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Water supply for off-grid living

K

kochevnik

New member
Hello guys.

I have finally found a piece of land where I plan to set my Yurt up. I already have a plan on electricity but no plan really on water supply.
Originally I was planning of getting a waterfront property but failed to find one. So the questions are:

Does anyone have experience of digging a well in Canada? (zoning - agricultural)

Another alternative?

Thank you
Kochevnik
 
Are you planning on drinking this water? Will you be living there year round, including the winter?
 
Eventually I hope to live there year round. I am not sure if I will be able to get ready for this winter though.

Any water will be fine at this stage, since I can build a distiller to make it drinkable.
 
I would go with rainwater then for now. I am not sure about your specific yurt, but mine has a water diverter above the door. I have a 50 gallone rain barrel on one side and it fills up pretty fast. I then pump that water into a large water tote (400+ gallon). However, that is for my camp; I do not live their full time.

Just an idea.
 
I suggest looking into driving a shallow well. In fact my husband is outside right now as I type this driving in a well point outside our yurt. First step is a pitcher pump and second stage will be actually plumbing it in with an electric jet pump for shallow wells. Third stage is once we build the loft into the yurt we will be putting a 200-300 gallon tank up on the loft that we will pump into and gravity feed the sink with. We are in New Hampshire so we see COLD winters here. From what I have been able to dig up though with proper design and practice we should be able to keep the yurt supplied year round with well water. Basically during the coldest times we will disable the sensor on the pump and the check valve so that water does drain back down the into the well instead so then you do not have an issue with freezing pipes. The idea is prime the pump and turn it on to pump into the large tank in the yurt and turn off once you have filled it. We will still be running the pipes 3 feet down and only about 10 feet of distance from the well point to the point it will enter the yurt so that will help some too. I am by no means an expert or anything since we are just beginning to implement things ourselves for the first time but I can help as far as what I have earned from my searching. :) I suggest doing some searches on wellpoints also known sometimes as sandpoints. There is a lot of info on driving them as well as videos on youtube.
 
One way to learn something is from reading about it. But the REAL way to learn something is by doing it. You're doing fine. Keep it up.
 
Couple off topic comments. In its infancy NASA -the best danged rocket program of all time, right here in THIS country- learned EVERYTHING by doing it. There was no playbook. They absolutely made it up as they went, and went full tilt it was the cold war- and learned from their mistakes.

That's the way it is. No matter how carefully you teach your children, they still lbasically learn by doing things themselves. If that wasn't the case, the human race would have been geniuses eons ago.
 
I live year round off-grid and bring in water. The less you use, the less you need! First, look into composting toilets. Also airing clothes in the sunshine and breezes extends laundry. Solar showers and swimming in the summer. Heating water and wiping down with a wash cloth (little or no soap) makes you feel cleaner than you can imagine. A couple times a week, I go to the gym.

Catching and storing rain water is great, if possible. Well points and hand pumps are also great, if possible. Icicles off the yurt roof in winter, melted on the stove. Wouldn't use the for cooking or drinking, but could I guess if filtered. I just prefer the spring I go to. Use each drop - several times. Can wash hands in old dish water, if not too greasy, and the rinse with fresh water. Get cast iron pans that you don't clean with water. I also use hot water bottles to heat the bed when cold - or anytime I am sitting still and could use more heat. I keep the water in them and have a special pan for reheating that water.
 
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. At this point, once I secure a land lease, I plan on digging a well. I will also need water for a garden that I plan to grow. Meanwhile I finally got confirmation that my Yurt will be shipped tomorrow.

Kochevnik
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I live year round off-grid and bring in water. The less you use, the less you need! First, looking into composting toilets. Hanging clothes after you wear them - esp in the sunshine and breezes - extends time between laundry. Get cast iron cookware. Use water more than once, if possible. Solar showers and swimming in the summer. Wiping down with a couple quarts of heated water and wash cloth (little or no soap) will get you cleaner than you can imagine. Collect rain water. Melt icicles from the yurt roof in the winter. I wouldn't drink or cook with it, but maybe if filtered. I use hot water bottles to heat the bed (or any time I am sitting and need extra heat). I have a special pan to reheat that water only! Well points and hand pumps are great if possible.
 
Sorry for the double post. I use an iPhone for my internet. Sometime using such a small screen, I accidentally hit buttons and get crazy results. I thought I had lost that whole post. Ugh! But I do enjoy this forum. Thanks to the moderator!!
 
annieoaktree said:
Jafo,
Just curious how you pump the water.

annie
Click to expand...

I bought a cheap sump pump from Harbor Freight to pump the water from the rain barrel to the tote. That runs on standard 110 (which I power with solar). If one could situation it so the water tote was lower than the rain barrel, well, then you could let gravity do it.

As for my shower, I bought a 12volt water pump that is normally used in an RV:

Amazon.com: Eccotemp 03526-14A Flojet 2.9 GPM 50 PSI Water Pump: Automotive

In case you are wondering how I heat the water:

Eccotemp L5 Portable Tankless Water Heater and Outdoor Shower - Portable Hot Water Heater - Amazon.com
 
I might like to put in one of those hand pumps. The land where my yurt is seems pretty wet. Once you go down several feet, you hit water. I think it is hard for me to create a root cellar because of that. Every time I dug a hole trying to create some kind of root cellar, I hit water.

Would I need to hire a professional to install one of those hand pump things that will also draw water in the winter in Maine ? Maybe I could do it myself somehow ?
 
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