"Muddymike" wrote in message
om...
I have been told there is an old well in our back yard. This got me
thinking that I could drop a pump down it and use the water for garden
watering, vehicle washing, pressure washing the paths etc and save a lot of
water from the mains, which I pay for twice, once as water used and again
as sewage charge to the water authority. Anyway I have now found it. I
drilled a hole through the tarmac at a spot where the snow and ice always
melts first and bingo I have a cavity. The problem now is that it is 14m
deep!!! Yes 14 meters no exaggeration. I measured it by dropping a plumb
bob down the hole, and had to find more string. The good news is that there
is at least two metres of water at the bottom.

So my original plan to just drop the submersible pump down there as
required may not work as I doubt it will lift the water that far. I now
wonder if investing in a better pump would be worthwhile as the
electricity used to lift the water may cost more than I pay the water
authority.

Anyone have any experience in the cost of running a pump at that depth?

Mike


A surface pump wouldn't be able to suck water up from that depth, due to the
laws of physics.
What you could have is submersible pump and a surface pressure vessel. The
pressure vessel would be linked to the house and provide water at mains
pressure. It would hold say 20 gallons. The pressure vessel would call for
more water when it is near empty otherwise the pump would be triggered every
time you flush the loo or turn on a tap.

You are allowed 20cu.m water per day unless you are commercial before you
need an extraction licence. The sale of runner beans watered from the well
could be seen as commercial.

If you were in East Anglia http://www.panks.co.uk/ would be the people to
call so you need a comparable company near you.
They have a special measuring tape which bleeps when it hits the water
surface.

You need to get water fronm the pressure vessel to the house and independent
to your mains water. This will need to be in a PE pipe 750mm deep. You will
need electricity supplies to the pump and pv.
It needs to be independant because in theory if your water exceeds the
pressure of the mains water, your well water might be unwell and get into
the mains system. They won't be happy!

If you keep the mains water for the kitchen tap only then the well can
provide for everything else.
Then go on to a low user tariff with your water utility. It could easily
slip your mind to inform the water utility, that way you would be billed for
sewerage based on the 4cu m/year incoming water and not based on their
estimate of actual.

It won't be cheap but will pay for itself far quicker than any green energy
installation and you will be immune from hose pipe bans.

mark