BaseCamp WNC

Welcome back to Base Camp WNC! Today, I'm going to talk about the largest spring box I think I've ever built. This one is either for myself or Mr. Chuck. Both springs are quite old, drawing water from the hillside, but we do get a little dirt and sediment in them. If you’ve watched my channel before, you’ll notice that I rigged up a filter on the outflow pipe to catch some of the sediment, and it works really well. Mr. Chuck has a similar issue with his spring, which we’re currently working on. As I’m going to show you in this video, the setup involves two 15-gallon drums. One drum has the top cut off and fitted to the bottom of the other, making use of both tops. This configuration allows water to enter through a tube that directs it downward, encouraging sediment to settle at the bottom. I also have my usual filters installed in the system. The overflow pipe is located on the side, where the filtered water will exit and flow into the catchment system. Here’s how i...

Welcome back to Basecamp WNC! Today, we're doing some maintenance work on the water cistern here at my place. I’m starting at the spring head, also known as the spring box. According to local stories, this setup was built back in the 1960s for a teacher who lived in the area. The structure is made from laid-up cement blocks with a cement floor and a 1.5-inch Pollock pipe feeding water through. Behind the dark-painted door is the water system that I’ll be walking you through shortly. The last time I cleaned this out, it was filled with a good amount of dirt that had washed down over time. I do a thorough cleaning every couple of years. I was hoping to strike gold in the dirt, but it turns out all I found was more dirt! The creek here is one of the headwaters that feeds the French Broad River in Western North Carolina. We’re quite high up, so there’s no pollution—just clean, natural spring water flowing through. I tried filming inside the spring head for a closer look, but ...

Welcome Back to Base Camp WNC It's finally here! I mentioned in a video from Thursday or Friday (can't quite remember which) that I’ve been eagerly awaiting this moment. We’ve got our hands on the 3000-watt solar pump system that allows you to take your AC well pump completely off-grid. It converts your pump to solar power with AC backup and battery support. Now, I could go on about sales reps. They said this system was ready four months ago, but it took all this time to actually get it to the customer. It’s frustrating to deal with delays like that, especially when it reflects poorly on me. But, at last, it's here! This 3000-watt system is designed to handle up to a one and a half horsepower, 220-volt well pump. It comes with an MPPT charge controller and an inverter. It's a split-phase 220 inverter, meaning you get two 110-volt lines with a neutral in between. Let’s dive into how this all works. They offer three different sizes of this system: 3000 watts,...

Got a new post on the Carolinahomesteadplanner.com site called Bailing hay to feed the cows this winter . Read the full post by heading on over here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWfPRZzUYsw

Got a new post on the Carolinahomesteadplanner.com site called Making hay to feed the cows all winter . Read the full post by heading on over here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZgxVh2GjE8

Welcome back to Base Camp WNC! We're continuing our series on water system installation, focusing on a future campground in Mountain City, Tennessee. This episode covers setting up a water tank, installing pumps, and getting the water flowing. Let's break down the process: Tank Placement: Arrived on-site with the 1500-gallon tank Used boards to slide the tank off the trailer Rolled the tank uphill to the pre-dug hole Site Challenges: Dealt with 2.5 tons of water in the hole Managed continuous spring overflow Pumped out excess water and mud Tank Installation: Positioned the tank in the hole Installed two pumps inside the tank Used plastic tubes and PVC pipes for water direction Kept pumps 6 inches off the tank floor for sediment control Pipe Installation: Inflow line: Ran spring water line through PVC pipe Drilled hole in tank and installed male adapter Outflow line: Repeated process on opposite side of tank Used conduit and heat-clamping te...

Welcome back to Base Camp WNC! Today, we're continuing our Pump and Spring Water Project.  This is Part 2. In this episode, we'll cover: Assembling a water expansion tank Plumbing the system Explaining key components (pressure switch, relief valve, faucet, and shut-off valve) Let's begin with assembling the pressure tank: Start with the T-joint for attaching a water release valve. Add a pop-off valve, similar to the one on your hot water heater. This prevents the pump from over-pressurizing and damaging your pipes by releasing water when necessary. Install a shut-off valve on the outflow side. This allows you to shut off the water without losing all the pump pressure. Attach the pressure switch on top and the pressure gauge on the side. Use Teflon tape and joint compound on all connections for a secure seal. Assembly process: First, remove the shipping plug from the tank to keep out dirt and critters. Apply Teflon tape to the joints and start assembling...