Bart Wolf

I have no problem with that policy, I am just trying to educate myself and keep my goats healthy.  Thanks.

I'm not eating my goats. I have them for lawn mowing and eventually I will breed them and *maybe* milk them.  I am only concerned with what needs to be done for their longevity and health. If nothing is what I need to do, then so be it, but I just want to be educated by folks who keep this breed in similar areas.  I understand the climate and environment can play a large role in the parasite loads they are exposed to, etc.  So I just want to make sure I am on the up and up.

Thanks.

Hi folks, I am new to goat ownership, had two Nigerians for about 4 months now.  I was told they had their CD&T shots and so I am now wondering, what is a proper regimen for Nigerians when it comes to deworming, vaccines, etc.  Like how often, what to administer, etc.  I am in Northern California (and yes, my chest hurts).

If there is already a thread that covers this, I apologize, I couldn't find it!

Thanks,
Bart

bruce Fine wrote:theres got to be a pump, probably down the well casing that pumps water into giant tank.
the pump inside pulls water from big tank to pressure tank. you said float switch outside, it turns pump on and off. pressure switch inside controls dayton pump to pressure tank.
those pumps can last many years. the one inside -that type pump the bearings in motor start to squeal, they can be replaced and will work for many more years. the pump seals can be replaced, dont touch them if you dont have to literally if you touch certain surfaces of seals with bare hands skin oils can cause problems.
if it works dont fix it. bad bladder in pressure tank can cause low water pressure and other problems like pump going on-off-on-off in quick succession. the only way to fix is to replace pressure tank.
there should be a bypass valve on top of softener. if you want to bypass it

Yeah, the booster pump seems to be a work horse for sure. I only want to replace it because it is pretty old and crusty.  I figure a new one would be cleaner and this way I have a backup if this one should ever fail.  I do understand they are pretty hearty units though. It's a Dayton pump, but it is discontinued.

Thanks.

bruce Fine wrote:black cyliner=water softner, white tank next to it salt tank for water softner.
where are you located? what part of country?
if your in municipality chances are the health dept will test your water for free
university of georgia has one of the best water testing labs/programs that exists, look online for it and you can choose what you want water tested for and send your samples off, no need to chlorinate or get a uv system if you dont have to.

OK yeah, those two are hooked together.  That makes more sense.  I don't think there is any filter at all then.  I am CA.  Thanks.

wayne fajkus wrote:I have a pic on first page of thread. Beats replacing yarn filters for sediment removal. Since you have a storage tank, maybe plumb it in before it reaches the tank. Any sediment not removed will accumulate in bottom of tank.

Yeah, I found that out when I cleaned it the other day.  There was some sediment, not a ton, but enough that I had to shop vac it out...

Thanks.

wayne fajkus wrote:I would add a spindown filter regardless. It's a sediment filter but never needs changing. Good item in the long run.

Thanks for the reply, Wayne.  I am not familiar with spindown filters, I will see what McGoogle says.

As for the salt filter, what do I need to do to service/clean it?  Replace media?

Thanks,
Bart

Hi folks,

I am new to living on acreage with well water.  I am trying to get my head around the neglected system here and get things up to speed.  The system I am dealing with is as such:

Well Pump --> 2500 Gallon Holding Tank --> Booster Pump in pump house --> Check valve with pressure gauge --> Pressure tank in pump house --> Filter --> Softener --> House Water

Let's start with the holding tank questions.  This thing has been here a while. My neighbor said likely 20+ years. I do not think this tank has been properly cleaned in a long time. There is a lot of crust on the inner sides of the tank. I actually drained it and scrubbed it by hand and hosed all the dirty water out of it last weekend. That was a chore.  I now have a pressure washer on the way from Home Depot and I would like to do another, more thorough cleaning.  My questions are:

1) Is it safe to pressure wash a plastic holding tank like this?  I know pressure washers are powerful and I want to be sure I only take off the layer of mineral deposits and dirt crust.
2) There is a small j-box on top (you can see in the photo below) of the tank that had wires going into the pump house that were disconnected sometime in the past.  What do you think this was connected to?  My guess is some sort of internal pump. Right now, the water gravity feeds to the pump house and into the booster pump. The water level is maintained by a 3/4" float valve.  
3) I have read about chlorine injectors for these tanks to reduce algae growth.  Is this is a good idea?  There does not appear to be any such thing in place right now.

Now, on to the pump house.  I have no issues with the pressure tank and the check valve.  All that seems good to go. The booster pump is pretty old and crusty, but it works.  The PVC elbow had a bad leak I recently repaired, and I plan to order a new Dayton booster pump to replace this one, and I will keep the old one as a backup.  This is the only thing that gives our house water pressure good enough to shower, etc.  Then there is a large black filter and the softener.  This is where my next set of questions comes in:

4) What do you think this filter is?  Is it a carbon filter?  Iron filter?  There are no labels but there is some sort of timer on top. My guess is this thing has not been serviced in a LONG time. I would like to service it myself, or replace it.  But I have no idea what it is. Anyone know?
5) If I was to replace this filter setup, what do you suggest?
6) I have read about UV filters for well water, who has one of these and what brand/make/model do you suggest?

Thanks all!

Bart

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Travis Johnson wrote:By the way: I have really enjoyed our conversation, but hope I am encouraging, and state some sound advice without in any way taking away your enthusiasm. I have really tried not to do that.

I really wish you the best in your greatest adventure.

Heh, no, I am very enthusiastic about our future plans. I am only regretting not finding my way to this point at an earlier age so I could have enjoyed this lifestyle longer.  But like many of us, "my 20s were wasted" on immature decisions. Now I definitely feel that I have more focus and drive to really achieve something great here, I just hope my health holds up for at least another 20!! ;)  All my years of sitting in front of a PC did my body no favors.  I appreciate the advice.

LOL, yeah, we are both in our mid 40s so the only babies we plan to have are kids and chicks. LOL  

The property is smack dab in the middle of wine country too, and as we are both foodies and wine-os, we get plenty of quality time together. XD  

And I agree on the one big thing per year. I don't plan on goats until summer 2020.  This year is getting the house fixed up and the property clean and functional.  Then we can move on to the garden and the goats next year.  All in good time, as they say.

And we also have in mind semi-early retirement. We got this property for a decent price. It wasn't a steal, but it was well within budget. So right now we have some choices as to how we play it.  If we can be done slaving for the man by 55 that would be ideal.  We don't have kids, never wanted them, so we don't have that added stress/expense/responsibility.  So we have a lot of flexibility for the moment.