We have spring water as the only water source at our cabin in SW Virginia, with somewhere around 3 gpm -- we have a 500 gallon tank. We aren't there fulltime, but we have never had any issues with water supply. While there are only two of us there (usually), there are two small families that live below us fulltime, and have used spring water (gravity fed from a storage tank close to our cabin) for more than 50 years! While our water is clean, I'm getting ready to install a UV system for purification. Our neighbors use chlorine to shock their system on a monthly basis, but our tank overflows into a small pond with frogs and a couple of fish, so don't want to introduce chlorine directly into that environment...not to mention the UV will be a more reliable solution. Looking forward to watching your spring box development if you decide to do it!

@backtothepast1850

2 жыл бұрын

I'm in relatively the same situation in Arkansas.

I purchased property in the Arkansas Ozarks last year with a log cabin built in 1850. From about that time thru around 2010, a spring provided 100% of the previous family's needs. This summer was abnormally dry and the water table dropped, but still recovered into the 5 ft diameter by 5 ft deep stone springhouse, at a minimum of around 2 gpm. In the year I've owned the place, it's never failed to recover and proves at an average of 3-5 gpm. I've tested water quality, and it is potable. As like all of the Arkansas water sources, it runs a bit brownish, green even though iron and copper levels are low. What that means is it takes a lot of filtration to make it appetizing in appearance, especially during high flows.

Here in the northern panhandle of W.Virginia theres a lot of farms with spring water. My wife and I have always relied on well water for forty years, until about three years ago we finally had city water line ran up our holler. In all honesty our well water is much better.

My husband and I are also in West Virginia. Your video has confirmed for us that we have multiple springs on our property. Can’t wait to see if they’re able to provide water for our family and livestock. Thanks so much for your videos!!!

A common cistern used in the Bahama's (and elsewhere) is to build a foundation for your house which is also a cistern, water entering via downspouts during the rainy season. Friend's house has a 22,000 gallon cistern which is more than adequate to serve his needs, though would probably be inadequate for a large, full time family. But the system works great non the less.

You need a backhoe and a grapple then install a 200-300 gallon tank. No problem for that little active flow to be a good spring box.

A spring depending on water quality, dependability of flow and risks of contamination can be an excellent source. The average well is considered to be good if it has a recovery rate of 10 gallons per minute, I would assume the same of a spring. An underground water source can be contaminated by naturally and man induced chemicals or minerals. In areas where the are high sulfur coal deposits you can have bad smelling and tasting water. You can drink or use it, but you may need filtration. High iron deposits can result in rusty water that stains plumbing fixtures and clothing. Then there is agricultural run off. Herbicides, pesticides and animal feces are common problems with both surface and shallow water sources. If your source has a high enough flow rate, then multiple water samples should be taken and tested. Most states have programs set up through the health departments and major state universities.

What a blessing that spring is.

Some of my favorite videos you do. I have a descent amount of acreage in TN and have a few of these slow moving springs on the hill sides. I’ll be watching to see how you set it up and how to pipe it downhill. I don’t need drinkable water but something to catch for deer, dogs, and hand washing while out camping. Please do a follow up.

Good video. I plan to follow others on the subject of springs.

Great to learn , Thanks

Great show Troy, I see you have many great comments. I have watched many KZread videos about spring boxes.

Thanks for sharing this idea on the spring box there eh! I knew they existed but didn't really think what they were for... this may work for me I have a spring 70' up the mountain from my future cabin site was going to have a storage tank up in the rafters of cabin with an over flow so I wouldn't run out of water during high consumption times (showering) never thought of storing the water at the source... the old timers had it all figured out we just need to look back, observe, and listen...

Hi Troy, I found your spring video to be very interesting. My wife and I have a small cabin in east Tennessee. We get our water from a spring on the property that I have known my whole life. At times the flow will exceed 20 GPM. I have seen that drop to less than 12 ounces per minute in the dry season. I have never known the flow to completely stop. Many people have told me that 12 ounces per minute is not enough. My response is "Do the Math". This is not a full time residence for us and we only have a 300 gallon reservoir. I have found this to be more than adequate. The cabin has a full bath with shower and flush toilet and a fully equipped kitchen. As you mentioned its all about your storage capacity. I prefer the smaller reservoir because I like for the water to turn over more often. One of the challenges I had was small pebbles and other debris would flow from the spring box to the reservoir. This would make cleaning the reservoir more difficult and they could eventually find their way to the foot valve installed in the reservoir. The reservoir is lower than the cabin so I utilize a pump to supply the cabin. I thought about different ways to eliminate this and found a pool pump strainer housing with a basket and lid that works perfectly. They are inexpensive and have a 1-1/2 inlet and outlet for piping. They will not freeze and break because the water is constantly moving and around 50 degrees. I have never seen anyone else utilize this method. It works great for my purpose. I should also mention that the lids for these strainers are clear or smoke grey. I found it necessary to paint the lid black to keep algae from forming inside. It takes about 30 seconds to remove the lid and pull the basket and empty it. I will often find a salamander or small crayfish. My dad would say that means the water is pure and fresh. Otherwise they wouldn't be there. I look forward to seeing how your spring turns out. Take Care

The more water you have is great

Yes it is

I have found a couple of springs on my property and need to learn how to build a spring box. This will be interesting to follow.

I agree. Educational and very entertaining. And you need to give your dog a a role in the film so he won't be as tempted to steal the shot. Keep up the good work.

6:43 that was honestly my fav part. I wish I could taste that water.

Our mountains are full of natural springs. Around us alot of folks use ibc totes in series going down the slope of the mountains. God really blessed West Virginia. I'm not sure how well they deal with freezing temperatures, but itd work great 10 months out if the year,lol.

On my moms property in Braxton county wv we had spring water was 700 feet from house 1000 gal holding tank. Had to put valve on line to cut flow down. Going to house Property was on a hill from house to creek below was approximately 300 feet. Looked like the area you were in our spring was at the base of a large red oak tree

Build a springbox and feed a ram pump pumping the water to a cistern up hill for storage and with a gravity feed to your visitors area for water usage. Of course would have to decide how much water you could get into a spring box initially to decide if this was feasible. Now you might want to search for more possible small springs that would also feed your storage/cistern to increase the final GPM.

A gallon per minute is more than an average family uses a day. ( on average ). 1440 minutes in a day. If you install a 1000 gallon sistern you should have enough water to shower, wash your cloths, wash your dishes, and wash your car, every day. You'd probably have enough to water the garden as well.

Your spring looks exactly like mine in north Michigan

Hey, you made a passing reference to “driving a pipe back” and a “springbox.” It sounds like there’s a system or a method you’re aware of. What is that system? What are the other parts and methods?

I'm going to assume any amount of flow is good its just a matter of how fast you get refilled. So biggest tank you can do would be a very wise choice.

Peak demand is 6 gpm. The average person uses 120 gallons of water per day. So you can have a slow spring if you have a large holding tank

Hey guys! Has there been any follow up on this spring? (I can't seem to find it if so) We're definitely interested in watching what y'all do with it, or any other springs you find! We're off grid about an hour or two south of you ourselves, and have just found what we believe are two springs on our five acres, but they're in lower spots on the property, with our cabin being higher.. so the search continues! Would love any extra insight into spring hunting out here. Looking forward to more, thanks!

You can make that work for you and your retreat.

You can always run that into a condenser 🤪

Remember Salt and Crawdads and a Dam it work for my Great grand Maw Granie Springs it is called and still running 🏃‍♀️.

You do realize that she did not INTENTIONALLY make the sticks hit the camera. Surely, you are also aware that she is INTELLIGENT ENOUGH TO KNOW that it is not good for the camera. Saying “please” does not make it sound any less nasty. I had subbed. And was going through your videos. But I’m sure I can find more pleasant people to watch. Give your wife a hug and kiss. You owe her one.

@peterdavila3045

2 жыл бұрын

I think it was the dog walking around that pushed the branches into the camera.

@jtpromolab

Жыл бұрын

Pretty sure the dog had a stick in it's mouth. 🤦‍♂️

As you produce these videos on springs and spring houses, please address if the water flow is seasonal or not. Is the water flow year round?

On that spring box . You should not consider the "overflow " pipe . All that water is from the other three pipes . So , you would use those three ONLY . For a GPM calculation ,

Even a minimal flow spring better than none depending on circumstances a series of water reservoirs with fill float controls to stop flow waste Note even a dripping faucet waste large amounts of water if not contained weekend retreat mean not constant demand allows for resvoirs to fill

Did he ever build a spring box? What episode? ✌️

I have a pond on my property that started out a mud hole and the previous owner built up around it and put in an overflow pipe. The water never reaches the over flow and never goes dry. Further downhill from the small pond water comes out the side of the hill. I don’t understand where the water is coming from and why the pond never overflows or goes dry. I tested the water and it is good water. It’s about 6 foot deep is my guess. It’s full of frogs. How can I use this? Btw I live in Putnam county wv.

The spring we're developing is only producing 1.5 gpm. We're planning on a 2500 gallon cistern which will fill in 1 1/2 days so there should be plenty for a family of three. (fingers crossed). . Irrigation water will be pumped from a creek so that's not an issue. I'm curious if many people use a spring with an output this small?? Also, the water test did show coliform, but we're going to filter it and never plan on using it for drinking water.

@jodywhitehead9173

2 жыл бұрын

Do the math, that's over 2,000 gallons per day. Typical suburban household use is 80-100 gallons per day. Plenty.

@terriperry9434

2 жыл бұрын

Bleach gets rid of coliform. We had it in our well and the health dept had us dump bleach in it.

We use a spring to supply our homestead. We have a 350 gallon cistern with a submersible well pump that pumps the water about 50’ in elevation to a 1500 gallon storage tank, where it gravity feeds the homesite. I plan to put in a pond, for extra storage for livestock.

I thought they also used springs for refrigeration, making a spring house. The water is cooler? Maybe not for everything but having a pioneer or Amish type thing would be interesting. And cold water showers 8n the summer, yes sir.

Did you ever do more with this spring and is there another video?

4 gpm is good enough to

I would say that springhouse is putting out between about 15 to 18 gallons an hour.

@RedToolHouse

2 жыл бұрын

minimum for a house from a well is 6 GPM or 360 gallons per hour. This spring house is supplying three different residences. At minimum, it is producing 45 GPM or 2700 per hour.

@golfbravowhiskey8669

2 жыл бұрын

@@RedToolHouse In my area of East Texas we are kind of like your area without the hills we are timber country, I live on 389 acres that I purchased myself in different parcels over the last 20 years. And it is riddled with springs and seeps. Last year I dug a big pond and we hit a spring in the bottom of it with the track hoe. It’s a good thing we were almost finished because within two days it filled up to2.7 acres of surface water about 8 foot deep. it’s amazing the water that can come out of the ground when you least expect it.

I’m so sorry I have been watching you for over a year now and I didn’t even know that I didn’t hit the subscribe button. My question is how do I ask you to view a property that I purchased, I only bought this because of your videos and have never been there. I’m an ER nurse and I travel for my profession and have enjoyed your educational videos and have shown me that West Virginia are great people. Please let me know when you’d be able to visit my property I had just purchased and how to pay for your services. I would love it if my property is part of your video library l.

Hello, what is the source of your spring water. Because it is hard for us to understand that water can flow from the top of a mountain. Where does it come from first?

@user-tu9cy9tp2t

Жыл бұрын

It's called an aquifer.

Comment

Check out a channel on KZread called “Base camp WNC” he has lots of info on capturing springs & will answer any questions you have

Your wrong one gal ppm is more than enough if you have a good water storage

ivxevk #von.ong

I'm thoroughly mystified why you would need 6 gallons per minute, that's a huge amount. You must have a lot of livestock.

you dont understand.. we like seeing kids and dogs in your shots

Your dog is annoying

@RedToolHouse

2 ай бұрын

Whoa, that is crossing the line. You can say my wife is ugly and my boys are dumb but nobody maligns my dog!