Sand point wells (a.k.a. well points or drive point wells) were once widespread, but, like so many other unsophisticated tools, went to the scrap heap once electricity, drilling rigs and volumes of deep water became available. “Mechanics of the Household” of 1918 describes the easy installation and maintenance of sand point wells as if every household should have at least one. Just as many Americans have saddled a horse, used a crosscut saw, canned sauerkraut or sewn with a treadle machine, many do not know about sand points. Yet, we should.

Many professional experts now agree the severity of our extreme weather is increasing, fossil fuels really are irreplaceable, and the cost of energy will only go up. For a few hundred dollars, a hand pump and driven well could be a lifesaver, and not only for rural folks. Installing a sand point may be less complicated than you think.

I have to admit that even though getting water off-grid is our business, I was unfamiliar with sand points until Darren brought one home. Now I wonder why such a handy device was overlooked by so many of us. A sand point makes it possible to drive a well for use with a pitcher pump. Although, the yield is relatively low (about 3 GPM), homeowners can have emergency water for the house, livestock and gardens without the expense of drilling a new well. If ordinances permit, you may even be able to install one in town.

Find your water table

Sand points are used in coarse sand or gravel. In clay, earth augers function best. Where stone or hard formations exist, or water is very deep, wells are drilled. The water table, or upper level of saturated soil, fluctuates seasonally. In wet periods the water table may be above the surface. In drought, the water table may sink below the well bottom, “going dry.”

To learn about your water table, contact your county’s water district or state’s natural resources department. Well drillers and neighbors with sand points can tell you about their well depths and yields. Online, check with Water Systems Council or U. S. Geological Survey. You may also need a permit.

How to install a sand point well

Through the years, Mother Earth News published several good articles about sand points, including “How to Dig a Well” in 1970 and “Water Development for Homesteaders,” in 1971 by Ken Kerns, who says, “If driving conditions are good, a 4-inch diameter casing can be driven to as deep as 50 feet.” Readers Digest “Back to Basics” book of 1981 says depths of 150 feet can be achieved with equipment. Typically, however, driven wells are installed no more than 30 feet deep with a 1 1/4” or 2” pipe with simple tools. Also in Mother Earth, Steve Maxwell writes in 2012 in “Homestead Water Sources and Options” that 50 feet can be reached with perfect hydrogeological conditions.

Basically, a driven well is installed by hammering a sand point and pipe directly into the earth to tap groundwater that may be literally right under your feet. The sand point, a perforated pipe of 24 to 60 inches with a heavy steel point (the water intake), is screened to keep out larger dirt particles. The screen, available in various opening sizes depending on soil, must be strong enough to withstand hammering and abrasion. Two good sources for installation information include Merrill Manufacturing and Wisconsin DNR.

Drive pipe, couplings and cap

The drive (rigid) pipe, or well casing, must also be heavy-duty. Threads of ordinary thin-wall pipe and couplings may strip or shear or the pipe may break at the threads. A drive cap protects the threads. It may be helpful to use a short section of rigid pipe and coupling below the drive cap, which is easier to remove than the cap after repeated blows.

Hammering methods

This pipe is hammered into the ground by repeatedly dropping a heavy weight (a driver) onto the pipe generally in one of four ways:  The driver is guided inside the pipe to strike the pipe cap, the driver is guided outside of pipe (as pictured here) to strike the pipe cap, the driver strikes a clamp outside the pipe, or a long, thin driver strikes the sand point base inside the pipe. The last technique eliminates compressive loading on the pipe and makes heavy drive pipe unnecessary. A maul can be used, but besides being grueling, is difficult to drive squarely.

The weight can be driven by hand using a tool resembling a T-post driver, or the weight can be raised and lowered with a tripod and pulley. Or, if dropping a weight inside the pipe, the weight can be lowered with a rope and no tripod. Just be sure to tie off the rope so it is not accidentally dropped down the well (this is from personal experience).

After the first pipe is driven into the ground, the pipe cap is removed and another section of pipe (with threaded coupling and pipe compound) is added. It is easiest to work with 5-foot pipe sections. If using 10-foot pipe and a T-post driver, first dig a 3-foot deep hole to stand in as the pipe is driven down. This hole must later be filled. Another option is to stand on a ladder or platform as sections are added. Again, this can make hammering awkward.

Hitting water

To determine when you have hit water, lower a weighted string down the pipe. You will hear when it hits water. Drive down about 5 more feet to allow for seasonal water level changes. Do not drive down too far or you may push your sand point past the water-bearing formation. Leave enough pipe extending from the ground to be at a comfortable working height with the pump you intend to use, about 2-3 feet. This also helps protect the well from surface contamination. The system also must be flushed to remove dirt.

Next, attach your pitcher pump or suction pump. (Soak the pump leathers by submerging the pump in water a few hours.) Begin pumping. Within a few strokes, you’ll have water coming out the spout. As with any new well, the muddiness will disappear in time.

Uses for sand point wells

According to “Self-Help Wells” by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, sand point wells have many uses in developing countries. For instance, while the well diameter is normally small and the yield relatively low, a number of driven wells may be coupled and pumped with a single pump. Because driven wells are quickly constructed, they may be used as a temporary water source and pulled up when no longer needed. Driven well points may be used for dewatering excavation sites. A driven well point may be used to finish a hole that was excavated to the water table by another method such as an auger.

Investing now in something as simple as a sand point well, if at all possible, is wise. After all, you can only store so much water.

Complete sand point and pump kit

Besides individual sand points available now, we also offer a do-it-yourself sand point and pitcher pump kit with instructions for driving your own well. You will need to purchase 1 1/4″ galvanized pipe locally, which generally costs about $3 a foot.

©2014-2015 Well WaterBoy Products LLC  WaterBuck Pump  Pedal Powered PTO

WaterBuck Comics

WaterBuck Comics

Two Pumps in One — The submersible pump is designed for well casings as small as 4”. The specially-made electric submersible pump used by the windmill industry can be mounted on the bottom of the manual pump cylinder, pictured at right. A tank and booster or jet pump at the surface can supply pressure for indoor plumbing.

The submersible pump has been successfully used with 1 7/8” open-top deep-well cylinders, but never tested with larger cylinders for shallower depths. We hope to offer the submersible pump with larger cylinders for shallower wells after successful field testing.

Open-top cylinders are designed so the plunger leathers can be replaced without removing the drop pipe. The plunger is attached to the end of the sucker rod and simply pulled up through the drop pipe.

The submersible pump used with this system is a deluxe stainless steel Flint & Walling S-model pump with Franklin Electric’s stainless steel submersible motor.

If you need the ideal back-up water supply system for your deep well, contact us today!

© 2013 Well WaterBoy Products LLC  WaterBuck Pump  Pedal Powered PTO

The capacity per stroke of our pump, so far, for a deep well application, is measured in quarts and ounces with a maximum of 3 quarts and 15 ounces in one stroke with a 4″ cylinder. In an application with a 6″ or larger cylinder, with static levels 60′ and under, the output per stroke is measured in gallons and quarts.

We have a video of a 64-year-old grandmother pumping 7 gallons a minute from a deep well using the WaterBuck Pump. She pumped that much water with only 19 half-strokes of the handle and it was easy for her. To get the same yield of 7 gallons from a commercial deep well hand pump with the same application, a fit, tall, strong man weighing around 200 pounds would have to pump the lever 140 times. I doubt he could even get to 60 strokes and yield 3 gpm before he became exhausted.

A common simple and easy to use deep well hand pump uses a much smaller cylinder and are much like a squirt gun according to Grandma.

Be prepared and have a high volume, simple and easy to use manual pump that can provide your family’s daily water needs, and for livestock and garden during a power outage. Contact us for a price quote. 

We watered the garden easily with a hose and sprayer. We can also set up an automatic drip system for watering gardens and animals.

Update: At a static water level of 80′ with a 4″ cylinder,  the tank was pressurized to 50 psi. In addition to pumping from a deep well, the 50 psi created, is equivalent to a vertical lift of 115 feet from the surface.

A solar pump system that provides pressure for indoor plumbing requires  1 solar pump, 1 booster pump, solar panels, panel mounting rack , charge controller, batteries, battery enclosure, plumbing, wiring, other controls, hardware, accessories and pressure tank. Cost:  $8,000 to $10,000 plus installation.

The WaterBuck Pump is a solution:  If you are going to invest in a water supply system for your family, farm or community, it is wise and practical to get one you can depend on. Rely on a system that’s not likely to be affected by now common extreme seasonal storms – one that won’t be disabled by electronic failure that’s possible with micro-grid technology systems such as solar and wind.

The WaterBuck Pump is the ideal off-grid, community, and emergency water supply system. Please contact us to customize a dependable, heavy duty water supply system for you.

The test is also based on a balanced load. The load will be much greater in operation considering the pump rod is pulled up 16” in less than 2 seconds. Pulling the rod up that fast requires more effort and creates more friction on the cylinder walls.  Therefore, the peak load of the WaterBuck at the current application is not known.  We would need a 1,200 to 1,500 pound hanging scale to determine the peak load performance at current application.

A video demonstration of the load test can be viewed here.

The WaterBuck Pump and a Pressure Tank

With the non-electric shallow and deep well WaterBuck Pump and a pressure tank, anyone can have water in their home as they do with an electric water pump. Yes, our pump can pressurize indoor plumbing systems for household use and can be also used for irrigation.

At a static water level of 80′ with a 4″ cylinder, I pressurized the tank to 23 psi by pumping 2.5 minutes. I did not want to go any further because the current sucker rod is not strong enough for this application, yet it was enough for 20 minutes of watering with a garden hose and sprayer. View the video here.

In addition to pumping from a static of 80’ the 23 psi created is equivalent to a vertical lift of 52.9 feet from the surface.  A new sucker rod is on the way.

The WaterBuck Pump is a perfect water supply system for off-grid living and a reliable backup for homesteads, farms and ranches during long-term power outages.

08/30/13- We’ve improved the WaterBuck Pump again — this time with new 3/4″ fiberglass sucker rod, 2″ brass stuffing box with stainless steel rod, 110′ of 2″ galvanized drop pipe, 1/4″ gate valve, new 4″ windmill cylinder and the pump levers. The gate valve is installed below the frost line to prevent freezing. It can be opened and closed at the wellhead.

..

We can’t wait to see what the maximum gallons per minute will be with the improvements, but have to wait until we get the cup leathers broken in. Stay tuned.

Update- 09/7/13

I would never have thought the friction created against the inside of the cylinder wall (when pumping from a deep well with a large cylinder) was so intense that a 500-pound pump system would slip up through a tightened well seal under operation.  But it is true! As you can see from the pictures, I had to anchor down the wellhead with chain to keep the drop pipe in place. The mechanical advantage of this pump is incredible!

While we are breaking in the new cylinder and cup leathers, we have, so far, pressurized the tank to 50 psi, not by an air compressor, but by pumping water into a conventional pressure tank. Each pound of pressure is equal to 2.3 feet of vertical lift (50 psi. x 2.3′ = 115 feet). We are pumping from a static water level of 80′ with a 4″ cylinder and pressurizing a tank (80′ + 115′ = 195 feet of lift).

© 2013 Well WaterBoy Products LLC  WaterBuck Pump

Tounn says we need to think beyond alternative energy and pursue simple lives. His mission is so vital that he is traveling the country at his expense to film those who could help spread his message in a documentary, “Beyond Off Grid: A liberating look at true freedom & self-sufficiency by returning to the old paths.”

The goal is to educate people about our super-dependency on the grid system, and how dangerous that can be, Tounn said.

The film is slated to be released at the end of this year or early 2014 and includes about a dozen experts in a wide range of self-sufficiency topics such as permaculture gardening, natural homebuilding, wild edibles and aquaponics.

“By exposing the weaknesses of the modern financial, transportation, and food production systems, and bringing to light the solutions that are available by learning the older ways of doing things, this film seeks to inspire folks to a greater degree of self-sufficiency while trusting in God,” Tounn said.

Already living a beyond-off-grid lifestyle with his wife, their four homeschooled children, two dogs and a cat in a south-central Missouri cabin, Tounn stopped in to interview my husband, Darren, this month. Tounn learned of Darren after reading Mother Earth News blogger Ed Essex’s article in January about Darren’s hand pump machine.

Darren’s contribution to the documentary included his mistake of relying on solar and wind power systems for water. We would learn that during storms – when we were most likely to truly need these alternative energy systems – they were useless. For more than a week, ice coated the solar panels and wind turbines, rendering them inoperable. Another time, strong winds blew the solar rack out of place. Without these systems operating, our well pump – our sole water source – could not function.

Others who contributed their experience and knowledge to “Beyond Off Grid” include best-selling author Michael Bunker, whose book “Surviving Off Off-Grid” motivated Tounn to begin living without electricity and then teaching others it is feasible to meet our basic needs without technology.

Tounn said he also wants to educate people that living off grid is not some sort of “freaky thing,” but an economical, gratifying lifestyle. Instead of spending $20,000 on a solar system to maintain “frills” such as air-conditioning, people need to train their bodies to withstand heat.

“It’s really a matter of life and death,” Tounn said, citing a heat wave in Europe a few years ago that killed 15,000 people. The temperature had reached only 104 degrees.

Tounn says people need to dispel the 72-degree-myth that erroneously warns that humans must remain in a 72-degree environment. Instead, we must allow our bodies to adjust to whatever the outside temperature is, and not artificially heat or cool our homes to extremes, says Tounn, who is originally from Cambodia and has lived in a range of climates from snowy Boston to steamy Dallas, Texas, and points in between.

The film crew includes director/executive producer Tounn, producer Mike Berzins, photographer Siouxsie Romack and husband Scott Romack, who fills a host of roles behind the scenes. Besides their common interest in self-sufficiency, healthy eating and sustainable farming, the Romacks are longtime proponents of minimalist living.

We were in awe the day the crew arrived to our little piece of the Ozarks. In no time, the Romacks unloaded a v

anload of cameras, sun reflectors, lights, meters and other intriguing gadgets while Berzins talked with Darren about that liquid becoming more valuable than gold – water – and how to get it without electricity.

Meanwhile, I tried to stay out of the way and headed to the garden area with my hoe. I was disappointed our cool, wet springtime delayed our normally lush vegetation, so was quite surprised to see Siouxsie on her knees filming a cluster of last year’s beets I’d let go to seed for harvest. A professional photographer for 17 years, Siouxsie developed a love of photography as a youngster from her shutterbug mother.

In June the crew will be in North Carolina to interview Rick Austin, author of “Secret Garden of Survival: How to grow a camouflaged food-forest,” and in Montana talking with another off-grid advocate. Before the year-long project wraps up, they also will film segments in Seattle, Wash., and Alabama. In September, the challenge of piecing it all together begins.

The project is Tounn’s first documentary on the subject of self-reliance, but he is a seasoned videographer. He has many years of experience producing marketing videos for the bed and breakfast industry. Tounn’s work can be seen on the group’s website, www.beyondoffgrid.com, along with a trailer for the documentary and sneak peeks at some of the film’s many interesting interviews.

Considering the numerous potential catastrophes facing Americans or people anywhere – economic collapse, extreme storms, climate change, grid disruption – Tounn feels an urgency to complete the film.

“The modern way of living, with all of its conveniences and comforts, is not resilient to calamity, and not conducive to spiritual blessings,” Tounn said. “True freedom is found by seeking the old paths.”

To learn more about this inspirational project, contact sean@beyondoffgrid.com.

As seen in Mother Earth News