Running Water in the NC Farm Home, 1935

“The Farm Home Water Supply” by Pauline E. Gordon, Extension Home Management and House Furnishings Specialist, N.C. State College, as published in the November, 1936, Carolina Co-Operator

There are thousands of farm women in our State who belong to the “Pump and Carry Brigade”—women who, annually carry tons and tons of water from the well, or the pump to the kitchen, the laundry, the bath, and many even have to carry it for the stock. Do you have to draw water bucket by bucket from the well? And when hot water is needed, do you carry pails of water to the stove, heat it, and then carry it to the bathroom or laundry? If you do, remember that there is danger of getting scalded, and of getting a strain from the lifting of pails of water.

There is nothing that adds as much to the convenience and comfort of a farm home as an ample supply of water in the kitchen, the laundry, the bathroom, the farm buildings, and the pasture. A good water supply is essential to the health and happiness of the family, and running water conserves the strength of the women, and does away with the drudgery of the back-breaking strain of the pump handle and the water pail. To be able to turn a faucet and have an ample supply of cool, clear, fresh water is the greatest convenience that can be had on the farm. Running water is the most important time-saving and labor-saving device in the home.

Necessity

Water is an absolute necessity on the farm for both the household and the stock. In the home, it is required for cooking, laundering, bathing. The health of every person on the farm depends upon the constant use of water. Dairy cattle that have access to water at all times produce more milk than those which are watered once or twice each day. All animals on the farm are greatly benefited by having fresh water at all times.

The amount of water used by each person in homes having complete running water systems averages about 20 to 30 gallons a day. In the homes where the water is carried by hand the consumption averages from four to eight gallons daily for each person. In these homes water is used sparingly. Increased water consumption results in improved sanitary conditions. An adequate water system in which the sanitary engineering principles are carried out is one of the greatest safe guards to health on the farm. A plentiful supply of pure, fresh water and proper sewerage disposal practically eliminates typhoid fever, diarrhea, and other diseases that may be traced to human waste. Impure water is often the cause of many diseases common to animals.

Do you have running water in your home? How many gallons of water are used daily in your home? If your home should catch on fire tonight, would you have to depend on the pump, the well, or the spring to supply water for the bucket brigade? A liberal supply of running water under pressure is an excellent fire prevention.

The first question that comes up when you discuss the possibility of installing a water system is “how much will it cost?” And whatever it may cost many farm owners says they cannot afford to install a a water system, and on some of their farms I have seen a reaper, a harrow, plows, tractors, and other pieces of equipment that represent hundreds of dollars, that are used only a few weeks each year. The owners thought nothing of the investment represented in the farm equipment, and even less of the depreciation of that equipment for most of it is not even kept in a shed. If you do not have an adequate supply of water in your home, then accept the expenditures for a water system with the same mind that you now do for other types of equipment, and you will find that you can afford to have a water system installed on your farm, and that the money you spent will give you greater satisfaction than almost any other investment. For less than $50 a year, you can have running water in the home, the barn, the poultry house and the dairy.

In many instances the failure to have an adequate water supply on the farm is due to the lack of knowledge rather than lack of money. There are many systems of supplying water in the farm home—electric pumps, gas engines, windmills, hydraulic rams, and the gravity system. The most simple system is the kitchen sink and drain with a pump which will draw water from the well or cistern.

Electricity

Thousands of farm homes in North Carolina are going to have electricity installed within the next few months. Is your home one of them? If it is, remember that one of the greatest benefits of electricity is that it permits the successful installation of a water system. Think what it would mean to have an abundant supply of water, running water in the kitchen, the bathroom, the laundry, the poultry house, the dairy, the garden, and the barn.

A deep well pump driven by an electric motor will assure you of an ample supply of water for your home and farm. If you expect to have electricity installed any time in the near future, investigate some of the many systems operated by the electric motor.

A farm water supply system should be simple in design, reliable in operation, and reasonably low in initial cost and operating expense. Did you have any difficulty last winter with your water supply? I know that many homes throughout North Carolina were without water for several weeks this past winter, because of the freezing water in the pipes. I have been in homes, where for days every drop of water used had to be brought from wells half a mile away, because of the frozen pipes. All water systems installed should have the pipes frost-proof and all pipes so arranged that they can be easily drained. Even pitcher pumps need to be protected from freezing.

All plumbing installed should have proper connections, proper size pipe grease traps, good drainage, adequate septic tanks, and frost-proof pipes. The Extension Division of North Carolina State College will be glad to send you information on the Farm Home Water System.

In closing, I would like to repeat that a water system is among the first conveniences that should be added to a farm home because it removes drudgery, saves energy and time, improves health, aides in farm protection, and provides fire protection.