Well / borehole water pumping costs

[mikeakc]

Hi all,
I suspect there are some folk on here who have experience pumping water from a well / borehole on their property.

I have had a well sitting idle in our front drive for years now, it is 37 feet to the surface of the water and 45 deep in total so there is 8 feet of water at the bottom.

I am considering fitting an electric pump to set up an irrigation system for the garden and to fill the paddling pool for the kids, top up the pond etc. However I am wondering whether the electricity costs of running a pump and then getting ‘free’ water is actually cheaper than just paying for water through the hosepipe.

I realise the latter is not as responsible given that we are on the cusp of a hosepipe ban but I would like to know how mains water compares with electricity pumped well water in terms of cost. Could anyone advise on this please?

It seems I can get the water tested for about £150 (by IVARIO) and purchase a pump for about £80 then it would just be a length of hosepipe to get up and running.

Any advice or experience on this would be gratefully received.

The alternative would of course be a hand pump and a watering can but realistically I think we would use the system much more if it was running at the flick of a switch.

All the best,
Mike

 

[VSS]

I also have a well that I don't use. It's quite far downhill from my house, and I worked out the cost of pumping it up was more than what I'm paying for mains water.
However, I did recently see an advert for a useful looking solar-powered pump, so I might look into that as a way of pumping water up to a holding tank on the hillside above the house and buildings.

 

[mikeakc]

I also have a well that I don't use. It's quite far downhill from my house, and I worked out the cost of pumping it up was more than what I'm paying for mains water.
However, I did recently see an advert for a useful looking solar-powered pump, so I might look into that as a way of pumping water up to a holding tank on the hillside above the house and buildings.

That’s interesting thanks.

The ground level of my well is level with my garden, at ground level so it would be a 45 foot pump up to the surface at worst.

 

[long_range_rob]

 

[tozzybum]

This might help ,initial outlay £199 from Mr evils bay ,some poly pipe happy days

 

[Klenchblaize]

Only 37ft? Lightweight!

K

 

[tozzybum]

It wouldn't be polite to comment on another man's " hole depth and diameter "

 

[Jagare]

I get my water from a well. Its quite deep. Never really thought about the cost of electric the pump uses. The pump and pressure tank are amazingly cheap to replace. I've lived here nearly 20 years and only had one new pump about 8 years ago and that was because the pressure tank sprung a leak. Never had the quality of the water tested and apart for some nasty skin lesions and a permanent twitch I' m in great health.

 

[Klenchblaize]

Once you’ve got the pump dont forget the funky lighting and a speaker located at the bottom so you can scare the **** out of your neighbour at midnight:

K

 

[VSS]

This might help ,initial outlay £199 from Mr evils bay ,some poly pipe happy days

The solar powered pump I was looking at cost 10x that, and only had a lift of 100ft

 

[willie_gunn]

Watching this thread with interest:

 

[tozzybum]

250 of your English pounds gets 250 ft of lift

 

[VSS]

Trouble is you'd also need a float switch in the holding tank, necessitating a lot of extra wiring (possibly over a long distance) over and above what comes in the "kit".

 

[tozzybum]

Ball cock sir ,instead of switch

 

[Jagare]

Trouble is you'd also need a float switch in the holding tank, necessitating a lot of extra wiring (possibly over a long distance) over and above what comes in the "kit".

My pump has a pressure tank that hold 15-20 ltrs and has a pressure switch. No need for header tanks. Very reliable.

 

[VSS]

Ball cock sir ,instead of switch

No, that would just burn your pump out.

My pump has a pressure tank that hold 15-20 ltrs and has a pressure switch. No need for header tanks. Very reliable.

That's OK if your natural water supply is consistently reliable, and able to provide, on demand, the maximum amount of water you'll ever need at any one time. If not, a large holding tank is essential.

 

[tozzybum]

Ok plan B ,12v turbine, 12v float pump ,12v leisure battery, 50m polypipe

 

[mikeakc]

Ball cock sir ,instead of switch

This is where my knowledge of plumbing and wiring falls down completely.

If I rig it up with a ball cock and the level drops low enough to open the tap, how does the pump know that it needs to turn on? Surely a switch is needed as the pressure is not there unless it is pumping. Do you see where I’m coming from? Any guidance on the technicalities of this would be appreciated.

Ultimately it would be lovely if I could run a trickle irrigation system for an hour every few days to keep my veggies and apple trees watered. I am often away for a few days at a time over summer and this year a lot has succumbed to the heat. Could this be set up in any way?

 

[VSS]

This is where my knowledge of plumbing and wiring falls down completely.

If I rig it up with a ball cock and the level drops low enough to open the tap, how does the pump know that it needs to turn on? Surely a switch is needed as the pressure is not there unless it is pumping. Do you see where I’m coming from? Any guidance on the technicalities of this would be appreciated.

Ultimately it would be lovely if I could run a trickle irrigation system for an hour every few days to keep my veggies and apple trees watered. I am often away for a few days at a time over summer and this year a lot has succumbed to the heat. Could this be set up in any way?

That is why you need a float switch - to switch on the pump when the water level in your holding tank falls, and switch it off again when the tank is full.

 

[Fair Hill]

We had no other choice but to get a well bored when we built our house about 14 years ago, I asked around and chose the company that was most popular locally, it was a one man operation from west Cork and he arrived a week later towing his drilling equipment and a small caravan. He used two thin iron rods and found where he was going to drill in less than an hour, over the next few days he hit water a few times but kept going to a depth of just shy of 100 yards before he was happy and then he set up everything needed without so much as accepting a cup of tea or a sandwich the whole time. He was some operator and we never had an ounce of trouble since.

The tried to introduce household water charges here in Ireland about 7 years ago but there was such a public backlash with protests and complaints to politicians that it was scrapped. I was over in Blackpool recently and water charges are a big expense and a big issue in certain areas. Two households in Lytham are paying big enough bills, one business a hairdressers in Lytham St.Annes is paying huge bills and then we have two other friends both a 5 minute journey either side of the hairdressers one house pays fairly big water bills and the other household gets no bill.

Jesus Christ everytime I went for a slash I had to try and remember did I do the right thing by flushing.