Welcome back to Base Camp WNC!

Today, I'm going to talk about the largest spring box I think I've ever built. This one is either for myself or Mr. Chuck. Both springs are quite old, drawing water from the hillside, but we do get a little dirt and sediment in them. If you’ve watched my channel before, you’ll notice that I rigged up a filter on the outflow pipe to catch some of the sediment, and it works really well. Mr. Chuck has a similar issue with his spring, which we’re currently working on.

As I’m going to show you in this video, the setup involves two 15-gallon drums. One drum has the top cut off and fitted to the bottom of the other, making use of both tops. This configuration allows water to enter through a tube that directs it downward, encouraging sediment to settle at the bottom. I also have my usual filters installed in the system. The overflow pipe is located on the side, where the filtered water will exit and flow into the catchment system.

Here’s how it works: the water comes into one end of the pipe and flows downward. I have a one-inch pipe extending about 18 inches down, surrounded by a three-inch pipe. I’ll disassemble it during the build section to show you the details. There are slots at the bottom that force the water to settle at the base, allowing the sediment time to settle before it reaches the filter. Mr. Chuck implemented my idea and added a filter to his setup, which lasts a few weeks. I’ll show you how you can add a T-joint to incorporate two filters, or use a cross-joint for three filters, reducing the frequency of filter changes.

This setup should collect a good amount of dirt and sediment. Each drum holds 15 gallons, or about 100 pounds of water. I’m planning to install a valve at the bottom, so when you’re ready to clean it, all you need to do is open the valve, and everything will drain out. Here, at the bottom of the lid, I’ll place a valve. If it fills with dirt and mud, you can open the valve and poke a welding rod up inside to release all the water. This way, when the tank empties, you’ll just be dealing with the dirt and mud instead of 100 pounds of water.

It might look strange because I have one end here and another on the opposite end. What I did was cut ten and a half inches off the top of another barrel, which fits right over this one. I’ll show you how I marked it. It’s on the tapered edge, and since it’s round, it’s tricky, but I used a five-inch object as a guide, placed it against the barrel, and marked a line all the way around. It’s accurate enough for what I need. I’ll now take a saw and cut it off.

Now, there it is. I cut it cleanly. I guess I have a new dog water bowl now! But this is actually the bottom of my filtration system. Here’s a large part of the drum that I already had cut. When you look inside, you can see that it fits perfectly at the bottom. We have about an inch and a half gap all around, allowing me to pour some food-grade silicone caulk and secure it with bolts.

After aligning the two pieces, I secured them by wrapping a ratchet strap around the barrel to hold it tight, and I used self-tapping metal screws. I then took it apart and applied Lexel adhesive, which adheres to almost anything, but HDPE plastic is notoriously hard to bond. I marked the alignment points to ensure the holes matched up when reassembling. I applied a bead of adhesive around the top edge, slid the two pieces together, and tightened the bolts. It’s glued, sealed, and bolted securely. I trimmed the bolts sticking out, and although the grinder made a bit of a mess with the glue, the inside is solid with all the carriage bolt heads sealed.

We’ll let it cure for a while, fill it with water, and see if my idea works. At the top of the barrel is where the handle used to be. I used a two-inch fitting, which is larger than needed, because I had to account for the original handle fixture. I made a two-and-a-quarter-inch hole using a hole saw to fit a two-inch male adapter. I wrapped Teflon tape around the fitting, and it should now be watertight.

The inflow pipe connects here, and inside, we use a two-inch female adapter. A reducer connects to a one-inch pipe, which fits snugly. I don’t glue the interior components so they can be easily removed for cleaning.
Despite the rain, I’ll show you this assembly. It’s a 90-degree elbow with an 18-inch pipe that fits into the bottom part of the lid. It’s designed to direct water downward, slowing it down and letting the sediment settle before reaching the filters.

Now, I’ll put it all together. When complete, the water flows into the inflow pipe, settles at the bottom, and the filtered water exits through the T-joint. This way, I can add multiple filters if needed. The whole purpose is to prevent sediment from reaching the commercial filters. At the end of the year, I should have just a couple of inches of silt at the bottom, which will be much easier to clean out.

If this interests you or if you have any questions, feel free to reach out. This is what we do here. I specialize in Carolina homestead planning and build custom solutions. If this video helps you or if you’ve modified my design, I’d love to see pictures or videos of your version. I’ll feature it on the channel, giving you credit and even a shout-out to your YouTube channel. As always, like, share, and subscribe. See you next time, and I’m happy to help!

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Welcome back to Basecamp WNC! Today, we're doing some maintenance work on the water cistern here at my place. I’m starting at the spring head, also known as the spring box. According to local stories, this setup was built back in the 1960s for a teacher who lived in the area. The structure is made from laid-up cement blocks with a cement floor and a 1.5-inch Pollock pipe feeding water through. Behind the dark-painted door is the water system that I’ll be walking you through shortly.

The last time I cleaned this out, it was filled with a good amount of dirt that had washed down over time. I do a thorough cleaning every couple of years. I was hoping to strike gold in the dirt, but it turns out all I found was more dirt! The creek here is one of the headwaters that feeds the French Broad River in Western North Carolina. We’re quite high up, so there’s no pollution—just clean, natural spring water flowing through.

I tried filming inside the spring head for a closer look, but it was too dark. I’ll explain more about the cement block construction and why we sometimes have a sediment buildup. For now, we’re catching the sediment in a filter bag, which I recently emptied. It had collected about two and a half inches of dirt, so it’s been doing its job well. I’m testing out a new filter bag and adjusting the water flow toward the bottom of the cistern to trap more sediment. I’ll also be installing a 20-micron sediment filter from Ace Hardware on the outflow pipe to see how much it collects.

Over time, the cistern gathers a bit of sediment—nothing major, but it’s worth a good clean-up every couple of years. A fallen tree once covered part of the spring area, and while it’s mostly rotted now, it still affects the flow a little. The spring head flows at over ten gallons a minute, so I’m careful not to disrupt it too much. We’ll get back to this project in the summer when it’s a bit warmer.

Stay tuned as I walk you through the new filter bag setup and the 20-micron filter installation. We’ll connect it and see how it performs with the older water retention systems from the 1960s.

Now, we’re at the first water cistern. As I mentioned earlier, this system dates back to the 60s. It’s fed by a 1.5-inch pipe, which then overflows into a secondary cistern, and finally connects to the newer cisterns I installed. It’s not up to modern code, but it works reliably. The pump’s power line is held up by two steel fence posts—a temporary fix that became permanent, as often happens on a homestead.

This system has been functioning well for two years. With the spring head pumping out over ten gallons a minute, I don’t plan on changing it unless something breaks. I’ll show you how I handle sediment build-up in the spring box.
Back in the 60s, this precast concrete cistern was considered state-of-the-art. Water flows through a filter bag that captures the sediment. The sediment filter we’re adding is a straightforward 20-micron filter from Ace Hardware. We’ll see if it helps keep the water even cleaner.
To set up the filter, I used a piece of 3/4-inch PVC pipe with drilled holes and capped one end. It fits over the pipe and stands upright inside the spring box. I’ll show you how I put it all together.

Looking at the spring box again, the water enters through a solid pipe with small holes drilled into it. The new filter idea uses a 3/4 to 1-inch reducer and a 20-micron filter. This design should trap more particles than the original holes alone. If your water has any unusual taste or odor, it’s worth inspecting your spring head for possible issues.

If you enjoyed this video, please like, share, and subscribe. I appreciate all my subscribers and love seeing your comments and feedback. Stay safe, keep working on your projects, and see you next time!

Visit our site at:  carolinahomesteadplanner.com.  We provide homestead consulting services so be sure to contact us if we can help.

Welcome Back to Base Camp WNC

It's finally here! I mentioned in a video from Thursday or Friday (can't quite remember which) that I’ve been eagerly awaiting this moment. We’ve got our hands on the 3000-watt solar pump system that allows you to take your AC well pump completely off-grid. It converts your pump to solar power with AC backup and battery support.

Now, I could go on about sales reps. They said this system was ready four months ago, but it took all this time to actually get it to the customer. It’s frustrating to deal with delays like that, especially when it reflects poorly on me. But, at last, it's here!

This 3000-watt system is designed to handle up to a one and a half horsepower, 220-volt well pump. It comes with an MPPT charge controller and an inverter. It's a split-phase 220 inverter, meaning you get two 110-volt lines with a neutral in between. Let’s dive into how this all works.

They offer three different sizes of this system: 3000 watts, 6000 watts, and a brand new 12,000-watt model. The 3000-watt version is perfect for a one and a half horsepower well pump, while the larger 6000 and 12,000-watt models can power not only a well pump but also other off-grid needs like a cabin or RV.
Looking at the output cable, you’ll see two 110-volt lines, a neutral, and a ground wire. This additional cable is for the AC charger. The system includes a 220-volt, 20-amp battery charger that can be connected directly to the grid. We’ll cover that part in more detail later on.

This power cord plugs straight into your well pump, or you can wire the leads—two 110-volt lines, a neutral, and a ground—directly to a breaker box. With 3000 watts and a maximum of 125 amps, this setup delivers plenty of power for a well pump.

Today is Saturday, and we're planning to install this system on Tuesday. We’ll walk through the entire installation process then. It’s a straightforward setup, mounted on this board. The customer will appreciate how simple it is. Just one on/off switch controls the whole system. The breaker stays off unless you're using grid power to charge the battery.

The owner already has some solar panels from a previous system that didn’t work out. This 3000-watt setup includes three solar panels and two batteries, all mounted together. The positive and negative cables connect to the batteries, and the output cable goes to your well pump. We'll show the full wiring process on Tuesday.
If you don’t have access to grid power, you can leave the breaker off. You also have the option to hook this inverter directly to a generator, which can power the pump without the need for the batteries. In a grid-down situation or during bad weather, running off a generator is a great option.

The system also features a 200-amp catastrophic fuse and a solar disconnect switch. We’ll add some labels to make everything clear. This is how the system comes from me, ready to sell. Just connect two batteries, wire up the well pump, and set up the solar panels. It’s that simple.

This 3000-watt system takes your AC-powered well off the grid, and unlike diaphragm pumps that wear out quickly, it’s designed to handle the start-and-stop pressures of a well pump. I’m excited that it’s finally arrived.

Here’s the cost breakdown:

• The 3000-watt system, which includes two 200-amp sealed deep-cycle batteries and three solar panels, is priced at $3,299.
• The 6000-watt system, with four batteries and six panels, costs $4,000.
• The 12,000-watt system, featuring six batteries and twelve panels, is priced at $5,699.

We'll be installing the system on Tuesday and going over the details like amps, draw, watts, and volts. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out—my contact information is below.

In the coming days, we’ll also cover a new variable speed start-up water pump designed for off-grid water cistern systems, so stay tuned for that. We’ll be testing and getting the solar system operational in the Tuesday install video.
If you have any questions or need help, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Please like, share, and subscribe as we continue to grow, bit by bit. Thanks for watching!

If you are looking for homestead consulting, please get in touch.  We look forward to being a homesteading resource and helping in any way we can. 

Welcome back to Base Camp WNC!

We're continuing our series on water system installation, focusing on a future campground in Mountain City, Tennessee. This episode covers setting up a water tank, installing pumps, and getting the water flowing.
Let's break down the process:

1. Tank Placement:
   • Arrived on-site with the 1500-gallon tank
   • Used boards to slide the tank off the trailer
   • Rolled the tank uphill to the pre-dug hole
2. Site Challenges:
   • Dealt with 2.5 tons of water in the hole
   • Managed continuous spring overflow
   • Pumped out excess water and mud
3. Tank Installation:
   • Positioned the tank in the hole
   • Installed two pumps inside the tank
   • Used plastic tubes and PVC pipes for water direction
   • Kept pumps 6 inches off the tank floor for sediment control
4. Pipe Installation:
   • Inflow line:
     • Ran spring water line through PVC pipe
     • Drilled hole in tank and installed male adapter
   • Outflow line:
     • Repeated process on opposite side of tank
   • Used conduit and heat-clamping technique for pipe protection during backfilling
5. Owner Participation:
   • Owner assisted with in-tank installation
   • Owner and partner worked on connecting water lines

Next Steps:

• Upcoming video will cover pump house construction and final system hookup

For those needing assistance with planning or installation, contact information is provided at the end of the video.
Remember to like, share, subscribe, and leave comments!

For more Homestead Planning, visit us at CarolinaHomesteadPlanners.com.  We offer Homestead Consulting Services for those interested.