Talk to me about cisterns

[TexasRed]

...we had wondered why the floor was "soft" in one spot when you walked down the hall. Mystery has been solved:

Cistern

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5 pieces of the flooring are removable to access this from inside. The tongues and grooves on the pieces are in new condition - leads me to believe this was always this way?!?

When purchasing the house we were told there was a cistern for irrigating the yard / garden. Just didn't expect to find it under the center of the house.

We have not had time to go under the house to investigate, but from above it looks to be in good condition (depth unknown). Still has some water in it. Based on visible pipes, it was possibly fed by rain gutters - which are sadly no longer in place. Due to the runoff / paint issues I previously posted about, we plan to reinstall some kind of gutters before spring.

Any thoughts why it was located under the center of the house and not in the yard? Could it have had a different purpose back in 1905 or even alternate water source? How is the water pumped out / controlled (there wouldn't have been electric pumps back then)? So many questions...

I appreciate any insight or experience about cisterns you can share. Thanks!

[Mick_VT]

In the days before electric well pumps and municipal water supplies, cisterns were used as a source of non-potable water in the house, for cleaning, washing etc. They were usually fed buy the gutters or similar as you suspect, then the water was pumped out by a hand pump. The local farm museum near me has a room sized one that used to provide water for the creamery. My friends farm has one almost as big in an upstairs room which allowed to to work on a gravity feed.

[TexasRed]

Thank you Mick.

Ah yes, a hand pump. Given the proximity to kitchen, the baths and perhaps the wash room, you are likely correct it was a non potable water supply.

Out of curiosity, would multiple locations each have a separate pump or was a single pump all that was required?

I apologize for just asking instead of researching. Having just moved, I have not yet located my old house books. Only have temporary internet right now (mobile hot spot) that is slow enough to allow me to nod off between searches

[Mick_VT]

The ones I have seen have always been a small hand pump at the end where the water was needed like this one (on the right)

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[Lily left the valley]

The 1860 servants' quarters I lived in had one like that in the middle of the floor on the far side of the original kitchen. That one just had a piece of sheet metal cut to size over it. The pump and/or sink was long gone.

I understand about not unpacking. We moved here in May, ended up looking at homes sooner than planned, so we stopped unpacking because it didn't make sense if we would move within a few months. (We have collections and hobbies...so many boxes.)

Several house "almosts" later, we're in inspection period and may close in December. Still glad we didn't unpack, though I do get cranky not having things in easy reach some days.

[Nettie]

I'm sitting on top of the trap door to our cistern as I write. We use the room above it as a dining room but it was once the original kitchen and must have had a sink and hand pump. We found the trap door when we pulled up the carpeting to refinish the floors when we moved in. A few years ago we cut a doorway into it in the basement- a major undertaking since the rock walls were 18 inches thick. The pipe that you see was connected to the gutter downspouts.

[Mick_VT]

I'm sitting on top of the trap door to our cistern as I write. We use the room above it as a dining room but it was once the original kitchen and must have had a sink and hand pump. We found the trap door when we pulled up the carpeting to refinish the floors when we moved in. A few years ago we cut a doorway into it in the basement- a major undertaking since the rock walls were 18 inches thick. The pipe that you see was connected to the gutter downspouts.

I would totally turn that into a wine cellar!

[Kashka-Kat]

Im so jealous of your nice cisterns! I found one in my back yard - the cement lid was under about a foot of garden soil, aso I could pull it off and look in. It was nothing but a toxic waste dump! It was filled with old paint cans, rusted pieces of lord only knows what. It must have settled, because the trash started about five feet down. I wasnt about to go down in there because theres no way of knowing how deep it was or how solid - if it was 10 feet of junk I could have sunk in and....well, maybe died. You hear of that happening due to toxic gasses trapped deep down inside these things.

I did have one of these services that haul away junk - they came and were quite amused, but didnt want to take it. So... I just put the old lid back on and built my raised garden bed over it.

[Mick_VT]

Im so jealous of your nice cisterns! I found one in my back yard - the cement lid was under about a foot of garden soil, aso I could pull it off and look in. It was nothing but a toxic waste dump! It was filled with old paint cans, rusted pieces of lord only knows what. It must have settled, because the trash started about five feet down. I wasnt about to go down in there because theres no way of knowing how deep it was or how solid - if it was 10 feet of junk I could have sunk in and....well, maybe died. You hear of that happening due to toxic gasses trapped deep down inside these things.

I did have one of these services that haul away junk - they came and were quite amused, but didnt want to take it. So... I just put the old lid back on and built my raised garden bed over it.

that sounds more like a disused septic tank!

[Nettie]

I would totally turn that into a wine cellar![/quote]
If we ever move out I would totally set that up first to help the sale- we stack wood for our wood furnace that's nearby.