pump.

As far as the sand point. I'm not 100% sure what they are but i am certainly going to research them. I am REALLY concerned about freezing things up in the winter. It is brutally cold and windy here in the winter. So, anything that is exposed to the elements will most likely freeze. That is why I dug the hole way deeper than needed, so I can keep everything submersed and under the layer of ice in the creek.

 

[Egon]

I'm sure this has been here before!

Me I'd dig a hole alongside the creek but deeper and then place some aggregate at the bottom, then put in some 4 foot diameter concrete sections on the top and dig a trench to the creek. I'd fill the trench with coarse aggregate.

Put the pump in the concrete sections and you would have a nice place to get your water from. It's been sorta filtered and debris should be limited.

The 55 gal. poly drum idea just don't make a proper system in my mind.

 

[tommu56]

MotorSeven

This is one of the best ideas I have heard for creek supply
I saw a place that put a swiss cheese manhole in the creek bed it had 1' pvc holes all over the second ring for intake and submersible pump was in the center of it down in lower ring the third ring had the manhole cover mounted in it.


"When that happens, it will have to be re-dug & re-filled with fresh sand"
When that happens why can't you backwash the filter by pumping water in to the pipe till it clears sand of unwanted silt ect just take pump suction up stream of you "filter"

tom

 

[turnkey4099]

1. You should be able to rig the two systems to operate from the same pressure switch with a double pole, double throw switch. Might depend on the starting system on each pump though.

2. You will need to push about 25 psi just to get the water to the house with no pressure left over (.46 psi per foot elevation). Assuming your system runs 40/60, you need a pump producing 85 psi minimum but a bit more would be best.

Harry K

 

[MotorSeven]

Tom,
I don't know if 15 tons of sand could be backwashed, especially if it took 10+ years to clog. I also don't know if it will ever clog, since this was one of those 3am sleep interrupting brainstorms. Time wil be the test. But, at present day costs here: 1hr backhoe-$50, 1 load of coarse sand-$150. The only other thing to do is to pull the sand point out, clean it, drive it back into the new clean sand, then hook the pipe back up. It's just too easy......

One other thing to consider. I don't know how big a creek has to be before messing around with the "bed" of it will attract the attention of a state or government agency. So, locally it may be wise just to do things quietly.Which makes Egon's idea the better way to go. Digging next to a creek should be ok, it's when the "bed" is disturbed that eybrows go up & paperwork is generated.

RD

 

[SPIKER]

I would put the systems in using 2 different pressure switches and leave power on to them both, simply set the well pump/switch to come on at a lower pressure just in case the creek one couldn't keep up with the flow OR pump went bad in middle of shower ect. use check valves (extra ones) in each line at the house storage tank (just prior to the two lines coming together) and from there into the pressure tank, filters and uv and sinks ect. (extra checks just in case ones on pumps went bad or were stuck open which would drain pressure back out of tank and cause both pumps to cycle if a line broke half way from creek or well to tanks. )

I like the idea of having the sand/gravel hole out of the creek normal flow would work great.

my old boss has his brother living back in woods and we put in water from pond to his house this way. well pump is ~20 feet back from pond buried in sand gravel. they dug a ~4' wide trench all way down into the pond and filled it with coarse sand. sand acts as pre-filter. used a driven point to hook up the pump with. and had the pump and point put into a 10' section of pvc ~8" with a cap on one end so flow would move over pump motor as someone else mentioned. if it was buried in sand only it could over heat as mentioned. the exit line from this pump is under ground but not in the sand bed, it is open for easy pump cleaning with a union at the top. (access to this is inside an old concrete tile which is covered up using hay bails and a good sealing cap made of stainless steel. we made the cap too )



mark m

 

[Skyco]

One other thing to consider. I don't know how big a creek has to be before messing around with the "bed" of it will attract the attention of a state or government agency. So, locally it may be wise just to do things quietly.Which makes Egon's idea the better way to go. Digging next to a creek should be ok, it's when the "bed" is disturbed that eybrows go up & paperwork is generated.

RD

Good point- many places are awfully touchy about creeks and wetlands. Might be a good idea to go stealth with the water intake. With a lot of jurisdictions going with aerial photos to analyze structures/improvements for property tax reasons you never know....

 

[turnkey4099]

Good point- many places are awfully touchy about creeks and wetlands. Might be a good idea to go stealth with the water intake. With a lot of jurisdictions going with aerial photos to analyze structures/improvements for property tax reasons you never know....

It isn't just "many places". The EPA is everywhere and anything even approaching a wet lands or running stream is God to them. BTDT 20 years ago clearcutting a 5 acre bottom with overgrown willows. We cleared it off down to 'burn the piles' when the stuff hit the fan. The farmer/owner is still paying for that after 20 years. It didn't have a stream, was only wet in the spring except for one small corner on one end that did have a 'spring' (just a seep really).

Harry K