What are my water supply options?

             Presumably you clicked on this page because there is no town water option for you.  So now what?  Your choices include lake water, a drilled well, a dug well or a well point.

            Many seasonal camps on a lake draw water out of the lake.  This is fine it just can’t be used as drinking water.  The primary drawback to this system is that it is finicky and only seasonal for the most part.  Depending on the height and distance it has to be pumped (head),  you can use a submersible pump or a jet pump.  A jet pump can push water further than it can pull water, so it has to typically be near the lake in an enclosure.  Also the suction line has to always be filled with water or it’ll lose its prime.  Once it loses its prime it has to be manually filled with water for it to work.  If it is to be winterized the pump has to be heated and accessible.  If a submersible pump is used, it is placed in the lake so it is less prone to freezing, and it will never lose its prime.  In addition, any water system needs to be buried underground 48” to avoid freezing.  This is very hard to achieve near the shoreline.  If this depth can’t be achieved, oftentimes rigid insulation is placed on top of the pipe and backfilled for a thermal break, or a heat tape is used.  Both of these strategies are plagued with problems, and a weekend get-a-way can be ruined with no water.

            Dug wells aren’t used too much anymore.  They resemble a lake water system in regards to pumping, but instead of pumping out of a lake they use well tile or culvert pipe that has been buried 12-20 feet deep.  This system is limited to the availability of shallow ground water year-round.  They can oftentimes go dry during the summer heat or the winter freeze.

            A well point is actually a steel pipe with a screened area and a point on the end.  It gets driven into the ground, often by a jack hammer.  It too depends on the availability of shallow ground water.  Oftentimes it is driven into a pit that has an enclosure over it to prevent freezing.  Commonly  they can’t supply enough volume of water, and they are prone to clogging with sand.

            The only sure way to prevent freezing and having to drain a seasonal system is to rely on a drilled well.  A drilled well is comprised of  a 6” steel casing drilled (and inserted) into the ground.  If  ledge rock is present, the casing isn’t required.  In this you hang a submersible pump and mount a pitless adapter  below the frost line.  A pitless adapter allows the water supply pipe to exit the well casing underground without needing a pit or enclosure.  You enter the foundation of the house underground and voila, it’s done.  The pitless adapter is also made so the pump can be removed by reaching inside the well casing, so no digging is ever required.  A drilled well typically supplies constant, pure water suitable for drinking.  Most bank loans are contingent upon a drilled well.

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