Well drilling experience?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
1

1930

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 2, 2018
Posts
335
Does anyone here have any? You tube views dosent count :)

Im working on getting a well at my property, I would like to do this myself. Ive tried to find shallow water by digging down 27 feet in a couple of places with my hand auger and extensions. No water to be found, moist sand but nothing worth getting excited over.

Im considering this https://www.drillawell.com/complete-kit but would like to talk with someone that has actual experience with jetting in a well. Id like to discuss depths achieved and equipment needed.

Hoping to find that someone here?
 
This would not work in my area. I had a pounded well put in and they hit ledge at 15'.  They went down another 150' to get a good supply of water. I think I was getting 10 gallons a minute at that point. This kit cost $700.00 plus quite a bit of extras and what happens if you do hit ledge?  The video says you'd need to hire a professional and you're out all that money.
 
I have almost zero experience (briefly helped a friend) but learned that the composition of the soil and the depth of the water table(s) are critical factors.  My friend used a jet pump in the sandy, rock-free soil of north-central Florida and it worked fine, hitting an adequate supply at about 30 ft.  That level is no longer considered safe for drinking water in this region, but its ok for irrigation and such.  Local health regs now require drilling to the next water layer for drinking water, down around 65 ft in this region.  I don't think you can get to 65 ft with this type of equipment, but I don't have the expertise to say that for sure.
 
I have been on wells most of my adult life, first one was in sand about 100' deep with a 2 1/2" casing, terrible producer, and the water was ridiculously hard. It had jet style pump, that's all will fit in that casing. I eventually eliminated the jet attachment since the pump could draw without it, a 1 1/2 horse Berkley pump.  I had to have a 200 gal. pressure tank on that set up just to keep up with the house, we still would always run out of water and have to wait for the tank yo refill, hours later. Finally saved up enough to have a good well with a 4 1/2"casing, drilled down to the aquafer, about 300' deep. All the water I needed for the house and to irrigate, much better water too.  I'd ask a local well driller about the area around you, or a neighbor that has a well and their depth, size of casing and what it produces. Also when they drill a well around here, they keep a steady stream of Bentonite slurry pumping down with the drill to keep it from caving in as you drill.  There are areas around here, more so  towards the hills, that those folks have 2500-5000 gal. holding tanks because the wells produce so slow. This house we have now,  has a 6" casing at 40' deep  well, sandy soil, but the water table is only 8' down in summer, and about 2' down in winter, and its really hard, runs everything that uses water in the house after a few years. But it does  produce all the water for the house needed plus to irrigate our 3 acers. My suggestion is to research your area to find out what others have before you start, it is really localized to what is needed to have a producing well,,,gregg
 
1930 said:
Does anyone here have any? You tube views dosent count :)

Im working on getting a well at my property, I would like to do this myself. Ive tried to find shallow water by digging down 27 feet in a couple of places with my hand auger and extensions. No water to be found, moist sand but nothing worth getting excited over.

Im considering this https://www.drillawell.com/complete-kit but would like to talk with someone that has actual experience with jetting in a well. Id like to discuss depths achieved and equipment needed.

Hoping to find that someone here?
Click to expand...

Saw your post and will give you alot of credit for going at that adventure alone.  I have no great advice to add to the string, but I see no reference to your Geographic location and your 27 ft depth reference.  I am assuming you have done your research and know that 27' is the proper depth factoring your your ground elevation and the water table depth in your area.  I know in west Texas, dry arid West TX, knowing the depth and placing the well in the midst of Green Mesquite trees was usually a winning combination for hitting water.  I have heard the old water witchers say this Green tree cluster is a good marker for finding water in these barren areas.   

What area of the country do you live in?  For a DIY project it has to be some pretty soft soil to even give it a go.  Good luck. 
 
Sure glad you're not in my neck of the woods, had to go down 350 ft to get water here. Hit solid granite at 18 ft. Great water though.
 
Some places require an artisian well with casing . My town required a minimum of 16? of steel casing even if, like me, hit rock at 6 ft. Surface wells here are not permitted.

Where are you?
 
Lynx0849 said:
Some places require an artisian well with casing . My town required a minimum of 16? of steel casing even if, like me, hit rock at 6 ft. Surface wells here are not permitted.

Where are you?
Click to expand...
Artesian means the water comes out of the ground under its own, ie without a pump. Are you telling us that it's illegal to pump water out of the ground where you are?  Where are you?
 
Ill try and reply to the posts above, sorry if I leave someone out, its not intentional as I appreciate any advice.

First the product that I link too above is kinda a joke, I ordered the 30 dollar video and watched, the video is worth the 30 bucks cause it does provide some info and entertainment, at this point I will most likely not move on the actual product though, I do not like being misled and the guy selling the system is not at all forthright with his product in the initial sales pitch.

I would very much like to move on something like this https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/LHH-Deep-water-well-drilling-rig_60514918964.html?src=sem_ggl&mark=google_shopping&src=sem_ggl&mark=shopping&cmpgn=1674921560&adgrp=64749141253&locintrst=&locphyscl=&ntwrk=g&device=c&dvcmdl=&position=1o1&pla_adtype=pla&pla_mrctid=139965182&pla_channel=online&pla_prdid=60514918964&pla_country=US&pla_lang=en&pla_group=293946777986&pla_localcode=&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0IDtBRC6ARIsAIA5gWvb8uWpKP7uPJVIWPI0MTjrqGv4P6iFh5ZEbpAMlrl8qYWzn75mPXAaAlBzEALw_wcB#shopping-ads

The depth capabilities are more than I could ever use and the price is well below anything sold here similar in the U.S. The biggest issue is that the shipping is over 5000 dollars which Im still disbelieving.

I am looking into alternative shipping methods.

I could even build one myself for sure if I knew some details that I cant just see in the photos offered on the site.

Im in Marion County ( Dunnellon ) Florida. There is no water table information avail. regardless of what so many people have told me, I have called extension services numerous times and USGS. There is simply no water table information avail for my specific location. ( several miles away yes )

The best I have been able to do is come up with depth of local wells in the area, thanks to a member on another forum I have the numbers for a few within a short distance of my property.

Just today I measured an abandoned well on vacant property that is adjacent to my own and water is down roughly 67 feet. Cant say its good water, there was no electric or pump, just an empty casing I was able to toss a string and nut into.

My property is nothing but sand and according to Marion County extension services that is all there is beneath my feet.
 
I still say you should call a local well driller. Have them come out to your lot and give you an estimate.
 
ChasA said:
I still say you should call a local well driller. Have them come out to your lot and give you an estimate.
Click to expand...

I have done that, they do not come out to the lot. They tell you the minimum and how much per foot after that if they have to go deeper
 
I have had several properties with wells, all of them too deep for a do-it-yourselfer even like me. The one we had drilled last year is 460 feet deep, 2 HP pump, and the entire bore is cased, except the bottom 40 feet. I would recommend you visit one of the homesteading forums, such as Homesteading Today. Many of those members have developed their own private water systems, including drilling their own wells. Good luck!
 
ChasA said:
Artesian means the water comes out of the ground under its own, ie without a pump. Are you telling us that it's illegal to pump water out of the ground where you are?  Where are you?
Click to expand...

I am in New England. Rock country.

Around here they use (perhaps incorrectly) the term to mean drilled well below any surface water.
My well is only 150? deep with the pump 100? down.
 
ChasA said:
Artesian means the water comes out of the ground under its own, ie without a pump. Are you telling us that it's illegal to pump water out of the ground where you are? Where are you?
Click to expand...

Artesian means the underground water you hit is under pressure, which means there's an impermeable layer pressing down and shielding it from surface water percolating down and going directly into the well. There may be enough pressure to push the water all the way to the surface but in most cases it's only enough to push the water part way up the well. In our case drilling a well in WA state we hit water at 210 ft then the artesian pressure pushed the water upward to the 180 ft. level, i.e. there was 30 ft. of artesian pressure.
 
Lynx0849 said:
I am in New England. Rock country.

Around here they use (perhaps incorrectly) the term to mean drilled well below any surface water.
My well is only 150? deep with the pump 100? down.
Click to expand...
I grew up in CT. I do remember this, Im sure as mentioned the word was loosely used
 
Do people that dig their own wells....send the water out to be tested before consumption or bathing?

Or do they just assume the water is good?
 
If you found water in the abandoned well you probably have water on your land. The 2 wells I've had were 50' surface water in sand and there was nothing but salt water deeper. I had both wells tested every 2 years to make sure the water was ok. Both were excellent tasting soft water. Both wells would start getting sand in the water if overused like when watering the lawn too much. If local codes allow it surface water can be filtered or treated with chlorine so you can drink and cook with it.

http://www.nesc.wvu.edu/pdf/dw/publications/ontap/2009_tb/diatomaceous_DWFSOM39.pdf

https://www.cleanwaterstore.com/resource/frequently-asked-questions/about-chlorinators-for-well-water/
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 920 (members: 35, guests: 885)

Forum statistics

Threads
132,105
Posts
1,390,389
Members
137,825
Latest member
Big Dog
Back
Top Bottom