A farm owner caring for about 100 animals found that a little preparation went a long way when their well stopped working.
With roughly 200 gallons of water stored, the household thankfully had enough to keep the animals supplied for about five days, buying crucial time to arrange the repairs. The homeowner took to Reddit's r/TwoXPreppers forum to share their story.
Here's what to know
In the Reddit thread, the original poster wrote that "A week or so ago I was watching some YouTube videos encouraging prepping before the election. I got a bug up my butt and put up around 200 gallons of water in some food grade barrels and empty 2 liter soda bottles."
The OP then added, "Yesterday, our well gave up the ghost. Because I found and filled those containers, we have roughly 5 days where a dead well is just an inconvenience rather than a crisis." Because of the poster's foresight, she protected her family and animals, including cats, a dog, poultry, goats, and sheep.
Other commenters streamed into the thread to share their own experiences with well failures. For one commenter, a neighbor's offer to share a hose helped during a six-week water outage. The underground power line supplying the well had failed within two weeks of the household's move to a rural property.
At another commenter's property, pumping equipment and a water softener shared a shed with a larger backup supply, including two 1,500-gallon water storage tanks. Even without electricity, that commenter could retrieve water from the tanks using a bucket. The setup also allowed for water deliveries during pump trouble and got them through Texas' 2021 winter storm without problems.
TCD Picks » Quince Spotlight
💡These best-sellers from Quince deliver affordable, sustainable luxury for all
A third user wrote, "Good work, friend! My husband and dad installed a 2nd well on our property this past summer. I kinda thought it was a lot of money… but then it filled our ag pond to the brim. Our fish are so happy. So now we have a backup well which is comforting, too."
Where can I learn more?
When a well fails, keeping animals watered comes down to how much water is on hand and how long it will last.
• A woman seeking water during outages got advice to start with a transfer switch.
• A prepper considering 25 water barrels faced garage-floor concerns and suggestions for a cistern.
• After losing water twice, an off-grid homesteader harvested 10,000 gallons from one storm.
Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
