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Laser Boy
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# Posted: 23 Jul 2015 11:57pm
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I hand dug a well nine feet deep along the edge of a perched aquifer of a "swampy"
area in the woods last autumn. I knew when I dug the well that the water would probably
have issues and I was not surprised when it had high levels of colloidal iron and hydrogen sulfide
present. Undaunted, this spring I built a water tower to process and store 300 gallons
of water at a time to gravity feed to my cabin.
Over the winter I did a great deal of research on water purification and literally dozens
of jar tests using different oxidizers and flocculants to determine a process to purify the well water.
The best process I came up with was to mix 4 ounces of dry Aluminum Sulfate to 2 gallons of
distilled water; by adding this to boiling distilled water the Alum becomes totally dissolved.
I then add the two gallons of the Alum solution to the 300 gallons of raw well water and mix for 5
minutes using a cordless 1/2 inch drill chucked with a 2 foot long paint stirrer. After about
24 hours the iron has become insoluble and mostly settled to the bottom of the tank, it is then
I add 3 ounces of 8.25% Sodium Hypochlorite (bleach)and stir very gently for about 2 minutes
with the paint stirrer. Another 24 hours later I have crystal clear purified water ready for
cabin use.
I installed on the tank an additional bulkhead/valve about 3 inches off the bottom for drawing water for cabin use,
the floc that settled to the bottom of the tank is not drawn through this line. I do run the water through a
filter (24 inches of pool sand) located under the tank on its way to the cabin. When the tank is near empty I flush the
sediment out of the bottom and start the whole process again. Water use is about 20 gallons per person per day for
laundry, washing dishes, taking showers and etc. Because the purification process takes about 48 hours, I have
two 20 gallon tanks in the cabin filled from the water tower to carry me over during the treatment process.
I currently fill the 300 gallons tank with a submersible 120 volt pump in the bottom of the well that I run off my generator.
Mindful that I may someday have to fill the tank with a pitcher pump, I built the tower so that the the
height from the bottom of the well to the top of the tank is about 23 feet knowing that that amount of draft would work
with a hand pump.
Digging
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Pitcher Pump
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Filter
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Water Tower
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bldginsp
Member
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# Posted: 24 Jul 2015 08:29am
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Wow- what an effort!
I can now add 'flocculant' to my vocabulary, although the stuff in the bottom of my refrigerator might already qualify.
few questions off the top of my head-
Did the hydrogen sulfide get pulled out with the iron? That stuff is stinky, isn't it?
Have you considered drilling a well to a deeper layer that has cleaner water? With such a high water level you may not have to go far.
What part of the country?
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SE Ohio
Member
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# Posted: 25 Jul 2015 07:38am - Edited by: SE Ohio
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On topic: Nice work! Solid construction down to the concrete footers.
Less on topic: Nice pitcher picture 
More off topic: I've been considering a similar tower for an outdoor summer shower, tank to be rainwater-filled and gravity dispensed. I imagine a (cool/cold)shower would have felt pretty good after digging! My design will include a pull chain/demand valve so my kids cannot leave it running (unless they get clever).
Looks like a deer blind might also fit up top if one was so inclined.
Can't wait to get my wife digging the footers...
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Laser Boy
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# Posted: 26 Jul 2015 07:33pm - Edited by: Laser Boy
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bldginsp- Yes, the rotten egg smell is gone within hours and although if you just aerated the water it would also dissipate on its own probably within a week.
I have had many suggest drilling a well but I would then need a pump to pump it from the depths... nearest drilled well is 278 feet deep.... they are on the grid. Also, I just like doing things different!! I'm a Mainah, although some have said I'm a Maineac ... that might explain it!
SE Ohio- At some point I will build a building on the framework of the tower so that I can insulate it so I can have water in the winter on the weekends when I come to my cabin. The deer do run by between the tower and the cabin so a deer stand could be an option provided I don't shoot the windows out of the cabin!!
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Coastal
Member
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# Posted: 1 Aug 2015 11:12pm
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This is too funny, I just bought a property with a cabin which will be our primary home and this is the exact first project I will be doing. I envisioned it exactly how you built it, I even have the same water totes!
Good to see someone else on the same page!
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Brknarow
Member
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# Posted: 2 Aug 2015 06:10am
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Thanks for posting your tenacity; impressive. I enjoy seeing and reading the practical side of things. I run mainly on theoretical which never seems to cooperate once you roll up your sleeves.
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