Water distribution system - post #1

The planned water distribution system for our ranch. 

You may recall a previous post in which I describe a water well we had drilled this past summer and a solar powered water pump I installed in the fall.  This post is very much a continuation of that earlier post in that it will document my efforts to make use of the water extracted from the new well.

Initially I had planned to make one large post about my installation of the entire system.  However, the system is so large that I now think it will be better for me to create several smaller posts describing the different components as they are installed.  This post will be the first in that series and describe the project in general terms. 

The goal of this project is to provide the ranch with an off-grid pressurized water system that is available day and night and is frost resistant.  Because the water is pumped by a solar powered water pump with no battery backup, water pumped directly from the well can only be relied upon on sunny days.  To make water available at all times it will be stored in a reserve tank with the capacity to provide water for several cloudy days.  The tank will be located near the top of a hill to provide pressure and buried to prevent freezing during the winter.  From this underground tank or cistern buried water lines will carry the water to water troughs and hydrants situated at different parts of the ranch.

Most of the materials needed to complete this project have now been acquired and are ready for installation.  Subsequent posts will detail this installation.