Would it be possible for them to get the equipment to DIY wells like in this link below? I know it's really easy for open hand dug wells to get contaminated.

http://youtu.be/1ANS4awOxrI

Some equipment like that is available, Ben.  What he is describing in the video is drilling under very favorable conditions with relatively soft soil.  It could very well be that that is doable in some of the areas there.  There are six rivers through the country and I am sure some areas would be favorable.  I haven't tried this method but his principles are sound.

There could be a use for this as there are shortages of drinking water during the dry season for about 3 or 4 months.

Another problem is getting water to farms during the dry season and that is one of the things I would like to check out.  In that case the drilling method I am most familiar with ... cable tool drilling would be a very good choice as it takes a minimum of equipment compared to rotary drilling and the wells are much more efficient on energy usage also.  Pumping costs can be significantly lower.

Thanks for the video link and I will study his methods a bit more so it is fresh in my mind before I go over there.

Quote from: glenn kangiser on January 04, 2015, 04:14:02 PM
Some equipment like that is available, Ben.  What he is describing in the video is drilling under very favorable conditions with relatively soft soil.  It could very well be that that is doable in some of the areas there.  There are six rivers through the country and I am sure some areas would be favorable.  I haven't tried this method but his principles are sound.

There could be a use for this as there are shortages of drinking water during the dry season for about 3 or 4 months.

Another problem is getting water to farms during the dry season and that is one of the things I would like to check out.  In that case the drilling method I am most familiar with ... cable tool drilling would be a very good choice as it takes a minimum of equipment compared to rotary drilling and the wells are much more efficient on energy usage also.  Pumping costs can be significantly lower.

Thanks for the video link and I will study his methods a bit more so it is fresh in my mind before I go over there.

You're welcome.Could ram pumps be useful there?They require no power and run practically for ever as long as there is a water source.Priming can be an issue over long distances and the level above the water source can't be to high.It's a good way to get over small hills.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_ram

There are a few areas ram pumps could be used, Ben.  The Irrawaddy and some of the other rivers are big and too slow flowing I think to be used in many areas.  There are a lot of delta area there. 

Many of the villages are in relatively flat farming land.  I am going to make a guess that a lot of the area may be silt or silty sand without a lot of clay layers.  I recently heard they may be able to get a well of some type for about $300. In about 2 weeks I will be there and begin checking it out.  In the meantime it looks like I will be working right up to time to take off.... 

Getting excited...

Headed to Burma February 2nd to March 6th... to my friends sons (son is a friend also) wedding and to check out water and low cost housing possibilities.  It will be an exciting trip I am sure. 

I plan to travel over many areas of the country and see what is done now and what geological information the drillers have if they will share. I will in turn share techniques I know.  Maybe I can share some knowledge before I push up daisies.  [ouch]

I will be starting on a PSP underground house this spring and I was wondering if you are aware of anyone who has built one connected to a larger greenhouse also underground. The concept I have is to use the greenhouse as an atrium/ entrance to the underground house. An under ground footprint of the greenhouse to be about 20x40 while the house will be 35x35. I have been searching for information on this for a while and have found nothing that is "right". It has started me to wonder why that is. If there is some issue with doing it or just no information on the ones that have. Any help is appreciated.

Brian

Mike Oehler has built underground greenhouses separately from the house and made mention of them over the uphill patio.  I have one over my uphill patio though smaller than the house.  I see no problem doing it though.

I would suggest building it uphill from the house as in an uphill patio and having plenty of ventilation.  It will collect massive amounts of heat.   I have about 15x30 feet of glass and it gets too hot in the greenhouse the way it is built but cools a lot at night.

Keep in mind that the underground green house will make a perfect trap for running animals such as deer or horses or cows and you will want to deal with that before it becomes a problem...  [deadhorse]

I did manage to get with well drillers in Burma and see the wonderful low tech methods they use.  This well is going to about 340 feet deep with 8 inch diameter hole and 4" casing - gravel packed pvc screen.



https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10206465148129745&set=vb.1300689880&type=3&theater

I always enjoy seeing wiring skills that match mine... obviously my batteries are wired to code... this is acceptable in Yangon.   

I have a photo on here somewhere that is a bookend to that only at the call center of the world - India

I love these poles like this... this was no where near the worst I have seen either... it just happened to be one I could get a picture of. 

How many of those are actual live, in service wires?  With a mess like that if, or when, there is an issue the serviceman will just hang another wire from A to B and call it good.

I believe they are likely all in service, Don because you see them at the front of areas where there are multiple 8 story or so apartment buildings.

They run 220v over there so the drop wires don't have to be as large as we see over here.  Not positive on that but it is a common sight over there. 

There are many British Colonial apartment houses built in the 20's I think that haven't been painted or upgraded since the military took the country over in the early 60's.  Like stepping back in time...



In this area they run 4 to 8 stories... all walk ups. 




View from my room at the Chan Myaye....



Note that there are businesses on the bottom floor of nearly every building.... or maybe every building.  Generally each one is about 8 to 10 feet wide and varying depth is visible or open to the public.  It can be anything from a hardware store to a convenience store  to a rice warehouse... not much limit... and tons of eateries generally at very reasonable prices 

Some creative parking going on there!

And my electrician was worried about a bad GFCI...
John

venezuela has the same wiring system.....in the barrios

there are usually meters and proper wires elsewhere.......

But this wiring system is popular for extensions and whole new roads which cunningly appear behind the original building

The daily death page on the local Maturin paper has multiple examples of fried electrician each year

Andrew, I don't know that it is even possible to get a parking violation ticket there.... it seems that any parking is OK as long as there is the width of a small car or van plus about 4" to get through.  The drivers are so good in Myanmar that you seldom if ever see anyone bump each other even in wall to wall traffic .

The electrical systems in these countries make me believe that Romex nailed to the wall is an excessively safe wiring system...

Quote from: glenn kangiser on March 24, 2015, 10:14:50 AM
Andrew, I don't know that it is even possible to get a parking violation ticket there.... it seems that any parking is OK as long as there is the width of a small car or van plus about 4" to get through.  The drivers are so good in Myanmar that you seldom if ever see anyone bump each other even in wall to wall traffic .

The electrical systems in these countries make me believe that Romex nailed to the wall is an excessively safe wiring system...

Is it a one hand on the horn and one hand on the wheel place like China?  Horn is more important than brakes!  

Indeed, Romex is a sign of affluent luxury.   

The horn is in constant use warning other drivers you are there, Rick... maybe within a few inches. [ouch]

Generally the motorcycle coming at you head on when you are passing the truck or oxcart assumes you will leave him 3 or 4 feet to get by in.

Finally uploaded my longer video of manual rotary well drilling in Myanmar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-rkP4DwaC8

Hey, this is your line of expertise (well one of them, anyway..). Looks like the drilling was going real quick. Do they ever hit rocks? What would the protocol be in that event?

Drilling was fast I think as they were on their second trip through the hole and into water below as they expanded the hole from 4 inches to 7 inches.

I need to upload the other video of the next day, Andrew.  Got it going on upload now. [ouch]

We went to see a small locally made rotary drilling machine also owned and operated by Gyo Phyu company.  It can be set up by their men in 6.5 hours. 

With it they hit a bunch of rocks and twisted off their drill pipe.  They had to move about 150 feet and start over losing a  bit and some of the pipe in the first hole.

I think it is unlikely they would twist off on the manual rig since it is man powered and they would feel the rocks through their pipe wrenches.  Then they would likely have to move over a good distance also to hopefully get away from the rocks.  It is a tough business.  They would feel the rocks on the first trip through the hole with the 4" bit though most likely preventing spending time and money to expand the hole two more sizes. 

OK ... got the drilling machine video up now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJ0LUeytkaU


Burma was closed to the outside world for about 50 years so they had to come up with their own very efficient solutions to accomplish what we would do here with a gigantic drilling rig on a truck along with a small army of backup equipment, This small rig can be set up for drilling by a few men in 6.5 hours and drill a well 700 or more feet deep. Currently drilling a 16" diameter well for 8 inch casing 500 feet deep.

As I recall, Gyo Phyu's geologist said this rig could drill up to 24" diameter and they have 3 of them.   

Pretty cool.. This topic reminds me of the EMAS group I found a while back: https://vimeo.com/channels/emas They have an absolute wealth of info regarding water management for developing areas (and perhaps some developed areas inhabited by backwards-minded folks like ourselves.. )

Quote from: Ernest T. Bass on March 31, 2015, 10:42:44 PM
Pretty cool.. This topic reminds me of the EMAS group I found a while back: https://vimeo.com/channels/emas They have an absolute wealth of info regarding water management for developing areas (and perhaps some developed areas inhabited by backwards-minded folks like ourselves.. )

Well,deep subject I know,I think certain organizations, and their people, want to keep it's citizens from knowing truths about necessary things for life in order to gain profit from that lack of knowledge.