Well Completion and Trial Run

The water well was finished up last week by Carolina Virginia Well Drilling, Inc.  Protocol is for the drillers to add chlorine to disinfect the water in case any bacteria were introduced during the installation.  Since our use of the well for the next couple of years (prior to the house being built) will primarily be for occasional camping trips and irrigation the installers hooked it up for running off a portable generator.  The well was drilled to a depth of 425 feet.  It is a 6 inch diameter casing and the pump was positioned 120 feet from the bottom.  The aquifer re-charges the well at a rate of two gallons per minute which is more than adequate for a typical three bedroom residence, but the depth allows for the well to hold about 400 gallons in the casing and another twenty gallons in the pressure tank. We ran the well continuously for about two hours straight out of a garden hose to clear out the chlorine taste.

20 gallon pressure tank

240 volt, 20 amp plug for generator connection

Homelite generator using propane as fuel.  This generator will run on three fuel types: gasoline, propane and NG.  To convert your generator buy the adapter kit from US Carbeuration

Firewood Shed Started

Work began yet again on another new structure.  With all the wood cut from the road building project in the winter and spring we have a lot of firewood that needs to be stored to protect it from rot.  Architecturally it will be similar to the outhouse - log timber framed.  We started the pier footings for the corner poles using concrete forms and metal cleats that will be fastened to the bottom of the poles.

Water well in place and now awaiting pump and pressure tank installation

Water!

This week our well got installed (at least partially).  The hole and casing are in place.  Next week the contractors will finish it with installation of the pump and pressure tank.  Once complete we'll be able to operate it with a portable generator as needed.

Water drilling rig

Managed to make some time to walk around the forest after the heavy rainfall we'd just received hours before.

Moon Creek was very high

Life forms in the bottomland

Wallenstein BX42

Our new machine addition for woodlot maintenance.  The first use of the BX42 chipper we produced enough mulch to build a 2-3" deep trail down to the outhouse.

Our little mouse friend came scampering out of the tractor loader arm when we started it up.