Are old fashioned wells still used? Have you ever used one?

Question

Just curious to the old wells that have a string and bucket that you pull water back up. I have never seen a real one only fake ones used for landscaping. Anywhere in the usa?

Answer 1

If you really go to the back country, you'll find them.  I grew up on a hand-dug well, but it was hooked up to an electric pump before I can remember.

Answer 2

Almost every home I have ever lived at has had a well.  One of the homes I owned was a 1928 farm house (pre electric).  It would have had one of the wells with a bucket and rope.  

As modern convinces come about, or are generally available, people tend to upgrade.

Even though I've lived in some very old farm homes, they had all been upgraded to electric pumps, to pump the water.  The original old wells had been covered over with cement caps, to prevent children and livestock from falling in.

I lived in one home, a cabin in the mountains, that pumped its water DIRECTLY from the river.  

As we upgrade our farm, we will be moving from electric, to windmill driven water pumping.  Most people would consider that a step backwards, but we do not.

~Garnet

Permaculture homesteading/farming over 20 years

Answer 3

I have seen a lot of them connected to windmills, but most of them are now using electric pump. in over fifty years of traveling over the states I have never seen one, but I have seen some on TV in third world countries.

Answer 4

My grandparents used to have one.   Whenever I'd go over I'd have to haul many buckets up for them so they wouldn't have to for a few days.   Got sick of that and finally put an electric pump in for them.

Answer 5

Hand dug wells are still common, but the bucket and rope are gone in most western nations.  One problem while the bucket and rope system is that it is subject to bacterial contamination.  The well being open at the top allows wind blow debris and undesirable animals, or organisms, to enter the well.  Also the rope and bucket are subject to the same contamination as well as whatever contamination the user might add from dirty hands and contagions.

The other problem is who wants to fetch water when you can have running water.  I once stayed in a rustic cabin with a hand dug well under the house.  We got water from the well using a hand pump next to the sink.  Not quite running water but better than gong to the well with a bucket.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_pump