Installing A Windmill

Our primary goal was to be able to pump water self-sufficient, completely off-grid, and store it for use in large quantities. Solar was an option we considered. However, solar was taken off the table after researching solar systems' vulnerabilities to EMPs, geomagnetic storms, etc., due to their sensitive electronics. We wanted pumping capabilities without the need for electricity in any form. Windmills would provide that and were the perfect solution, and there is no shortage of wind where we live.

We also wanted to continue using our well water for our growing because it's not water that gets treated by the city. Public water is treated with a variety of chemicals to make it safe for consumption. Those chemicals, once used in your garden, kill off the microorganisms that feed your plants. Then, you have to fertilize heavily to compensate. The windmill not only pumps the water with energy from the wind, but it also pumps untreated water that we use in our garden, which doesn't deprive the soil of nutrients plants need to grow.

Why We Chose A Windmill

Practicality, utilizing the wind to pump water makes ecological sense. We still use a jet pump and pressure tank to push the stored water out to our growing areas but we changed from 220v to 110v pump to draw less electricity. We also installed an outlet off the tank for gravity feed use if the power goes out and to fill our 35-gallon mobile water tank.

We liked the nostalgic feel an old windmill gives when you look at it. The theme addition to Days Well Spent fit perfectly as well. It is a functional, historic piece of art for our property. The windmill is an American icon of our country's history. Designed in the late 1800s, windmills of the style found in America still provide water without electricity. Everything came together perfectly at the right time, without issue. God orchestrated this endeavor to happen.

Preparing The Area For The Windmill

Because the windmill would have to be positioned over the wellhead, we had to move the well house that sat over it. Using our tractor, we moved the well house for the second time. We also had to provide a holding tank for the water that would be pumped by the windmill. We had an 1100-gallon tank delivered and then began the process of building a holding tank stand. We had specific results in mind for the tank. We mainly wanted the spigot to be about 3 feet off the ground so we could fill containers without using the jet pump. If electricity ever goes out, this provides us an easy way to retrieve the stored water.

After constructing a stand for the tank, we trenched and installed pipe from the holding tank to the well house. This is where we installed the jet pump and pressure tank. We also had to dig up and relocate the electricity from the original location of the well house to the new location to power the jet pump.

Choosing An Installer

Installing a windmill by ourselves was outside of our capabilities. We do not know the particularities involved in erecting them. We also don't have a crane to lift the motor unit, which weighs about 300 pounds.

Choosing an installer was a bit difficult. There are a few drilling companies that do windmills as a side business. I don't know if it's bad, but we wanted the experience. While shopping for the windmill itself a company named Concho Windmill & Pump Services came up. I reached out to them and it only took a few minutes to know they were the company for me. You can get a feel for someone pretty quick while talking to them and Chad, the owner, instantly became someone I felt good about who we could trust to take care of our windmill installation.

The other challenge we had was price. Windmills are expensive! They are expensive to purchase and have delivered to your property. Then, you still have to have it installed. It was so expensive that initially, we started to back out of the idea. It was simply out of our price range. This is where Concho Windmill again stood out by offering us a windmill they were removing from a ranch and would install for us at a price we could afford.

Concho Windmill And Pump Service

What I liked about them was they were not just a "make money" windmill company in the race to become the largest installer in the nation. Chad is outright passionate about windmills. When I asked him if we could do a write-up about his company and the installation, he was on board right away. So much so that he hand-wrote three pages detailing his passion for windmills and sent them to us.

Taken from Chad's handwritten pages on his passion for windmills: "There is nothing better than showing up to a new well, nothing there. When I finish, there is a steel structure run by Mother Nature, producing life-giving water. She stands in the pasture all alone, waiting on mother nature to deliver her wrath. She stands tall, she stands proud, she delivers. Day after day, she endures all that nature has to offer, and she wins. Whether cold, hot, wet, or frozen, she spins. She spins, delivering the one product we cannot live without. All she asks in return is to have her oil checked once a year, and she will last forever."

After reading that, who wouldn't want Concho to install your windmill?

Our Windmills History

Our windmill and tower is an original 1944 A702 Aermotor. After being erected on a ranch in Mason, TX, in 1944, it was not moved until Concho Windmill took it down. It was completely overhauled with new bearings, and the wheel sections were cleaned and tightened. It was then filled with 3 quarts of hydraulic fluid, making it ready to come once again alive. The 27' tower and 8' blade assembly and vane are all original. At some point in its history, the well it serviced collapsed deep down in the ground, crushing the shaft so it could no longer pump. The ranch owner had recently contacted them to remove it from the property. I called Chad about the same time, and he offered it to us. Concho removed it from Rocky River Ranch and took it to their shop in San Angelo, TX, where they refurbished the motor. They installed it on our property just a week after removal.

The Windmill Came To Life

Concho finished erecting her in two days. There was no wind on the day they finished or the following day. A soft southern breeze picked up on the morning of the 3rd day of her revival, and our 80-year-old girl sprung to life in all her majesty. The soft spinning was smooth and elegant. She turned into the wind, taking in as much moving air as possible. The faithful mechanical marvel flawlessly began working with its unchanged design for 140 years, faithfully standing strong, duty-bound by design. You could hear the splashes and soft echoes from within the empty holding tank as our girl rhythmically and repeatedly pulled water from the well.