Today we will take a VERY close look at hand pump wells. What parts to buy, where to buy them, how to drive the well what pitfalls you might encounter and how to get good clean water with a primitive well.
I'm a stocker at a Menards myself and i'm sometimes putting plumbing stuff on the shelves and hooks to be sold. This deep dive will help me answer any questions about this stuff if i'm ever faced with those questions. Thank you Dave.
Just do whatever else does at big box stores just pretend you know what you’re talking about, just sound confident and well spoken and if someone calls you out just tell them “You’re the expert” and that it’s awesome to learn something new!
@@mikeFPS1980 most of the time they try to explain to me how to do something with what I've bought--I think it is really funny because I'm a retired Journeyman Carpenter.
I like the ball valve idea! I have a check valve on mine...and it will freeze shut in the winter. ...and. Sometimes just rip the rubber apart. My well is about 22ft. It's been there for more than 30 yrs. And they sell those pitcher pumps at Menards.,😊
I have absolutely zero ambition to make a well but it was fun watching you try, fail, try again, and finally succeed. The process was interesting and I liked seeing how simple the materials are to make a well. Stay radical! 🤘🏻
Great video, Dave! As always crystal clear explanation of the process and times of redirection. Nice one! Now back to work on my solar system! Peace and love!
Great video, Dave. I grew up in a hardware store and we sold all that stuff for sandpoints. Dont know how many pump leathers i sold growing up. The old timers were always amazed when my little sis could tell them why their wells werent pumping. She went on to get a masters in geology. Your tutorial covers this subject perfectly.
Growing up in oxberry Miss we had a pump just like that. We always had to make sure to save water in one bucket so we could prime the pump..we also had an outhouse..I was 7.. now I’m 70
So I was watching one of Bushradicals older videos on building a cabin and low and behold, another channel was recommended to me to watch, and it was Black Spruce. I watched it and enjoyed watching him build a cabin, but there was someone familiar helping him in the back ground. I thought, that guy looks a lot like Dave. He kept calling him his brother. So, long story short, I’m Black Spruce new subscriber.🎉
Appreciate these videos where you work through the challenges bound to occur. Better than the polished vids on other channels that edit out the realities of these projects. If Dave has some struggles, I can cut myself some slack
At my cabin in Northern lower Michigan. I drove a sand point with no water at 24 foot. Instead of pulling I drove through a hard clay layer, 1/8 inch per hit at times. After 3 foot of hard driving it poked into water sand. Total well depth 34 foot. Hand pump does in fact pump it, extra effort is needed on handle, and I wear out leather cups once a year. I like the ball valve idea! I used brass check valve. Great informative video! Thanks!
Holy shizzzz. This is interesting to me I'm in the Twin Cities, Minnesota so mid state. I drove 14 feet down and hit hard clay. I know a retired professional well digger who insisted since I hit hard pack clay I could not drill deeper as no sand would be below the clay and the point would be clogged with clay anyway. I drove to 17 feet and gave up. Also was told anything below 20 feet is futile for a hand pump. This is reassuring as I had given up. I did pull the sand point and it was very beat up and definitely clogged. Did you jet it to clear the clay?
@@RunningWithSauce Once in water, you cannot fill the pipe with water. If pipe holds water you're not in water. The gravity pressure of the water poured in pushes clay off point.
@@criticaleventYou can do what I did. You stick a 1/2 inches pipe in the 5/4 inches pipe AND build (in my case) or buy in that 1/2 inches pipe a valve with glass ball. Than you will be able to pull water from that well, BUT NO MORE THAN 2 LITTERS in 3 or 5 minutes which is needed for the well to refill and it depends on the spring debit down bellow. The 1 metter (hight with holes) and 5/4 inches pipe (cillinder) can't hold more than 1 litter of water in volume (it's a simply volume geometry math computation), than will have to refill again. The water it will allways be sandy (muddy). At least that is the case in my "well". I am still waiting for the sediments to settle... Maybe they will never do... who knows? The good part is that you can deposite that sandy mud and search for gold in it. 😂
Dave, thanks for not giving up on RU-vid videos. We enjoy watching you do whatever it is you are currently working on. Don't stress over "Is this decent content or not." Just keep putting yourself out there and we will keep watching. Personally, I think you should be the next Motel 6 voice guy. You and Tom Bodett have such great voices. My other notable favorite is Morgan Freeman. BTW, this video did answer a couple of questions I have had about this type of well even though I have watched your other well videos. So, thanks!
I will probably never have to drill a well, but your instructional video was very interesting Dave. I always learn something new when I watch your channel. Thanks for more great viewing. Cheers from Australia 👏🏻🇦🇺🦘
Off grid 20+ years and hand drove my own well but be aware that a driven will is less than 25 feet deep and water tables vary a lot through the year and you may get contaminated water from surface infiltration. Always have the water tested and use a good filter. The easiest way to drive one is with a 3 foot fence post driver or if you have access to a backhoe with a bucket you can use the bucket and weight of the tractor to drive them in. Most driven wells fail so unless you know for sure there is water at 25 feet you are probably wasting your money.
Awesome video! I have an electric pump for my shallow well that I use for the house, but when I rebuilt it I put a valve and manual pump on the top just in case I loose power. This lets me have access to drinking water no matter what happens to the grid.
Hi Dave, Something that I think you might have mentioned is that I know you use outhouses at your cabins and lots of other people do too. So the well should be as far away from the outhouse and also preferably upslope. I work for civil engineers and I don't really know about shallow wells but deep ones are always at least 50' from a septic system.
I think the well drilling vids are some of my favorites that you do. I have probably watched them over and over again at least 6 times each and have shared them with as many people as I know that have interest in that
Thanks for the videos Dave! I've watched all of yours, brook's and Ryan's cabin building videos like 10 times each. Can't wait to see the inside of your last cabin when you get it done. God bless you and your family.
I noticed there was a Sandpoint well on my off grid property that I bought in the UP last fall. It had an old broken pitcher pump in the cabin, and there was a drive coupler on top of the well pipe. I bought a new pitcher pump at Menards so I could put on it. I checked the depth of the well and it was about 22 feet to the bottom, but the water table was about 5 foot down. I did notice that with the spring runoff up there. There was quite a bit of water in areas where it wasn’t last fall. So I’m assuming the water table goes up and down with the runoff also. my cabin and property is in the area between Deer Park and Paradise and it’s quite sandy. The little pitcher pump works great on it. And yes I did notice when I first used it it had to clean some sediment out of the well itself and then the water cleared up. I did watch your videos about driving well and I’m glad I did not have to do that lol. But it is nice to have a well on the property that works, thanks for the videos you’re always a pleasure to watch.
Thanks for the clear explanations of the process. I've been thinking about sinking one for emergency purposes. I'd suggest that if you ever have to pull another well pipe, you get yourself a hi-lift jack. They're used to pull fence posts all of the time and I think they'd work for the pipe with less damage than the pipe wrenches did.
For those wondering, Yes a shallow well pump and a hand pump as hes using can in fact pump deeper then says they do. Infact that is just the Maximum Recommend Depth to pump at. WARNING ⚠️ it will wear parts down much faster then intended if doing so depending on how much further depth, if itll even work. Just know to be careful!
FWIW, Harbor Freight sells a nice 2" augur bit for their powered post hole digger, that can be easily adapted for a hand augur. Getting the dirt out of the hole will be the hardest part, but it goes through clay pretty well and might be a good option until you hit sand. Also, for pulling a pipe? Tractor jack with large steel washers to grip the pipe. You can get huge steel washers at an industrial supply. In my area of NW Indiana, there's a business, AAA Steel that carries such stuff.
Dave, I love that I am not the only person that puts things together, only to find out it's upside down. lol..thanks for doing real videos. Love the honesty in all you do. Great work
Loving the revisits and deep dives, living in town I don't have a direct use for a well but would love to stick one in the ground eventually, so I'm slowly acquiring the supplies, found a couple of drive couplers on clearance at Lowes the day, now to scroll market place for a pump to restore. Thanks for the info
Yay! I just got finished watching Brooke’s new video! I look forward to your videos and learn so much from both of you. I hope to see many videos this summer from y’all in Alaska! I also can’t wait to see your son’s new adventure as well! I love your family! Blessings ❤️
Hello Dave: thank you for taking us through the install of a hand water pump. After watching this I might install one but this is going to be on the back burner, but I now know how. A big thank you for this video. Keep safe and have a great day.
Ya know Dave...that was an awesome video for any of us that are gonna sink a Sandpoint...I've never sunk one but have friends who have them at their camp and they all see to love them for their water supply...very informative and you yo thru each step thoroughly...well done...take care ✌️
Brother I love your videos. They have helped me out quite a bit, and I have worked construction my entire life except for my 8 years in the US Marines. I love how you mention things like where the pipe wrench dinged the pipe and made it sharp to handle. These are things that most people have to learn the hard way. Great videos brother.
Superb, Dave. First attempt was reasonable, but didn't work; so you went to Plan B, which worked great. You are so resourceful, and also generous, to share your resourcefulness with others. Bravo!
Wow, great success! I remember an episode where your friends got you to try and set up a well, but no luck. You enjoyed a steak BBQ, everyone worked hard but no luck, it was devastating. I wonder if they ever tried again and struck water?
I really enjoy your videos, and how informative they really are. Between you your brother and your wife we seem to have come to a conclusion into what we can do and what we cannot thank you so much for your time your videos and your experiences. Live on God bless
I'm curious on what you need to do to "Winterize" it against freezing and fracturing? Do you just open the check valve so that there isn't any water in the well pipe, and manually pump it back up when you visit in the winter? Thanks for taking the time to answer. Love your vids!
My grandparents had a hand pump love getting the water and swinging the pail around as a kid, anyway always was interested in how it worked now i know, so thanks Dave. Be Blessed. 😊🇺🇲
