Arrangement of an autonomous water supply system for a summer cottage or cottage does not require any permits, it will save time and nerves. And sometimes this is the only way to provide water at home. There are many companies that deal with this issue professionally. If you decide to equip your own water supply system with your own hands, carefully read our recommendations. They will help to avoid mistakes and with minimal losses to get a quality result.
Pros of Autonomous Water Supply
- You control the pressure in the system. Often, the pressure in the centralized water supply of a country cooperative is not enough to fully irrigate or maintain a bathroom on the second floor of the house;
- You always have a supply of water. Equip the autonomous water supply station with a storage tank. If you turn off the electricity, the house will not remain without water. The second important function of accumulators and membrane tanks is to maintain pressure in the system;
- Guaranteed water quality. Before being supplied to the house, water from an autonomous water supply source is filtered (if necessary) and supplied through plastic pipes. Most centralized systems consist of old metal pipes, so everyone is used to rusty, muddy water.
Preliminary estimates
Do it yourself with your own hands to begin calculating the autonomous water supply of a country house by determining the amount of water necessary for the comfort of the cottage residents. After calculating the pump power, type of automatic protection system. Based on the data obtained, it is possible to select equipment for the installation of autonomous water supply.
The standard scheme of autonomous water supply of a private house or summer house includes:
- place of water intake;
- water pumping mechanism;
- pressure meter;
- membrane tank or accumulator;
- filter and other devices, if necessary, pipes, taps, adapters, valves.
If an autonomous hot water supply system is planned, a heating device is provided at the cottage. It can be an electric boiler, a gas double-circuit boiler or a heat exchanger built into a wood-burning stove.
Water supply
The selection of an autonomous source of water supply is the first stage of work. As a rule, choose one of the following options:
- sand well;
- artesian;
well.
The cheapest and easiest autonomous source of water supply - well water. But the well will not be able to provide large volumes of water - no more than 200 liters per hour. This is enough to water the garden, but then you have to wait until the well is full. Water quality is also doubtful. The wells of mice or birds are often found in wells; after floods, the water does not have time to filter out the soil and carries all the dirt from the area into the well. One advantage of a well over a well is that it is easier to clean.
Well “on the sand” supplies water from an upper aquifer no deeper than 30 meters. To supply water to the well, a submersible pump is lowered. The quality of the water from the well “to the sand” is not bad, but periodically the well should be cleaned of siltation. And it is recommended to filter the water. Water volumes are also enough for residents of one cottage or summer cottage. Problems can arise with autonomous water supply from the well “to the sand” only when filling the pools.
Artesian well This is the best option for autonomous water supply.Water is supplied from the deep layers under its own pressure, so it is not filtered. A good well is enough to provide water to residents of the whole village. And the only minus of artesian wells for autonomous water supply is that it is difficult and expensive to drill. The duration of drilling with special equipment can reach one and a half weeks, so the artesian will cost a pretty penny. It is impossible to equip such a source for autonomous water supply of a country house without the involvement of equipment and professionals. Own artesian well must be registered, because deep waters are strategic reserves of the country.
A sample of water obtained from an artesian well is handed over to the laboratory for research! In a crystal clear liquid, there may be unacceptable concentrations of mineral salts or metals.
Artesian wells are divided into perfect and imperfect. Perfect well provides very large volumes of water because it passes through the entire aquifer. The well is filled very quickly and there is enough water in it for everyone. Imperfect well only comes to the aquifer. It is good with a fairly powerful aquifer that does not need to be opened completely.
One of the good options for water supply of a country house, available for DIY manufacture - abyssinian well. Installation of this compact and inexpensive design for autonomous water supply is simple. Some residents of private homes set the Abyssinian well directly in the underground.
Water supply to the house
The most comfortable and expensive option for water supply with autonomous water supply is a pumping station. Its equipment requires a pump, an electric motor, a hydraulic accumulator and a pressure sensor. In this autonomous water supply scheme, the pump starts and stops on its own, and a certain amount of water is always contained in the membrane tank of a private house. The pump station provides the necessary pressure, sufficient, for example, for a spa bath. The equipment of the autonomous water supply station is placed in a specially designated room. A strainer is put on the end of the outlet pipe and the pipe is lowered into the well. At least 35 cm should remain to the bottom. To fix the placement of the pipe, it is attached to the pin, driven in advance into the floor of the well. A simplified version of the water supply is a set of submersible pump, diaphragm storage tank and float sensor.
The water main is buried in the ground deeper than the freezing mark. Additionally, the system is insulated from icing. A pipe is also introduced below the freezing level into the source of water intake.
A coarse strainer and non-return valve are located upstream of the pump, and a thin one with a carbon filler is placed in front of the distribution pipe in the house. Next, place the sensor and pressure switch. The entire station is fed from the control panel. In order for the station to work correctly later on, it is necessary to debug the pressure switch mode.
Pump selection
There are two types of pumps for autonomous water supply schemes of private houses: submersible and superficial. When selecting the main role is played by the properties of the water intake point. A medium-sized pump station is able to extract water from a well of 10 m and raise another 40 m. When the water intake point is far from home, it is more advisable to install a self-priming centrifugal pump equipped with an external ejector in an autonomous water supply system. If the depth of the water is not more than 7 meters, you can use the surface model, in other cases - submersible.
Submersible pumps are more powerful, small in size, so they can be operated on a limited area.
All pumps for autonomous water supply systems in the country and in the house are divided into:
- centrifugal;
- vortex;
- screw.
If there is a lot of sand in the water, preferably centrifugal
pump. But vortexes provide a greater pressure of water and
they are cheaper. And for open reservoirs use screw
pumps.
The scheme of the pumping station when supplying water from the well and the well is the same. But there is an alternative method of installing autonomous water supply - directly above the well, without using a separate room. To do this, equip the tank - caisson.
The order of construction of the caisson
- Dig a hole about 2.3 m deep around the borehole pipe. The diameter of the hole is two diameters of the caisson.
- Pour the bottom with concrete 25 cm thick.
- Lower the caisson into the pit.
- The pipe should exit the caisson by 0.5 m, the excess is cut off.
- To lay the water pipe, dig a ditch about 2 m deep.
- Lower the pump into the caisson, attach to the well pipe.
- The gap between the outer wall of the caisson and the ground is poured with concrete approximately 40 cm.
- When the solution has hardened, fill it with a mixture of sand and cement, leaving 0.5 m to the top.
- Lay a layer of earth on top of the cement-sand backfill.
- Install a pump accumulator with sensors and other equipment in the room.
- To interconnect equipment and pipelines, start the power supply.
- Fill the line with water, check for leaks.
Plastic or metal-plastic pipes are the best solution for an autonomous water supply system at home or in a summer house. Unlike metal, they do not rust, and you can organize an autonomous water supply system at home with your own hands without involving expensive craftsmen and special equipment.
Video on how to properly install the caisson:
