I made myself a water dipper for my well. All you have to do is get a 3 foot section of 1 1\2 galv. steel pipe (threaded) and attach a ball cock or an end cap. Weld a u clamp or drill a couple of holes;attach a long piece of rope and dip away. and 1 1\2 x 3ft piece of pipe will give you approx. a quart of water. Most well caps come off with a cresent wrench or has hex screws. A generator works well but if you can't afford or find one make this dipper. Good Luck and God Bless!

-- uncle charlie (cthomas@pathway.net), December 22, 1999

Answers

I made a similiar thing. I used a 5 foot piece of 3 inch PVC, reduced one end to 1 1/2 inch and attached a PVC check valve. This holds about 2 gallons. Looks like the above, could be used with the existing pipe/pump in place, mine can't. We plan on restocking our water every chance we get (power on) and if we run out of our stash, the existing pump will have proved itself useless (power off too long) and will be removed....

-- BH (bh_silentvoice@hotmail.com), December 22, 1999.

My non electric well pump consists of fishing wire, beads, 1/2 " polypipe, and a piece of screen. The pump will work regardless of well depth. The beads are adjusted to the depth of the well and the amount of water being carried up the capillary like system. The loop configuration allows continuous, or as needed supply, although to be continuous would require alternate energy source such as a wind mill to operate. But I will only use it on an as needed basis. It can be operated with a bicycle or by hand. The bike is set to be temporarily stationary, and the back wheel substituted for a tireless wheel. The pump line is then drawn using a removable rubber liner on the rim, that can be thoroughly cleaned. I can draw from a well, stream, or small trickle that has been dammed up to create a pool.

I also have plastic tarps to gather rain from the roof, a solar distiller, and chemical treatment as a last resort. Good luck to all, especially those who have decided to store *all* the water you will need for the duration of Y2K? I pray that it is enough.

-- Michael (mikeymac@uswest.net), December 22, 1999.

I don't have a well and i plan to just run the water from a hose onto the grass in some low spots to have ice to chip and thaw. In addition to storage.

-- jim (ginsenger@hotmail.com), December 22, 1999.