Obtaining water without electricity.

Assuming that the power outage is not due to something that will contaminate rural wells these are some good ways to get water from exisiting wells. Below are several cheap solutions to make use of existing wells.

Homemade well bucket: The benefits are that it is lightweight and portable. It requires either being able to lift approximately 40 lbs. or a pulley system to assist with the lifting. Using a smaller diameter pipe will result in less water per haul but it will go down beside existing plumbing. Using a bigger diameter pipe will result in about five gallons per haul but usually requires that the existing plumbing be removed from the well.

Simplistic hand pump: This can be left in the well and will work alongside of the existing plumbing. Not portable as the bucket is but infinitely more useful. It's a lot of work and you may want to craft a seesaw device to assist with the pumping.

Description, parts list and diagrams. Well bucket and simple hand pump

This source has a relatively easy way to point drill your own well as well as instructions, parts list and diagrams for creating a homemade hand pump: Inexpensive Do It Yourself Water Well and Homemade Hand Pump.

Water storage or hauling. A good way to store water is by using the potable water tanks designed for travel trailers. You can often obtain them fairly cheaply at a salvage yard that typically carries wrecked campers and travel trailers. Make sure to inspect it thoroughly before you purchase it. Mount it to a small trailer for carrying water from the source to your location.

Edit : removed duplicate link.

[edit on 26/6/2010 by SeenMyShare]

reply to post by SeenMyShare


Thanks, good info to have, water is priority one, always.

But don't forget the filters.

In a situation with no electricity, options and time frame to acquire water may be limited.

A filter vastly expands your possible water source points: ponds, streams, reservoirs, swamps, toilets, swimming pools, etc.

I recommend something from one or both of these.

Berkey water filters

Katadyn

I have installed a couple air lift pump system alongside regular electric or mechanical lift systems

all they are is a simple 1/2 inch PVC pipe system with a 1/4 inch drip line threaded down it and a simple wind powered air compressor to supply the air. A old AC compressor from a car will work fine.

howtodrillawell.com...

airliftech.com...
airliftech.com...

A Geyser Hybrid air lift Pump works even better if you can figure the secret of how to build it.

I can not post the copyrighted secret here but its on the net if you look carefully.

I have dewatered over 100 feet of a mine shaft with a air lift system.
in that case i used a 150 cfm compressor to power the lift through a 6 inch pipe that was in the shaft.

Obtaining water without electricity...easy... Just place (1) empty 2-liter plastic bottle outside on a hot day... (now wait for 24 hours)... Oh look! Water magicialy made it's way into the plastic bottle.

Second Idea for "Obtaining water without electricity.".....

Just place (1) *clean* plastic bag over a *clean* tree-branch... and then... (now just wait for 24 hours)... Oh look! Water magicialy appeared in the plastic bag.

find a building with gutters.. reroute the gutters into a 55 gallon drum (you do have storage containers as part of your survival supplies, correct?) wait for rain and you'll have a full barrel of water..

OR you could just fine a stream or lake etc..

As others suggest collecting it via condensation also works..

forgot the easiest one... the power grid is out.. wire your genset into the electrical wiring , you now have water... pump it into containers for storage add chlorine bleach to preserve it long term this way you run the genset very little and have water stored for later use and don't use allot of fuel.

Part of my supplies include two 55 gallon food grade drums specifically for water storage.. and there on a trailer so if o need to haul it to a lake to get water i can.. however the genset would be the first way to attempt to get the water..

Being conservative 3 people can survive on a long time on 100 gallons of water. plan a gallon a day a person.

HISTORY OF THE WATER PUMPING WINDMILL IN AMERICA

In 1854, a machinist in Connecticut (USA) named Daniel Halladay was asked by a traveling salesman to invent a windmill for pumping water and for other uses. At first, he was skeptical that there was a market for such a device, but his work went well he began manufacturing his new invention in Connecticut in 1854 achieving success. Soon, he moved his factory to Illinois to be closer to the rapidly growing western market. His windmill first demonstrated that a windmill could automatically turn to face changing wind directions without human attention and could control the speed of the wind wheel so that it did not destroy itself in the frequent storms by running too fast.

www.ironmanwindmill.com...

reply to post by gordonwest

How many bags or bottles do you think it would take to satisfy the needs of three or four people this way? One plunge of a well bucket would take care of that a whole lot faster IMO. In a pinch, with no other options it's better than nothing but I'd rather be prepared to utilize sources already available.

Yes! Don't forget the filters and the purification tablets. Not all wells have good water. Depending on the circumstance they may have been compromised by contaminants from air or ground.

reply to post by ANNED

Doesn't a wind powered air compressor require a wind mill? Too visible and not portable enough for my liking. Also, the wind in my area is nearly nil. Wind power is simply not an option.