Game Over! RUNNING OUT OF WATER Off Grid
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
- OUR WORST NIGHTMARE; We're running out of water living off the grid in Central Portugal, the well is nearly empty is it GAME OVER? We fit an anti vortex attachment to try get some water up our land. We go down our well with a long ladder for the first time as It's a race against time to save our plants in our homestead garden.
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Is it game over? Our well is nearly empty, with a lack of pressure the pump won't pump 🙄
We do days and days of trouble shooting... We go down into the well with 1 day of water left....
On top of that the heatwave continues! Nearly always smiling though! Hope any challenges this week has thrown at you, you've overcome?
As, always thanks so much for your support. We've been asked by so so many lovely peeps to do Patreon so you can support us and get early access to videos, behind the scenes etc...
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Thanks for watching 💚
If you ask any old portuguese farmer for advice they"d say the best place to have your vegetable garden (horta) is close to the well.
In the video I can see plenty of lush green ferns around the well, that means there is enough moisture in that soil right now to keep them green, so It would be a good area for vegetables too, requiring less watering and staying fresh for longer.
Any soil where ferns grow is good & fertile = an old soil, but you need to dug their roots up by hand and get rid of them. Any bits left will sprout back, you won't be able to take them all out in one season, because there will always be some that remain and come back to life.
Don't use a mechanical digger or tractor, it will chop up the fern roots and they'll propagate even more & faster. That's why the fern roots have to be dug up by hand. Job for winter months to keep warm, with a good hoe, in time for planting veg in spring.
Best soil is usually near wells and streams.
Also see how the portuguese plant their veg together in a continuous area, creating an oasis. When you irrigate a continuous area it retains moisture for longer and taller veg help shade shorter ones. Don't scatter veg around, keep them as close as possible, with minimal space to walk between them.
The portuguese way of irrigation is also better at coping with hot weather, have a look how they do it.
Maybe something for next season...
This year has been bad for crops everywhere because of the heatwaves, in Europe there's already a loss of 15% and it's only July.
Agree Donna, the bottom is too far away from us as we cannot yet live down there. So pumping and future water solutions it is for now. Although next year we will grow potatoes, onions and corn down there and use flood irrigation.
This year also was an experiment of sorts to understand the land, the shade, the micro climates, wind etc... So next year we will make further improvements 🌿💚
That was very kind of you to share .
Ireland has had a wet wave plenty of Rainshine last weekend.
Nice, what we'd give for rain!!
The Galway Race's wet and windy day. Aug Bank holiday weekend to be wet and windy. Send on some Sun in exchange for Rain.😁
Phew! That's a relief, a refinement to the system and all is good and better than expected. I couldn't believe how quickly 40 mins has passed watching this. Looking forward to the next update from the land and well done for all of your hard work.
Was a massive relief! And was, a bit of a long episode haha but we got water, yay... Now on to cleaning the well!!!
Hi, very very pleased for you. We know the feeling, we have one well empty, and the second has water, but we had difficulty getting the new pump to work.
Thank goodness the shop help to sort us out.
We keep checking the water level , to see if it can maintain a 4 meter depth of water.
When you have water it’s like having a pot of gold.
Certainly affecting so many with so lil rain this year... Our friends, same as you, 1 well dry other low 😢💦
Our next challenge is cleaning our well so we can try get more depth and a greater chance if the water lasting until it rains...
Good luck with your water too 💦🤞
Glad it worked. Water management when off-grid is vital. You are doing it well.
Thanks very much, all a learning curve, but with each solution it's one problem less 💚👌
Delighted that you found a solution🙂
Thanks so much Helen, such a relief 💚
Somehow I missed this update last week 🤷🏼♀️ fabulous news! 😊
I'm so pleased you got the water problem sorted. I'm delighted for you and so relieved. This heat is no joke is it 🥵🥵🥵
No the heat is very hard, 44 today.... 🌞🔥 So pleased we have water! For how long is the next issue 💦
Well done Dom - from holding the fort whilst Missy was so il to now getting life giving water up the land you are smashing it! Off gridding is neither cheap nor easy but ultimately the peace and tranquility of the silence is palpable, the sunsets are amazing and the wildlife and views unparalleled. Well done for saving the day and as we have found so often it is the community around you that makes all the difference. If you fancy a dip in a big salt water pool and some cocktails in air conditioned cool we would love to have you over some time!
Agree its so so beautiful here, the views, the peace the nature. Certainly challenging too but so rewarding!
We'd love to visit 💚 send us a message 👌
Thewildlandersoffgrid@gmail.com
👌👌
Thank God that worked🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
I'm not religious but I did do some water dancing and praying, so far looks good! 💧💦👌💚
@@TheWildlandersOffGrid next rain dance, maybe we can all help with that
That would be great 💃🕺🌧️💦💧
I was almost in tears, what Missy was saying about her plants may die, I must admit I was very worried fir the plants & animals who also need water & all of you peoples on the land, I am so so happy Dom managed to get it all sorted in the end, with the help of his friends aswell, all well that ends well, take care, sending you all, my love & hugsss 💕💙💕🌟🌷🌟
Aw thanks Jayne, was a lil bit concerned myself! Seems sorted now... But next challenge is to have enough water till it rains! 💦☔💦
To be off grid is not that easy as many think. We are since 2 years and we run in many problems we had to fix. This year is really hard here in Portugal. Until now our well is filling back every day but we're really nervous and are praying that September will bring back the groundwater in the river and into the well. My garden has recovered from the pests which I had to fight and the very hot days when the wind came from the south. Hopefully autumn brings the much needed rain!
Best wishes for you!
I feel your pain!
We're hoping with each year we'll have learnt more, and have more infrastructure in to ease each future year... So for next year we're thinking of putting a pond in the fruit forest, more trees and more shade.
Hope your water lasts too 💦💚
Really enjoy following your journey, pleased you got the water situation resolved, if if it is only a make shift solution.
Thanks so much John, we're getting there and discussing water plans for next year 💦💚
So much hard work. Hang in there. Hope your weather cools down soon.
Thanks Dee and it's even hotter now! 🔥🔥
Amazing Dom, ❤️ I’m sure you have to write a book 👍👍
Cheers 🐧🐧
Thanks and haha, I've considered it, I'm not much of a writer but I like the idea 💚📖📚
Que momentos tan duros se pasan, pero siempre se encuentran razones para seguir avanzando, nada es fácil. Saludos y mucha fuerza....
obrigado muito gentil de sua parte :)
Delighted for you guys
Thanks Noel was such a relief! 💦💚
Well done don knew you would nail it.hope all goes well with missy.
Cheers, Robert 💦😊
Glad you sorted it 👍👍👍👍
Thanks, we were so so relieved 💚
Flipping heck! Phew,That was a really good outcome,I'm made up for you guys . I felt your pain,Im having problems with my strimmer, works for a short while, then stops and refuses to start again and the grass is now waist high and beginning to fall over, of course making it harder.it does get quite tedious trying and re-trying things and it's been for a service. Also the water has been cut off (it turns out that the supply we were using isn't ours )at the dryest time. Still we have a stream at the bottom of the land,but that is getting low. So we soldier on,it certainly teaches you to work smarter. Great news about your land take care all xx
Aye it doesn't rain but doesn't pour either! All part of the journey... M glad your stream is still wet ours is dry as a none this year!
And don't talk to me, about strimmer! Our second is broken only used it once 😒
Hope, all goes well for you to
glad you got the pump sorted Dom you put a lot in to the land to loose it all. its hot nuff BACK IN WALES I Cant inmagine how dry it iss down there looking pukka fair play you got it sorted so lucky with the water well. thats a winner on its own hope it holds out for all your cropping :) all the best the GYP
Thanks Gyp 💚
I like the sun heat myself but 40 plus every day for months is too much... But the flipside is we have 9 months which are generally warm in the day not too wet most of the time... But certainly a challenge adapting not just to off grid life but also a completely different and harsh climate
on the pump inlet! is it on the bottom?... an idea is to get a big deep bucket or small barrel! drill loads of holes in the bottom no bigger than 6mm, then get either pool noodle or bycyle inner tube and cable tie two around the top of the bucket. these will allow the bucket to float.. the pump inlet is then placed in the floating bucket! this will stop roots , weeds etc a pre filter!.. good luck guys
Thanks again aiden, we will probably float it when it's deep enough after the rains 💦☔💚
OMG I was so worried but in the end so so happy that you have water. i did think that place had been there for possibly centuries and surely the well would not run dry! and it appears it hasn't what a fecking relief. i have mentioned this once before but we do plan on driving over at some point and would offer or services for a place to stay. I love that place. love and peace to you all xxx
Thanks Suzie, we are so relieved 💚
You're welcome to visit, just message us dates when you're over/ready 😍
Thewildlandersoffgrid@gmail.com
Well done, Dom!
Well thank you 👌💚
No easy in off grid mode...but resilience and goals setted mind give their fruits! In the future I will consider a bore hole with a solar pump, a water pillow (citerneo citerne souple) ou a fish pond liner with a wire around mesh (buwatec netherlands) , I've these 3 systems in my 17 ha off grid plot...alternatives is to build a deep pond or to make a ferrocement water tank for rain water harvesting. Keep safe!
Ti's hard at times but satisfying when solutions are found 💚
I'm sure like you after several years we'll have back ups to our back ups, just yesterday we were discussing a large deep natural pool in the fruit garden, great fir nature, easy to fill in the winter and emergency back up water for the summer 🌱💚💦
Absolutely excellent result……such hard work but isn’t it just grand that you’ve got friends who will help out ….well done guys.
Thanks, Isobel, so relieved and so grateful for so many friends 💚
Can sympathise with most of this, out first year we had no money for rain water collection materials and had 6 weeks without rain and not one person or news outlet mentioned it, like that’s normal. We’re lucky our well has never dried up yet, but the hand pump broke after 4 months and we have to physically pull the water up and carry it over 150m.
But you’re right, you try to make improvements every year and now we’ve got some rain barrels, and rain. Always a problem that needs solved, this year it’s swinging from 25 degrees in the day after the snow only melting in May…..and then dropping to 5 degrees at night. Great for the short summer we have to try and grow what we actually enjoy 🙃
We’ll probably get the first frost in October that will wipe out everything that isn’t had time to produce and then we go into -25 winter until April/May when we can grow something again. We don’t even have any heating such as a wood stove yet due to the bureaucracy here and disgustingly high prices and taxes.
Hope your plants adapt to this dry spell and pull through, I found getting everything in the ground kept plants sufficiently watered for longer (potted stuff withered fast) and mulching (even just cutting some grass) saved 60-80% water 🤞🏻
I feel your pain, adjusting here to extreme weather from very cold to crazy hot was a learning curve, least we're better prepared for the next year....
Although sometimes it's a time thing, for example we know we need to cut wood whilst it's dry but we have not. That will hit us when we need the wood burner on!
Hope your plants, are still surviving 💚
I cried when I saw that IBC filling up! I found this so emotional. Just love your attitude to life……we can and should all learn from you. “Keep calm and carry on” approach and I always try to remember what my old mum used to tell me when things didn’t go to plan…”Don’t worry be happy” …..seems like you have mastered these so well! ~ Lin xx
Thanks Lin, we were so relieved to get so much water 💦💚
And your mum was right! We always try either solve the problems or come up with a solution 😁
If you ever decide to sell up in Portugal, head to Co Clare in Ireland, buy bit of land, I can guarantee you won't be short of water!
And everything will grow, lots of blessings you will get it sorted, 🙏👍
Thanks Patti 💚
We've no plans to move for the forceeble future... Weather is lovely here but harsh, mainly about understanding it and having the infrastructure to deal with it.... Certainly things grow easier your way....
@@TheWildlandersOffGrid yes I can understand that, we live in a very parched area of Almeria Spain, I can grow tomatoes and herbs, only in spring time. But my heart still belongs in Ireland. 🇮🇪♥️
I love Almeria 💚
Have you tried improving the soil coupled with lots of shade....
@@TheWildlandersOffGrid yes, have shade and have been following (gardnering) tips, if that's a word😂 I've harvested the lads of the tomatoes, even the poor raspberrie Bush and apple tree are getting sunburnt. Like you, I'm practicing to see how certain things grow, the heatwave had really put paid to some plants😢😏
Will done guys great job
Thanks Stan 👌 was, a relief 💚💦
You need to dig the well a meter or 2 more to see if it provides more water
Yep we're on it as we speak 👌💚
Hi Dom
Very well done for sorting the pump, such a pain for you guys in all that heat. Just an idea, but is it pheasible for you to create a reservoir at the top of the land with a pit and tarps? That way you could collect the winter rains and supplement the well in the hotter months and maybe eek out the wter supply in the well. We have seen many of these such features at farms in rural Spain, we foolishly thought that they were swimming pools but they were not they were storage vessels for irrigation.
We are in awe of you guys, we love you to bits.
Stay well and don’t forget some R and R for all of you is allowed!
Best wishes
Peter,Kim and Bentley 👍🐶😁🥵🍷🍺
Hi too the 3 of you, and a fabulous idea 💡 we're getting a tractor digger on loan in a couple of months so digging a pool for rain and winter when the Wells full of water is a fabulous idea 💦😍
Hi Dom
Another thought for your pump/big pipe priming issue! If you installed a valve on the pressure side of the pump and then installed a T valve below this, you would be able to close the valve on the pressure side and retain the water in the black pipe, then open the T valve and the pump would prime as not so much head pushing back on it, then when full flow obtained, you could quickly reverse the valves with the pump running and flow should be good! Those were just my thoughts, but of course I’m not there trying to do it. Whatever method you adopt, you must be proud of yourselves as this certainly has been a trying time for you 3.
Best wishes for now and our very best wishes, Peter,Kim and Bentley 👍🐶🍺🥵
Hi folks that's was hard work getting the water from the well good job and your friends were one hand to help. Always enjoy your blogs
Thanks Colin, thank god for great friends eh 💚👌
Wonderful that you’ve got these great friends to have helped you got that water problem sorted .
Thanks Sandy and so wonderful everyone supports each other here, wonderful friends 💚💚🌱
Water is huge problem in Portugal since my teenager life time. Climate change we are begining these journey. Best Regards Nuno Portugal
And sadly will get worse 😒💦
Why don't you place an ibc near the well and fill it then connect the pump to the ibc and then pump it up land to your other ibc
Hi, we've discussed this, we may look at that but I'm confident we've sorted the issue now, especially now we're also cleaning the well 💦😊
Well done you ...glad it has been sorted
Thank you, a big relief 💚👌
Wow so pleased that all your hard work and determination paid off!! You’ve done such an amazing job in your land! Love watching your vlogs and following your journey 💗💕💕
Thanks so much we are so relieved to have water 💚💦
What a hard time, guys. But you overcome with the help of good friends. Friends are everything. So is water! Well done
Thanks Vicky, agree freinds, water and here also shade 🌞💦💚
Wow I was just about on the edge of my seat. Great news that you got the water supply sorted out, it’s not just the fact that the plants would of perished but it’s your food source. Well done
Thanks diesal and hope we didn't damage your seat!
Hi there new to your channel but I do no a bit on pumps . As I used to pump fitter . Your have this problem all the time as you have wrong pump you need a submersible pump similar to the one in your van that you drop in the tank. So you elemalate any air in hose from the start. 3kva generator and a 2” sub pump will work every time . Hope this helps 👍🏻
Cheers Sly good advice 👌👌
If were all here this time next year that will mean I'm still smiling.😁 It's all coming to a head. All the best guys 🕺 ❤️
Haha very true! And same to you 😊
So pleased you solved it. Stay safe.
Thanks so much and such a, relief 💚💦
Love watching the wildlands you guys are doing an amazing job from Nova Scotia Canada
Aw thanks for watching all the way in Canada 💚
Hi, great to see you came up with the best solution in the end and that the plants won’t die. Still love seeing the progress you all are making on your land and in your wilderness life. Cheers Sue
Cheers, Sue, another thing solved, so relieved 💧💦💚
Well done for sorting the water problem out what a relief, heatwave in Spain too the last couple of days, we have the luxury of a tap so can imagine how hard this has been to solve in the heat can pickle the brain a bit. The plants will be happy look forward to next video
Thanks Hazel, still in heatwave here, expect you are too, crazy hot!
Plants are happy with decent water but not so happy with 40 plus every day.... Next year lots of shade!
You can get the local bombeiros to deliver you water to fill up IBC tanks. We did that in the very dry year of 2017. We paid €20 for 1000 litres.
Thanks but we couldn't afford that as we're using 1000 litres nearly a day ☹️
Great work there. So pleased it worked for you. Stay safe and well. All the very best to you all. Cheers 🍻.
👍🐾🪴😎
Cheers Rob so so pleased we got this bit sorted 💦💧💚
Now to clean the well!!
Get a tee the size of the inlet, fit it just before the pump! and two foot of pipe with a ball valve on the end!. to prime the pump open valve fill inlet pipe close valve and start pump.. hope that makes sense..
Aye it does thanks mate 💦💦💦
Awesome job there guys awesome 👍🏝👍💙💚💙
Cheers Zero 💦😊
Very cool how a nightmare turned out to be a blessing in disguise and produce a much faster water fill up system.Bravo. I remember running out of water in spain and if no water to feed the plants by the morning sun coming up then it was dead plants. Me and my mate got our citreon van and put six 100 litre water tanks in the back and emptied my neighbours swimming pool whilst he was away.haha. It took a few 600 litre trips to empty his swimming pool but done it just as the sun was rising. Oh, we did replace my neighbours swimming pool water before he got back.ha.
Haha that's, a great story love it!
Strangely our situation is in a way brilliant as we're using 1/15th of the petrol and can now fill several 1000 l in less than 10 mins 💦😁
Thank God the water pumping solution worked. Total genius! Off grid is not for the faint hearted, especially with extreme heat and draught. 🙂👍👍
Absolutely it's definitely hard hard work off grid many challenges! But will get easier over time as we learn from our mistakes and improve our infrastructure 💚
Wow top work Dom glad you got it sorted!!
Thanks Rose and us to so so relieved 💦😄💚
Phew! That was a tense time for you. So pleased you were able to resolve the problem.
I have to say you certainly seemed to stay calm.
Well done 👏 x
Haha dunno if we were so calm off camera, but a few tipples helped 😂 and thanks 💚
Hey from Texas, sorry to see such sad circumstances. Good luck guys 🙏🙏🙏🙏
Thanks Linda, all part of the fun as they say!
Good work👍 hope u will have water until the rain comes, are u moving the veggies and others gowings to the bottom of valley to the next year, it looks to be green and good soil down there
Thanks Peter 💚🌱 sure we'll be fine now long as the well carries on filling through the rest of summer.
The bottom would be easier, but doesn't at this time work for us as all our pets chickens etc are at the top, we will defo though plant spuds, onions and corn there 🌱
Ah, fantastic ye got the water sorted x
Thanks, Denise, was such a relief ❤️💦
Well done. No pun intended xx😎
Haha and thank you 👌😁
What great pals.
Yep couldn't have done it without them 💚💦💧
consider putting household screen around the water inlet that is down in tge well.... but first put the inlet into a firm plastic container, like a bucket, then wrap in several layers of screen. Keep everything away from being sucked in. And inlet near tge bottom, but not touching the bottom.... I draw water using a system like that from a lake with an electric 2 h.p. pump and move it uphill at least 25 feet and 250 feet further away..... it works grear
t.
Thanks Ernie, not sure what household screen is though?
Hope alls going well at your place?
Over fifty years ago when I dealt with well water level problems, the country “wisdom” was to view the situation as an opportunity not a disaster.
Basically, well problems tend to recur. Happily, your current strategy has solved the problem for this week but possibly not for next year. So, what can you do to avoid having to revisit the issue?
With low well water, the first thing is to keep in mind that this is a good time to clean out your well. You may very well have a foot or two of debris in there which in turn displaces water and decreases your access to a low water table.
So clean the well while you can.
Then the next step is to get two or three pieces of 8-10 inch diameter cylindrical clay tile.
Then dig this into the center of the well.
Doing this in the center of the well preserves the stability of the existing walls.
It is important not to undercut the existing well walls.
In a sense you are creating a well within a well.
Keep in mind that the secondary well should be large enough to accommodate your step valve housing and accumulate water.
It doesn't have to be large however because, while small, it effectively increases the depth of your step valve and you then access all water table supply above the level of the step valve.
Remember to allow a short lip of clay pipe to extend above the bottom of the primary well.
Otherwise the secondary well will become a debris sink.
This secondary well will permit you to access a diminishing water table in the event of a prolonged drought.
One drawback of this system is that the secondary well will tend to collect debris so it will probably need to be cleaned out every few years if you have recurrent drought conditions.
As a young man, I assisted in three projects in which the wells were pumped out, cleaned, and augmented by up to a meter of additional ceramic clay pipe. The bore holes were actually dug with an auger style post hole digger (hand held). Two of the projects were a success, one was stopped cold by bed rock. These were variably two or three man projects and we are talking 25-35 foot wells. The projects sound laborious but actually, the two successful jobs were completed in variously two or three days. Since your well appears to be relatively shallow, the debris removal should be relatively easy using a tripod and pulley system.
Of course all these ideas are speculative, I don’t know your geology so I don’t truly know what is possible in your situation.
All the best
JK
Hi and brilliant feedback THANK YOU 💚
We're actually already clearing the well, we've found the spring that fills it, cleaned that, filling much faster 💧💦💚 we've got about an ibc worth of mud out thus far prob 2x more to go...
The well within a well is a superb idea, will get that in I think 💦💧💚
Again much thanks for that 👌
@@TheWildlandersOffGrid When I was young, we used clay pipe. Obviously, that's heavy and clumsy to handle. Today, it might be worth trying heavy duty plastic pipe. The pipe should last a long time as it will not be exposed to sunlight. 12-14 inch schedule 40 PVC would be relatively easy to handle and a meter of that would vastly increase your drought proofing.
Great vid Dom. Great to see all that lovely H2O pouring into the IBC's.
Was such a relief 💦💚 and thank you
Sorry about your water issues definitley need to build a water tank and you will have a pool to dip in, and two more IBC tanks may help, and a borehole for future should be something to look into. Safe travels Missy and Rosie 💜
Thanks, Eco, a borehole is out of our budget, but we are discussing putting in a big nature pond in the fruit forest as back up water storage to 💦😍
So happy you got your where sorted and all went well for missy in London
Thanks Heather, lovely to have her back too 💚
Great job Dom well done glad all is good 👍
Thanks very much 💦💧🙂
I am so impressed with how you have grown... I wonder if two years ago say you would have known where to start with solving that problem.
Anyway well done and best wishes . It's 45 degrees here in Turkey most days but my garden is a lot smaller than yours. Take care.. love to I you all x
Aw tha ks and its definitely a learning curve everyday off grid, but our buckets of knowledge are slowly filling. We like you have another week of 40 to 45....
Hope you're enjoying Turkey?
Glad you got it sorted 👍
Thanks Gail, we were so happy! 🙂
Graças a Deus gente
A, pleasure and thank you 💚
Glad you got it fixed! I went through two different foot valves before I found the right one for my off-grid well. It's good to have a spare as a back up too. I'm using a 25mm irrigation hose with a plastic foot valve which seems to work just fine 7 meters down. I recommend a spare pump too. Water is too important :)
Agree Rona, we're working on irrigation, just not enough hours in the day especially in 40 degrees plus 🔥
what country are you off grid in?
@@TheWildlandersOffGrid we met once in the parking lot in Castelo Branco. I was driving around looking for a little place and found just what I was looking for in Ponte de Sor close by. Right now I'm in Netherlands for a few weeks, then I'll be back down in September with a van load of secondhand solar panels and supplies. I am bringing two secondhand pumps (back ups for my electric one). Can't wait to get back to Portugal!
Wow ,don that was a bit of touch &go !! , glad you have some water back .... question , if you only have a foot of water left in the well ?? How long will that last you . ??
I may have forgotten but is your well fed , from underground ?? Ie ell naturally , as you won't get much rain , for a couple of months ?? Hope all goes well , ha hasorry for punn !!!
Thanks Lee was a, relief....
Now there's, a question, 2 weeks ago we could draw 3000 litres in a go, today only 800 do it may run dry due to the drought. It's fed from a, spring near the well bottom... If the spring drops so the water table is below it it's game over 💦🙄
Maybe for next year dig bore hole and a couple more wells when you have the money
Good suggestion but that's some serious money to do either or :(
Perseverance has paid off along with a bit of research. Hope the well will now provide enough water to keep your crops alive until the rains come. Will you increase your water storage for next year?
Thanks, Ian such a relief and we hope it lasts too.... We've been discussing a pond 💦💦
Oh, so happy, you got it solved....
Aw thanks so much 💚
Hope everything is super with you
twitchy bum time for a while there Job well done boys .
I seem to remember someone saying it’s going to be a lot of work The wild lands 👍💙❤️
Haha it was and is a lorra work!
Twitchy bums all round indeedy 🤣😂
But water cometh💦💧
While you at the bottom of the well check out were the water come in and kleen it out if possible.
Funnily enough today is well cleaning day 💦😁
Here in Oklahoma iv lost my flowers n viggies way to soon ,was nice eating then 3dig temp the air is to hot ): I feel you I'm sad too
Aw I'm so sorry for your plant losses, so sad 😥 hope you can resolve things for next year 🌿💚
The next job is to get in the Well & dig out the sediment. Every inch gained of depth will lower your problems. Also I didn't realise that you were reducing the size of the pump pipe so dramatically. An inline valve is useful to slightly close as needed to increase the head pressure but you should never heavily restrict the flow of pumped water.
Thanks Gavin we went on the design done by professionals 😂 solved that now! 💦💧
And yep on our 3rd day of cleaning out the well, a lot of mud and silt down there! Found the spring that feeds it, magical 💚
Well done Dom! So relieved for you all. In time and when money permits, a borehole may help in the future.
Thanks Bimise we are so so pleased 💧💦😊
Woo...hoo...turned out great 👍
Thanks was, a result 💦💚💦
You need building reservoirs collect water winter season. Portugal / Península ibérica is very dry region. BEST REGARDS
It certainly is.... We planned and have 10,000 litres of storage but with the pump breaking, we'll fell behind on storage. I think next we'll put a pond in, fir nature but also with back up water storage 💦💚
Is there a neighbor (or other "homesteader" in the area) with water to spare...who could pump water into a water transporter and then refill your storage containers? I mean some folks may not need as much water this year....others may be willing to trade water/labor for something else that you have that they could use. Share veggies with their water? Whatever the trade...so many others in central PT help each other with projects, etc.
Great idea, we've lots of neighbours and we do trade and help each other. However the nearest is a, 10 min walk 😕💦
There is an abandoned well next to our land but its, at the same level as ours so will be on the same water table.... However IF its deeper we maybe able to try it out....
Fingers crossed we make it till the rains.... ☔🤞🤞
@@TheWildlandersOffGrid I just watched a video by Destino Portugal who accompanied his neighbor (via tractor and one of those large storage things you have) to another land parcel the neighbor owns. The neighbor needed to get more water from his other parcel for his own veg garden, etc. See if another could help you load up water in your storage tanks or theirs and pump into yours since you probably don't want to take your system down. I don't know how far away the others are from you...but it's worth contacting all YT in the area and see if they have a solution. Also start to research how to get rain water for the times when it does rain. Like many houses in PT do not have gutters so some people are installing gutters for 2 main purposes: a) get the water away from their house foundation and b) so they can set up rain barrels or other storage systems. If the barrel is raised above the ground on say a 2ft platform, it will make the gravity help the water flow more smoothly. I used to use the tedious task of getting the watering can full of water, watering, repeat about 8 more times. Then I realized (with help of internet articles and duh moments), that a two way splitter on the spiget would allow me to run a 50 foot soaker hose through a nearby strawberry patch and also down through the neighboring raised bed (which happens to be same level as the strawberry bed (though not raised). Weeds got plenty-o- water..so they were a bear but soooo much easier to let the soaker hose do the job. Two-way splitter allows you to get water out of barrel if necessary w/o taking off the soaker hose, etc.
I live in a place where we get harsh winter temps, frost, etc...so at end of season...I empty fill plastic containers like milk jugs, juice bottles, water bottles, cat litter containers, former vinegar jugs, thoroughly washed laundry soap containers, etc....with all the water in the barrels. I have plants indoors and sometimes I bring in veggies that are still growing and grow in winter vertically. The plants love this rainwater...they do not thrive well in winter on city water. My cats love the rain water too...so they get it in their water bowls. I store the water filled containers on a very large shelf in garage. Sometimes it is cold enough outside to freeze the water in the unheated garage...then I have brought in the water...to the basement, to the second half of the bathtub that doesn't get used in a shower, to any possible location where they won't freeze. Watch out if they do freeze, the plastic of bottle breaks so I usually set into a sink to test it out before I bring the jug into house...just in case it froze and didn't notice.
If you research earthship off grid house models (New Mexico, US) they have some other ideas about gathering water in a place where it doesn't rain much.
If by chance you know someone who lives near Porto where it rains more especially in Winter, see if there is a way to harvest their rain water and transport the storage container, back and forth. Tedious yes...but off grid living does have some issues especially in places where rain is a scarce resource. Some people actually have streams or springs on their property and they don't need all the water. (Keeping enough water in the stream to maintain the stream wildlife habitat, etc...but maybe it's possible to get some water in that way.)
Have you heard of the fb group DIY Home Remodeling/Reconstruction (no adverts)? It is a group which is primarily a discussion about possible solutions. People ask about what others have done in particular circumstances. If they have a motor issue, if they asking about solar panels, water heaters, heating systems, gray water systems, paint, tile, roofing material, you name it. It is all about sharing knowledge and possible solutions. (There are other groups who advertise construction material leftovers or wrong materials bought, etc...so that's why they say no adverts.) Good group to learn from...esp learning from people who have been in PT for years!
🙏🙏 for all folks in Portugal during this horrific heat wave . You are not alone. I have a question. Can you dig a well?
Good question think generally speaking farmers of old dug Wells anywhere they could so probably not, you can put in a bore hole but that's a contentious subject... Thankfully we're cleaning our well and should solve our problems hopefully 💧💦💚
You must wonder why the farms were abandoned. Was it a drought? But thankfully modern equipment and expertise can overcome.
Here the land is very arable but this year's drought is an anomaly, whether its global warming and continues getting worse we shall see 😒 sadly farming here in the old ways is literally dying out, there's only 5 Portuguese farners left around us all in there 70s and they say their children had no interest in farming.... But as you say always a way, just a lack of infrastructure here, but with each challenge and each year hopefully it will get easier 💚💦
Well done for engineering a solution :) just a little discussion, some research and hey presto! and not a politician in sight :)
Haha very true, politians would have had to debate it for eons too 🤣 was to Paul's credit mind 💚💦💧
How are you getting on are you winning the heat battle ?
Still a draw! Was supposed to be cooler today but went over 40 again! 🔥🔥
Ah the vortex thing is interesting! I had a much smaller pump with the same green pipe setup trying to get water out of a very shallow cistern. Ever-flowing but it leaks so in summer the water doesn't accumulate to much of a depth. Eventually I gave up and got a submersible pump instead and it's been flawless ever since (knocking on wood), even at fairly shallow depths. Do you know if your well fills from ground water also? Or is it just a matter of waiting for the rain? Or hard to say? Great video! Pumps and plumbing sucks when it's not working but when you crack it, it feels great!
Hi yes the vortex thing was Paul but he was right 💚
We decided against a submersible as we couldn't afford a solar system to power it by the well plus the well gets so shallow in the summer. Its defo perpetual filling as we've been cleaning out the well the past few days and we've found a spring at the bottom, now that's clear of mud it's filling up much faster 💚🌱💦💧
Hope alls going well on your land 💚🌿
@@TheWildlandersOffGrid All good over here! Luckily my leaky tank keeps an ok level of water in it for my pump but water issues are always on everyone's mind! Glad it's all sorted and the well is looking good!
Thanks and good luck with your water for the rest of the summer 💦🤞
U need New water tank near pump because of presure and then u pump water from tank uphill
Hi Jan, possibly, we might do this if we get into a worse situation, currently we're cleaning the well to get more depth 💦💦
Living off-grid is not for sissies. The water issue is a nightmare, I went through the same.
Haha very true! Certainly isn't an easy life, but certainly a lovely life 💚
How's your water holding up?
you shd do swales on contour,build big pond,so rain when comes is re charging
Absolutely pond is on the list 💦💦
What about a bore hole? Expensive but may be necesary long term.
Yep we've discussed it but not a fan vs too costly 😔 I think a pond maybe going forward 😁
How’s Martin? Is he still about
He's very cool, he came over for boys night, that was messy haha and we're off to see him 2mor for pizza's. He's off now working and staying where he works as he's saving for land 💚
Where is your non return valve on your supply line any plumber will tell you to install a non returnvalve on your system i also think with the low supply of water your head is to high this may cause problems
That's completely true, our pumps head is greater than the actual head but with the well dropping radically it's reduced the pressure. The system was designed by qualified specialists in pumps who didn't design it well... At least its sorted now, we've bought non return valve now 💦
@@TheWildlandersOffGrid been in the plumbing game for over 40 years last 12 at a multi story hospital where we had many a day struggling with pressure pumping systems so glad you sorted your problem with out water youre stranded !👍👍👍
Are you able to take the IBC to a water sauce in a vehicle and fill it not sure if the weight then bring it back then pump it to another IBC just a thought
Hi Tony, possibly, but probably not practical or doable on our quality tracks
Good work..but those Pumps need a Foot Valve or non return valve.. also don't have Elbows on the Feed from the Pump to the IBC as the Creat a Restriction and the Pump has to work harder 😳 Good Luck to You in a very trying Heatwave 👍
We just followed the design based on the Wells depth and head height of the land by the pump shop! We know better now!
And thanks 👍
youre land has massive potential for swales ponds etc,make this a priority,to re charge natural water levells
Agreed, some all swale in place but we defo need to do more, and more shade. We'll be on this before next summer, learning all the time! 💚🌱
Dom can't you buy water from you're local Camra ? I know Portugal is in drought but normally the bombeiros deliver water to you at a cost 🤔. I don't mean to tell you how to suck eggs I'm just curious to know if they're still doing it with the drought.
Hi, not from the Camara, but there is a local farmer who does as a last resort, least it's an option 😁
@@TheWildlandersOffGrid ah right because I know people have had to get it delivered in the past where my place is in the Algarve. Everyday is a learning day so glad you sorted your water situation . Fingers crossed 🤞 for rain hopefully next month take care
When the well is low, would be a good time to clean it out a bit,, every bucket of "crap" removed it a bucket of extra water,, and you might even get better flow to the well.
Absolutely, and we're about to start this chore this very morning 💦💚 will film our progress, hope you're well 😁
@@TheWildlandersOffGrid Awesome :-) I am very Well :-) and keeping the water level high 🙂
I just did a search on ebay for IBC fittings,, there is a lot available. (that would fit on the big 60mm thingy)
Brilliant video bro
Cheers brother! Let's catch up on a call soon 💚👌
Saved by the bell-phew! :-)
Haha yep just in time 💚💦🥑⌚