Driving A New Well

[ayelvington]

I'm following this thread with envy. My well-point is sitting on a shale shelf at 15' after getting through about 14' of clay. We know the water is under the shelf, and I'm putting up a tripod to put more oomph on the pipe. I figure I'll buckle it or get water... I'm hauling about 1000 lbs of water using my RTV to water my orchard, and it takes two trips to do a day of watering. The well will let me start the generator and go back after it runs out of gas!

 

[bp fick]

ayelvington- sorry to hear that. These driving points, or the wash-in plastic type, are mostly designed to be "sand" points, as foggy1111 says. I've driven a few through a little hard pan and light clay, but mostly they are designed to be driven through 20 feet of sand and gravel down TO the hard pan which traps the surface water above it. Or, in our case, there is ground water for 40 feet, quite likely, trapped in glacial gravel. Our water table here is reasonable high and our soil is sandy/gravel. The area is a geyser of springs, creating enormous 10-16,000 acre inland lakes and head waters for our states greatest rivers.

 

[bp fick]

Does anyone have a suggestion or advice on how to "condition" or "improve" the new well? Like to hear your thoughts/

 

[foggy1111]

After pumping mine for a few hours on the electric pump......I poured a gallon of bleach down the pipe to sanitize the well. Then let the bleach stand for a couple of days and later pumped it till the bleach odor was gone.

Seems to me I read to do this somewhere. (Also gets the soap off the well point.)

 

[Qapla]

...I also wanted to mention that I find I have to keep the pipe wrench handy. The impact causes the couplings to loosen a bit. After 20 reps with the driver, I re-tighen the coupling as a pre-caution...

All the well guys I know use "pipe dope" or some type of paste sealant on the connections. They never use tape on the well casing. When properly "doped" and tightened, the sections do not come lose from the pounding like it does with tape.

Just a thought ...

 

[yomax4]

After sinking my point in sand, I had a leak in the pipe and my pump would not prime. I ran a black plastic weater pipe down the inside of the steel pipe and hooked up to that. I like it because there is no rust after months of non use.

 

[Brake Weight]

If you're screwing your connections together and driving your pipe in, it's gonna get loose. You can put a sealant on the threads but this won't prevent them from backing off and becoming loose. If time permits, I would mix up some JB Weld, or the likes, and use that as a lubricate/sealant. Or you can do the liquid teflon and weld a tack or two around the collars so they won't work free. Just a thought. Because hammering the pipe in the ground this way is a one trip. It doesn't matter what you do to it as you're not pulling it back out.

 

[bp fick]

All the well guys I know use "pipe dope" or some type of paste sealant on the connections. They never use tape on the well casing. When properly "doped" and tightened, the sections do not come lose from the pounding like it does with tape.

Just a thought ...

If you're screwing your connections together and driving your pipe in, it's gonna get loose. You can put a sealant on the threads but this won't prevent them from backing off and becoming loose. If time permits, I would mix up some JB Weld, or the likes, and use that as a lubricate/sealant. Or you can do the liquid teflon and weld a tack or two around the collars so they won't work free. Just a thought. Because hammering the pipe in the ground this way is a one trip. It doesn't matter what you do to it as you're not pulling it back out.

I use teflon dope, not tape, but either would be fine, I think. Yes, the pounding absolutely loosens the joints. Had to re-tighen after each rep of dozen whacks, or risk damaging threads.

Actually, using a engine puller or tripod with come along, I've pulled up almost 90 feet of pipe, in ages past. Don't recommend it, however.

 

[foggy1111]

The guy that sold me my couplings and pipe highly reccommended pipe dope with teflon - which I used. I had read (or been told) not to use tape for a well too. I also repeatably tightend my couplings when driving pipes. I have not had any leaking problems except at a "T" I had installed at the top of my well. (I changed it for and elbow and end of problem)

IIRC.....you should "chorinate a well" occasionally in order to kill bacteria from the well pipe. I think you can do a google on this and get good information. If your just using the well for irrigation purposes...it may not be important.(?)

 

[Carl_NH]

BP,

I would suggest an 1 1/4" tee on the top of the pipe with a hose bib/valve connection on one side then the 1 1/4" check valve on the other that goes into the pump. Put a cap over the hose connection to prevent any air from getting into the system.

This will allow you to charge the well with your existing water supply, also prime the pipe, and you can back flush the point and added benefit in the winter open the valve and drain the water from the pump and wont freeze.

The backflush will also see how much resistance and may even flush out any sediment in the point from driving.

I drove a point well 20 yrs ago - dont want to do it again tho..

Carl