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You cannot increase your gpm for the spring unless it's a reservoir that's able to be tapped beyond the seep. With that said you need tonrun water usage numbers against a catchment system and use thos a supplemental butntruky it apuldnbe beyywr sold as Cartesian water looks so clean and blue. Better selling it then washing your hands with it
I have worked for my local water department for 36 years. I literally just diagnosed a pressure issue for a resident. After a simple test, I realized he had a 6” long GALVANIZED nipple just before his water meter. Turns out the inside was so choked up with rust, you couldn’t see through it. When you pointed to the galvanized pipe which is WAY longer than 6”, I decided to comment.
Are you essentially saying that the setup is fine, the pipe just likely needs to be replaced? That would be very lucky and probably the most cost effective way to fix the issue lol
I was going to post on my own asking a question for all but you may have the answer... The pump, wouldn't it make more sense to have it on the surface level? Treating the current line, with the galvanized replaced of course but treating it like a well. A well you pull water with a pump like that instead of pushing it possible 1000 feet.
At 700', you are fighting against ~304psi of static water pressure due to the weight of water in the pipe, not including friction when pumping. This is asking a lot of your pump which maxes out at 350psi. I think you really want a deep well submersible pump. Check the head ratings and give yourself some margin, don't choose a solution right on the edge of specs. You can probably find one that would do at least 800ft of head, but these get more expensive. I would do it in 2 stages. Pick a level half way up and install an intermediary tank, open to atmosphere, to relieve half the pressure. You can get a submersible from Home Depot that can do 427' of head for $200. I would have a large tank at/near the surface that you can keep topped off with well water or hauled in water as your main supply/reserve. You will likely need to upgrade your electrical supply to 240V to run the submersibles. You could try running that just to the intermediary level first so you don't have to run it as far, and see if your existing pump at the bottom could supply to the intermediary tank with a little tweaking. You can use float switches/relays to prevent either pump from drawing the levels too low, or filling the top tank too high. If supply power is a bottleneck, you could do some relay logic/controls to make sure only one pump is running at a time. I would recommend using a sediment filter, uv filter, and charcoal filter between your "well" water and the surface fresh water tank. Getting it tested for heavy metals is probably a good idea, but even then, you could probably do a small distiller system for drinking water if you find the levels are a bit elevated. Just some thoughts. Doing a 2 stage tank “top-off” solution, you would want “high-level” and “low-level” float switches (or some form of water sensors) mounted in each “reservoir” for a total of 6 switches. I would make them somewhat adjustable. Then it's just logic…PLC, microcontroller, old-school relay logic, etc…whatever you prefer. You don't want to run either reservoir too low, and don't want your pump to suck air. You also don't want to overflow the intermediary stage or surface tank. So the bottom pump only runs if pit’s high-level switch is reached AND in-between tank high-level switch has NOT been reached. Once the in-between tank's high-level is reached OR the pits low-level is indicated, shut off first pump. Only when first pump is off and intermediary tank is at it’s high level, switch on upper pump and fill surface tank until it’s high-level is reached OR the in-between tank’s low-level limit triggers, then shut off second pump. If the surface tank high-level has not yet been reached, restart the cycle with the lower pump filling intermediary tank, etc., etc. until it eventually tops off. When top tank low-level is reached, then reset and start the process over starting from the bottom pump. There may be some nuances to sort out, a slightly different order of operations, or you might want a way to manually reset a state if two triggers happen to overlap unexpectedly, but this is the general idea. If you are concerned about a stuck float, you could double-up in a Fail-Safe manner for some cross-check redundancy. Maybe even add some timer logic to shut the system down if a pump is running longer than expected…that way you don't flood the place if there is a burst pipe or something. You will need at least 3 control wires from each level to get these indications, or you could send statuses back over some other COM path, like your Ethernet run.
@@Jacobtheunwise A pump at the top does nothing to bring water up. You can push water up as high as you want with a high enough pressure pump/piping. You can only pull water up 32 feet with sea-level air pressure at the bottom of the suction pipe and a perfect vacuum at the top. He is NOT at sea level, so the suction height a pump can do there is reduced. Going near the theoretical max suction is a very bad idea anyway. Using suction is an invitation to let air in, lose prime, faporize any volatiles, many problems. Push water up, don't try sucking it up like with a straw.
Mostly very sound advice. I disagree with two things. First is the fixation on using a deep well submersible pump. There is no need to restrict him to that. The water in the sump down 700 feet is openly accessible, as will be any intermediate-level tank(s) that he adds. So, there is no need to use a pump that fits down a 4 inch diameter drilled well shaft. He can use a more industrial pump that is physically larger, can be installed anywhere nearby, and is easier to work on. There is also no need for meeting one of the main criteria of a deep-well pump, which is to provide the full max usage flow. By adding tanks, you only need the end-user flow rate out of the highest/last tank. He can have a much smaller, more continuous flow refilling that tank and any other tanks below it. Second is sort of a result of the first. Yes, a 240V pump uses half the current of a 120V pump, to achieve the same power. Yes, size each pump to not draw more amps than the installed wiring can handle without getting to a voltage drop that harms the pump. But I wouldn't make any assumption about how many amps or horsepower are needed, and therefore the voltage/wiring choices until nailing down how many gpm are being pumped at what pressure in whatever the final design ends up being. And then, he needs to decide whether to run a dedicated power line for each pump, for all the pumps, or just draw from a circuit used for everything else he's got down there. As you say, having controls to run one pump at a time can reduce the need for more wiring. But I think that buying a 1000 foot spool of 10-3 UF-B and running it down to have 120/240 split phase or 120/208 3-phase or some other more industrial-voltage power available at all levels, independent of anything he already has, would not be a bad idea. Maybe run more than one down, to keep from having to do the wire-stapling labor over and over as things/places he wants to power off it, expand.
He desperately needs to change the pump system entirely to something like this. Even so there's no way water that trickles down into a LEAD mine is gonna be healthy. I support your ideas 100% for this
I am a water well drilling & pump contractor here in Northern CA. 80% of the Wells I driller are over 700 feet deep, I would recommend using Grundfos 6SQF-3 pump it will run on any voltage AC or DC and it is one of the only submersible pumps that that will run horizontally also has a built-in low water shut off and very simple to install, you’ll need 1 inch minimum pipe I would recommend using sch. 120 PVC threaded pipe, you must have check valves every 200 feet of elevation and a minimum of #8 wire 2 strands with a ground as long as your run is not much more than 800 feet. This Grundfos is a very reliable pump as long as the water is clean going into it. From what I could see in your video I would not do anything to your collection pool other than maybe trying to clean the area up to get cleaner water
You can't go wrong with the Grundfos. Use stainless steel couplings and stainless steel spring check valves on the drop pipe! I do well drilling in the Bay Area (Blue Planet Green Power) and am a Pentair water filtration rep. That being said... Franklin Electric and Pentair also have multiple submersible / VFD options that can get water up top. We are connected by water.
Have been in the business 20+ years, I also would also say the grundfos 6SQF-3 pump is the way to go. If you run into vapor lock issues with it, add a timer relay with a solenoid valve that will recirculate part of the pumped water back into the puddle for the first 30 seconds each time the grundfos runs. This lets any air trapped in the pump purge out without having to fight the 700' of head pressure.
I just realized something. The comments are from people who want to help or congratulate you all. Very different from so many media comment platforms. Keep up Cerro Gordo snd commentators keep up the encouraging comments.
In a world full of negativity and social media madness, each post you make is a mental cleanser to me. Thank you so much my friend. We'll see your dreams come true and be with you vicariously.
Pumps are very bad at sucking water, but pumps can be very good at pushing water. A pump can only be 6-8 meters above the water source before the vacuum the pump needs to pull the water causes the water to 'boil'; and the pump vanes to cavitate. The solution is to look for a low flow, high head, SUBMERSIBLE pump, probably a reciprocating pump (more expensive unfortunately) and put it under the water. Since you have a nice big tank to hold the pumped water, the only purpose of the submersible pump should be to slowly and fairly constantly (as subterranean water levels allow) bring the water to the tank - it's job is not to deliver working pressure and high flow to taps/showers etc, you will need another pump for that.
Provided the spring can even supply enough water to make any effort worthwhile. Seems like it is less than 8 gall an hour, or 200 a day, that won't go far with a hotel
Exactly. He needs a submersible well pump and uninterrupted, constant diameter, airtight plumbing all the way to the surface if he wants to do it with one pump.
This is the best solution. Gotta get a lift pump right at the source of water. You could put a pressure regulator and return so the supply can always run even if the main pump is shut off. As he stated, pumps don't pull very well but they push like a champ.
Thanks for sharing this detailed explanation about pump functionality! Your insight into using a low flow, high head submersible pump, especially a reciprocating one, is spot on and highlights a practical approach to efficiently managing water transfer. Another option to consider, particularly if cost is a significant factor, is a centrifugal pump designed for submersible use. These are generally more affordable than reciprocating pumps and can also be effective for similar applications. Additionally, if the water source is relatively clean and the required head is not excessively high, a jet pump could be another viable alternative. Jet pumps can be efficient in shallow well applications and might provide a good balance between cost and performance. Ultimately, the best solution will depend on the specific conditions and requirements of the system in question. Your recommendation, though, is a strong starting point for anyone facing this challenge. Thanks again for your valuable input!
Hey Brent! I'm a rancher not a wells and pumps expert, but the brand and model of pump you have there is not a well pump, it's a fertilizer pump - it likely will not deliver water at 700' of head. You might look into a 3-5 horse well pump that will deliver the flow rate you seek at that tall head, along with a pressure tank to relieve the pump so that it doesn't have to cycle repeatedly for small draws. Rapid cycling is tough on electric motors. Next question is supply - how big is that puddle you are drawing from and what is the refill rate? So, if you get a big enough pump that is designed for the job, right at the water source, a pressure system, and providing your reservoir is resilient enough to supply the amount you need, you should be in business. We had a similar issue with a deep well in the mountains, too much demand would suck the pocket reservoir dry and fill the system with sediment. Agh.
Also not an expert but seconding on the well pump. I currently live on some out of town well water that is about 500ft deep and have had no issues with the well pump in the 7 years I've lived here outside it needing to be heated during the harsh winters.
Still not the same. Im trying to tell him. A well pump sux water up. The suction side is designed to lift water up not pump water up dicharge side just maintains water pressure at ground level. Not 700' up a shaft and then out to fixtures.
I agree 100 percent I used to service wells for cattle ranches here in eastern montana and I believe he needs a sistern pump with a storage tank on the surface with a cutoff for the pumps below. I'm curious how many gpm is leeching into the pond in the mine. This could also be tested to size a proper pump so the system was never ran dry.
Shoutout to everyone who's watched the entire journey... It's been quite an experience getting to watch Brent go from Wide-Eyed city dweller who tried to tackle a mountain snow storrn in a FWD 4cyl truck... ...to experienced and storied desert dweller who's become the face of Death Valley surrounding area. Can't wait to see what's next!
We haven't just watched a series of vlogs; we've witnessed a man transform in front of the camera as he brings a ghost town back to life. It was truly inspiring. Thank you for sharing your journey with us.
Brent, I've worked on pumps and pump systems for 30 years. This is a somewhat long read. I would say forget conventional centrifugal water pumps and go with a small belt driven plunger pump. It is a positive displacement type pump and when set up correctly will push the water to the surface with few issues, and it doesn't have to be a monster to get the job done. Something along the lines of a 3" stroke with 1.25" plungers running at 200 rpm would move about 9 gallons per minute/310 BPD. To lift 700ft would require about 7.5 HP. {220V} Pulsation is a consideration, go with a triplex { three plungers} because simplex and duplex pumps will beat the piping to death. A triplex will still have pulsation but much less pronounced. You will need a small centrifugal charge pump in the pit to feed it. A plunger pump does not like to lift water on the suction side, lack of head pressure on the suction will cause it to run rough. 5 psi on the suction is plenty. Both pumps can be started automatically with a simple float switch. There are other considerations in such a system but this is the basic setup. Call a local pump company and talk to them. A good used plunger pump of this size is fairly cheap, reliable and easy to repair.
I think you're headed in the right direction. We used simplex pumps for chemical dosing on boilers when I was an operator. The single would probably damage the old pipe. Could do a pressure tank. Another post said about the galv being choked down with rust, it could be causing the existing pump to overload.
I agree this is a good jumping in point. I think replacing the entirety of the line with 1" PEX with as few joints as possible would help a lot in the delivery up to the surface. Lots of friction in that current pipe set up, and the long, smooth run of that size would help with the pulsating. He might need to think 3 phase on that 7.5 hp pump, and that could get expensive, but would ensure some reliability long term. Someone else had mentioned a pump and tank up top for pressure to the system, which would likely be the answer for consistent pressure. I don't see a single pump solution for that much height and no static head pressure from the source.
Also nowadays there are solar/windmill pumps so once set up FREE ENERGY. Just yearly maintenance. I started watching a channel called Oklahoma Windmills. That's where I've gotten my limited knowledge from. Also. You're coming out of a drought with record number of rain and snowpack so as the lake level grows your water problems will lessen.
Could something as cheap as a pressure washer pump work for proof of concept?. Could have multiple booster stations, but maybe i'm thinking a bit too small level/back yard engineering
I was thinking the same thing! I remember when his first video was posted. It was only hours old. I watched it and was instantly hooked , subscribed with alerts on!
yeah that kinda suprised me as well - but it makes sense ive been working in a job now for 4 years and found this channel in the end of my studies -still it is crazy
One suggestion for your vegetable garden. Cover the soil with mulch. It would add nutrients, lower the soil temperature and decrease the speed of evaporation. Plants develop more slowly if the soil is too hot. Best wishes, you're awesome.
112 degree heat in central NM Valley last year killed my mulched vegetable garden and my mulched fruit trees. I lost 3 Japanese Plum trees, and 2 mature and were great producers of peaches. $350.00 was spent on seed and bedding plants. Heat wiped me out. 2nd year in a row and I have a well and river irrigation. Phoenix lost their Cactus Garden. Was a tourist attraction, this year Phoenix may see 120 in the shade, up 3 degrees from last year. Brent lives above Death Valley We could fry eggs on the steel roof over the Hoist house.
@@Weeks25 George Carlin would say that cereal at the top of the bowl dries before that at the bottom of the bowl because it's closer to the sun! Well, shoot, mystery solved!
Love the garden idea. Fresh vegetables are the best. Some thoughts: When you covered the seeds with soil I couldn't tell if you compacted the soil over the seeds. Seeds can't grow in air pockets so pressing down the soil with your hand will compact it enough to give the roots a place to grow into. This may be why some of your seeds didn't germinate. It looked like you only had like 12 corn stalks and I don't think that's enough to cross fertilize so you'll probably get healthy plants with no ears of corn. You can prevent this by hand fertilizing when they produce the pollen on the silks. Next time you try corn I'd try a good 3x3 foot grid to get some nice cross pollination. Also I hope you picked some really short corn or you might not be able to reach the ears! 😃 I worry about your broccoli because the planter seems shallow and narrow for such a robust plant but I don't have a lot of experience with broccoli. In general a lot of your plants seem really close together. It might work out because you have a lot of sun and limited water so the plants may be small for what I'm used to, but you may find you need to thin them when they get larger. Some of the plants might not like the intense sun so you might need to put up a sun filter (netting) to protect the leaves from burning. The pumpkins and zucchini should do great (shout out to Alexander Smith and his 1st Ladies Detective Agency books for that factoid). Yours seem really close together but I'm used to a wetter climate (12 inches a year) where these plants go nuts in no time at all. A drip system (automated or not) that delivers the water directly to the roots would save you both water and time, the trade off is setting it up and maintaining it. I like the plastic lining on your beds I think that will help retain water (unless you overwater and rot out the roots). I think wind will be your worst enemy for dehydration of the plants and this will reduce that in the roots.
I’m sure someone has brought this up, but for every foot of elevation from the source, you add .433 psi. If you are 700 feet down, that could be up 303 psi to push. It may not translate exactly but when we install fire pumps into high rise (domestic water is the same) we are generally using pressurized public water supplies and still have compensate quite a lot to reach 200 feet. Unfortunately, your 1/3 hp pump at the gpm it’s rated won’t ever meet your needs. Talk to the guys doing the fire sprinkler system at the hotel, they should have the hydraulic calculation software to help size your pump and line. Probably a break tank and pumps at several levels. Starting at your sump, Pump up to a 200 gallon tank at an intermediate level and stage another pump to another intermediate pump, etc. (based on calcs) then to your large tank and let it fill over days. Your pumps will be set with a float on each to shut off when it gets low and back on at a good level. That way each smaller and more affordable sized pumps will be pushing reasonable amounts. Have you calculated the natural refill time of the sump?
Howdy, Brent. I used to be in the water treatment business years ago, and wells were part of that. The first thing I'd do, before I spent another dollar on that entire system, would be to test the water quality. If it's loaded with lead or other heavy metals, you don't want to be drinking it. If it's drinkable (or just usable), that 700 foot+ of head should not be a huge problem if you consider that a lot of wells go way deeper than than. It's already been mentioned below, but you need to get a legit submersible well pump. This is pretty much a "seep" type water source, so another consideration you need to look at before spending a ton of money on the system is to determine how much water you can get out of it before it needs to replenish, and the replenish time. The size of the collection pond is less of an issue (with a good pump), but lining it to make sure you aren't losing water to overflow or leakage would be a big help in determining how much water is actually available on an hourly or daily basis. If the water is good and you can pull enough out every day to make it worth the expense, then it's totally doable. It was mentioned below, but, yea, get rid of any of that old galvanized pipe out of your new system. Hope it helps, bro! Cheers!
Years ago, I serviced and sold commercial and industrial pumps and equipment. With the depth (head) you are dealing with at the bottom of the mine, you will need a multistage pump that is capable of pumping that distance. You are also dealing with pressure drop on the size of the pipe and every elbow in the line causes a loss in the pressure and flow potential. Increasing the size of the pipe and minimizing the elbows will increase the pressure and flow on your water pump system. You also need several check valves in your piping system to decrease the time your pump needs to run to get the water to the top of the mountain. If you lose the "prime" on your pump the motor needs to run until the water makes it all the way back up the pipe. Several check valves in the piping system will keep the pipe "primed" lowering the cost to run the pump each day. You should also have a pressure tank on your water system to minimize short cycling of the pump. A multistage submersible pump is readily available and a 1000' roll of black 1-1/4" or 1-1/2" polyethylene pipe will be a cost-effective choice for the system. You could use a level switch on your large water tank to control when the pump runs, you will also need a level switch in your sump at the bottom of the mine, so you do not run the pump dry and burn the motor up. Knowing how much water your sump can provide on an hourly or daily basis will help determine what size of pump you need.
The other comment I would make is seeing Owens Lake from Cerro Gordo, I'm just gobsmacked to see how wonderfully full its getting! When I first saw the Lake 30 years ago it was a dried up dustbowl, and it's wonderful to see it come back to life!! ❤
I'm a former coal miner in Colorado- west Elk Mine Ever thought of using air bladder pumps You would just need compressed air We used them in the Sumps underground . They worked very well- easy to rebuild and cost effective. Also I'm happy to assist with cribbing or roof support. Setting Timbers Rock props etc I also have been doing Facility Maintenance for 15 years . I'm Jack of all trades master of nothing. I am fascinated by the mines you have. The town is amazing
At the end of every one of your videos it says "Thank you for subscribing." I want to say thank you for making these videos. Seeing what you're doing, rebuilding Cerro Gordo, has helped me to finally, for once in my life, establish a goal to work towards. That's to move out west and really live my life. I'm 47 and have never had anything I wanted to do or work for. I was just paying bills. Now, I want to experience more and stop be complacent with my station in life. Thank you so so so much for helping me realize there is more to life than just living. Hopefully my wife and I will see you soon on one of our adventures. TLDR: You have me a true reason to actually live.
Get Heavy D out and channel the sides of the road and build several ponds that pool water. The amount of snow/rain coming off your mountains would provide enough water to last the year. Plus it would stop washouts ruining your winters. Good luck Brent!!!
Shouldn’t be an issue, as he found out on a previous episode. Basically, most any land the borders a mountain, creek, river, or lake has rights to use the water for a reasonable/ beneficial use. Especially cutting in culverts that would save tax payer money spent to repair the roads every year.
this seems reasonable. even if its not a years worth, you know where the water is, and is clearly a problem. youve got some buddies with a bit of nounce. seems to knock at least 2 birds with one stone, would be great to divert water off the wash. and easier to pump up the hill than from straight down. Best of luck dude!~
As someone who designs industrial pumping systems, 20-5000 psi @ 1/4-400 gpm. First thing I would do is increase the diameter of the suction hose (3/4 to 1 inch minimum) and level it off as much as possible. People forget about a thing called fluidic friction when sucking water. Imagine a cross section of the suction pipe as a stack of telescoping tubes, with the outermost one secured and immobile. As you pull the inner most layer, each layer drags against it's neighboring layer. Because each layer is moving increasingly faster as you near the center, the larger the tube the less energy it takes to move the fluid. Pumps have the hardest time overcoming suction issues than discharge issues Changes in elevation means the pump has to lift the water more which is dificult on the suction side, so the closer the pump inlet can get to the elevation of the water surface the better. As far as pumps go I would suggest a 3 cylinder piston or plunger pump, similar to what is used on pro-sumer or professional grade pressure washer. 700 foot colum of water produces approximately 300 psi of pressure, so you want a pump that runs at 350-400 psi, but is designed to run at 700-1000 psi for longevity. Where I work we've had great luck with Cat Pumps (not caterpillar). Cat Pumps sells pumps and prebuilt pumping skids, so you just tell their local rep the flow rate, pressure you want and what power available and they can set you up. Because of conditions in the mine, Im not sure if a Brass or Stainless head would be better. If you test a pro-sumer or consumer grade pressure washer, you will need to get a rebuild kit as they usually remove one of the inlet springs so it self drains when shut off. This protects it from an owner not draining the pump in the winter, which also means it wont generate enough vacuum to efficiently suck up the water. I would worry about the PEX tubning, I'm not sure if you used or if there is an extra strength version, but regular PEX is only rated at 160 psi @ 70F (normal operating pressure), and has a burst rating of 475-500 psi. At the pump head you have a 300 psi column of water (based on the weight of 700 feet of water) before the pump starts running.... Take care and keep safe
You should built an underground cistern like they use to in ancient desert towns. That would collect snow melt and you would be able to use it during the summer
Before doing a lot of work, have the water tested for metal contaminants! Don't want lead, copper, arsenic etc or acidic pH. Water is 0.433 pounds per foot so 700 feet is a bit over 300! psi
I know that the number is meant to be 300, but you put 300! and i'm an annoying nerd who can't help himself. x! is notation for factorial, where you multiply a number by all the numbers less than itself and itself (Ex: 6! is 1*2*3*4*5*6 = 720) 300 factorial is 615 digits long my guy. That is a bigger number than the number of individual atoms in the entire observable universe. That amount of PSI would definitely create a black hole!
I recommend using a 10 stage submersible pump ( like what goes down in a well bore hole). They are much more reliable and last much longer. You can build a steel mounting bracket that holds the pump and the whole thing goes down into the water. Back in 1983 I had enough money to purchase the pump, wire and black poly pipe to go down in the well, but I didn't have the money to drill the well yet. I decided to temporarily put the pump down in my bedrock creek in a hole that was about five feet deep and had a huge boulder on the upstream side. I ran the poly pipe and wire (400') down the hill to the high bank of the creek. There I switched to steel pipe (1 1/2"). I ran the steel pipe around the back (upstream side) of the big boulder and then around and down into the pool. I poured cement on a four foot section of the steel pipe where it laid against the boulder to keep everything secure. I also added a drain ball valve just out of the water to drain out the system when needed. The well professionals told me the winter storms would destroy the pump in one winter. It lasted 22 years. When it finally failed I took it out and brought it to a well/pump shop. The technicians there were blown away. The pump jacket was so dinged up from all the rocks that had pummeled it over the years during storms that it was hardly recognizable. Go with a submersible pump, and get a good quality, expensive one.
18:18 Brent, regarding gardening, grab some terracota water pots, glue them together and bury a couple in each bed, fill them with water. *Gardening Australia* has a good video on how to DIY these _ollas_ for irrigation. I bet your plants might also appreciate some shade from a simple net placed above them 🌱😉
Had not heard of Cerro Gordo until I chose your book as an audio loan from our library here on Australia's Sunshine Coast. Thanks. I'm a community pastor wondering what the next season of life in my sixties will be.... and you have blessed me with your reflections. Thanks.
The channel name is a double entendre. It’s not just “Ghost-Town Living” in the sense that it’s where he lives, but that it is literally a Ghost Town Living. It’s a living ghost town.
See, I am not interested in the mines so much as I am about the people who live here, volunteer here, or visit here. That's the real fascination for me. I'm curious to see what the camp house looks like now. (It's where he usually has guests stay.)
First for me in the water question is to remove the gal pipe. It will rust then clog anything after it. As one of the previous posters said with pumps. Pushing up is better. One pump of the right capacity will be enough to get your water from the mine out. But water, pumps and vacuums in that system do funny things. The water should be pumped up to a "header tank" so you don't have your one big pump turning on and off every few minutes. Also water can and probably will back flow down to the pump and into the water in the mine. That would cause contamination of the water source (once done very difficult to undo, if at all). If you have a header tank that is filled from the reservoir you cancel that contamination risk out. The main pump can turn on and off with a switch which is activated when the header tank falls to a set level. To get the water to the town outlets you can use a smaller pump as, hopefully the header tank will be high enough to use gravitational pressure to assist your outflow pump. Because of the height you will be pumping to from the reservoir it may be worth checking to see if a one way valve somewhere in that line from the reservoir to the header tank. Oh.. You should have the water tested so you know what's in it now besides H2O. Yo and friends may be OK with it but paying guests are notorious for claiming an upset stomach on the place they stayed. The water has to be checked frequently so you can say with confidence the water is safe and clean.
Have you ever thought of keeping bottles of water, food and blanket down under in various areas, in case the lift brakes down? The thought of you being stuck down there for goodness how long without the essentials gives me chills ❤
RPS 2HP 05RPS20, Deep Well Submersible Pump End to 1" PEX-AL-PEX uninterrupted - No 90s, no couplers - One single 1000' roll. Add a float switch for low water level interruption. 950' 2-8gpm Tada!
You’re a very brave man asking for the help of 1.7M+ people and even hinting you’re willing to invite someone to help in person. I hope you’re good at categorizing comments. Wishing you the sincerest best of luck 💙💙
I have a well 660 feet deep that pumps five gallons per minute. It has a regular well pump that requires no maintenance. A controller box will shot it off if it pumps the well dry keeping the pump form overheating and burning out. To increase reliability use two different pumps that can be switched to the other if one quits.
It is highly unlikely that your water level is right where the pump is, so though the pump is 660 feet down, it might be pumping against only 20 feet or 200 feet or some other amount of water head, to get the water to the surface. At my home, the well is 402 feet deep, the pump is located 305 feet deep, the well casing ends at 120 feet deep, and the water is only 20 feet below ground. The pump only has to create a pressure difference capable of pumping water up 20 feet (about 9psi) despite being located 305 feet below ground and 285 feet below the water. Of course the pump creates more pressure rise than the 9psi, so that it can deal with the water table dropping below where it is now, and so it can charge up the pressure tank in the house to give water pressure.
@@sullyzworld4970 My pump is 305 feet below ground. So the pump inlet already has a lot of pressure (relative to the atmosphere) from being 285 feet underwater. It doesn't have to add much more pressure to get the water up that last 20 feet to ground level. If the water level drops down to just above the pump, then the pump has to provide all the pressure. It can do so, but it's sure easier on the pump when it doesn't have to create a tremendous pressure difference from inlet to outlet.
Hey Brent. A simple cheap pump. A pressure washer. 110v. Small, light weight. Cheap. Low volume, high pressure. Your depth, low daily volume. Seems like a great alternative for your situation. Small task to feed it, getting the water up is no challenge at all for plunger type pump. Float to turn on and off. If your pex is working now, it will work with this pump. Of course it will build some good pressure so pressure switch at pump to turn off if there is a chance flow will be controlled at surface with a valve. Your circle of Handy dudes could probably make it happen for $500. Love the show. Jack of all trades master of none. 20 yrs in construction. Firefighter. Racer. Restorer. Love history. Survival.
Option #1: Use existing 700' pump, you'll need several float switches that act as interconnects to keep the pumping in order and prevent drying out anywhere. First though you need a underwater sump pump in the pit that pushes water to a couple 55 gallon tanks next and a few feet above the 700 pump. Those tanks need a float setup as well. The 700 pump needs gravity fed with no possibility of air getting in from those reserve tanks. Float switches in the tanks and also in the pit to cutoff the pumps from operation if levels are too low. Simple stuff actually, point is you can't pull to the 700' pump, needs gravity fed if not pressure fed from a small dosing pump. If you want, I can come put it in but I'm 6'7" and it would suck to crawl through that mine. If you want to go fancy we can computerize with level indicators, we can use a piezo distance gauge at the water pit to monitor it's depth, more electronics for monitor and control, etc, etc. Custom circuit boards as well since that is my day job ;P
There is no unsound advice in this post. Eliminating all suction problems is a no-brainer. Doesn't really matter how big the tanks are that feed the existing pump. Even just a 2-gallon bladder tank that the pump in the sump pressurizes would be fine. His high-pressure pump barely sips the water. No need for 55 gallon drums feeding it, and no need for the pressure bladder tank to be physically above the high-pressure pump. All the pump sees is the positive inlet pressure, it doesn't care if that's from gravity or a pressurized tank.
The 2 bears with one Stone approach might help with the water situation. In the area where you have flooding problems with your road. I suggest you put reservoirs above the areas that get flooded and in those reservoirs can save the road from getting flooded at the same time. You're collecting the water for later use. Also. Since you live in California, you probably would have to go at it as a conservationist. Who's creating a habitat for animals that would otherwise be approaching cities.
Hi Brent, greetings from England. I have just finished reading your book and WOW ! what a read. I can say that now I really feel connected to you and Cerro Gordo. I appreciate you opening your heart in the lines of this page turner. Thank you for sharing your story with me while I still have a song in me. God bless you.❤
Think of off grid living. You need a water catching system. Using gutters on all your buildings. Your garden should be build 6 feet down, to stabilize and lengthen your growing season for that climate. You need the Raneys to come in. He will sort your water out. You've done a fantastic job thus far. But if you could grow all your own food for the hotel/restaurant would be amazing. Looking into subterranean garden beds. You seal the sides with rocks, and add steps going to a door then rounded hoops for the roof, covered with plastic or plexiglass adding rains gutters all around that can water your plants inside. So many options for you.
@@AustinFernald yeah i figured someone else would of posted about it but as i scrolled no one had. so i googled for the correct spelling. i only know about them because there are some tiktok/youtube shorts with a guy walking on a rocky beach cracking these open and finding ammonite inside.
On or farm, we have a well that is 300 feet deep well. We use this well to irrigate 1100 hundred rubber trees, in SE Asia. We don’t run a bottom pump. The first pump is at surface level. We pump the water up to the surface, to a large water tank. From there we run a second pump that send the water to the fields. This is a pretty large field we irrigate. I would think that if you ran a system like this you could bring the water to the surface. From there, you would have to pump it into a holding tank. We use Mitsubishi electric automatic water pump. Through the years I’ve had to replace two of them. I don’t know what they cost is in the USA. In Thailand we pay about 200.00 usd for them. We run 220v, but I believe you can purchase them in 110v. Good luck!
Can't believe its only been 4 years. I remember the first videos you posted and how much has changed since then. Its still so exciting every time you post because one we get an update but mainly it means your still alive.
How to raise water 700 feet or more is not a novel problem. It has an unlimited number of solutions, but a handful have become pretty standard. Just one example of where it is done, is that in cities, there are these things called skyscrapers. They contain expensive office space where fancy-schmancy people expect to be able to flush a toilet, wash their hands, and make a pot of coffee. The Chrysler building opened in 1930. The top floors of it, under the polished spire part (made of one of my favorite metals, Monel), were the office and residence of Chrysler himself. He took pride in the fact that his toilet was higher above the ground than anyone else's in the world at that time. I'm a retired mechanical engineer. A handful of the comments on this video are correct technically, a bunch have errors or poor judgment, and even more are opinionated and focused on the way they'd attempt it. Not many even listened to your own preferences and concerns. I'm in NH and only get out west a couple of times per year, but I'd be happy to give you some free advice via email or phone as needed. At least to do a sanity check on any specific approach someone comes up with for you. Maybe to come up with a recommended solution (or two or three) after assessing your needs/wishes in a way most people are skipping right past as being unnecessary or not their style. I'll give you an easy puzzle to figure out one of my more disposable but checked email addresses at Gmail. Two words with no space between them. First is the common first name found by Googling "bible 3:16". Second is the sister city of Fitchburg, MA which starts with an L. If you start the email with "Hello there, my name is Brent", I'll know who you are!
Fresh new trees are snacks for some animals. I would get some chicken netting and make some volumes around them so they have a fighting chance before they get stronger.
Good idea, I learned growing garden plants in the wilderness foothills of Jerusalem wild animals looking for moist tender sweet food liked to eat them, I found old chicken cage scrap pile behind egg farms to recycle them as fences, fully enclosed over top even. Lots of plastic hoses chewed through for water.
Well, Brent, at over 1800 comments, so far, I don't know if I can add much of value to the conversation, but here goes! First of all, I am an avid subscriber to your channel and so appreciate what you've done with Cerro Gordo. I'm a history buff and, in fact, a museum board officer. We share that deep love for history, and you are doing a phenomenal job of preserving it. At some point, I do indeed hope to make it up to your mining town to see things firsthand. As regards water management, I have followed your situation for some time, and must admit to laughing more than once at your relationship to the 700-foot-level water pit. When you floated on the inflatable mattress, I believe wearing a bathrobe, getting soggy, that took the cake of comedic video production! I said to myself, “This guy is crazy!” (in a good sort of way). I appreciate your humor and undeniable playful nature. So, carry on with all of that. Now, for getting water to the surface, my first suggestion is, retire that poor blue water pump. It has struggled valiantly, but it has never been up to the task. Maybe you could add it to your museum display. I'm no plumber, but an inventor of sorts, and recognize that there have to be better pumping solutions out there. Also, I suggest getting rid of the iron line, and going exclusively with poly pipe to ferry water upwards. Reliability is important, and iron is so 'yesterday' (in a not so good way). Many months ago, I was going to suggest to you the use of multiple pumps to get the water to the surface; a minimum of two. One would be in the 700' water pit, pumping to a holding tank at, say, the 400' level, from where the second pump would deliver to a main holding tank on the surface. If this main tank were elevated on a nearby hillside, you could then have gravity-feed to all town fixtures. (My understanding is that the giant water tank, hauled-up earlier, is exclusively for the hotel's fire-suppression system, and so doesn't actually play into the town's potable water supply.) If you do employ a mid-level holding tank, I recommend a minimum capacity of 1000 gallons. A tank that size probably won't fit in the mine's lift cage, so two or more smaller tanks would have to be sent down to the chosen level. These could then be connected in parallel by piping at their bases to obtain the desired, larger water capacity. I see that at least one other comment poster suggests a multiple-piston type pump, which alone could adequately deliver water to the surface. This would eliminate the need for intermediary holding tanks. There are almost certainly multiple, potential solutions for reliable delivery of water from the 700' level. And I'm sure you'll come upon a good one. However you get water to the surface, I do recommend an elevated holding tank, topside, so you can have virtually maintenance-free gravity-feed to the town's fixtures. You'll also want to test, and very likely filter, the water to make sure it's safe for use. You have a huge community of supporters, now, and my hope is that, from among their ranks, volunteers with the requisite electrical, plumbing and deep-well experience will step forward to provide Cerro Gordo with the fully functioning water system it has long needed. In closing, may I suggest that you also “hunt” for another water source, nearby? Don't you have at least one historic photograph of water shooting out a large diameter hose or pipe? If that photo was taken on-site, there has to have been a substantial water source for the town, years ago. I doubt very much that such supply came from the 700' level pit. And isn't that pit being supplied by water dripping from above? My final suggestion, then, is to bring in a dowser, or water witch, to search for a bountiful water source, closer to the surface. I don't really know how dowsing works; I just know that it does. So those are my water supply suggestions, among the many others coming forward. I know you'll make the right decisions and, very soon, steady-pressure water will be accessible from every town tap! All the best to you, Brent. Keep up the good work!
This was a FANTASTIC update! Tackling water, and veggies, and TREES! I've wanted Brent to bring trees back to Cerro Gordo for years. So glad he finally is.
Without you it would be turning to dust and hardly anyone would even know it had even a costed. Your enthusiasm and achievements are so inspirational thank you for sharing ❤
Just recently bought your book because I love this channel and what you are doing with Cerro Gordo, and I hope that you continue with it for years to come.
First thing to fix is the reserve. Then, smaller diameter, air tight pipe system (3/4 or even 1/2 inch) with least amount of elbows as possible with a good submersible pump (I have a deep well of over 1000 feet head and a 1 hp pump runs shower, washing machine etc). These pumps are good for 30+ years usually. Everything pressure related (tank and fittings) above ground, for maintenance's sake! Get rid of the galvanized pipes, go with either brass or plastic. Godspeed, man!
Brent. One of the key issue for water system reliability is eliminating the potential for air locks in your piping. First, water is the current GPM of the source that drips into the mine “cistern”? I don’t think enlarging the cistern itself will increase capacity, unless some of the water source is within it. Based upon that GPM, install an appropriate sized submersible pump. This pump will pump just to the location of your secondary pump, before the vertical lift up the shaft. The cistern pump can be very small if the GPM of the water source is small, say 20 GPM. This would require just a 1/4 HP pump. Where your 2nd pump is now install a water storage tank, as large as you can get in the elevator, say 250 gallons. In that tank have a float switch that controls the cistern pump, shutting it off when the intermediate tank is full. In the bottom of that tank install a second sump pump with a float switch that will pump the 750, elevation rise to the surface. Again, keep the pump as small and efficient as possible for minimum electricity usage. For example, you can pump 10 GPM the 750 rise with just 1/4 to 1/2 HP, depending on the vertical pipe size (smaller pipe needs more HP due to surface resistance). You can find charts on line to help with those calculations. At the top of the shaft pipe to your storage tank. In the piping system, particularly at the bottom of the 750’ vertical section, you should have back-flow valves.
intermediary tanks and pumps would be the easiest way to ensure consistent water pressure. sorry if it was slightly vague was late and i'm from the uk, basically you'd want to add smaller reservoirs/holding tanks and a extra pump per holding tank that work together to reduce the head pressure on the pump which is likely the main route of the issues your having aside from rusted pipes possibly causing clogging but you'd need roughly 3 of the pumps you showed spaced out going up the levels or shaft with a tank each for the head pressure of the pump to overcome the gravity of water in the pipe without overstressing the pump
Read up on permaculture and greening deserts. Grow your garden in the ground in the swales with native companion plants. Add terraces in the valleys to slow water.
I was going to say the same thing, and recomend the Permaculture Design Manual, leaky dams in all the gullys, mass seeding of ground cover plants with seed balls, get a local permaculture designer in who's familiar with the climate zone and native pioneer plants.
There's only one solution to your water issue which is more pumps and more holding tanks. The extra pumps introduce more failure points but will give you higher volume. The tanks are 'buffers', typical usage is not continuous but you want a lot of water for a short amount of time. So you need buffers. Have one or more pumps with tanks to get to the surface. At the surface, have a holding tank with gravity feed just like a normal water tower. Done. You could take it in stages, put in just one pump/tank at the halfway point going up and see how well it works. If you need more add one or two more at the quarter/three quarter points. At the top have a big old tank. The tanks in between can be smaller. Also each pump is simply triggered by the water level in the tank.
Yesterday was June 15th and I was reading the chapter in your book where in a newspaper article it talked about the birth of the American hotel on June 15, 1871. Okay that was really interesting… 🙋🏻♀️
Seeing the redevelopment of this town has been amazing. I remember when i started watching this channel when the 2nd video dropped. Now i ponder what the town will be 100 years+ from now. Thanks brent for keeping heritage alive
I remember watching your very first video during the beginning of lockdown and was hooked immediately. Can't believe 4 years passed so quickly and I and so many others have been with you every step of the way. You're living my dream.
@8:00 pump planning: 1: don't dig anymore 2: add water cells every 100-200 feet going up at least 100 gallons holding tank. 3: have a pump every 300 feet going up, to fill each tank and keep a PSI that is needed for up top. 4: once you are out of the shaft have 6 of the water tanks that you are moving up and down with the 5ton 5: have a filtration system and a water softener after the 600 gallon tanks with a high psi pump to use for the building your using. So you will have the main water holding at 700 feet down with at least 500 gallons going up plus another 600 once you go to the top, so you will be holding around 2,000 gallons of water from bottom to top plus what's held in the lines and around 6 pumps moving water to the buildings that would keep a small army going for some time as long as the water at the bottom is always refilling.
He said he didn't want tanks and pumps at a bunch of levels. The first rule of an engineering project, is to find out what the customer wants and needs. Only if what he wants is an unachievable or stupid way of getting what he needs, do you start doing things another way which gives him what he needs, but not what he wants.
a rule of thumb for gardening, REMOVE ALL PLASTIC! microplastics are not good to consume and it releases toxic chemicals into the soil when breaking down. keep your garden healthy and it will keep YOU healthy! you're doing great Brent! keep up the brilliant work :)
I started watching your videos 4 years ago when I was working the night shift. I check in now and again but I haven’t for over a year, due to a change in job and less free time. I’m so glad you’re still going, it’s great to see the progress you’re making. All the best from the UK 🇬🇧
The ideal of a pond is great. You should consider a native pond created from natural snow melt. Just consider those locations that flood during rain storms and snow melt. Dig those locations another 5 to 8 feet deep and line with heavy duty pond liner. Surround pond area with succulents and ice plant and native California poppies. You'll see that once they establish the soil will establish and those beautiful flowers will come and go depending on water levels. Creating man made ponds around the city will also add to humidity levels which help bring back native vegetation. You'll see that rock fruit like nectarines, peaches, plums will establish and you'll see as the fruit drop it will feed native animals and those fruit seeds will establish new trees. Added options for power should be solar since those panels can be mounted almost anywhere. Therefore you'll have power year round
Do a series of pumps with holding containers. With this one pump doesn't have to pump 700 ft. The surface will always pump from the highest holding container. Get a panel of solar panels and a little wind turbine to add in winter if needed. Dig it out further and line it with clay. Direct waterflow to ensure the water supply remains intact. Build your reservoir clay lines pond but build percolation ponds too, direct your water shed towards those where you can. It's a good way to prevent spring flooding plus it keeps the water on your land. In dry areas the rule is never let water leave your land. You get enough fresh water through snowmelt to last you the entire year and green the land. Just gotta capture it. Look at how easy sand dams are to put in the ravines coming down the mountains. Put a series of them in. You can literally install a spigot at the bottom of the damn. How you're digging those trenches, do the same and make some small canals to capture water. You gotta plant around that pond or it'll evaporate out fast.
I agree and have said so in the past. Tall skyscrapers use a series of holding tanks. If you put in two tanks, 300 feet apart, you'd need three pumps - one at the beginning - that would only have to move the water 300 feet each.
@@james1795 that's it? No? You gotta come up with more than that, and an explanation why. What's your background? Have you ever had to move, direct or store water? I'm gonna bet no. Do better dude. You and your "No". As if that means anything at all. WHY no? Smh
@@snchilders I was thinking every level of the mine all the way up to the top, with a holding container up top too. Pumps aren't that expensive. Regardless, that's really his only option to improve on what he has, as far as moving the water. He's got to have foresight though, and ensure the well doesn't run dry. Percolation ponds is the only way I know of that would work out there. Sand damns down ravines would help with that too and would supplement water supply in the warm months.
@@ChristaFree. It doesn't take much of a brain to know a series of pumps is an idiotic suggestion by someone who has no clue what they are talking about. When one submersible pump is all that is needed.
You clearly don't understand how pumps and check valves work. Your idea only reduces the outlet pressure on the pump, when it's not pumping. When it is pumping, the outlet pressure supports the entire column of water, with or without check valves, because the valves are open when the water is being pumped up. The check valves also add flow resistance, and create more points where something can fail.
Did you ever get the water check to see if its potable water for human consumption? I'm concerned that water in a hundred or so old mine might have become contaminated with mercury.
@@JaniceSeagraves It makes the water taste sweet! No artificial sweeteners, no calories, just natural goodness, straight from Mother Earth! It can be yours for just $19.99 per galon!
We have a pond the size of a bathtub in our backyard. It’s amazing how many birds and animals gravitate to us in town. You can buy a plastic insert with a pump to keep the water somewhat clean. Helps keep mosquitoes away as well.
Something that may help with your garden is shade nets. When the plants get too hot it stunts their growth so the shade net let's in enough light for it to grow and creates a cooler environment for them.
Raised beds are horrible for gardening in the desert. Dig out trenches oriented east and west. Try to keep the south wall of the trench as vertical as possible. You can use wood or rock for stability if you need it. This will keep the bottom of the trench shaded. You can see how the plants in your raised beds along the shady edge are doing better. Add wood chips or other mulch on top to keep the moisture from evaporating. You might even think about digging the trenches below your drain field to take advantage of that "waste" water. I have watched your channel for a long time and you've come a long way in bringing that old town back to life. Keep up the good work.
Why is your pump in the surface. You should be running a setup similar to a deep well. I have a pump in my 500ft well in Las Vegas with 1 pressure tank at the surface and it puts out far more water far more reliably than you have. Copy a well setup and you will be good.
I wish as humans we could all leave a valuable imprint on the earth. The type of imprint that thousands of generations after this point in time would be appreciated. Hopefully, Brent, you will inspire many to do so. Thanks for the memories you create every day.
I have some solutions for your water system. 1) Install multiple lift pumps ( you will need to calculate how many you need based on the model you buy ) and holding ponds. The goal is not to get water to the top, your goal should be to get it up an over the high part of the hill and back down to that tank-You want to let gravity ( think siphoning ) be your friend. The goal is to break down lifting the water into smaller steps, having pools at each pump would be useful, this way you will have water at most of the tunnel entrances. That may come in handy one day, you never know. use gravity to your advantage. If the elevation drop is 100 feet you will have good 75 foot lift capability. ALSO: design the tank overflow so that it feeds your pond. A picture is worth a 1000 words...Let me see what I can do.
DUDE, i remember the day your video popped up on my YT feed. The one you talk about getting stranded in the snow storm. Cool seeing how it all started.
You need a single submersible pump capable of handling 700’ of head pressure. Jacuzzi makes them. As far as the sump goes, I don’t see a point in making it any bigger. Make your above ground storage hold more than twice what you need. The underground pump can work at its own pace to fill your above ground storage.
hey brent love what your doing.wondering if you could trap your flood water into several ponds also reducing the amount of run off down your driveway.keep up the good work
Well, lining the underground basin should be quite easy and does not even require the best quality of a pond liner. No UV-light, no roots, no mice, so, basically, the cheapest option is good enough. Before making it bigger, I would consider a few things: 1. Precut ondliners of a certain size can be cheaper and if they don´t get to big, handling them is more comfortable. 2. It might be a good idea, not only to fix the existing system, but to think of redundancy. For that, it might (or might not) be a good idea, to pump the water up level by level. Building smaller storage basins higher up would increase the internal storage capacity and create a water supply on each level. And the individual pumps would not have to deal with so high water pressures, which might make them significantly cheaper to buy. And less heavy duty might also mean, that maintainance is less of an issue. Also, you would keep most of the water, pumps and lines at depths, where freezing won´t ever be a problem. I don´t have the expertise to tell you, that this is the best idea for your system, it is just something, I personally would concider and check out
Brent,ive send you plans and have told cristy and hans my water plans a number of times.if you want to hear them, get my number from cristy and have her tell me what time you will call. this is brad and his dog bailie from the metal detecting event.
Hey Brent In Wales there is an old slate mine now running a deep underground hotel. Maybe take a look to get ideas, for a dust free living area at your 900 ft level. Look up go-below / deep sleep
I started watching you when I first went to college and now I’ve graduated and have changed completely from who I was back then. I think this channel helped me find who I was in a way. Thank you for that
I can help you, no problem. I'm a 42 year old Master Electrician, I live in Central Missouri, in Marshall. Most rural farms and homes around my area use "well-water." Just as you have in the mine at the 770. I would recommend using a few check valves on the vertical to help keep the pipe full while also keeping so much pressure from staying on one check valve. It will help the pump motor from being overloaded when it starts pumping. I've wired up many pumps, that one is a nice industrial pump and you can get parts for it without any issues. You would want to keep it in play, as the water source isn't that large. Being drained daily for your town wouldn't be any issue. You could pump the water up to an elevated water tower, then distribute the water from the tower as they did back in the towns hay day. I have a true passion to bring antique and historical buildings and homes up to the new electrical code, yet keeping them as they were, not changing any more than needed. It really wouldn't be a very hard job to knock out with your help. It would be my privilege to help you bring water from the mine up for usage in the town and shoot ideas back and forth of how to bring the town back to how it was, yet keeping everything up to modern code for saftey reasons. You also have a very awesome way to produce your own free, off grid power by using the water tower idea. I'll catch you up if you respond. You won't need the expense of solar panels or noise from wind turbines. Your town would make electricity quietly, and constantly if you wanted. I hope you keep up all the great work, and I've enjoyed watching you these past few years! If you need anything, reach back to me at Roaringforkelectric@gmail.com. Stay safe, and Godspeed, my friend. Sincerely, Matt Roaring Fork Electric LLC
My water solution idea: get exact coordinate of the water collection (box) in the mine. Give coordinate to a well driller and have them drill down w/pipe straight down to the supply. Get a strong pull/push pump on surface
Yeah, he needs to bite the bullet and hire a drilling company to come out and just put a real well in. It would ensure a constant water supply for the hotel at the least.
Easy 14k+ to drill a hole he already has. If he's questioned the cost of a booster pump that was suggested at least 2 yrs ago this long that definitely not in his budget.
I used to run water pipes for animal troughs, using poly pipe, wed have bores that would pump up into reservoir tanks on the surface using 3/4" poly pipe, and that water tank reservoir would go off to water troughs using a 2" pipe. the 2" would give good flow as it has a strong head pressure cause of the volume and weight of the water in the tank, Pumping up that distance your gonna want smaller line going up the whole way, as the pump would need to shift quite alot of water upwards over that distance, you can also get one way flow valves/check valves to stop the backflow of the water. You can buy the poly spools in bulk with connectors. talk to your local AG/ farm shops.
Stick fish remains shrimp etc in your planting beds...the plant corn first, and beans once you have some growth on the corn, then squash last. Same planter.Triple yield.
Pumps are rated in head. A pump will only lift its rated head. You need to calculate the head and make sure the pump is rated properly. Many water wells in my area are 600-700 feet deep so your depth should not be a problem. Friction loss is reduced by using a larger diameter pipe. I have an irrigation well that is 660' deep and it has a 5hp submersible pump that provides 75 psi for more than a mile. The pipe diameter in the well is 1" and the irrigation main is 3" with 2" branches. No issues with water delivery or presssure.
Friction losses will increase the apparent head. Larger pipe will weigh and cost more. 600 psi divided by .433 gives you at most 1385 feet of lift before above losses.
Yes, as someone else said, getting a new straight shaft dilled right to the water source. Then use a properly rated deep well submersible. It works for many millions of homes. No need to reinvent the wheel. Deep well submersible.
@@randommcranderson5155 That's a great point, didn't think about that one. Maybe a two stage system then, one pump to bring it over to a tank near the main hoist, then a deep well submersible to go nearly vertical. Though, I can see how the idea of a big enough tank for a deep sub pump near the hoist shaft maybe impractical. It's a hard problem to solve....
![[SFM] Risky Recital](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RzNkY1_Nk3o/mqdefault.jpg)
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Specifically I'm wondering if a compass works down at the 900ft level.... I'm assuming it would.... But...... Would u be willing to try it?
Also, I suggest to u a frisbee golf course encapsulating the history of Cerro Gordo.....
You need a pressure tank after your pump
You cannot increase your gpm for the spring unless it's a reservoir that's able to be tapped beyond the seep. With that said you need tonrun water usage numbers against a catchment system and use thos a supplemental butntruky it apuldnbe beyywr sold as Cartesian water looks so clean and blue. Better selling it then washing your hands with it
?multiple resavars fill up 1 then pump fill pump repeat its 900 feet yo the top remember
I have worked for my local water department for 36 years. I literally just diagnosed a pressure issue for a resident. After a simple test, I realized he had a 6” long GALVANIZED nipple just before his water meter. Turns out the inside was so choked up with rust, you couldn’t see through it. When you pointed to the galvanized pipe which is WAY longer than 6”, I decided to comment.
Yep I thought the same thing,
Are you essentially saying that the setup is fine, the pipe just likely needs to be replaced? That would be very lucky and probably the most cost effective way to fix the issue lol
🤔That could do it, I suppose, assuming the current set up used to work.
Definitely something he should look at. Maybe replace it with Pex
I was going to post on my own asking a question for all but you may have the answer... The pump, wouldn't it make more sense to have it on the surface level? Treating the current line, with the galvanized replaced of course but treating it like a well. A well you pull water with a pump like that instead of pushing it possible 1000 feet.
At 700', you are fighting against ~304psi of static water pressure due to the weight of water in the pipe, not including friction when pumping. This is asking a lot of your pump which maxes out at 350psi. I think you really want a deep well submersible pump. Check the head ratings and give yourself some margin, don't choose a solution right on the edge of specs. You can probably find one that would do at least 800ft of head, but these get more expensive. I would do it in 2 stages. Pick a level half way up and install an intermediary tank, open to atmosphere, to relieve half the pressure. You can get a submersible from Home Depot that can do 427' of head for $200. I would have a large tank at/near the surface that you can keep topped off with well water or hauled in water as your main supply/reserve. You will likely need to upgrade your electrical supply to 240V to run the submersibles. You could try running that just to the intermediary level first so you don't have to run it as far, and see if your existing pump at the bottom could supply to the intermediary tank with a little tweaking. You can use float switches/relays to prevent either pump from drawing the levels too low, or filling the top tank too high. If supply power is a bottleneck, you could do some relay logic/controls to make sure only one pump is running at a time. I would recommend using a sediment filter, uv filter, and charcoal filter between your "well" water and the surface fresh water tank. Getting it tested for heavy metals is probably a good idea, but even then, you could probably do a small distiller system for drinking water if you find the levels are a bit elevated. Just some thoughts.
Doing a 2 stage tank “top-off” solution, you would want “high-level” and “low-level” float switches (or some form of water sensors) mounted in each “reservoir” for a total of 6 switches. I would make them somewhat adjustable. Then it's just logic…PLC, microcontroller, old-school relay logic, etc…whatever you prefer. You don't want to run either reservoir too low, and don't want your pump to suck air. You also don't want to overflow the intermediary stage or surface tank. So the bottom pump only runs if pit’s high-level switch is reached AND in-between tank high-level switch has NOT been reached. Once the in-between tank's high-level is reached OR the pits low-level is indicated, shut off first pump. Only when first pump is off and intermediary tank is at it’s high level, switch on upper pump and fill surface tank until it’s high-level is reached OR the in-between tank’s low-level limit triggers, then shut off second pump. If the surface tank high-level has not yet been reached, restart the cycle with the lower pump filling intermediary tank, etc., etc. until it eventually tops off. When top tank low-level is reached, then reset and start the process over starting from the bottom pump. There may be some nuances to sort out, a slightly different order of operations, or you might want a way to manually reset a state if two triggers happen to overlap unexpectedly, but this is the general idea. If you are concerned about a stuck float, you could double-up in a Fail-Safe manner for some cross-check redundancy. Maybe even add some timer logic to shut the system down if a pump is running longer than expected…that way you don't flood the place if there is a burst pipe or something. You will need at least 3 control wires from each level to get these indications, or you could send statuses back over some other COM path, like your Ethernet run.
This! He needs a better pump system for the sump and he can just put the other pump at the top to help
Excellent, sound thoughts here on how to make his water system work, and why.
@@Jacobtheunwise A pump at the top does nothing to bring water up. You can push water up as high as you want with a high enough pressure pump/piping. You can only pull water up 32 feet with sea-level air pressure at the bottom of the suction pipe and a perfect vacuum at the top. He is NOT at sea level, so the suction height a pump can do there is reduced. Going near the theoretical max suction is a very bad idea anyway. Using suction is an invitation to let air in, lose prime, faporize any volatiles, many problems. Push water up, don't try sucking it up like with a straw.
Mostly very sound advice. I disagree with two things.
First is the fixation on using a deep well submersible pump. There is no need to restrict him to that. The water in the sump down 700 feet is openly accessible, as will be any intermediate-level tank(s) that he adds. So, there is no need to use a pump that fits down a 4 inch diameter drilled well shaft. He can use a more industrial pump that is physically larger, can be installed anywhere nearby, and is easier to work on. There is also no need for meeting one of the main criteria of a deep-well pump, which is to provide the full max usage flow. By adding tanks, you only need the end-user flow rate out of the highest/last tank. He can have a much smaller, more continuous flow refilling that tank and any other tanks below it.
Second is sort of a result of the first. Yes, a 240V pump uses half the current of a 120V pump, to achieve the same power. Yes, size each pump to not draw more amps than the installed wiring can handle without getting to a voltage drop that harms the pump. But I wouldn't make any assumption about how many amps or horsepower are needed, and therefore the voltage/wiring choices until nailing down how many gpm are being pumped at what pressure in whatever the final design ends up being. And then, he needs to decide whether to run a dedicated power line for each pump, for all the pumps, or just draw from a circuit used for everything else he's got down there. As you say, having controls to run one pump at a time can reduce the need for more wiring. But I think that buying a 1000 foot spool of 10-3 UF-B and running it down to have 120/240 split phase or 120/208 3-phase or some other more industrial-voltage power available at all levels, independent of anything he already has, would not be a bad idea. Maybe run more than one down, to keep from having to do the wire-stapling labor over and over as things/places he wants to power off it, expand.
He desperately needs to change the pump system entirely to something like this. Even so there's no way water that trickles down into a LEAD mine is gonna be healthy. I support your ideas 100% for this
I am a water well drilling & pump contractor here in Northern CA. 80% of the Wells I driller are over 700 feet deep, I would recommend using Grundfos 6SQF-3 pump it will run on any voltage AC or DC and it is one of the only submersible pumps that that will run horizontally also has a built-in low water shut off and very simple to install, you’ll need 1 inch minimum pipe I would recommend using sch. 120 PVC threaded pipe, you must have check valves every 200 feet of elevation and a minimum of #8 wire 2 strands with a ground as long as your run is not much more than 800 feet. This
Grundfos is a very reliable pump as long as the water is clean going into it. From what I could see in your video I would not do anything to your collection pool other than maybe trying to clean the area up to get cleaner water
Grundfos pumps are awesome!
Truth bubba I worked for a well company in northern cali too for a decade
You can't go wrong with the Grundfos. Use stainless steel couplings and stainless steel spring check valves on the drop pipe! I do well drilling in the Bay Area (Blue Planet Green Power) and am a Pentair water filtration rep. That being said... Franklin Electric and Pentair also have multiple submersible / VFD options that can get water up top.
We are connected by water.
Have been in the business 20+ years, I also would also say the grundfos 6SQF-3 pump is the way to go. If you run into vapor lock issues with it, add a timer relay with a solenoid valve that will recirculate part of the pumped water back into the puddle for the first 30 seconds each time the grundfos runs. This lets any air trapped in the pump purge out without having to fight the 700' of head pressure.
as a fellow well guy , all very good advice 👍🏽
I just realized something. The comments are from people who want to help or congratulate you all. Very different from so many media comment platforms. Keep up Cerro Gordo snd commentators keep up the encouraging comments.
In a world full of negativity and social media madness, each post you make is a mental cleanser to me.
Thank you so much my friend. We'll see your dreams come true and be with you vicariously.
Plot twist: This is just an ad for his air bnb
Where are your goats and kitties etc
@@monomixer Well he had so much fun and adventure making the ad.
@@monomixer hahahaha
Pumps are very bad at sucking water, but pumps can be very good at pushing water. A pump can only be 6-8 meters above the water source before the vacuum the pump needs to pull the water causes the water to 'boil'; and the pump vanes to cavitate. The solution is to look for a low flow, high head, SUBMERSIBLE pump, probably a reciprocating pump (more expensive unfortunately) and put it under the water. Since you have a nice big tank to hold the pumped water, the only purpose of the submersible pump should be to slowly and fairly constantly (as subterranean water levels allow) bring the water to the tank - it's job is not to deliver working pressure and high flow to taps/showers etc, you will need another pump for that.
Provided the spring can even supply enough water to make any effort worthwhile. Seems like it is less than 8 gall an hour, or 200 a day, that won't go far with a hotel
Exactly. He needs a submersible well pump and uninterrupted, constant diameter, airtight plumbing all the way to the surface if he wants to do it with one pump.
Best water solution comment I have read so far. ✌🏻
This is the best solution. Gotta get a lift pump right at the source of water. You could put a pressure regulator and return so the supply can always run even if the main pump is shut off. As he stated, pumps don't pull very well but they push like a champ.
Thanks for sharing this detailed explanation about pump functionality! Your insight into using a low flow, high head submersible pump, especially a reciprocating one, is spot on and highlights a practical approach to efficiently managing water transfer.
Another option to consider, particularly if cost is a significant factor, is a centrifugal pump designed for submersible use. These are generally more affordable than reciprocating pumps and can also be effective for similar applications. Additionally, if the water source is relatively clean and the required head is not excessively high, a jet pump could be another viable alternative. Jet pumps can be efficient in shallow well applications and might provide a good balance between cost and performance.
Ultimately, the best solution will depend on the specific conditions and requirements of the system in question. Your recommendation, though, is a strong starting point for anyone facing this challenge. Thanks again for your valuable input!
Hey Brent! I'm a rancher not a wells and pumps expert, but the brand and model of pump you have there is not a well pump, it's a fertilizer pump - it likely will not deliver water at 700' of head.
You might look into a 3-5 horse well pump that will deliver the flow rate you seek at that tall head, along with a pressure tank to relieve the pump so that it doesn't have to cycle repeatedly for small draws. Rapid cycling is tough on electric motors.
Next question is supply - how big is that puddle you are drawing from and what is the refill rate?
So, if you get a big enough pump that is designed for the job, right at the water source, a pressure system, and providing your reservoir is resilient enough to supply the amount you need, you should be in business.
We had a similar issue with a deep well in the mountains, too much demand would suck the pocket reservoir dry and fill the system with sediment. Agh.
Also not an expert but seconding on the well pump. I currently live on some out of town well water that is about 500ft deep and have had no issues with the well pump in the 7 years I've lived here outside it needing to be heated during the harsh winters.
Still not the same. Im trying to tell him. A well pump sux water up. The suction side is designed to lift water up not pump water up dicharge side just maintains water pressure at ground level. Not 700' up a shaft and then out to fixtures.
Pretty sure it pumps water 700 feet up to a 500 gal water storage tank. Or similar
Then water pressure is gravity fed to fixtures
I agree 100 percent I used to service wells for cattle ranches here in eastern montana and I believe he needs a sistern pump with a storage tank on the surface with a cutoff for the pumps below. I'm curious how many gpm is leeching into the pond in the mine. This could also be tested to size a proper pump so the system was never ran dry.
He says in the video- the size of the pond he’s drawing from.
Shoutout to everyone who's watched the entire journey...
It's been quite an experience getting to watch Brent go from Wide-Eyed city dweller who tried to tackle a mountain snow storrn in a FWD 4cyl truck...
...to experienced and storied desert dweller who's become the face of Death Valley surrounding area.
Can't wait to see what's next!
I read quite a bit of comments & I'm impressed with all the hydrologists who chimed in. Just awesome how much support this man gets!
It’s amazing to see the support for this town!
Ive been with you since early days, love to know when .. like the first 500@GhostTownLiving
We haven't just watched a series of vlogs; we've witnessed a man transform in front of the camera as he brings a ghost town back to life. It was truly inspiring. Thank you for sharing your journey with us.
Brent, I've worked on pumps and pump systems for 30 years. This is a somewhat long read. I would say forget conventional centrifugal water pumps and go with a small belt driven plunger pump. It is a positive displacement type pump and when set up correctly will push the water to the surface with few issues, and it doesn't have to be a monster to get the job done.
Something along the lines of a 3" stroke with 1.25" plungers running at 200 rpm would move about 9 gallons per minute/310 BPD. To lift 700ft would require about 7.5 HP. {220V} Pulsation is a consideration, go with a triplex { three plungers} because simplex and duplex pumps will beat the piping to death. A triplex will still have pulsation but much less pronounced.
You will need a small centrifugal charge pump in the pit to feed it. A plunger pump does not like to lift water on the suction side, lack of head pressure on the suction will cause it to run rough. 5 psi on the suction is plenty. Both pumps can be started automatically with a simple float switch.
There are other considerations in such a system but this is the basic setup. Call a local pump company and talk to them. A good used plunger pump of this size is fairly cheap, reliable and easy to repair.
I think you're headed in the right direction. We used simplex pumps for chemical dosing on boilers when I was an operator. The single would probably damage the old pipe. Could do a pressure tank.
Another post said about the galv being choked down with rust, it could be causing the existing pump to overload.
I agree this is a good jumping in point. I think replacing the entirety of the line with 1" PEX with as few joints as possible would help a lot in the delivery up to the surface. Lots of friction in that current pipe set up, and the long, smooth run of that size would help with the pulsating. He might need to think 3 phase on that 7.5 hp pump, and that could get expensive, but would ensure some reliability long term. Someone else had mentioned a pump and tank up top for pressure to the system, which would likely be the answer for consistent pressure. I don't see a single pump solution for that much height and no static head pressure from the source.
Also nowadays there are solar/windmill pumps so once set up FREE ENERGY. Just yearly maintenance. I started watching a channel called Oklahoma Windmills. That's where I've gotten my limited knowledge from. Also. You're coming out of a drought with record number of rain and snowpack so as the lake level grows your water problems will lessen.
I think PEX is only good for 150psig
Could something as cheap as a pressure washer pump work for proof of concept?. Could have multiple booster stations, but maybe i'm thinking a bit too small level/back yard engineering
I can't believe I have been watching for 4 years! Time is so weird. It still feels like a somewhat new channel to me.
Me too. I start watching Brents Videos from His third video
I was thinking the same thing! I remember when his first video was posted. It was only hours old. I watched it and was instantly hooked , subscribed with alerts on!
@@danielshingleton Me too! And haven't missed one since. It's crazy how many people from all over the world experienced the same movement
yeah that kinda suprised me as well - but it makes sense ive been working in a job now for 4 years and found this channel in the end of my studies -still it is crazy
One suggestion for your vegetable garden. Cover the soil with mulch. It would add nutrients, lower the soil temperature and decrease the speed of evaporation. Plants develop more slowly if the soil is too hot. Best wishes, you're awesome.
112 degree heat in central NM Valley last year killed my mulched vegetable garden and my mulched fruit trees. I lost 3 Japanese Plum trees, and 2 mature and were great producers of peaches. $350.00 was spent on seed and bedding plants. Heat wiped me out. 2nd year in a row and I have a well and river irrigation.
Phoenix lost their Cactus Garden. Was a tourist attraction, this year Phoenix may see 120 in the shade, up 3 degrees from last year.
Brent lives above Death Valley We could fry eggs on the steel roof over the Hoist house.
@@scuss2Even at his elevation it’s that hot? I always assumed because of the elevation it was likely a lot cooler than Death Valley is.
@@Weeks25 George Carlin would say that cereal at the top of the bowl dries before that at the bottom of the bowl because it's closer to the sun! Well, shoot, mystery solved!
@@Weeks25 Go to Cerro Gordo in July around 2pm then let me know if it's hot.
I had the same thought. That's how we get our garden through the dry season in Oregon
Love the garden idea. Fresh vegetables are the best. Some thoughts:
When you covered the seeds with soil I couldn't tell if you compacted the soil over the seeds. Seeds can't grow in air pockets so pressing down the soil with your hand will compact it enough to give the roots a place to grow into. This may be why some of your seeds didn't germinate.
It looked like you only had like 12 corn stalks and I don't think that's enough to cross fertilize so you'll probably get healthy plants with no ears of corn. You can prevent this by hand fertilizing when they produce the pollen on the silks. Next time you try corn I'd try a good 3x3 foot grid to get some nice cross pollination. Also I hope you picked some really short corn or you might not be able to reach the ears! 😃
I worry about your broccoli because the planter seems shallow and narrow for such a robust plant but I don't have a lot of experience with broccoli.
In general a lot of your plants seem really close together. It might work out because you have a lot of sun and limited water so the plants may be small for what I'm used to, but you may find you need to thin them when they get larger.
Some of the plants might not like the intense sun so you might need to put up a sun filter (netting) to protect the leaves from burning.
The pumpkins and zucchini should do great (shout out to Alexander Smith and his 1st Ladies Detective Agency books for that factoid). Yours seem really close together but I'm used to a wetter climate (12 inches a year) where these plants go nuts in no time at all.
A drip system (automated or not) that delivers the water directly to the roots would save you both water and time, the trade off is setting it up and maintaining it.
I like the plastic lining on your beds I think that will help retain water (unless you overwater and rot out the roots). I think wind will be your worst enemy for dehydration of the plants and this will reduce that in the roots.
I’m sure someone has brought this up, but for every foot of elevation from the source, you add .433 psi. If you are 700 feet down, that could be up 303 psi to push. It may not translate exactly but when we install fire pumps into high rise (domestic water is the same) we are generally using pressurized public water supplies and still have compensate quite a lot to reach 200 feet.
Unfortunately, your 1/3 hp pump at the gpm it’s rated won’t ever meet your needs.
Talk to the guys doing the fire sprinkler system at the hotel, they should have the hydraulic calculation software to help size your pump and line. Probably a break tank and pumps at several levels.
Starting at your sump, Pump up to a 200 gallon tank at an intermediate level and stage another pump to another intermediate pump, etc. (based on calcs) then to your large tank and let it fill over days.
Your pumps will be set with a float on each to shut off when it gets low and back on at a good level.
That way each smaller and more affordable sized pumps will be pushing reasonable amounts.
Have you calculated the natural refill time of the sump?
Howdy, Brent. I used to be in the water treatment business years ago, and wells were part of that. The first thing I'd do, before I spent another dollar on that entire system, would be to test the water quality. If it's loaded with lead or other heavy metals, you don't want to be drinking it. If it's drinkable (or just usable), that 700 foot+ of head should not be a huge problem if you consider that a lot of wells go way deeper than than. It's already been mentioned below, but you need to get a legit submersible well pump. This is pretty much a "seep" type water source, so another consideration you need to look at before spending a ton of money on the system is to determine how much water you can get out of it before it needs to replenish, and the replenish time. The size of the collection pond is less of an issue (with a good pump), but lining it to make sure you aren't losing water to overflow or leakage would be a big help in determining how much water is actually available on an hourly or daily basis. If the water is good and you can pull enough out every day to make it worth the expense, then it's totally doable. It was mentioned below, but, yea, get rid of any of that old galvanized pipe out of your new system. Hope it helps, bro! Cheers!
They don't drink the cave water. It's only for flushing toilets and filling up a tank to be used in case of a fire.
Exactly
@@jeremyud Still lead is not good and you don't want it on your dishes but there are filters that will filter out lead too.
@@RamblinVanyou are correct Sir.
Years ago, I serviced and sold commercial and industrial pumps and equipment. With the depth (head) you are dealing with at the bottom of the mine, you will need a multistage pump that is capable of pumping that distance. You are also dealing with pressure drop on the size of the pipe and every elbow in the line causes a loss in the pressure and flow potential. Increasing the size of the pipe and minimizing the elbows will increase the pressure and flow on your water pump system. You also need several check valves in your piping system to decrease the time your pump needs to run to get the water to the top of the mountain. If you lose the "prime" on your pump the motor needs to run until the water makes it all the way back up the pipe. Several check valves in the piping system will keep the pipe "primed" lowering the cost to run the pump each day. You should also have a pressure tank on your water system to minimize short cycling of the pump. A multistage submersible pump is readily available and a 1000' roll of black 1-1/4" or 1-1/2" polyethylene pipe will be a cost-effective choice for the system. You could use a level switch on your large water tank to control when the pump runs, you will also need a level switch in your sump at the bottom of the mine, so you do not run the pump dry and burn the motor up. Knowing how much water your sump can provide on an hourly or daily basis will help determine what size of pump you need.
Really good advice. The check valves are the key.
One of the best cross over ever. Tasting history while rebuilding history
The other comment I would make is seeing Owens Lake from Cerro Gordo, I'm just gobsmacked to see how wonderfully full its getting! When I first saw the Lake 30 years ago it was a dried up dustbowl, and it's wonderful to see it come back to life!! ❤
I'm a former coal miner in Colorado- west Elk Mine Ever thought of using air bladder pumps You would just need compressed air
We used them in the Sumps underground . They worked very well- easy to rebuild and cost effective.
Also I'm happy to assist with cribbing or roof support. Setting Timbers Rock props etc
I also have been doing Facility Maintenance for 15 years . I'm Jack of all trades master of nothing. I am fascinated by the mines you have. The town is amazing
At the end of every one of your videos it says "Thank you for subscribing." I want to say thank you for making these videos. Seeing what you're doing, rebuilding Cerro Gordo, has helped me to finally, for once in my life, establish a goal to work towards. That's to move out west and really live my life. I'm 47 and have never had anything I wanted to do or work for. I was just paying bills. Now, I want to experience more and stop be complacent with my station in life. Thank you so so so much for helping me realize there is more to life than just living. Hopefully my wife and I will see you soon on one of our adventures.
TLDR: You have me a true reason to actually live.
the max miller appearance..... this was MY multiverse of madness
Get Heavy D out and channel the sides of the road and build several ponds that pool water. The amount of snow/rain coming off your mountains would provide enough water to last the year. Plus it would stop washouts ruining your winters.
Good luck Brent!!!
Being California and their rules with water rights I don't think that would fly
Shouldn’t be an issue, as he found out on a previous episode.
Basically, most any land the borders a mountain, creek, river, or lake has rights to use the water for a reasonable/ beneficial use. Especially cutting in culverts that would save tax payer money spent to repair the roads every year.
There are some RUclips channels focused on BLASTING rock. If not Heavy D, then another RUclipsr who could shape the road and channel water runoff.
this seems reasonable. even if its not a years worth, you know where the water is, and is clearly a problem. youve got some buddies with a bit of nounce. seems to knock at least 2 birds with one stone, would be great to divert water off the wash. and easier to pump up the hill than from straight down. Best of luck dude!~
Definitely makes sense to try to capture the winter snowfall and rainfall
As someone who designs industrial pumping systems, 20-5000 psi @ 1/4-400 gpm. First thing I would do is increase the diameter of the suction hose (3/4 to 1 inch minimum) and level it off as much as possible.
People forget about a thing called fluidic friction when sucking water. Imagine a cross section of the suction pipe as a stack of telescoping tubes, with the outermost one secured and immobile. As you pull the inner most layer, each layer drags against it's neighboring layer. Because each layer is moving increasingly faster as you near the center, the larger the tube the less energy it takes to move the fluid. Pumps have the hardest time overcoming suction issues than discharge issues
Changes in elevation means the pump has to lift the water more which is dificult on the suction side, so the closer the pump inlet can get to the elevation of the water surface the better.
As far as pumps go I would suggest a 3 cylinder piston or plunger pump, similar to what is used on pro-sumer or professional grade pressure washer. 700 foot colum of water produces approximately 300 psi of pressure, so you want a pump that runs at 350-400 psi, but is designed to run at 700-1000 psi for longevity. Where I work we've had great luck with Cat Pumps (not caterpillar). Cat Pumps sells pumps and prebuilt pumping skids, so you just tell their local rep the flow rate, pressure you want and what power available and they can set you up. Because of conditions in the mine, Im not sure if a Brass or Stainless head would be better. If you test a pro-sumer or consumer grade pressure washer, you will need to get a rebuild kit as they usually remove one of the inlet springs so it self drains when shut off. This protects it from an owner not draining the pump in the winter, which also means it wont generate enough vacuum to efficiently suck up the water.
I would worry about the PEX tubning, I'm not sure if you used or if there is an extra strength version, but regular PEX is only rated at 160 psi @ 70F (normal operating pressure), and has a burst rating of 475-500 psi. At the pump head you have a 300 psi column of water (based on the weight of 700 feet of water) before the pump starts running....
Take care and keep safe
You should built an underground cistern like they use to in ancient desert towns. That would collect snow melt and you would be able to use it during the summer
Yeah he needs some sort of snow melt collection system
Would also be good to have some solar
Before doing a lot of work, have the water tested for metal contaminants! Don't want lead, copper, arsenic etc or acidic pH. Water is 0.433 pounds per foot so 700 feet is a bit over 300! psi
And although that seems within the capacity of the 600 psi rated pump, friction losses in that tiny pipe will be massive
I know that the number is meant to be 300, but you put 300! and i'm an annoying nerd who can't help himself.
x! is notation for factorial, where you multiply a number by all the numbers less than itself and itself (Ex: 6! is 1*2*3*4*5*6 = 720)
300 factorial is 615 digits long my guy. That is a bigger number than the number of individual atoms in the entire observable universe.
That amount of PSI would definitely create a black hole!
As far as I know they don’t drink it.
Wouldn't a reverse osmosis filter take out enough of the bad stuff to render it drinkable?
Other than that, distilling the water is the best way.
Considering the mine has galena it seems likely to be lead contaminated
You and Max Miller having a cross-over is probably the most exciting thing on RUclips in the last few months. :)
Love this idea so much!!
I recommend using a 10 stage submersible pump ( like what goes down in a well bore hole). They are much more reliable and last much longer. You can build a steel mounting bracket that holds the pump and the whole thing goes down into the water.
Back in 1983 I had enough money to purchase the pump, wire and black poly pipe to go down in the well, but I didn't have the money to drill the well yet. I decided to temporarily put the pump down in my bedrock creek in a hole that was about five feet deep and had a huge boulder on the upstream side. I ran the poly pipe and wire (400') down the hill to the high bank of the creek. There I switched to steel pipe (1 1/2"). I ran the steel pipe around the back (upstream side) of the big boulder and then around and down into the pool. I poured cement on a four foot section of the steel pipe where it laid against the boulder to keep everything secure. I also added a drain ball valve just out of the water to drain out the system when needed. The well professionals told me the winter storms would destroy the pump in one winter. It lasted 22 years. When it finally failed I took it out and brought it to a well/pump shop. The technicians there were blown away. The pump jacket was so dinged up from all the rocks that had pummeled it over the years during storms that it was hardly recognizable. Go with a submersible pump, and get a good quality, expensive one.
18:18 Brent, regarding gardening, grab some terracota water pots, glue them together and bury a couple in each bed, fill them with water. *Gardening Australia* has a good video on how to DIY these _ollas_ for irrigation. I bet your plants might also appreciate some shade from a simple net placed above them 🌱😉
Had not heard of Cerro Gordo until I chose your book as an audio loan from our library here on Australia's Sunshine Coast. Thanks. I'm a community pastor wondering what the next season of life in my sixties will be.... and you have blessed me with your reflections. Thanks.
My husband and I were in town when Brent started to dig the trench for the power line! We saw the raised garden, too. Lots of progress in town.
How hot was it at 2pm?
You need to start calling it a "living" mining town, you've brought life back to it mate
The channel name is a double entendre. It’s not just “Ghost-Town Living” in the sense that it’s where he lives, but that it is literally a Ghost Town Living. It’s a living ghost town.
See, I am not interested in the mines so much as I am about the people who live here, volunteer here, or visit here. That's the real fascination for me. I'm curious to see what the camp house looks like now. (It's where he usually has guests stay.)
First for me in the water question is to remove the gal pipe. It will rust then clog anything after it. As one of the previous posters said with pumps. Pushing up is better. One pump of the right capacity will be enough to get your water from the mine out. But water, pumps and vacuums in that system do funny things. The water should be pumped up to a "header tank" so you don't have your one big pump turning on and off every few minutes. Also water can and probably will back flow down to the pump and into the water in the mine. That would cause contamination of the water source (once done very difficult to undo, if at all). If you have a header tank that is filled from the reservoir you cancel that contamination risk out. The main pump can turn on and off with a switch which is activated when the header tank falls to a set level. To get the water to the town outlets you can use a smaller pump as, hopefully the header tank will be high enough to use gravitational pressure to assist your outflow pump. Because of the height you will be pumping to from the reservoir it may be worth checking to see if a one way valve somewhere in that line from the reservoir to the header tank. Oh.. You should have the water tested so you know what's in it now besides H2O. Yo and friends may be OK with it but paying guests are notorious for claiming an upset stomach on the place they stayed. The water has to be checked frequently so you can say with confidence the water is safe and clean.
Have you ever thought of keeping bottles of water, food and blanket down under in various areas, in case the lift brakes down? The thought of you being stuck down there for goodness how long without the essentials gives me chills ❤
RPS 2HP 05RPS20, Deep Well Submersible Pump End to 1" PEX-AL-PEX uninterrupted - No 90s, no couplers - One single 1000' roll. Add a float switch for low water level interruption. 950' 2-8gpm Tada!
I was thinking the same thing, this is a problem with somewhat easy and affordable solution!
What happened to the big water tank?
@@ShaunUnderwoodxwasn’t that for fire prevention? Or can it be for both?
@@ShaunUnderwoodx
That is only for the purpose of fire suppression for the Hotel and nothing else..
He probably needs the 3hp one.
You’re a very brave man asking for the help of 1.7M+ people and even hinting you’re willing to invite someone to help in person. I hope you’re good at categorizing comments. Wishing you the sincerest best of luck 💙💙
I have a well 660 feet deep that pumps five gallons per minute. It has a regular well pump that requires no maintenance. A controller box will shot it off if it pumps the well dry keeping the pump form overheating and burning out. To increase reliability use two different pumps that can be switched to the other if one quits.
It is highly unlikely that your water level is right where the pump is, so though the pump is 660 feet down, it might be pumping against only 20 feet or 200 feet or some other amount of water head, to get the water to the surface.
At my home, the well is 402 feet deep, the pump is located 305 feet deep, the well casing ends at 120 feet deep, and the water is only 20 feet below ground. The pump only has to create a pressure difference capable of pumping water up 20 feet (about 9psi) despite being located 305 feet below ground and 285 feet below the water. Of course the pump creates more pressure rise than the 9psi, so that it can deal with the water table dropping below where it is now, and so it can charge up the pressure tank in the house to give water pressure.
You pump is at top of well correct not deep in ground pumping water up.
Thats the rub on water in mine
@@sullyzworld4970 My pump is 305 feet below ground. So the pump inlet already has a lot of pressure (relative to the atmosphere) from being 285 feet underwater. It doesn't have to add much more pressure to get the water up that last 20 feet to ground level. If the water level drops down to just above the pump, then the pump has to provide all the pressure. It can do so, but it's sure easier on the pump when it doesn't have to create a tremendous pressure difference from inlet to outlet.
Hey Brent. A simple cheap pump. A pressure washer. 110v. Small, light weight. Cheap. Low volume, high pressure. Your depth, low daily volume. Seems like a great alternative for your situation. Small task to feed it, getting the water up is no challenge at all for plunger type pump. Float to turn on and off. If your pex is working now, it will work with this pump. Of course it will build some good pressure so pressure switch at pump to turn off if there is a chance flow will be controlled at surface with a valve. Your circle of Handy dudes could probably make it happen for $500. Love the show. Jack of all trades master of none. 20 yrs in construction. Firefighter. Racer. Restorer. Love history. Survival.
When we get a notification of a new Ghost Town Living, my wife and I look at each other and smile. Yay!
Option #1: Use existing 700' pump, you'll need several float switches that act as interconnects to keep the pumping in order and prevent drying out anywhere. First though you need a underwater sump pump in the pit that pushes water to a couple 55 gallon tanks next and a few feet above the 700 pump. Those tanks need a float setup as well. The 700 pump needs gravity fed with no possibility of air getting in from those reserve tanks. Float switches in the tanks and also in the pit to cutoff the pumps from operation if levels are too low. Simple stuff actually, point is you can't pull to the 700' pump, needs gravity fed if not pressure fed from a small dosing pump. If you want, I can come put it in but I'm 6'7" and it would suck to crawl through that mine. If you want to go fancy we can computerize with level indicators, we can use a piezo distance gauge at the water pit to monitor it's depth, more electronics for monitor and control, etc, etc. Custom circuit boards as well since that is my day job ;P
There is no unsound advice in this post. Eliminating all suction problems is a no-brainer. Doesn't really matter how big the tanks are that feed the existing pump. Even just a 2-gallon bladder tank that the pump in the sump pressurizes would be fine. His high-pressure pump barely sips the water. No need for 55 gallon drums feeding it, and no need for the pressure bladder tank to be physically above the high-pressure pump. All the pump sees is the positive inlet pressure, it doesn't care if that's from gravity or a pressurized tank.
The 2 bears with one Stone approach might help with the water situation. In the area where you have flooding problems with your road. I suggest you put reservoirs above the areas that get flooded and in those reservoirs can save the road from getting flooded at the same time. You're collecting the water for later use.
Also.
Since you live in California, you probably would have to go at it as a conservationist. Who's creating a habitat for animals that would otherwise be approaching cities.
Hi Brent, greetings from England. I have just finished reading your book and WOW ! what a read. I can say that now I really feel connected to you and Cerro Gordo. I appreciate you opening your heart in the lines of this page turner. Thank you for sharing your story with me while I still have a song in me. God bless you.❤
Think of off grid living. You need a water catching system. Using gutters on all your buildings. Your garden should be build 6 feet down, to stabilize and lengthen your growing season for that climate. You need the Raneys to come in. He will sort your water out. You've done a fantastic job thus far. But if you could grow all your own food for the hotel/restaurant would be amazing. Looking into subterranean garden beds. You seal the sides with rocks, and add steps going to a door then rounded hoops for the roof, covered with plastic or plexiglass adding rains gutters all around that can water your plants inside. So many options for you.
[18:57] Brussel Sprouts are HUGE. Like a 3~5 Foot Tall Plant, Bushy, and timbery. So you will need a lot of thinning for those.
those round rocks with stuff inside of them are called concretions.
Nature's "gashapon" capsules.
scrolled all the way down here to find this. thank you
@@AustinFernald yeah i figured someone else would of posted about it but as i scrolled no one had. so i googled for the correct spelling. i only know about them because there are some tiktok/youtube shorts with a guy walking on a rocky beach cracking these open and finding ammonite inside.
Man, adding the pond next to your garden is going be like a giant ad for animals for a fresh buffet.
Water issue #1 to fix. The intake line is far to small. 2 would be to add a pressure bladder to help keep water pressure at a normal.
On or farm, we have a well that is 300 feet deep well. We use this well to irrigate 1100 hundred rubber trees, in SE Asia. We don’t run a bottom pump. The first pump is at surface level. We pump the water up to the surface, to a large water tank. From there we run a second pump that send the water to the fields. This is a pretty large field we irrigate. I would think that if you ran a system like this you could bring the water to the surface. From there, you would have to pump it into a holding tank.
We use Mitsubishi electric automatic water pump. Through the years I’ve had to replace two of them. I don’t know what they cost is in the USA. In Thailand we pay about 200.00 usd for them. We run 220v, but I believe you can purchase them in 110v.
Good luck!
Can't believe its only been 4 years. I remember the first videos you posted and how much has changed since then. Its still so exciting every time you post because one we get an update but mainly it means your still alive.
Max is a national treasure and must be protected at all costs
How to raise water 700 feet or more is not a novel problem. It has an unlimited number of solutions, but a handful have become pretty standard. Just one example of where it is done, is that in cities, there are these things called skyscrapers. They contain expensive office space where fancy-schmancy people expect to be able to flush a toilet, wash their hands, and make a pot of coffee.
The Chrysler building opened in 1930. The top floors of it, under the polished spire part (made of one of my favorite metals, Monel), were the office and residence of Chrysler himself. He took pride in the fact that his toilet was higher above the ground than anyone else's in the world at that time.
I'm a retired mechanical engineer. A handful of the comments on this video are correct technically, a bunch have errors or poor judgment, and even more are opinionated and focused on the way they'd attempt it. Not many even listened to your own preferences and concerns.
I'm in NH and only get out west a couple of times per year, but I'd be happy to give you some free advice via email or phone as needed. At least to do a sanity check on any specific approach someone comes up with for you. Maybe to come up with a recommended solution (or two or three) after assessing your needs/wishes in a way most people are skipping right past as being unnecessary or not their style.
I'll give you an easy puzzle to figure out one of my more disposable but checked email addresses at Gmail. Two words with no space between them. First is the common first name found by Googling "bible 3:16". Second is the sister city of Fitchburg, MA which starts with an L. If you start the email with "Hello there, my name is Brent", I'll know who you are!
Fresh new trees are snacks for some animals. I would get some chicken netting and make some volumes around them so they have a fighting chance before they get stronger.
Good idea, I learned growing garden plants in the wilderness foothills of Jerusalem wild animals looking for moist tender sweet food liked to eat them, I found old chicken cage scrap pile behind egg farms to recycle them as fences, fully enclosed over top even.
Lots of plastic hoses chewed through for water.
Well, Brent, at over 1800 comments, so far, I don't know if I can add much of value to the conversation, but here goes! First of all, I am an avid subscriber to your channel and so appreciate what you've done with Cerro Gordo. I'm a history buff and, in fact, a museum board officer. We share that deep love for history, and you are doing a phenomenal job of preserving it. At some point, I do indeed hope to make it up to your mining town to see things firsthand. As regards water management, I have followed your situation for some time, and must admit to laughing more than once at your relationship to the 700-foot-level water pit. When you floated on the inflatable mattress, I believe wearing a bathrobe, getting soggy, that took the cake of comedic video production! I said to myself, “This guy is crazy!” (in a good sort of way). I appreciate your humor and undeniable playful nature. So, carry on with all of that. Now, for getting water to the surface, my first suggestion is, retire that poor blue water pump. It has struggled valiantly, but it has never been up to the task. Maybe you could add it to your museum display. I'm no plumber, but an inventor of sorts, and recognize that there have to be better pumping solutions out there. Also, I suggest getting rid of the iron line, and going exclusively with poly pipe to ferry water upwards. Reliability is important, and iron is so 'yesterday' (in a not so good way). Many months ago, I was going to suggest to you the use of multiple pumps to get the water to the surface; a minimum of two. One would be in the 700' water pit, pumping to a holding tank at, say, the 400' level, from where the second pump would deliver to a main holding tank on the surface. If this main tank were elevated on a nearby hillside, you could then have gravity-feed to all town fixtures. (My understanding is that the giant water tank, hauled-up earlier, is exclusively for the hotel's fire-suppression system, and so doesn't actually play into the town's potable water supply.) If you do employ a mid-level holding tank, I recommend a minimum capacity of 1000 gallons. A tank that size probably won't fit in the mine's lift cage, so two or more smaller tanks would have to be sent down to the chosen level. These could then be connected in parallel by piping at their bases to obtain the desired, larger water capacity. I see that at least one other comment poster suggests a multiple-piston type pump, which alone could adequately deliver water to the surface. This would eliminate the need for intermediary holding tanks. There are almost certainly multiple, potential solutions for reliable delivery of water from the 700' level. And I'm sure you'll come upon a good one. However you get water to the surface, I do recommend an elevated holding tank, topside, so you can have virtually maintenance-free gravity-feed to the town's fixtures. You'll also want to test, and very likely filter, the water to make sure it's safe for use. You have a huge community of supporters, now, and my hope is that, from among their ranks, volunteers with the requisite electrical, plumbing and deep-well experience will step forward to provide Cerro Gordo with the fully functioning water system it has long needed. In closing, may I suggest that you also “hunt” for another water source, nearby? Don't you have at least one historic photograph of water shooting out a large diameter hose or pipe? If that photo was taken on-site, there has to have been a substantial water source for the town, years ago. I doubt very much that such supply came from the 700' level pit. And isn't that pit being supplied by water dripping from above? My final suggestion, then, is to bring in a dowser, or water witch, to search for a bountiful water source, closer to the surface. I don't really know how dowsing works; I just know that it does. So those are my water supply suggestions, among the many others coming forward. I know you'll make the right decisions and, very soon, steady-pressure water will be accessible from every town tap! All the best to you, Brent. Keep up the good work!
This was a FANTASTIC update! Tackling water, and veggies, and TREES! I've wanted Brent to bring trees back to Cerro Gordo for years. So glad he finally is.
Without you it would be turning to dust and hardly anyone would even know it had even a costed. Your enthusiasm and achievements are so inspirational thank you for sharing ❤
Just recently bought your book because I love this channel and what you are doing with Cerro Gordo, and I hope that you continue with it for years to come.
First thing to fix is the reserve.
Then, smaller diameter, air tight pipe system (3/4 or even 1/2 inch) with least amount of elbows as possible with a good submersible pump (I have a deep well of over 1000 feet head and a 1 hp pump runs shower, washing machine etc). These pumps are good for 30+ years usually.
Everything pressure related (tank and fittings) above ground, for maintenance's sake!
Get rid of the galvanized pipes, go with either brass or plastic.
Godspeed, man!
Brent. One of the key issue for water system reliability is eliminating the potential for air locks in your piping. First, water is the current GPM of the source that drips into the mine “cistern”? I don’t think enlarging the cistern itself will increase capacity, unless some of the water source is within it. Based upon that GPM, install an appropriate sized submersible pump. This pump will pump just to the location of your secondary pump, before the vertical lift up the shaft. The cistern pump can be very small if the GPM of the water source is small, say 20 GPM. This would require just a 1/4 HP pump. Where your 2nd pump is now install a water storage tank, as large as you can get in the elevator, say 250 gallons. In that tank have a float switch that controls the cistern pump, shutting it off when the intermediate tank is full. In the bottom of that tank install a second sump pump with a float switch that will pump the 750, elevation rise to the surface. Again, keep the pump as small and efficient as possible for minimum electricity usage. For example, you can pump 10 GPM the 750 rise with just 1/4 to 1/2 HP, depending on the vertical pipe size (smaller pipe needs more HP due to surface resistance). You can find charts on line to help with those calculations. At the top of the shaft pipe to your storage tank. In the piping system, particularly at the bottom of the 750’ vertical section, you should have back-flow valves.
intermediary tanks and pumps would be the easiest way to ensure consistent water pressure.
sorry if it was slightly vague was late and i'm from the uk, basically you'd want to add smaller reservoirs/holding tanks and a extra pump per holding tank that work together to reduce the head pressure on the pump which is likely the main route of the issues your having aside from rusted pipes possibly causing clogging but you'd need roughly 3 of the pumps you showed spaced out going up the levels or shaft with a tank each for the head pressure of the pump to overcome the gravity of water in the pipe without overstressing the pump
That process is often successfully used.
thats the best answer yet
I’ve been watching your channel from pretty much the beginning and I’m blown away how far you have come ❤
Read up on permaculture and greening deserts. Grow your garden in the ground in the swales with native companion plants. Add terraces in the valleys to slow water.
There is a book called the Greening of the Sahara that you might want to read.
I was going to say the same thing, and recomend the Permaculture Design Manual, leaky dams in all the gullys, mass seeding of ground cover plants with seed balls, get a local permaculture designer in who's familiar with the climate zone and native pioneer plants.
I have been watching for the entire four years. It is crazy how time has gone by so fast. Love this channel
There's only one solution to your water issue which is more pumps and more holding tanks. The extra pumps introduce more failure points but will give you higher volume. The tanks are 'buffers', typical usage is not continuous but you want a lot of water for a short amount of time. So you need buffers. Have one or more pumps with tanks to get to the surface. At the surface, have a holding tank with gravity feed just like a normal water tower. Done.
You could take it in stages, put in just one pump/tank at the halfway point going up and see how well it works. If you need more add one or two more at the quarter/three quarter points. At the top have a big old tank. The tanks in between can be smaller. Also each pump is simply triggered by the water level in the tank.
Yesterday was June 15th and I was reading the chapter in your book where in a newspaper article it talked about the birth of the American hotel on June 15, 1871. Okay that was really interesting… 🙋🏻♀️
I've been following this project since day 1 and it's been (and still is!) such a cool journey. I wish you all the best Brent
The people from the past of Cerro Gordo Town would be so proud of you and what you have done to preserve it your an amazing guy , don’t ever give up.
Seeing the redevelopment of this town has been amazing. I remember when i started watching this channel when the 2nd video dropped. Now i ponder what the town will be 100 years+ from now. Thanks brent for keeping heritage alive
I remember watching your very first video during the beginning of lockdown and was hooked immediately. Can't believe 4 years passed so quickly and I and so many others have been with you every step of the way. You're living my dream.
@8:00 pump planning:
1: don't dig anymore
2: add water cells every 100-200 feet going up at least 100 gallons holding tank.
3: have a pump every 300 feet going up, to fill each tank and keep a PSI that is needed for up top.
4: once you are out of the shaft have 6 of the water tanks that you are moving up and down with the 5ton
5: have a filtration system and a water softener after the 600 gallon tanks with a high psi pump to use for the building your using.
So you will have the main water holding at 700 feet down with at least 500 gallons going up plus another 600 once you go to the top, so you will be holding around 2,000 gallons of water from bottom to top plus what's held in the lines and around 6 pumps moving water to the buildings that would keep a small army going for some time as long as the water at the bottom is always refilling.
He said he didn't want tanks and pumps at a bunch of levels. The first rule of an engineering project, is to find out what the customer wants and needs. Only if what he wants is an unachievable or stupid way of getting what he needs, do you start doing things another way which gives him what he needs, but not what he wants.
a rule of thumb for gardening, REMOVE ALL PLASTIC! microplastics are not good to consume and it releases toxic chemicals into the soil when breaking down. keep your garden healthy and it will keep YOU healthy! you're doing great Brent! keep up the brilliant work :)
The engagement with the audience makes it feel like a community.
I started watching your videos 4 years ago when I was working the night shift. I check in now and again but I haven’t for over a year, due to a change in job and less free time. I’m so glad you’re still going, it’s great to see the progress you’re making. All the best from the UK 🇬🇧
The ideal of a pond is great. You should consider a native pond created from natural snow melt. Just consider those locations that flood during rain storms and snow melt. Dig those locations another 5 to 8 feet deep and line with heavy duty pond liner. Surround pond area with succulents and ice plant and native California poppies. You'll see that once they establish the soil will establish and those beautiful flowers will come and go depending on water levels. Creating man made ponds around the city will also add to humidity levels which help bring back native vegetation. You'll see that rock fruit like nectarines, peaches, plums will establish and you'll see as the fruit drop it will feed native animals and those fruit seeds will establish new trees. Added options for power should be solar since those panels can be mounted almost anywhere. Therefore you'll have power year round
Do a series of pumps with holding containers. With this one pump doesn't have to pump 700 ft. The surface will always pump from the highest holding container. Get a panel of solar panels and a little wind turbine to add in winter if needed.
Dig it out further and line it with clay. Direct waterflow to ensure the water supply remains intact. Build your reservoir clay lines pond but build percolation ponds too, direct your water shed towards those where you can. It's a good way to prevent spring flooding plus it keeps the water on your land. In dry areas the rule is never let water leave your land. You get enough fresh water through snowmelt to last you the entire year and green the land. Just gotta capture it.
Look at how easy sand dams are to put in the ravines coming down the mountains. Put a series of them in. You can literally install a spigot at the bottom of the damn.
How you're digging those trenches, do the same and make some small canals to capture water. You gotta plant around that pond or it'll evaporate out fast.
No
I agree and have said so in the past. Tall skyscrapers use a series of holding tanks. If you put in two tanks, 300 feet apart, you'd need three pumps - one at the beginning - that would only have to move the water 300 feet each.
@@james1795 that's it? No? You gotta come up with more than that, and an explanation why. What's your background? Have you ever had to move, direct or store water? I'm gonna bet no.
Do better dude. You and your "No". As if that means anything at all. WHY no? Smh
@@snchilders I was thinking every level of the mine all the way up to the top, with a holding container up top too. Pumps aren't that expensive. Regardless, that's really his only option to improve on what he has, as far as moving the water.
He's got to have foresight though, and ensure the well doesn't run dry. Percolation ponds is the only way I know of that would work out there. Sand damns down ravines would help with that too and would supplement water supply in the warm months.
@@ChristaFree. It doesn't take much of a brain to know a series of pumps is an idiotic suggestion by someone who has no clue what they are talking about. When one submersible pump is all that is needed.
you need check valves spaced out on vertical water line to reduce back pressure on pump
You clearly don't understand how pumps and check valves work. Your idea only reduces the outlet pressure on the pump, when it's not pumping. When it is pumping, the outlet pressure supports the entire column of water, with or without check valves, because the valves are open when the water is being pumped up. The check valves also add flow resistance, and create more points where something can fail.
Did you ever get the water check to see if its potable water for human consumption? I'm concerned that water in a hundred or so old mine might have become contaminated with mercury.
The water isn't used for drinking.
@@jeremyud Ah, okay.
Don't worry, no mercury there, just lead :P
@@LordDragox412 Ah...okay. :(
@@JaniceSeagraves It makes the water taste sweet! No artificial sweeteners, no calories, just natural goodness, straight from Mother Earth! It can be yours for just $19.99 per galon!
We have a pond the size of a bathtub in our backyard. It’s amazing how many birds and animals gravitate to us in town. You can buy a plastic insert with a pump to keep the water somewhat clean. Helps keep mosquitoes away as well.
Something that may help with your garden is shade nets. When the plants get too hot it stunts their growth so the shade net let's in enough light for it to grow and creates a cooler environment for them.
Raised beds are horrible for gardening in the desert. Dig out trenches oriented east and west. Try to keep the south wall of the trench as vertical as possible. You can use wood or rock for stability if you need it. This will keep the bottom of the trench shaded. You can see how the plants in your raised beds along the shady edge are doing better. Add wood chips or other mulch on top to keep the moisture from evaporating. You might even think about digging the trenches below your drain field to take advantage of that "waste" water.
I have watched your channel for a long time and you've come a long way in bringing that old town back to life. Keep up the good work.
34:05 Brent you found some dinosaur poop !!
Why is your pump in the surface. You should be running a setup similar to a deep well. I have a pump in my 500ft well in Las Vegas with 1 pressure tank at the surface and it puts out far more water far more reliably than you have. Copy a well setup and you will be good.
I wish as humans we could all leave a valuable imprint on the earth. The type of imprint that thousands of generations after this point in time would be appreciated. Hopefully, Brent, you will inspire many to do so.
Thanks for the memories you create every day.
I have some solutions for your water system. 1) Install multiple lift pumps ( you will need to calculate how many you need based on the model you buy ) and holding ponds. The goal is not to get water to the top, your goal should be to get it up an over the high part of the hill and back down to that tank-You want to let gravity ( think siphoning ) be your friend. The goal is to break down lifting the water into smaller steps, having pools at each pump would be useful, this way you will have water at most of the tunnel entrances. That may come in handy one day, you never know. use gravity to your advantage. If the elevation drop is 100 feet you will have good 75 foot lift capability. ALSO: design the tank overflow so that it feeds your pond. A picture is worth a 1000 words...Let me see what I can do.
DUDE, i remember the day your video popped up on my YT feed. The one you talk about getting stranded in the snow storm. Cool seeing how it all started.
You need a single submersible pump capable of handling 700’ of head pressure. Jacuzzi makes them.
As far as the sump goes, I don’t see a point in making it any bigger. Make your above ground storage hold more than twice what you need. The underground pump can work at its own pace to fill your above ground storage.
hey brent love what your doing.wondering if you could trap your flood water into several ponds also reducing the amount of run off down your driveway.keep up the good work
A shop vac to clean up the dust, maybe gardening brick or a mat to lay down, I would also wet the ground first to keep the dust from picking up.
Well, lining the underground basin should be quite easy and does not even require the best quality of a pond liner. No UV-light, no roots, no mice, so, basically, the cheapest option is good enough.
Before making it bigger, I would consider a few things:
1. Precut ondliners of a certain size can be cheaper and if they don´t get to big, handling them is more comfortable.
2. It might be a good idea, not only to fix the existing system, but to think of redundancy. For that, it might (or might not) be a good idea, to pump the water up level by level. Building smaller storage basins higher up would increase the internal storage capacity and create a water supply on each level. And the individual pumps would not have to deal with so high water pressures, which might make them significantly cheaper to buy. And less heavy duty might also mean, that maintainance is less of an issue. Also, you would keep most of the water, pumps and lines at depths, where freezing won´t ever be a problem. I don´t have the expertise to tell you, that this is the best idea for your system, it is just something, I personally would concider and check out
"When are you putting in a Swimming Pool?"
Now that's a challenge.
I miss these type of videos
Brent,ive send you plans and have told cristy and hans my water plans a number of times.if you want to hear them, get my number from cristy and have her tell me what time you will call. this is brad and his dog bailie from the metal detecting event.
Hey Brent
In Wales there is an old slate mine now running a deep underground hotel.
Maybe take a look to get ideas, for a dust free living area at your 900 ft level.
Look up go-below / deep sleep
I started watching you when I first went to college and now I’ve graduated and have changed completely from who I was back then. I think this channel helped me find who I was in a way. Thank you for that
I can help you, no problem. I'm a 42 year old Master Electrician, I live in Central Missouri, in Marshall. Most rural farms and homes around my area use "well-water." Just as you have in the mine at the 770.
I would recommend using a few check valves on the vertical to help keep the pipe full while also keeping so much pressure from staying on one check valve. It will help the pump motor from being overloaded when it starts pumping. I've wired up many pumps, that one is a nice industrial pump and you can get parts for it without any issues. You would want to keep it in play, as the water source isn't that large. Being drained daily for your town wouldn't be any issue.
You could pump the water up to an elevated water tower, then distribute the water from the tower as they did back in the towns hay day. I have a true passion to bring antique and historical buildings and homes up to the new electrical code, yet keeping them as they were, not changing any more than needed. It really wouldn't be a very hard job to knock out with your help. It would be my privilege to help you bring water from the mine up for usage in the town and shoot ideas back and forth of how to bring the town back to how it was, yet keeping everything up to modern code for saftey reasons. You also have a very awesome way to produce your own free, off grid power by using the water tower idea. I'll catch you up if you respond. You won't need the expense of solar panels or noise from wind turbines. Your town would make electricity quietly, and constantly if you wanted.
I hope you keep up all the great work, and I've enjoyed watching you these past few years! If you need anything, reach back to me at Roaringforkelectric@gmail.com. Stay safe, and Godspeed, my friend.
Sincerely,
Matt
Roaring Fork Electric LLC
First you pump water in a tower 800' high which costs a pretty chunk of electricity. Than you want to make electricity out of that water flow again ??
My water solution idea: get exact coordinate of the water collection (box) in the mine. Give coordinate to a well driller and have them drill down w/pipe straight down to the supply. Get a strong pull/push pump on surface
Yeah, he needs to bite the bullet and hire a drilling company to come out and just put a real well in. It would ensure a constant water supply for the hotel at the least.
Or a traditional deep well submersible pump.
Easy 14k+ to drill a hole he already has. If he's questioned the cost of a booster pump that was suggested at least 2 yrs ago this long that definitely not in his budget.
Rain barrels, booster pumps
A snow collection system could give the town an endless supply of water.
Have a Tank up on surface, then pump water Every 3 days only to Fill it. Then pump from tank to house.....
I used to run water pipes for animal troughs, using poly pipe, wed have bores that would pump up into reservoir tanks on the surface using 3/4" poly pipe, and that water tank reservoir would go off to water troughs using a 2" pipe. the 2" would give good flow as it has a strong head pressure cause of the volume and weight of the water in the tank, Pumping up that distance your gonna want smaller line going up the whole way, as the pump would need to shift quite alot of water upwards over that distance, you can also get one way flow valves/check valves to stop the backflow of the water. You can buy the poly spools in bulk with connectors. talk to your local AG/ farm shops.
Stick fish remains shrimp etc in your planting beds...the plant corn first, and beans once you have some growth on the corn, then squash last. Same planter.Triple yield.
Pumps are rated in head. A pump will only lift its rated head. You need to calculate the head and make sure the pump is rated properly. Many water wells in my area are 600-700 feet deep so your depth should not be a problem. Friction loss is reduced by using a larger diameter pipe. I have an irrigation well that is 660' deep and it has a 5hp submersible pump that provides 75 psi for more than a mile. The pipe diameter in the well is 1" and the irrigation main is 3" with 2" branches. No issues with water delivery or presssure.
Friction losses will increase the apparent head. Larger pipe will weigh and cost more. 600 psi divided by .433 gives you at most 1385 feet of lift before above losses.
Yes, as someone else said, getting a new straight shaft dilled right to the water source. Then use a properly rated deep well submersible. It works for many millions of homes. No need to reinvent the wheel. Deep well submersible.
@@WYO_Dirtbag nobody is drilling a new shaft into a mine site.
@@randommcranderson5155 That's a great point, didn't think about that one. Maybe a two stage system then, one pump to bring it over to a tank near the main hoist, then a deep well submersible to go nearly vertical. Though, I can see how the idea of a big enough tank for a deep sub pump near the hoist shaft maybe impractical. It's a hard problem to solve....