Egon
Epic Contributor
Water well completions are many and varied. It all depends on the geology, the depth, pump type, pumping rate, materials available for use and the Phase of the moon when choosing a drill site!
Some more well questions and a whatisit
- Thread starter 1930
- Start date
Chris616
Silver Member
My posts get pretty long. I'll break them up a bit.
Jason - you'd probably be better off just having one thread/topic going on TBN for your well drilling project (even if the focus of the thread changes a bit). Those of us who have posted messages in your thread get an alert if there is a new posting. If you create a new thread then those of us who have been contributing to your project previously may or may not notice that you've started a new thread.
Chris
Jason - you'd probably be better off just having one thread/topic going on TBN for your well drilling project (even if the focus of the thread changes a bit). Those of us who have posted messages in your thread get an alert if there is a new posting. If you create a new thread then those of us who have been contributing to your project previously may or may not notice that you've started a new thread.
Chris
Chris616
Silver Member
Jason - the other guys are correct in what they've said:
- For a relatively shallow water well in sandy ground, the static level of fluid in the well will be the same as the local water table level. Static level means when a pump isn't pulling water out of the well. Your analogy of the straw in the glass is correct. An even better model would be to put a straw in an empty glass then pour in sand to fill the space between the straw and the glass. Then pour water into the sand to fill the glass. The water level in the straw will take longer to equalize with the level in the rest of the glass, because the sand slows down the movement of the water.
- There will be some sort of screening at the bottom of the casing to let water in, but keep sand and other solids out.
Our well is an example of why the pump is often located lower than the static water level. The well is 275 deep and the driller reported a flow of just 1 gallon per minute (it's all granite after the first 10 feet). The pump can run at a higher flowrate and draw down the level in the well and when the pump shuts off the static level will slowly go back up. So we can use water intermittently at a higher rate than water can get into the well.
You probably won't have the same problem, because the "permeability" of sand is high (permeability is how well fluid moves through the open spaces in the ground/rock). If you look at the well completion log that I posted for "Well #3" in one of your other threads you can see that. The driller, Lawrence Bowen, produced a very complete report. He notes that after pumping at 20 GPM for one hour the water level in the well didn't change from the static level of 51 feet below the top of the casing, so the water can move into the wellbore at 20 GPM or higher. The drillers who produced the other three logs didn't provide that info. Two of them just wrote what the flowrate capacity of the pump they installed was, which doesn't tell you anything about how fast the water can move into the well.
I don't know anything about drilling water wells, but I notice that the drillers who completed those four nearby wells that I posted logs for before drilled those wells between 89-160 feet deep, even though the static water level was 40-71 feet below ground level. It doesn't seem logical that they'd drill any deeper than they thought necessary, so if it were me I'd be planning to drill a well to a similar depth.
Your desire to drill this shallow water well inexpensively makes the resources that I've linked below applicable. One is from a Canadian charity involved in drilling wells in developing countries. The other from UNICEF. There's a lot of information there.
Water Well Drilling Manual: Lifewater Canada Water Well Tutorial
Section 3: How to Drill with the LS-100
https://www.unicef.org/wash/files/04.pdf
https://www.unicef.org/wash/files/05.pdf
https://www.unicef.org/wash/files/06.pdf
Chris
- For a relatively shallow water well in sandy ground, the static level of fluid in the well will be the same as the local water table level. Static level means when a pump isn't pulling water out of the well. Your analogy of the straw in the glass is correct. An even better model would be to put a straw in an empty glass then pour in sand to fill the space between the straw and the glass. Then pour water into the sand to fill the glass. The water level in the straw will take longer to equalize with the level in the rest of the glass, because the sand slows down the movement of the water.
- There will be some sort of screening at the bottom of the casing to let water in, but keep sand and other solids out.
Our well is an example of why the pump is often located lower than the static water level. The well is 275 deep and the driller reported a flow of just 1 gallon per minute (it's all granite after the first 10 feet). The pump can run at a higher flowrate and draw down the level in the well and when the pump shuts off the static level will slowly go back up. So we can use water intermittently at a higher rate than water can get into the well.
You probably won't have the same problem, because the "permeability" of sand is high (permeability is how well fluid moves through the open spaces in the ground/rock). If you look at the well completion log that I posted for "Well #3" in one of your other threads you can see that. The driller, Lawrence Bowen, produced a very complete report. He notes that after pumping at 20 GPM for one hour the water level in the well didn't change from the static level of 51 feet below the top of the casing, so the water can move into the wellbore at 20 GPM or higher. The drillers who produced the other three logs didn't provide that info. Two of them just wrote what the flowrate capacity of the pump they installed was, which doesn't tell you anything about how fast the water can move into the well.
I don't know anything about drilling water wells, but I notice that the drillers who completed those four nearby wells that I posted logs for before drilled those wells between 89-160 feet deep, even though the static water level was 40-71 feet below ground level. It doesn't seem logical that they'd drill any deeper than they thought necessary, so if it were me I'd be planning to drill a well to a similar depth.
Your desire to drill this shallow water well inexpensively makes the resources that I've linked below applicable. One is from a Canadian charity involved in drilling wells in developing countries. The other from UNICEF. There's a lot of information there.
Water Well Drilling Manual: Lifewater Canada Water Well Tutorial
Section 3: How to Drill with the LS-100
https://www.unicef.org/wash/files/04.pdf
https://www.unicef.org/wash/files/05.pdf
https://www.unicef.org/wash/files/06.pdf
Chris
Last edited:
3Ts
Elite Member
One more piece of information - The driller who did my well hit water at 515' the static water level is at 320' so the aquifer he hit is under pressure and the water came up the bore hole almost 200'. He placed the pump at 360' so we have 40' of water above the pump and about 150' of well below the pump. I do know that the well has a PVC casing and that there is a screen in there somewhere but don't know if it's in the casing or just where.
OP
1930
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2018
- Messages
- 855
- Location
- Brandon/Ocala Florida
- Tractor
- Kubota B6100E Kubota L 2501 Kubota T1460
I never saw the above 3 posts until now, I did not receive a notification they were there, I very much appreciate the links and the contributions.
I have printed out the well logs and have studied them. Thanks again
I have printed out the well logs and have studied them. Thanks again
Egon
Epic Contributor
If an inexpensive drilling rig is wanted look up “Baptist Drill Rig”. My grandfather & father drilled many wells with a rig of this type. Three to four hundred feet would have one of their deepest wells.
OP
1930
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2018
- Messages
- 855
- Location
- Brandon/Ocala Florida
- Tractor
- Kubota B6100E Kubota L 2501 Kubota T1460
Ive looked into this, quite a few variations on how to do it and it would be neat to try. Hard to get specifics on how its done, Ive ordered a book last week from Amazon that discusses primitive well drilling scenarios/practices. Id hoped it would have been here today but no dice.
Egon
Epic Contributor
They are simple. The drill pipe must go up and down and is rotated by hand. Lots of different ways to make this happen. The bits were made flat car springs cut to size and welded to a piece of pipe threaded onto the drill stem.( usually one inch pipe ). On this piece of pipe there should be a collar and steel ball that act as the pump to circulate cuttings out of the hole through the drill stem.
The top will have about a three foot deep dug hole with apiece of pipe sticking up that acts like a surface casing and makes the sump for the circulation fluid. Water has to be added to start & maintain the drilling process. When it starts overflowing the sump you have hit water.
The top will have about a three foot deep dug hole with apiece of pipe sticking up that acts like a surface casing and makes the sump for the circulation fluid. Water has to be added to start & maintain the drilling process. When it starts overflowing the sump you have hit water.
Sportsman762
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2008
- Messages
- 718
I did not see this thread and posted a reply about drilling in your other thread.
https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums...e-here-have-any-experience-5.html#post5563919
Below is what I posted in the other thread.
This is a little off the subject, however I work part time for a driller and he loves to tell me horror stories of bad wells... I use to think drill hole, drop in case, pump out water, easy. Then I started working for a driller and discovered that they are pretty complex for what appears to be a simple hole in the ground.
Make sure that it is legal for you to drill a well. The local water management district will have requirements. For example the southwest water management district requires all wells that are larger than 2" to be constructed by a licensed professional. If constructing your own well you still need to follow all regulations such as permits, offsets, casing height and grouting requirements.
Below is a document stating the 2" well limit on page 5.
Consumer Guide for Well Construction | WaterMatters.org
Since your looking at doing a drilled well rather than a driven well you will need to grout the casing in to the water districts specs. If your using the Halliburton method of grouting then you will need a 2" larger bore hole than casing, if doing the trammel pipe your bore hole must be 2-7/8" larger. Both methods of grouting require the grout to be pumped into place to prevent voids. Please note that if they believe you did not grout a well they can run a gamma logger down it and see if your grout job is done correctly. If its not done correctly they could make you pull the casing and re drill or perforate the casing and seal the well. Driven wells do not need to be grouted as they are sealed against the borehole and do not have an annular that has to be sealed to prevent aquifer contamination.
Also there is the technical side of drilling. How thick to mix the drilling mud, what to do if you start to have wash outs, what formation you wish to finish the well in, screen selection (if necessary), and how to develop a well for production. And what to do if you have a cave in since you have limited pull back and torque on the rigs your looking at.
The equipment side of a drilled well: drill rig, drill pipe, bit, circulation pump, high volume air compressor to develop the well, and cement pump to grout with. These can be rented, but they add to the cost.
Depending on what your wanting to do a sand point <2" might be a much easier, economical, and perform better than a drilled well.
Sorry if I am long winded.
https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums...e-here-have-any-experience-5.html#post5563919
Below is what I posted in the other thread.
This is a little off the subject, however I work part time for a driller and he loves to tell me horror stories of bad wells... I use to think drill hole, drop in case, pump out water, easy. Then I started working for a driller and discovered that they are pretty complex for what appears to be a simple hole in the ground.
Make sure that it is legal for you to drill a well. The local water management district will have requirements. For example the southwest water management district requires all wells that are larger than 2" to be constructed by a licensed professional. If constructing your own well you still need to follow all regulations such as permits, offsets, casing height and grouting requirements.
Below is a document stating the 2" well limit on page 5.
Consumer Guide for Well Construction | WaterMatters.org
Since your looking at doing a drilled well rather than a driven well you will need to grout the casing in to the water districts specs. If your using the Halliburton method of grouting then you will need a 2" larger bore hole than casing, if doing the trammel pipe your bore hole must be 2-7/8" larger. Both methods of grouting require the grout to be pumped into place to prevent voids. Please note that if they believe you did not grout a well they can run a gamma logger down it and see if your grout job is done correctly. If its not done correctly they could make you pull the casing and re drill or perforate the casing and seal the well. Driven wells do not need to be grouted as they are sealed against the borehole and do not have an annular that has to be sealed to prevent aquifer contamination.
Also there is the technical side of drilling. How thick to mix the drilling mud, what to do if you start to have wash outs, what formation you wish to finish the well in, screen selection (if necessary), and how to develop a well for production. And what to do if you have a cave in since you have limited pull back and torque on the rigs your looking at.
The equipment side of a drilled well: drill rig, drill pipe, bit, circulation pump, high volume air compressor to develop the well, and cement pump to grout with. These can be rented, but they add to the cost.
Depending on what your wanting to do a sand point <2" might be a much easier, economical, and perform better than a drilled well.
Sorry if I am long winded.
Sportsman762
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2008
- Messages
- 718
Since your drilling into sand you will need to put a screen in. The screens are measured by the width of the slots. Ex: a 40 slot has slots that are 0.040" apart. The screen is installed after the well has been dug and extends below the bottom of the well. The screen is smaller in diameter than the well (a 2" casing will use a 1-1/4" screen) and the bottom of a screen is attached to a point. A screen extension is attached to a screen extension that is a short piece of pipe. The pipe is then attached to a K packer that is a rubber seal that seals the extension pipe to the well casing preventing the ingress of sediment. The picture below shows it well.
https://slideplayer.com/slide/3928996/13/images/31/K+-+PACKER+SCREEN+BLANK+WELL+SCREEN.jpg
I have used Johnson screens and the wires are tapered to reduce the screen from getting clogged. Stainless screens are a must.
Water Well - Aqseptence Group
Below is a K packer.
Tri-Seal / K-Packer - Well Flow Products
The screen is installed after the casing has been placed into the well and prior to grouting the casing in. Depending on the formation you might use multiple screens screwed together to increase the wells production. The casing is not set at the bottom of the bore but stays off the bottom the length of the screen or more. You place the casing in the well, then you clean out the drilling mud using air. Once you have the drilling mud cleaned out you push the screen down the well. Since your using light weight drill rod and your rig does not have pull down your going to have to manually shove the screen down by pushing it. (hope your in good shape they are tight) Once the screen is in place you put a pump in it and see how well it produces. You can also air pump a well so you do not have to put a pump in. If the well does not produce then you will have to pull the screen, pull the casing and drill more. Last well I helped with we tried to finish in drift, however it would only product 10GPM so we pulled everything out and took it to bedrock.
A sand point has the screen attached first then the casing is attached to it and the whole thing is driven into the ground. If if fails to produce, you pound it in more.
What is preventing you from bringing your existing well back into production? Does it have a breached casing? Often if you pull and replace the screen you can get an old well to produce good.
https://slideplayer.com/slide/3928996/13/images/31/K+-+PACKER+SCREEN+BLANK+WELL+SCREEN.jpg
I have used Johnson screens and the wires are tapered to reduce the screen from getting clogged. Stainless screens are a must.
Water Well - Aqseptence Group
Below is a K packer.
Tri-Seal / K-Packer - Well Flow Products
The screen is installed after the casing has been placed into the well and prior to grouting the casing in. Depending on the formation you might use multiple screens screwed together to increase the wells production. The casing is not set at the bottom of the bore but stays off the bottom the length of the screen or more. You place the casing in the well, then you clean out the drilling mud using air. Once you have the drilling mud cleaned out you push the screen down the well. Since your using light weight drill rod and your rig does not have pull down your going to have to manually shove the screen down by pushing it. (hope your in good shape they are tight) Once the screen is in place you put a pump in it and see how well it produces. You can also air pump a well so you do not have to put a pump in. If the well does not produce then you will have to pull the screen, pull the casing and drill more. Last well I helped with we tried to finish in drift, however it would only product 10GPM so we pulled everything out and took it to bedrock.
A sand point has the screen attached first then the casing is attached to it and the whole thing is driven into the ground. If if fails to produce, you pound it in more.
What is preventing you from bringing your existing well back into production? Does it have a breached casing? Often if you pull and replace the screen you can get an old well to produce good.