Well and buffer/repository tank

FLC

Hi, wondering if anyone has any experience of this type of solution. We have a well in the yard. About 40 ft deep, sunk/dug in the 1800s. The well services the home house (3 adults and 3 children) and water troughs to 40 head of cattle (sucker beef) in front fields. The well has been under pressure for the past 7 days. When there is no water to draw, we have to turn off the pump for 30m to an hour and it will replenish. It works away fine for another hour or so and then we repeat the above. This only occurs on the hottest days when there is a big draw from the cattle.

The man that services the pump has suggested putting in a 1000 litre buffer tank that the pump will top up as it can depending on how much the well is recovering. Has anyone any experience of such a system? (cost = €1,000).

We have never gone under pressure in June / July before but have in the traditional months of Aug/Sept.

I am wondering would I be better of spending the €1k on sinking a new well?

Any steer on this appreciated.

davidk1394

A friend of mine has 2 IBC tanks put in place, although he draws from a stream it work a the same way. Works fine for him and the pump only kicks in when the cows are drinking from tanks that are uphill.
I would have thought a well only 40ft deep is pretty shallow. You mentioned that the well is there since the 1800s. If it was me I’d drill a New well and with this dry period the water table is lower so wherever you hit water it should be more or less a constant supply all year round. Here at home we hit water at 80ft but stayed going to 150ft just to be sure we wouldn’t run out. A couple of wells around us are getting low and some fellas are drawing water out of our place.

_Brian

We have a domestic buffer tank here at the house it’s only 100l but my brother is installing a bigger one of maybe 400l and I think the tank is costing maybe €200.

Mine has a submersible pump and a standard ballcock.

My advice to you is put an ibc on the farm as a buffer and see how that goes. You can manually slow the fill of the buffer so it draws slowly and the house still gets priority to the water.
Put the ibc in a shed where it is in the dark and keep the lid closed, but not completely airtight.

FLC

It’s a few years since we “dipped” the well. Will do it and confirm the depth. The theory from our man is that the draw to top up the buffer will be half what the current draw is and the pump will be managed off the buffer tank ball cock. This allows the well to replenish under less stress.

Rough cost for drilling a well? I know there are a lot of variables here. Good few springs near the house so we could be lucky with the location and reduce some costs. Also in Tipp btw.

_Brian

Many many years ago when I worked with Alfa I installed a buffer tank in a parlour.
It was only fed with 1/2 pipe and couldn’t meet demand and didn’t want to rip up concrete to lay new line.

He put a new kingspan oil tank in the loft and a shallow well pump from that feeding the parlour.

The tank would fill away slowly but he had a burst of water for the parlour when he needed it. Was a great success and never ran out of water in the parlour. All been replaced since with new plant.

FLC

Yes, sounds like what I have the quote for. 1000l tank indoors, beside pump and on a slow fill. Hopefully it will sort it.

_Brian

FLC wrote: »

Yes, sounds like what I have the quote for. 1000l tank indoors, beside pump and on a slow fill. Hopefully it will sort it.

Think of the winter when positioning it.
Shallow well type pumps are shockingly susceptible to splitting in even light frost.


I saw a wash down pump split in a parlour loft and the tank emptied out into the surrounding meal, it was an awful mess.

_Brian

Make sure OP Amy tank you buffer to the house is food grade plastic.

That’s another reason to buffer the farm supply only.

Timmaay

1000e sounds like alot if all your doing is setting up an ibc to feed the cattle, you can get ibcs used on donedeal for 50 to 100e, hook it up directly before the main cattle water trough, and put a ballcock with a low pressure valve in the top of the IBC, the low pressure ballcock will let it fill slower.

longgonesilver

How are you doing now FLC

case5130

davidk1394 wrote: »

A friend of mine has 2 IBC tanks put in place, although he draws from a stream it work a the same way. Works fine for him and the pump only kicks in when the cows are drinking from tanks that are uphill.
I would have thought a well only 40ft deep is pretty shallow. You mentioned that the well is there since the 1800s. If it was me I’d drill a New well and with this dry period the water table is lower so wherever you hit water it should be more or less a constant supply all year round. Here at home we hit water at 80ft but stayed going to 150ft just to be sure we wouldn’t run out. A couple of wells around us are getting low and some fellas are drawing water out of our place.

Just wondering how long the water would stay ok in the tanks would it go stagnant if the water coming in stopped for a period of time

FLC

longgonesilver wrote: »

How are you doing now FLC

All good, but not a true test yet as we moved stock from "the front" where they were drawing on water from the well to "the back", where they have access to an alternate source (river!). But even where showers and garden hose are going it is keeping well ahead of the posse, ie two thirds of the 1000L tank in front of us and topping up from the spring nice and handy. When rain does come and stock are back drawing from the well I'll monitor and see what kind of a dent its putting in the tank.