[threehappypenguins]

I was wondering if it is possible to rig our electric pump so that during a power outage we can pump it by hand to fill the pressure tank. I read this link here http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/improvement/electrical-plumbing/1275136 and as far as I can tell, it is a single drop jet pump system. Here are some pictures of the pump and pressure tank:






Is it possible to attach some kind of crank or lever to draw up water by hand? Or would we need to attach a completely separate hand pump? If so, where would we hook it up? Can we fill the pressure tank by hand? Or would we need some way to re-route the water during a power outage and just have the water come straight out of the hand pump?

I'm tired of losing water during power outages. Nova Scotia Power is TERRIBLE (and we pay the 2nd highest prices in Canada for power), and so the power goes out quite frequently. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

[speedbump]

It all depends on how much you want to spend as to how much pressure you want to build in the tank with a hand pump. I can't tell if your pump is shallow well or deep well. It's too close to the wall and all that white gooky looking stuff has the pipe/s covered. If it is one pipe only, a hand pump could be hooked up to the pump. Oasis makes one that can be pressurized. Or better yet, if you have a well with a pitless adaptor, there is a hand pump that can be attached to the pitless with a cylinder down in the water to push the water into the tank as you stroke the handle. This one runs around $1500.00. The Oasis is under $100.00. You can see them on my site at. http://www.pumpsandtanks.com

[threehappypenguins]

I'm not sure I understand. I looked up the Oasis, and from what I am seeing, it needs to be directly over the well. The top of our well is outside, probably about 15 feet away from our house. There must be some kind of pipe running through ground and it comes into the basement, and then into the pump. It is just a single pipe coming out of the wall. The Oasis looks like we would have to fit it over the top of the well outside. We just want either a crank or lever that pumps our electric pump by hand (somehow? maybe?), or something that attaches separately to the pipe coming out of the wall and then reroute the water to the hand pump (rather than the electric pump) during a power outage.

Maybe I'm not understand what you're suggesting? Also, it would have to be inexpensive. Very... inexpensive. Like, not $1500 expensive.

[Danny6115]

You best bet is get a genarator and be done with it, and you could also set up to run your tv and a few lights. A hand pump is a bad Idea it would only fill a pot before you would have to pump it up again.

[threehappypenguins]

If I wanted a generator, then I would have bought one already. Generators run out of gas. If there was any problems long term with no electricity, we would have a well and yet no water. It baffles me that we live in a society that we would just curl up and die if we didn't have fossil fuels or electricity.

So I want a manual way in which to pump the water. I don't care if I am only able to fill a pot. I would be able to fill a pot WITHOUT ANY POWER. And I am completely happy with that!

With that said, if it is not practical to fill the pressure tank with water and it is more practical to simply have a hand pump with water coming straight out of it which I can fill a pot with water, then I want to know how I can do that. I don't want to have to store water in anticipation of a power outage. I have a well. Why not use it manually? Plus, generators are about triple or quadruple the price here in Canada compared to the US.

[speedbump]

The oasis can be used in line (not the approved method but...) or you could go out to the well, lower 30' of PVC 1-1/4" pipe down through the top of the well, with the Oasis Shallow Well Hand Pump on top of the pipe and pump to your hearts content into a bucket. Or through a fitting attached to a garden hose where ever you want it to go. That can be done for $100.00 give or take. The permanent systems are far more money, but are always ready to work when needed.

[threehappypenguins]

Here is an example of what I "kind of" want to do: http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=155774

The only thing is, in this case it is a submersible pump. My pump is right in the basement. The other problem is that the drainage pipe that leads to the septic tank outside is several feet from the ground (rather than right in the ground). So a sink would not be very practical since we would have to build one on a platform and have stairs going up to it in order for it to drain. Or we would have to have a pump to pump the drainage out, which would defeat the purpose in an electrical outage scenario.

So that is why I thought it would be best to pump into the pressure tank. I am not quite sure what you mean when you say "in line." You mean to split the line off from the pipe coming out of the wall and make one go to the electric and one go to the hand pump? I know absolutely nothing about these things. And how would I know whether our electric pump gets the water by suction or by a moving rod to push the water (I'm still a bit fuzzy about this one)? And how would that affect how the hand pump would work?

We are looking for the cheapest, most discrete way of getting water without electricity.

[speedbump]

I understand that you want to do it the cheapest way possible. But cheapest doesn't always work out so well.

What you can do is put the oasis in the discharge pipe of the pump. You would install a TEE that the pump would sit on, with a valve of some kind to isolate it then not needed. Then come out of the oasis and pipe into the tank somewhere. I'll leave you to the particulars. When the power goes out, open the valve, prime the oasis with a little water and go to pumping. I have no idea how much pressure it will do, but it will put the water into the tank.

The Simple Pump is a much easier to install and better all around pump than the Bison and is less money. They are on my site also if you want to take a look.

[chukar]

Here's an idea move your pressure switch to your pressure tank Tee then install a check valve between your pump and your pressure tank.