One well to service multiple buildings

[old_guy]

The forester called on Monday to tell me that they have finished removing the timber from our property in NE Tennessee.  Now I am all worked up again thinking about how we will use it, as we hope to retire there.  It will be several years before we start anything significant, but I always get my planning tangled up when thinking about the water supply.

We have 73 acres on the Powell river, the upper end of the Norris lake impoundment.  The land elevation changes from 1020 (above sea level) at the water to 1530 feet at the top.  We cleared a couple of areas near the top, and have several nice cabin locations near the water (at about 1060 feet).  Our goal is to have our home near the top, at about 1400 or 1500 feet (there are nice locations at both). 

I talked with a local well driller to get an estimate on putting in a well, and the price is fairly high.  That is probably why some of my neighbors use springs for their water - one even takes his water from a stream.  The well man did say that the depth (and so the cost) of the well will not change much if it is high on the hill or near the bottom, as the depth of the ground water pretty much follows the surface.

I am considering having a single well to service all buildings, but do not know if that is feasible.  It may be 600 linear feet (or a little more) from the house to the cabins, then 100 feet in a different direction to the barn.  The cabins would probably get sporatic usage, so any water left in the pipe could be there for a long time.  I expect it could be drained when not in use, but still would need to be rinsed at least, and maybe chlorinated and rinsed, before each usage.  A bigger unknown to me is how to deal with the difference in altitude.  I believe that there is just over 8psi of pressure change for every 20 feet of altitude change, so 400 feet of height difference would be 160 psi.  If the well were at the top of the hill I think it would need multiple pressure regulators on the way down to the cabins.  If the well were near the cabin I would need to provide power to pump it again up 400 feet to the house, with that same 160 psi just to get it to move.

I am hoping to hear some new ideas how to make this work, or from someone who can tell me why I need 2 wells (or to cart water to the cabins).  Community water near our current home has big tanks high on a hill, and houses at many different altitudes all get appropriate pressure, but maybe their solution is too expensive to consider.  The well could be half way from the top to the bottom of the hill, or whatever.  I don't know what I don't know, and hope you can reduce my ignorance.

Thanks.

John

[MountainDon]

I would probably place the well at the higher elevation and run pipes down to the lower locations from a manifold up top. That way any of the lines going downhill could have the source shut off and the line drained easily. An air inlet up top would make the draining go better.

You should only need a pressure regulator at the lower point of use. They are cheap these days. The water from the local utility here at home comes off the street at 140 PSI. We have a regulator that drops it to 25 PSI. That's easy on the appliances like washers. I think the regulator was $40 or so. One at each cabin, barn, etc would be a very small part of the total water system cost.

0.43 psi per foot elevation difference, less pipe friction

[JRR]

We also have a cabin on a place in Tennessee.  Much smaller... five acres or so.  We have municipal water available, but the sewer lines haven't reached us yet.  You remind me of what a neighbor did with his two small adjoining lots, he built on both lots ... one to live in, one to rent ... but used only one septic system for both buildings.   Only one of the lots had enough fairly flat area for a drainage field, the other (the "parasite") is super-small and "hillside".  Its a wonder he was ever allowed to build the second house as he did .... very little government oversight, especially in years past.  Times got a little hard for him so he sold off the parasitic lot.  Now both lots have changed ownership several times.  I often wonder, "Do the current owners even realize what situation they have?"  It will become apparent someday, I'm sure.

Anyway, back to your situation:  I would ask the driller if he would give you a very, very friendly price on two wells, one uphill ... one downhill.  This would offset the cost and concerns of your uphill (or downhill) water distribution system .... and might be a real "lifesaver" sometime in the future ... for all sorts of possible reasons.

[river place]

I'm curious about this also.  We have almost 7 acres and right now only the only well which feeds a small guest apartment in the barn and the travel trailer we use for ourselves.  We plan to replace the travel trailer with a 20 x 64 house. 

The single well has no trouble with the two locations right now however we've thought about building simple 2 to 3 small guest cabins closer to the river and for this I need to get water to them.  They would be down hill form the other buildings and well. 

For these cabins near the river I was thinking about putting a 20 gallon storage tank in each then use a 12 volt RV pump for water pressure.  My thinking was the single well would be there to back fill the tanks so water pressure remains fairly constant. 

[old_guy]

River – Your situation sounds very similar to mine.  Using Don's advice I checked on water pressure regulators to use at the cabins.  As he mentioned, each regulator would be just $40 - $50, with price based on pipe size and the high pressure.  The column of water from the well down to the cabin will keep the pressure at the cabin significantly higher than at the well, so I expect that the regulator will keep the pressure constant at the cabins.  I am also now planning to investigate to find a proper type of water pipe to extend down the hill.

We both need to consider JRR's caution.  I would share septic between house and barn, perhaps, but not between house and cabins.  The cabins will get their own septic(s) if possible, and holding tanks if not.  If the cabins were to be sold separately in the future it would probably be without water – they can drill a well, or use their imagination for another water source.  His caution extends also to electricity.  Any electricity to my cabins would be on a subfeed from my own, even if there is another meter for them near the house.  Were the cabins to be sold we would need power company intervention as well as giving them an easement for the power lines.

I remain in awe of the experience to be found, and so willingly offered, at this site.  Every visit is a learning experience.  Thank you to all for your feedback.