By Lisa Barthuly
Water is the top priority when thinking “preparedness.” Without water, the rest of our preparations really don’t matter. We have water on our land. A fantastic, producing well. Problem is—without power—no water. We knew that we needed to get a deep well hand water pump. We just didn’t know what we really needed and which option would be best for us. Of course everyone we talked to had “the answer” we wanted to hear, but this is a major decision in our preps; water is key. We wanted some solid answers, with a solid product, that we could install … without a hassle. We were pretty sure that what we wanted just didn’t exist. We were pretty skeptical, to say the least.
Enter Bison Hand Water Pumps
Bison Pumps tout some pretty hefty claims on their website. Indoor hand pumps, outdoor hand pumps, shallow well, deep well, cistern pumps. They seem to cover it all. Top quality, technical support, customer service, easy installation are just a few things I found most impressive. “Easy” is one that I found really hard to believe. Easy installation? Really?
We talked to Judy at Bison. She held our hand through the ordering process, answered our questions, explained everything, replied to endless emails from me, and even had her Tech Guy, Lee, give my husband a call on his lunch break to answer a few of his questions. You just don’t find customer service like that anymore.
Our Bison deep well hand pump kit arrived and, although we couldn’t immediately install it, we just had to open the box with the pump itself in it to check it out. We were completely impressed with the high quality and craftsmanship—not to mention the cool camo graphics.
These Are Some of The Finest Hand Water Pumps EVER!
Installation day came, and we didn’t have the right drill bit on hand, but we decided we’d give it a whirl anyway. Bad idea. As I would have told my children, “Follow the directions.” So we got the proper drill bit and tried it again. It’s amazing how easy it is when you follow the directions. Everything we needed came in our deep well kit, including customized directions in a folder, with our name and well number on it exclusively for us and our set up. Bison makes it so simple to do your own install, from the premeasured pipe that you need for your particular well, the pre-taped threads on the pipe lengths, even a custom “paddle” to hold the pipe in place as you secure one length to the next and lower them into your well casing.
That paddle is an ingenious little tool, especially for deep well pumps. We made use of all the installation videos they offer on their website. We referred to them before we did the install and even during the install—super helpful!
Our skepticism is gone. Bison Pumps deliver. Those hefty claims I mentioned earlier? They exceeded them, and then some: outstanding customer service, tech support, and the installation was actually easy—just as they claimed. The pump itself? The finest quality. We don’t impress easily and we are thoroughly impressed.
Bison really thought of everything in their pump design; from the integrated bucket hook that allows one person to fill a bucket hands-free to the hose attachment that comes standard on your pump. They even include a solid brass cap to screw on to the faucet to keep contaminants out! 
What a huge blessing to know that we have water now, with or without power, and even our 6-year-old can pump water if needed.
Check them out for yourself at BisonPumps.com
If you are looking to secure your water supply, I would heartily recommend the award-winning, made-in-the-USA Bison Pumps!
For other great ideas on how to prepare for the unexpected, please read my blog post about preparing your pantry.
Lisa Barthuly lives in the mountains of the American Redoubt with her family. She is a Follower of Yeshua, Torah Lover, Helpmeet, and Mama! Visit her at her “homestead on the Web” at: www.HomesteadOriginals.com/blog and for homemade recipes utilizing essential oils, check out her book: A Simply Homemade Clean, available at www.HomesteadOriginals.com.
Thanks for the review! I’ve looked into options like this for a few years but never pulled the trigger on a purchase. I’ll be taking a good look at Bison based on your experience.