GET A HANDLE ON YOUR WELL

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The only special tool I needed to install the apparatus was a hole saw with a 1-1/4" bit, which I used to bore a circle through the well cap. And though I opted to build a small wooden pump house out of scrap lumber to mount the water hauler on, you could simply attach the pump to a picnic table or even directly onto the well cap itself.

THE PROOF'S IN THE PUMPING

We've had our hand pump setup almost three years now, and it's proved to be a huge success. We initially thought we might resort to it only occasionally during an emergency, but it actually gets used almost every day. Why, the neighborhood children actually wore out our original pump the very first summer we had it in operation! (Even on the hottest days, the water it produced was clear and ice-cold.)

We now have a more expensive "force" pump. This machine has a pressure chamber and two faucets, allowing us to pump an icy shower or — by connecting a garden hose to one of the spigots — to water our flowers and vegetables. But best of all, we no longer have to haul buckets to the house during a power outage, as we did with the earlier-model pump. By running a hose between the well and a nearby outdoor faucet, we're able to refill our water storage and heater tanks and/or pump water directly to any tap in the house! And although we still don't actually welcome those occasional periods of temporary electrical power failure, when they do occur we no longer anxiously await the dripping of the faucets.

Now if we could just remember to restock that box of emergency candles, we'd be all set!

EDITOR'S NOTE: Models similar to the force pump referred to by the author are available for $110 (Model No. 51-47) and $117 (Mode/No. 51-51), exclusive of shipping charges, from Cumberland General Store, Dept. TMEN, Route 3, Crossville, Tennessee 38555.

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