Modern residential well systems rely on electrically-powered pumps to draw water from the ground and deliver it to your home.
So, you may be able to guess what happens when the power goes out. Without electricity, your well pump won’t work.
However, that doesn’t have to mean that your water supply is stuck out of reach during an extended utility outage. Plan ahead, and a power failure won’t stop you from getting the water your family needs. Here are three ways you can access your well water if the utility grid goes down.
Use an Alternate Electricity Source to Power Your Residential Well Pump
Do you own a portable generator? Powering your well pump could be as simple as removing its normal source of electricity and connecting it to your generator. Make sure, though, that your generator is rated to provide the amount of electricity your pump requires. Using an under-powered generator could result in equipment damage.
What about solar panels or a wind turbine for emergency power?
If you have joined the renewable energy revolution and are producing your own electrical power, you may be able to keep your well pump operational during a grid outage. But, this will only be the case if your energy source is not connected to the utility grid. For safety reasons, grid-connected solar and wind systems do not produce electricity when municipal power grid is down.
Use a Manual Well Pump to Access Your Residential Well Water
If you don’t have another source of electricity, you can use an old-fashioned hand pump to draw water out of your well.
Many types of manual pumps are available. Do a bit of research before making a purchase, as some models are only capable of bringing water up from a shallow residential well. You can opt for a more elaborate manual pump that is capable of pumping from deeper depths.
Choose a hand pump that can be mounted next to your electric pump for easy access to water during a power failure.
Bring Up Residential Well Water with a Sleeve Bucket
If you don’t already have a generator or renewable energy system, and if you don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a manual well pump, a sleeve bucket may be the perfect solution for you.
No, we’re not talking about an old-fashioned wooden bucket on a rope. A modern well bucket is a slim metal or plastic sleeve with a special valve at the bottom that allows it to fill and retain water. Cording is used to pull up the sleeve bucket, though you can make the process easier with a pulley, tripod or hoist system.
Mike Zimmerman Well Service LLC offers a full range of solutions for your commercial or residential water well, including well buckets and manual pumps. Contact us today to schedule a consultation with our expert team in Utah or Wyoming. We will be happy to explain and provide price quotes for all of your commercial and residential well needs.
