Bore hole water

[AE01]

How many people are using their borehole supply for everything on farm, including the farmhouse and dairy plant washing? And if so what extra treatment do you have in place?

New to the world of boreholes having just drilled our first. The water quality report has come back with very high quality water, with very low heavy metal contamination, just the usual bacteria and hardness issues.

Borehole engineers have recommended that we put everything onto the borehole supply, with just a UV filter for bacteria and water softening units for the house and dairy. Landlord has said however that he would prefer the house to remain on mains, although this will involve an awful lot of work digging pipes in, pulling up concrete etc so obviously keen to try and avoid this.

Am I correct in thinking that borehole water is ok for dairy as long as you have an annual test done for FA?

thanks

 

[upnortheast]

Our borehole supplies the dairy & bottling plant. Left 2 houses on mains to save having to do a road crossing.
We have filters to take out Iron & Manganese. A UV filter & a water softener. Initialy that was using lots of salt.
We were able to take of a supply for the cows drinking troughs after the filters but before the softener. We now use about 2 pallets of salt a year. £700 ish / year
Council EHO tests the water every year, havn`t seen them for 18 months Cost is about £100

 

[happycows]

I’m used to a well which runs very pure and gravity feeds to the farm for uv treatment before dairy and pumped to our bungalow.
I also run well through Juraperle in a filter as it’s very acidic straight out the ground.
Recently had bore hole put in at short notice for backup in the dry weather 8 weeks ago. Filthy stuff and tastes crap.
Had a bout of crypto and it furred up the glass tube on uv. I blame the borehole as it’s now gone as back on well again thank god.

 

[Scholsey]

Anybody use a diesel pump/generator electric pump for outlying water extraction? Looking to pump out of a brook which only catches from our ground for cattle drinking water, cable length makes running a cable very expensive (1000m) whereas i dont think that would be a issue for a pump to push water with roughly 150m of head.

 

[Homesy]

Anybody use a diesel pump/generator electric pump for outlying water extraction? Looking to pump out of a brook which only catches from our ground for cattle drinking water, cable length makes running a cable very expensive (1000m) whereas i dont think that would be a issue for a pump to push water with roughly 150m of head.

Ram pump would be the cheapest if you can get the fall.
Green and Carter were the original cast iron version, http://www.greenandcarter.com/
Papa pumps do a plastic version. https://papapump.com/

 

[Scholsey]

Ram pump would be the cheapest if you can get the fall.
Green and Carter were the original cast iron version, http://www.greenandcarter.com/
Papa pumps do a plastic version. https://papapump.com/

looking for 25m3/day, don’t have a lot of fall where the actual water is.

 

[Homesy]

looking for 25m3/day, don’t have a lot of fall where the actual water is.

Work out the fall and give papapumps a ring. Depending on flow, a couple of metres might be enough. You can use more than one pump if needed. Having to go and start an engine every day would be a pain. My father used to do it as a child before they had mains water. Used to fill up a header tank which would last all day unless someone left a tap on or there was a leak. Then it was a late trek with a can of petrol and a Tilley lamp. You would be better off laying the electric cable or go for wind or solar panels.

 

[Scholsey]

Work out the fall and give papapumps a ring. Depending on flow, a couple of metres might be enough. You can use more than one pump if needed. Having to go and start an engine every day would be a pain. My father used to do it as a child before they had mains water. Used to fill up a header tank which would last all day unless someone left a tap on or there was a leak. Then it was a late trek with a can of petrol and a Tilley lamp. You would be better off laying the electric cable or go for wind or solar panels.

the cable would be £36000 alone according to my sparky!

 

[Homesy]

the cable would be £36000 alone according to my sparky!

How much is your annual water bill ? 25m3/day is over 9125 per annum. Here in the South west it would be costing you £18k. Borehole with treatment would cost less than that.

 

[Scholsey]

How much is your annual water bill ? 25m3/day is over 9125 per annum. Here in the South west it would be costing you £18k. Borehole with treatment would cost less than that.

we’ve had 8 drilled all over the farm, all ran dry.

 

[Homesy]

we’ve had 8 drilled all over the farm, all ran dry.

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Not in your area but may give you some idea if ram pump won't work

 

[bigw]

the cable would be £36000 alone according to my sparky!

How is it so expensive?

 

[Scholsey]

How is it so expensive?

to avoid voltage drop I think, was told rough guide every 100m you have to go up a size.

 

[pappuller]

we’ve had 8 drilled all over the farm, all ran dry.

When you say run dry , you have checked the pump isn't just choked with iron ocre?

 

[Scholsey]

When you say run dry , you have checked the pump isn't just choked with iron ocre?

other farms struggle in the area aswell, we are on a ridge, seems to be a lot of shallow (spring) water hence all the streams but no bore hole depth water. Was speaking to a local driller the other day and he said don’t waste your money drilling anymore.

 

[frederick]

to avoid voltage drop I think, was told rough guide every 100m you have to go up a size.

That's wrong. Did 800m two years ago just over 6k for cable. Twin 50mm2 with earth in armour should sort a pump. Ours is 4 cube an hour with 100m lift.
Before this we had a little hyundai generator on auto start. Ours was run off float valve and time clock but you could have pressure switch.
Cable has made life so much simpler.

 

[bigw]

to avoid voltage drop I think, was told rough guide every 100m you have to go up a size.

Just thinking on the cable cost when we did our turbines, they were 20kw and a 4-500m run and were nowhere near that cost.