Ridgetop - our place and how we muddle along

[Ridgetop]

So if the iron is leaching into the water, then I would think drilling next to the old well is going to give you the same results. ????

The iron is not in the aquifer water. It is in the soil and over time and is now leaching though pits that over time the iron has eaten through the well casing.

To-may-too / to-maa-toe Elemental iron's most common for is ferric oxide, ie hematite, Fe2O3. Rust is Fe2O3 x n(H2O) is iron exposed to oxygen in presence of water.

We pulled a water sample from the well and it is red so iron or rust either one. Several hours later you could see where the particles had settled and the water was semi clear. I'll bring you the sample and will talk to you about some sort of filter that could capture most of the sediment so we can use this for the animals.

Couldn’t the old well be sleeved with a PVC pipe put down the hole?

No, that is what I asked.

Is he trying to say the casing failing too? That would be a reason to replace from what I understand.

It IS the inner water pipe casing that has failed, that is why it has to be replaced with PVC. They are drilling all new wells with PVC for the water pipe. The pump and mechanicals are all good and can be reused.

We had a system for sediment and Iron in Groton, mass and while the water wasn't great...we didn't need another deep well.

The aquifer water is great, it is what the well picks up from the ground water and dirt that is the problem. It is leaching through the pitting on the inner water pipe and putting it into the good water coming up from the aquifer.

This well was drilled in the 60's by this man's father. It has good soft water, but the inner metal piping has failed due to the minerals in this soil. There is no way to get a new pipe sleeve down it to the good water. They also drilled a new well on the vacant property next door. That "new" well must have been in the past too since the house had been abandoned for years since the last owner died. He thinks they went down 350' for that well but not sure of the depth - he will look it up.

Anyway, we are investigating what can be done before drilling since our bill for water from Yantis City Water was only $35 this month and that included watering all the animals with the house water since they arrived the night of may 5. So since May 6 we have been watering 45 sheep, 3 rams, 9 open ewes, and the rest all nursing lambs. I don't think they have found the ponds to drink from yet. The banks are pretty crowded with brush and foliage. Our California horse and mule are spoiled and may have not wanted to drink from them. LOL The sheep are afraid of water and unwilling to cross the giant puddle blocking the entrance to their barn pen. When they finally decide to enter, they take a running leap to jump across the 2" deep puddle. LOL Probably why the tin that I rescrewed onto the barn is coming loose again as they bang into it. It needs to be resided and new 2x4 added to replace the broken ones.

Financially, it probably won't pay us to drill another well, and the electricity to pump the water might be more than the cost of city water, but we can fit it with a tank and solar panels if necessary. I just want a good well in place since with what they did to Trump, who knows what they plan for the rest of us. I think Weldman was right to go so far out to build, but DH and I are too "Prime" to go that far out. I feel safer here in northeast Texas but . . . .

In Washington state they have stopped the drilling of anymore private wells. Luckily, my brother had his permit before they passed that law. DS3 has a good private well only about 7 years old on his place in Nipomo (one reason he bought it) BUT the city or county came out and put a meter in it so they can see how much water he pulls. They have now told residents that they cannot use their wells to water their property. Of course, people on city water can but not those with their own well.

Call me paranoid, but I am worried right along with @farmerjan.

Great that you've got the Generac hooked up!! Hopefully you don't have to put it to the test - though since it's new ya' might want to use it a bit to make sure it's all happy with connections and all.

It is not hooked up yet, the propane tank and plumbing has to go in first. Then once it is hooked up it cycles through once a week (day?) automatically to make sure it is working.

 

[rachels.haven]

Oh, I see. A failing casing is one of the reasons a well needs to be replaced. Sorry, needed a second read on that. There are iron mitigation systems, because some places just have it in the water, but you wouldn't want to do any of that without a test as it will tell you if it's even necessary in the first place and how often the filters will need to be changed if they are needed, but if the casing is failing eventually you'll get sediment coming into the house ruining everything as it starts letting things in.

 

[Mini Horses]

Why not try a sand filter of your well water, might be enough to remove sediment and water animals. Are they drinking what you pump now?

 

[Ridgetop]

Why not try a sand filter of your well water, might be enough to remove sediment and water animals. Are they drinking what you pump now?

Only when it is all they have and then not enough to suit me since they are nursing young lambs. Tomorrow we will try running the water for a couple days. Seems silly to do since it has been raining so much but it s worth a try to see if we can get rid of any build up in the tank. I gave a bottle of the water to @Margali today to see what she thinks.

I think we should be able to put some sort of filter on the hoses to filter some of the junk out as the water goes through. I found a Whirlpool filter that we can order and pick up from Lowes for $279 which has reviews from people with wells saying it takes out sediment. Whether their sediment is as bad as our well I don't know, but since we just want to reduce the amount of it so the sheep and horses will drink the well water, it doesn't have to make the water taste that great for us. Otherwise, we will keep running the water from the house to the barn (300'). I still want a new well eventually.

Today we went to see @Margali's daughter show her sheep. She did a great job, and it was lovely to meet Margali, since it is nice to put people to names. I enjoyed the smell of shavings and sheep too. LOL The only thing is that we have to wait to find out how she did in the showmanship class since they did not announce winners in the ring.

 

[Ridgetop]

Tomorrow we will unload the new load of gates we got and try to hang them on the barn. That is the first thing we will do - no more nonsense from DH about making more pens out of all the gates we bought for gates to the barn. I think we will have to get some giant eye bolts or screw ins from Lowes to attach the locking chains. I also want to get the shelving unit from Lowes to put up for storage in the laundry room since time is getting short before we have to return to California for my knee surgery. DD2 called this morning and asked when we are coming back since she is moving out of her apartment the end of June. I told her that she needed to rent a U-Haul to move her stuff to our house and store it in the Connex since we won't be back in time with a trailer and the gooseneck won't fit in the road apartment dead end. The Connex we used for hay should be just about empty once DS1 finishes loading the hay with the corral panels for Texas. DSIL2 will be home from his long line run in 2 weeks, and a friend of the family said he can help move the furniture then, so I told her to have her brother (DS1) use our truck to haul the U-Haul trailer. Even if they make 2 trips they can get everything moved in half a day since she only lives about half an hour away. DD2 and DDIL2 are definitely moving to TX this summer.

DD2 and DDIL are going to look for a place to rent after they have moved out of their apartment. She would move now, but Annabel is in a special ed school and she wants her to finish the schedule. She has to find a TX school district that has classes for autistic children since Annabel's tests showed her to be mildly autistic. Then they have to find a house or apartment. They can stay in our house while we are in CA for my knee. DS1 will be here too with the sheep. So glad we got the back and side yard fenced since Annabel would be out on the highway in a heartbeat. At least one of ny children and sweet grandbabies will be in TX.

 

[Weldman]

What size is the casing on the well pump? If it is 6 inch or larger you are in luck, 4 would be pushing it.
Anywho... if it were me I would stick a 4 inch PVC casing with a perforation screen about 5' section worth on the end and a end cap then sink that down there, then I would get a low GPM pump so it doesn't suck the sediment up into the screen. You could go down to 3 inch or smaller if you wanted. It's all a DIY if one is inclined enough, can't be worse than possibly sucking sand up.

 

[Ridgetop]

WELDMAN: COME LIVE WTH US PLEASE!!! COME BACK TO TEXAS! ALL OF US HERE NEED YOU!

Saturday - didn't get back to post this
The pump is not sucking up sand or dirt from the bottom. The minerals are leaching into the well water from the top level of the soil through the pitted pipe. I am not sure what the diameter of the pipe is. There is apparently no way to put a pipe inside the casing 400' to the bottom that will alleviate the problem. However, the Whirlpool filter that I can order through Lowes for $279 had reviews that it removed sediment. Not sure what to do though since there is a better filter that is around $500 that might be the better fit for this well. I am determined to drill a new well eventually though since a clean water source that I do not have to rely on the city is what I want.

Yesterday we went to the sheep show and enjoyed it immensely. Meeting Margali and Cassandra was fun. When we got home, I realized that going and watching was so much better than having to do all the prep and the unloading after. DH and I drove home (about 2 hours), brought in the chairs and cooler. I unloaded the cooler, we let the dogs into the yard, fed bottle babies, and because the weather was so pleasant had a glass of wine on the porch. Then I fixed dinner while DH relaxed after the long drive. I was doing the dishes about the same time Margali and Cassandra were getting the awards! So relaxing! Loved it. Can't wait for more shows.

After dinner I checked where to do our TX driver's licenses and plates. Since we have to do the plates in Quitman, we will do the driver's license thing there too. We have the inspections on the car and truck. Next week we will have to get to Quitman to do that.

Today we do the gate hanging thing on the barn. Then DH wants to go back to Priefert and inspect the gates in the $25 pile. He wants to replace one of the 12' panels on the ram pen with a smaller gate panel. We have plenty of gates arriving at the end of the month from CA but DH is on a roll. We have to move the rams again since they have now finished all the grass in the 30x70 pen. We really need to charge up the electric fence charger and use the electric fencing to put the rams out on a larger area. The barnyard is full of grass. We have to protect the 3 fruit trees, make sure they can't get to the corral panels guarding the hay and get through them to the ewes, and the rams can be turned out in the barnyard. We also need to bring in the open ewes and put them with one of the rams for fall lambs. We have about 8-10 open ewes to be bred. Possibly another one or two when we pull their lambs to wean them. At least one of the ram lambs is almost 3 months old and needs to go in with the rams. Another one is 2 months old and could be pulled as well. 3 more lambs can be weaned at the end of the month. Two of those are rams and need to go in the ram pen as well.

DH called me to come put in the sheep. He was working in the barn and it started raining so he wanted to get them in. I ran out without a coat since it was hot and I figured the sheep would come in quickly since they don't like rain.

NO! They circled around and headed into the side barn. Another took her lambs and ran back out onto the field. A few went into the barn and started eating the feed. I left the gate open to help DH get the ones in the side barn in. DH got a few out and z went to help send the into the barn but - Oh Golly! some of the sheep inside the barn decided to come back out through the open gate. By now the rain was coming down really hard and we were soaked. We would have left the last couple of ewes in the side barn but they had been followed by half the lambs! I went through the side barn and chivied them out. There are old rusty corral panels and sheets of tin laying on the ground back there with some rotten boards off the barn. It is a death trap - or a sheep playground. We really need to get back there and clean it all up before one of us breaks a leg chasing the sheep out. DH nearly fell in the mud, and I stepped in a hole with water up past my ankle. Neither of us was feeling the love. Finally, all the sheep were in the pen and barn. The rain was coming down like gangbusters and lightning and thunder were crashing right over our heads. DH and I sat down in the barn and waited for the rain to slacken so we could make a run for the house. Lightning hit right behind the barn and the crack of thunder shook the barn! Our "brave" Anatolians were nowhere in sight. They were sheltering back at the house on the porch. They were no fools.

Finally, the rain let up enough for us to scamper or rather limp back to the house. I sent DH into the shower and heated up the coffee. Then I hopped in the shower. Warm and dry we had supper. Then I dragged the cabinet I had bought for the laundry room in and began to put it together. The rain continued to come down. We decided we needed to enlarge the area for the sheep in the barn since it was too small for all the ewes and lambs.

 

[Ridgetop]

Sunday
I installed the cabinet in the laundry room. I had to cut out a length of baseboard and base shoe to install the cabinet flush with the wall. While I was working on that, DH went out to work on the barn and he was moving the hay over so we could enlarge the sheep area. When the cabinet was installed and attached to the wall, I gathered our tools and went out to enlarge the sheep quarters and hang the gates on the barn. I helped DH to move some of the hay that the sheep had messed with. Then he raked out the trash hay and moved it to the burn pile.

We decided to doctor the ewe with mastitis before enlarging the sheep pen. Without DS1 this was not going to be easy and we decided that we should do it before we were too tired. We put another gate panel into the creep, attached it with hay ropes in the corner and swung it across the pen to trap her in a much smaller area. Once that was done, I caught her in a halter. Not the way the halter is supposed to go on, but it slipped around her neck, and I was fine with that. I snubbed her to the panel and once I had her tied up DH leaned on her to keep her up against the panel while I hobbled her front feet. This was not as easy as it sounds since she is a big powerful ewe and did not cooperate. Finally, she went down, (probably choking) on her knees while I was trying to get a loop on her rear legs. Seizing the moment DH flipped her onto her side and I laid on her. He couldn't get down to lay on her shoulders and neck, but he was able to hold her down. We loosened the rope to let her breath more easily and I milked out both sides of her udder. Once that was done, inserting the mastitis tubes was fairly easy. Then before we let her up, I gave her a large dose of penicillin in the butt.

Next, I hung the gates on the barn to keep the horses and sheep out and away from our alfalfa bales. Not too hard other than the first hole was drilled with the wrong size auger. I used the one DS1 had used but the ins we used then were larger bore. I went back to the hiuose for a smaller auger and then drilled the other holes with it. The first hole was ok but not a tight fit so I wrapped the hinge pin in Teflon tape and put a thin piece of wood into the hole. It worked fine that way. DH helped me lift the gates onto the pins. I installed a piece of chain on the inside of the center upright to use to lock the gates. The gates overlap, because they are 12' gates, and the barn openings are just under that width. However, once overlapped we only use one chain on the outer gate, and it holds both shut.

Having successfully hung the gates I was ready to tackle the pen enlargement. We took one of the new 12' Priefert gates and attached it to the creep panel. Then took the 12' panel that had been the front of the pen, moved it to the other side, and attached it to the 10' panel. Finally, we took a fourth 12' Priefert mesh gate and moved it outside to the outer pen. Then I removed the 10' gate panel on the rear of the sheep pen which we could never get the sheep to enter, and put the 12'panel in its place. This necessitated swinging out the panel that was attached to the barn with hinge pins to make it fit the extra 2' of length. Then DH took the 10' gate panel into the barn, and we attached it between the 2 12' panels. That added 120 sf of dry space to their barn pen. By now we were beat. We decided that moving the ram pen would have to wait till tomorrow. I packed up our tools and DH carried the heavy bucket of clamps back to the house. Surprisingly, the sheep were congregating around the gate to come in. I had pellet in their feeders, so I went out and sure enough they were all there! I opened the gate, and they ran in. Or rather most of them ran in - that pesky couple that like to go in the side barn with half the lambs were up to their old tricks. This time I was smarter and closed the gate. Then I went around through the side barn and shooed the 3 ewes and the lambs out. They decided to behave, and I got them all into the pen. I got back to the house and fixed the lamb bottles. DH fed the smaller one and then took his shower. I went back to the barn with Coco's bottle and decided to give the rams a large flake of alfalfa since they have eaten all the grass in their pen. Tomorrow, we will make them another pen and include a shelter.

Back in the house, made a salad for supper, took my shower, and looked out the window to see sheets of rain. Definitely going to make a shelter for the rams.

 

[Mini Horses]

All this extra "to do" -- like old times, right? Except now in your "prime"... goes a little slower and the day ends sooner at least it does here!!!!

Feel the love

 

[Weldman]

All this extra "to do" -- like old times, right? Except now in your "prime"... goes a little slower and the day ends sooner at least it does here!!!!

Feel the love

They call it "your prime" cause like an old carburetor engine, you have to prime yourself before getting started, then you can warm up before getting going