Artesian well - what to do?

[Westonium]

Just tripped over this thread.

GEOTHERMAL. By Geothermal I mean that you have a continuously self-replacing heat sink to use a high-efficiency heat pump with. All that water could flow over coils looking to either suck heat out of the ~60 degree water (during winter when it is far colder than that outside), or to dump the heat pulled out of the house into it during cooling months.

It's really better than what most geothermal systems have - they are usually using a set amount of earth as a big heat sink - your heat sink gets replaced all the time.

In all seriousness you could slash your heating and cooling bills (especially cooling) tremendously.

If you can't afford a heat pump etc - if all you did was to pipe the output through a radiator block that you got for cheap and blew air through it during the summer, and let the water back out again - free cooling using NO pumps or compressors!

You can't beat that with a stick.

THEN I'd take the output and keep a good poly cistern full.

THEN I'd use the overflow from that and have a lovely waterfeature.

THEN I'd run the pond runoff over a narrow, rocky, artificial stream over a liner down to the nearest creek.

2-3 gallons a minute won't make a lot of electricity btw. Enough to maybe power low-voltage landscape lighting perhaps.

 

[gmbc]

gmbc New Member: I have been following this site for awhile and this forum just hit the nail on the head. I have been looking at acreages and stayed away from wells as have no idea about them. I then found I had to look into those properties as many have what I am looking for. Found one with Artesian and had a pipe that overflows. Owner was not sure what is was. From this forum and thread I now know it is normal and not to cap as that is what I was asking. Also lookikng to purchase tractor for property as none on site. Looking at LS Tractors and john Deere but JD seems out of reach for now

 

[zing]

Give some thought to a trout pond. My dad's friend has one and loves it as a hobby. Just dig a steep sided hole 6 - 10 feet deep and about 10 x 20 feet. I don't know if he had to line the walls or not. You can even net it off into two sections so you can have smaller fish growing separate from the big ones that will just eat them. Once they are big enough to survive, you move them in with the big boys and get a new batch of small ones. He occasionally drops off a large trout for my Dad to cook up, so tasty!

Just be aware that after you build the pond you will have to:
- build a fence to stop the racoons from eating all of your fish
- put wires over the fence to stop the birds of prey from eating all of your fish.
- install a camera to stop the local buttheads from stealing all of your fish.
- you occasionally have to deal with a disease outbreak or something among the fish.

Once it is set up though it is basically just a hobby to maintain that he loves to do. Feeding the fish in the morning (you can get automatic feeders for when you are away), cleaning the silt and poop from the bottom from time to time, restocking the small fish and moving bigger ones to the other side, etc. Wouldn't be a money making venture, but a nice hobby that gives you a good feed whenever you want. Also a great conversation piece. Whenever anyone visits they always want to visit the pond and see the fish.

 

[Grant1]

I have never heard of not capping an artesian well. I am in north Fl and have had true flowing artesian wells my whole life on different properties. We have always plumbed them into the the house with no overflow valves and never have had a problem. I am not doubting what some are saying but I would like to know the answer

 

[speedbump]

The big reason not to cap some flowing wells is that the pressure is sometimes great enough that the water finds another way out. Usually up along the casing. Once this happens, you now have no casing to control the amount of flow.

 

[DocDryden]

I'm sure that this would not apply to those living in the south. They would not have the same problem that I did. We had to open the valve on the artesian well and let it run all winter so that it would not freeze. Dunning the summer I would shut the valve off.

 

[speedbump]

I'm not sure what it's like on Lake Huron Doc, but I have heard some pretty scary things about flowing wells along Lake Michigan.

 

[445A]

Out here in California, we are screaming for water, in the current drought. Back in your area, the stuff just runs out of the ground! Wish I had that problem.:laughing: Seriously though, I am sure you have your own unique problems to deal with. I just checked Youtube on how to build a pond. Also look at the posts/videos on a ram pump. It uses drop to operate and will move a small part of the volume higher than the well head. This could be used for household use with some sort of storage and not have to use any electricity. You are one fortunate individual in my book! I like all the posts here on this subject. I'd look at all the options, carefully come up with a long term plan, and persue it as time and money permit. 445A

 

[Dr_Zinj]

Grow rice and other aquatic vegetables.