Driven well for the garden?

[HiTechTed]

Ok, I have what I think is a more important project than my excavation project. I need to be able to conveniently water our garden this coming season. I set up a rainwater collection system last year and although it worked, there wasn't nearly enough output/volume to do the job. It was a neat project but it's more for watering a small flower garden or something, not for watering a large vegetable garden.

I'm pretty sure I could drive a well point and have a shallow well in the garden area. My house has used a driven well for the last 40+ years with no issues (that I'm aware of) and the area where the garden is seems to be suitable for driving a well. The water table in this area is close to the surface. Have any of you done your own shallow well?

I don't have power in the garden area, so here is my proposal, and please feel free to tell me if I'm way off base here: I was thinking of hooking up a pump to the driven well, then running the pump off of a portable generator. That way my wife could probably run the operation herself. Another plus is, I could buy a decent generator that could also be used for other jobs if needed. I already have a shed out in the garden area, so it might be possible for me to drive the well, then build on to the shed to enclose the well and pump to keep it out of the weather. I was thinking about maybe hooking up a soaker hose system instead of spraying water everywhere. Does this seem doable?

What I would really like to do is set up a windmill to pump the water. I have done a little research and I'm afraid the initial cost might be the stopper there. Do any of you have water pumping windmills? They are one of those things that were everywhere in the past, then they faded away and now they are sort of making a comeback. If any of you own one I'd really like to hear the good and bad points of owning one.

Next project: Root Cellar/Storm Shelter!

 

[dstig1]

How far is the garden from the house or a regular source of power? There is always solar panels as an option too, depending on pump size/draw.

Wells are usually regulated or at least permitted/inspected/tested in my experience. Maybe not where you are, or maybe this type is exempt.

 

[HiTechTed]

How far is the garden from the house or a regular source of power? There is always solar panels as an option too, depending on pump size/draw.

Wells are usually regulated or at least permitted/inspected/tested in my experience. Maybe not where you are, or maybe this type is exempt.

It's too far away for me to use power or water from the house. And I'll have to check but I'm pretty sure driven wells around here are exempt from the permits and inspections as long as they aren't for home use.

 

[AKwelder]

Cabins in this part of the country use the 12 volt option a lot. I would need to look but i have heard of 12 volt pumps that drop down a 2 inch pipe.

I think that solar panels on the shed, batteries in the shed, and a 2 inch driven well would meet your needs. If you undersize the batteries you will be able to buy a gen set to top off the batteries,

good luck

 

[HiTechTed]

That's a new one on me...I've never heard of a 12v pump that you could fit in a 2 inch pipe, but maybe I haven't looked hard enough. Solar would be nice. I'm game for anything that would keep me from having to use fuel to do the job, which is why I mentioned the windmill. I never really looked at solar seriously for the project but maybe I will...

 

[foggy1111]

Search my thread "driving a well" for pics and information on my shallow well.

You dont say where your from....but here in MN you can drive your own well without a permit. A shallow well (25 feet deep or less) can have a pump located above ground. The first thing you need to do is get an operating well.....then you can decide how to pump the water.

I would not recommend driving more than 1 1/4" pipe. I used a jack hammer to drive our well....and it went smoothly. We have very sandy soil, no rocks and a high water table (located near a big swamp) so finding the water table and driving the well in this part of the country is quite routine.

If you do a google search on driving a well....no doubt you will find the U of MN site which gives good info to drive your well. This was my guide.

I have electric....but if I was you I would look into the small genny or a solar pump. I think either could be made to work for you.

Filling out your profile would help to provide better answers.

 

[HiTechTed]

Indiana...and I think it's pretty much the same here, in that you can drive a shallow well and the pump has to be above ground. They used to dig down several feet and make a "pit" to put the pump in which would later be covered with a lid, but no pits are allowed now. That much I do know, the rest I will check on prior to doing anything.

I checked out your thread and I'm hoping the local rental place has one of those pipe attachments! That is a fantastic idea, I was going to use a fence post driver but your way would save me a heap of labor. I plan on using using a post hole digger to go down the first 2 feet or so, then drive it in from there. The ground around here is sandy, and in spots you can dig down a foot or 2 and literally hit pure sand. Anyway, your setup is exactly what I was thinking about...a check valve, a jet pump and a pressure tank set up so I can remove it. And 10 GPM is pretty nice, I think the one in my house is 7 or so, which isn't horrible.

Also at the Menard's store here, they sell both a 1 1/4" well point and a larger one, which I think is 2" but I'm not 100% sure. The larger one says it can go up to 35 feet deep, but I don't think a jet pump could handle that. You have inspired me...now I have to wait until spring to do anything but at least I can get it all planned in advance!

 

[Stimw]

Here in my part of Florida we wash down shallow wells. I have put down about a dozen for myself and friends. I have two on this property that I washed down, one for my garden and one for my Geothermal Heatpump, both are 30' deep. I have gone 45' in the past. I am running a 1/2 hp pump and 3-4 sprinklers in the garden.
I take 2" PVC and cut notches in the end for teeth. Put screw couplers on 10' sections. For the top I use two 90* fittings to face down when pipe is standing up. Hook up a garden hose and start washing up and down. The hydraulic pressure forces the water and dirt out around the 2" PVC. When down far enough I take the top fitting off and put 1 1/4" down inside with a PVC well point on it. Then remove the 2" , hook up 1 1/4" and pump it out. I will get water and sand until it runs clean.
I had trouble with the garden well, I got down 18' and could not go farther, the water quit coming out around the 2". I ended up buying a HF 2" gasoline pump, digging a pit with my backhoe, filling it with water, pumping from the pit and returning the water to the pit to reuse. It took me 5 minutes to wash that extra 12' !!!
You can test your soil by taking a piece of 1/2 -3/4" PVC and hook a hose to it and push it down into the ground. Here I can sink a 10' piece of 3/4" in a minute or two.

 

[foggy1111]

Indiana...and I think it's pretty much the same here, in that you can drive a shallow well and the pump has to be above ground. They used to dig down several feet and make a "pit" to put the pump in which would later be covered with a lid, but no pits are allowed now. That much I do know, the rest I will check on prior to doing anything.

I checked out your thread and I'm hoping the local rental place has one of those pipe attachments! That is a fantastic idea, I was going to use a fence post driver but your way would save me a heap of labor. I plan on using using a post hole digger to go down the first 2 feet or so, then drive it in from there. The ground around here is sandy, and in spots you can dig down a foot or 2 and literally hit pure sand. Anyway, your setup is exactly what I was thinking about...a check valve, a jet pump and a pressure tank set up so I can remove it. And 10 GPM is pretty nice, I think the one in my house is 7 or so, which isn't horrible.

Also at the Menard's store here, they sell both a 1 1/4" well point and a larger one, which I think is 2" but I'm not 100% sure. The larger one says it can go up to 35 feet deep, but I don't think a jet pump could handle that. You have inspired me...now I have to wait until spring to do anything but at least I can get it all planned in advance!

I have some sandy loam for the first foot or two....and then progressively more sand as you get deeper. I used my shop vac to make my starter hole....and it worked amazingly well for the first four feet. I'm sure I could have gone deeper if I had more rigid pipe to vac a deeper hole....but alas.

Getting a good straight hole to start the pipe is sure helpful for holding everything in place to start the well. As said the jackhammer was the real deal and I think many rental centers have the needed fitting to drive the pipe. I would not attempt 2" pipe as I think it drives MUCH harder. I would also not want to pound a well with a typical post driver....maybe I am just getting old? Also, soaping the well point (bar soap) helps lubricate the point and keeps sand out of the screens.

Good luck. P.M. me if you get questions. :thumbsup:

 

[HiTechTed]

Thanks foggy and everybody, good info and when the time comes I might take you up on the PM!

Stimw, I've never heard of your technique before. I'm not sure I could do that here but I would like to see it done. You should do a video of the next well you put in, I think that would be interesting!