While there are many things you can go without in the event of an emergency, water is not one of them. You not only need water as a life-sustaining material on its own, but it is also useful for cooking, washing clothes, cleaning wounds and more. Fresh water is something you can’t afford to think of as an afterthought when preparing for a catastrophe, and you can’t just assume that you’re going to have access to it just because it is such a commonly accessible thing in the world today. One of the most foolproof ways to ensure that you’ll never be without water is to invest in a hand pump to keep on your property.
The Power of Well Hand Pumps
When power is lost and you cannot depend on the city pipe systems, finding water is one of the most pressing issues. This becomes especially difficult in a rural location that is far removed from the local municipal water systems, and while many people who live rurally may use a well, accessing water from a well requires electricity. Having a handpump will allow you to tap into a well manually. There are two main types of handpumps that are common among those who use them, and that is the Simple pump and the Bison Pump.
Simple Pumps and Bison Pumps
Both the Simple and Bison pumps are able to bring water up to the surface as far down as about 200 feet with the Bison pump and as deep as 350 feet using the Simple pump. Both of these types of pumps offer freeze protection, something crucial if you live in a colder climate. A pump is able to accomplish this through a drain hole that is located 8 to 10 feet beneath the ground, and once it is used, the water that sits in the top of the pipe then trickles back down into the well itself, and the rest of the pipe will stay filled with water in order to stop it from freezing over.
Each of these two pumps also has a standard size hose fitting in order to allow you to attach any portable water hose to it and bring water directly to your house. If you don’t already own a portable hose, they are relatively inexpensive to purchase at any local hardware store and should be considered when you are thinking about adding a hand pump to your property. When it comes to adding solar power, Simple pumps come with the option to run a small, solar-powered motor, allowing it to function with efficiency in any situation you find yourself without power.
Find the Best Well Pump for You
It is important to remember that these handpumps won’t work in every single living situation. If the water table on your property is shallow, such as only 500 feet in the ground for instance, this won’t be a viable choice. However, if you know you have a water table ready to accommodate the pump’s length, it is more than worth taking precedence on your list of things to prepare with.
