A very real and life saving tool that can easily be made by any one so long as they don't wait until they can not get the PVC, glue, and one way valve. Very good info.
We had one at our summer cabin before we had the pump installed. It was pvc pipe, cap with a hole drilled, and a marble just larger than the hole. It worked well.
I'd award Joe Ken a prize. Best ~prepper idea for the ~best well bucket. Such a bucket could be fabricated during an unlikely situation. ALL of SouthernPrepper1 videos, lets us know, KNOWLEDGE is often better than collecting a lot of things. (A gun being the exception. Guns are difficult to fabricate!)
This is why I would rather dig several shallow wells with an old fashion hand pump. But if that ever breaks down, this will help a lot. Thanks for sharing this.
Lehman's is an Amish supper store if you want to be off grid they have it stoves ,canning , propane refrigerator's . This place is well wroth the trip even Doug & Stacy do classes there
Use a new toilet flap for a tank. rig it to the bottom of the pipe and put a flush valve on the side at the top or the top top of the pipe and boom carbon copy of what you have. yeah my grandfather had to get water in a similar way and showed my mom and dad and was passed down as family knowledge. Definitely a need to know for everyone.
No disrespect to Dave Intended but please do not cut your supply line and let it drop inside the well casing. To do so could permanently block the well! Always remove the supply line and wires first. If you don't know the depth of your well you can find it with some string and a weight. Simply tie a weight to the end of a string, Drop the line until the weight touches the water. Mark the string with a sharpie next to the rim of the well casing. Continue to drop the line until will hits bottom. Mark the line at this point too. Measure the distance where the weight meets the water, that is the depth to the water surface. Measure between the two marks, that is the depth of your well. If you know the circumference/diameter of your well casing you can even calculate the volume of water.
I have a park next door to me with a capped well. I attempted to lower my bailer and hit the discarded water lines. I have it in my mind to use a drywall expanding anchor ⚓ to capture the pipe and hoist it out. Very often ever so often the wires, safety rope and pipe are taped or zip tied together so there may be other ways to retrieve the pipe.
Thank you for all of the great preparedness ideas you are constantly sharing. You truly have a heart to help others to be prepared for what is coming. I wish the same could be said about anyone in Washington right now.
When I drilled my own well in the late 90's I used 3/4 inch galvanized pipe to use from the submersible pump. When I paid a driller for another well he used PVC pipe to the submersible pump. Lesson learned. If the pipe to the pipe to the pump is not PVC, make sure it is when you replace the pump. Will be alot easier to pull out as you described when the need arises.
THANKS FOR GOING THROUGH ALL THE TROUBLE TO SETUP YOUR MAKE BELIEVE WELL AND SHOWING US HOW IT ALL WORKS👍 Funny DAVE I have been looking at them for our well because any well that is over 25’+- a regular pitcher pump will not work. And deep well pump system requires very deep pockets! Our well is around 90’ deep. Over the last few years we have had very small earthquakes (East Tennessee) and the pipe casing only extends down about 20’. The sides have loosened up a little and have caused the soil to cave in a little…the well is still very usable be it has some clay mixed in it nowadays. So I plan to run the electrical well pump and try to pump out some if not most of that clay. We have city water also to our home. We will then cut and remove the pump, wires and piping and put them in storage. Thanks again 👍
I found 2 at a antique store. There seals are great, now to get enough rope! My well is 800 feet deep, not sure what the static level is. I plan on building a frame for a wheel to pull up.
Forget about using his method if your well is 800 feet. there is no way your going to pull the pump out by hand. Better option is to have a a good surge suppressor on the well pump circuit and a generator that has enough power to run that well pump!
@@guytech7310 I don’t know what my static line is, it could be less. I’ve a generator and fuel if need be. I also have a spring fed pond, it’s a way from the house, but it’s water. I put in an 1100 gallon rain catch system as well. I’m trying to cover every base.
I grew up pulling water out of a well using a rope and pulley. The rope itself is going to be heavy if its 800 ft. If by "static level" you mean the depth at which the water level is then it will probably be close to 800. In my experience wells are only dug deep enough to reach water plus a few extra feet. Buy string and tie a small weight and floater on the end and drop it down there to measure. Once it hits the water then mark the string, pull it up, and measure the string. Also, if you build a sturdy enough frame to mount the pulley onto, you can use a donkey, horse, 4 wheeler, or vehicle to pull the rope. This is definitely a two person job, one at the well to get the bucket, the other to guide the animal or drive the vehicle. (We used a donkey)
Yep, I built one of those years ago and a T handle to screw into the pitless to be able to pull the pump. You can also rig up a tripod or some rigging over the well with a pulley system.
Thank you. I wondered what we would do if the electricity goes out. A hand pump is really not feasible for us for multiple reasons. It is nice to know that there is an option if my long term water storage runs low and there is no rain.
I bought para cord that (didn’t know) was made in China. It looks fine but is carefully glued and will break if too much weight is used. A lot to be said for made in USA.
Me: taking notes Also me: Shoot! I don't even have a well Me again: *Shoot* I don't even have a house! One of these days I'll get there. Keep up the great content, brother!! You're a huge help!!!!
Recon your immediate area for wells. Albeit irrigation or a neighborhood pool supply. If you have the knowledge or products to supply your immediate neighbors the stress level will be less.
@@patr10t762 great points. I've accumulated much knowledge over the last several months and now have three methods for gathering water in an urban environment. It's going well!!
Great practical vidio. Got a 15' ground water well for plants, lawn. Its 110 and have a solar and a gas gen for backup. But your idea a great plan b. Thank You
Thank you....We were just talking about needing to do something if we didn't have electricity to run the pump since a hand pump wasn't going to work because our well is deep......the only thing that may be an issue in our case is if it is a nuclear event and going outside to get to the well cap but all other scenarios this would work.
A much better plan would be to purchase a new, old fashion hand pump for your well. Build a platform of some type to mount it on above the well casing and run about a 1” to 1 1/2” pipe down your well casing and stop a little above the electric pump that is down there if you have a submersible well pump. When the power goes out, just start pumping water into your bucket. Very simple and convenient. Pulling your electric well pump out is pretty drastic and unpractical. Invest in a good hand pump. You will need to know how deep your water level is before buying one. If it a shallow well you can get a pretty cheap pump. If its deep, it will be more expensive. Hand pumps are rated by how far up you have to pull the water. Our hand pump has been a lifesaver when the electric pump went bad and the weather was too bad to mess with it for a couple of weeks. We just pump a couple of 5 gallon bucket partially full, take them in the house, and used that to flush the toilets, and wash up, do dishes, etc. A hand pump is well worth the investment!
The last couple of pumps I pulled out of well heads I had to pour muratic acid down on top of to loosen the pump enough to have a front loader bucket pull on it to break it free. I don’t see anybody doing this by hand. Unless it’s a newer well and it isn’t corroded like crazy at the bottom around the well pump
Awewome. In some areas where i live in the Midwest they have natural open working wells in some of the parks. People take water from them all the time.
Fantastic, I was wondering how I could get water out of a drilled well , will be getting parts list together ASAP , great video and thanks for boots on the ground ! Best news source out there.
Good advice. Pulling up my well line to access my deep well would yield me between 10-15 gallons from the primed lines themselves. In a pinch one could fashion a bucket as you describe by using the water line and foot valve on a rope. Stay free.
we have 2 well buckets and tons of rope, also built a windless to help lift it up because our water is 668 ft. down. Water is going to be a big barter tool for labor.
Great video! I was just thinking about this the other day now that we have a modern deep well. Thank you for putting out great information for anyone that will listen.
You should warn people that when they loosen those top nuts you can accidentally drop the bottom plates. You need to loosen it enough to loosen the seal, without unscrewing the bottom plates. Remember there's usually rubber or something malleable between the two pieces of metal that as you tighten it it squishes it to make a seal. You want to loosen it to loosen the seal, without dropping anything down the well that can get in the way.
There is a company i believe Alaskan Hand Pump, something along those lines i installed one for a customer. Installed inside the well with the pump pipe and wiring.
When I was growing up it was a pulley with a metal bucket on it with a open well .. drop the bucket let it fill and pull it up .. been a design that has been since our forefathers
Bailer was made of steel and some galvanized, check flea market and antique shops, I carry Para cord 100 foot minimum, not the dollar tree crap. My Bob has at least 2 rolls
Thank you so much for this practical advice and knowledge. I knew we had a well that has those pvc pipes and the well motor at the bottom. I wasn’t sure just how to get the well bucket down to the water.
If you're not handy making things Lehmans has this type of well bucket already made. It sells in a preppier type set BUT you can also buy just the bucket fo $100.
Alongside my large bailer I also constructed mini versions made with 3/4 pipe and a "chicken nipple" using a roll of fishing line. This I keep in my get home kit when I was traveling. I figured I could use it to aquire potable water from wells that are not "gutted". Also could be a proof of concept or barter item to repay someone.
It seems you may be leaving out some vital information: Wells (in my area) have what is called a pitless adapter, which is what makes the transition from your vertical pipe to your pipe to the house. The top of the adapter is threaded to receive a puller, which is how you pull a well. You can make (I've made) a tool that you can thread onto the adapter and pull the well pump and pipe. Keep in mind that almost always this is done by a truck, as it is difficult to break free and will be VERY heavy. If you drop it as you're pulling it = game over, you lose!
@@homertheconqueror2574 a 1 inch threaded pipe should thread into the top of your pitiless adapter, you can make a T handle on the top of your pipe to pull on , it takes some force to pull it, because you have the weight of the pump, and the pressure on the adapter
My son works for a construction company that's been in business for thirty years and never had a problem getting materials to do jobs, but they're cutting hours and may have to lay some off soon, because they can't get plumbing supplies pipe , fittings and other things needed supply shortage big time.
I was looking at a manual pump setup. You have to get that shoe fitting pulled up to get the pump put of the way. You could snake a smaller pipe down next to the other pipe
good advice, however under no circumstances should anyone cut the pipe and wire and let it slam to the bottom. A well might be 300 foot, 400 foot deep and only have 100 foot of water in it. If this was the case that well would be rendered useless and blocked. Always if you had to pull the pump, winch it up, do not drop it.
Hey Brother, great info! Can you do a video on "simple", "affordable", cost effective" methods of protecting electronics from EMPs or CMEs? I know you did a video using a lined steel trash can but I was hoping for a little more in-depth how-to. Also, what do you know about protecting modern vehicles from the same? Thanks for all you do.
I have a six inch well and bought 4 inch stovepipe years ago in case I have to do that.4 inch pipe holds 2/3 gallon per foot.3 inch 1/3 gallon per foot.Water weighs 8,25 per gallon.My well is 150 ft deep.Most well have a "pitless fitting" which is literally a wedge with an o ring below the frost line where it goes horizontal to your service line to the house.It is held tight by gravity. its designed to screw a piece of starter pipe[most are 1 inch]into the top to pull it out. So keep a 6 ft piece of pipe on hand threaded on one end to do so with a good flashlight or mirror. The first quarter inch up may have to be gained by the use of a hydraulic jack to break the wedged seal.I will have to unscrew mine 10 foot at a time coupling by coupling so I keep a short piece of channel iron with a slot cut in it to hold the last coupling by the bottom of it while I unscrew the top with pipewrenches.By using this method I can pull mine using a tripod made from 2x4s or saplings and a pully lied to the top.Keep a spare pump on hand minimum along with your manual method of getting water out.
You better have a long T handle usually with 1” npt threads to disengage the pitless valve. In New England they’re 4’ down to stay below the frost line.
My well is 80 foot to pump. It has inch and sixteenth steel pipe in 20 foot sections. I have pulled it twice since I have lived here to replace pump. I have made a dip can similar to what you made. Mine is metal with a valve in bottom. I like the way you empty yours. Mine I have to tip over. I think I will rebuild mine out of pvc. Are you using a toilet flapper valve in yours?
you can use 3/4 in x 10 ft pvc and a check valve on the bottom. With and elbow on top and a piece of pipe to your bucket. Raise and lower like the old hand pump. My water level is down 30 ft. So I need 5 pieces to get me down to 50 ft. Its not fast, but no pulling the pump or contaminating the well. You can make a lever for a handle just like the old hand pump!
you submerse a 4' piece of 1.5" pvc on a 1.5' black poly water line to below the water level in the well. On the pvc you put in a 1/4" elbow so that the elbow that is also well below the water level. You connect an automotive clear plastic air line to the elbow and drop the whole apparatus into the well with the water line and the plastic air source out the top of the well. With a compressor or even an air pump you pump air into the air line to the elbow immersed in the well water level. The air bubbles up the water line and expands as the depth decreases and blows the water up the water line as and out the top of the well. Very inexpensive and will pump at high volumes with a compressor......... I have a windmill that operates on that principle. Australian made Bowjon 2 cylinder AIR PUMP. . The 2 cylinder air pump pumps water and bubles up line @10 gallons a minute to fill a tank on the surface........They used to make a 1 and also a 4 cylinder mill............The air pump system is the size of a six pack and has compressor oil in the crankcase.......I don't know at what low air volume or depths are the limits of this system.........So use a bigger compressor if need be. You have to use the pvc on the poly line as you just can't pump air into the casing.......
Mines is a six inch the pump pulls out real easy, I've got the two inch pipe for my pitcher pump, I'm going to set my pump head on top of the six inch with the two inch running down into the water, should work
