Driving a New Well

[foggy1111]

We just finished driving a new sand point well. Its 21 feet deep and has about 12 feet of water in the pipe. My soil is quite sandy...very few rocks and I have swamp land on three sides of my site....almost assuring water is available (?).

I started by vacuuming a 2 1/2" diameter hole with my shop vac to a depth of aobut 4 feet. I ran into about two roots....so I used a length of pipe to cut through the small roots and continued to vac. This only took a few minutes and I had a very clean and staight starter hole....no problems.

I then attached my ss sand point to lenghts of 5 foot pipe using pipe joint compound and drive coulplings. THEN...the best 50 bucks I spent was to rent a 40 lb electrice jack hammmer and the needed well fittings to drive the pipe. I checked for level and I tightened the pipes after about every foot of driving. Driving all the pipe took about an hours time....and went smoothly. Even my wife could run the jack hammer if I lifted it in place for her. :thumbsup:

After pumping cold clear water with the pitcher pump....I purchased a jet pump and an expansion tank. Really working slick (after having an air leak problem with one fitting) and I pump a five gallon bucket in no time flat!!!

Was a fun project....followed some intructions found on this site and via a google search.

 

[foggy1111]

a few more pics.... I figure with the point, pipe, joints, pump(s), and all materials, that Ihave invested about $700 in the end product. All that is left now is to trench in a wire and get a GFI circuit installed.

 

[Mousefield]

That worked out well for you. Sorry about the pun, sort of. Great idea to have the picnic table and jackhammer. Nice pics. :thumbsup: If you are in sand I would suspect you are getting nice clear water. :licking: Our first well, on anther property we built a house on in 1980, was all through sand/gravel. Swear we could have bottled the stuff. Good going on the well and all in around an hour. :drink:

 

[hr3]

foggy,, What are you getting for gal. per min. ??? I'm thinking about doing the same to feed my pond ??

 

[foggy1111]

foggy,, What are you getting for gal. per min. ??? I'm thinking about doing the same to feed my pond ??

I did not do a test of gals per minute. But I have a very strong flow of water....more than I get out of my city water faucent. I'm going to my land today to water my seedlings.....and will give the flow a check.

Its sure nice to not have to haul water via a trailer and tank. :thumbsup:

I forgot to mention that the last pic showing the pump and hose is not really the end product. I replaced the Tee fitting at the top of the well pipe with an elbow (as the tee plug leaked air). Then I replaced the 12" horizontal pipe with two 6" pipes and coupled them in the middle with a full union. Now I can remove my pump for repairs or winter storage.

 

[foggy1111]

foggy,, What are you getting for gal. per min. ??? I'm thinking about doing the same to feed my pond ??

I checked it today while filling pails to water my seedlings. I am getting just less than 10 gallons a minute.

Here is the final configuration of the well and pump. I added a coupling to allow removing the pump for winter storage. I also removed the Tee fitting and replaced it with an elbow....as the Tee was leaking air. The the large brass check valve sits just before the 90 degree elbow to allow pump start-ups without priming.

 

[Mousefield]

I checked it today while filling pails to water my seedlings. I am getting just less than 10 gallons a minute.

Here is the final configuration of the well and pump. I added a coupling to allow removing the pump for winter storage. I also removed the Tee fitting and replaced it with an elbow....as the Tee was leaking air. The the large brass check valve sits just before the 90 degree elbow to allow pump start-ups without priming.

Smart to think of being able to take it off for the winter. 10 gallons a minute is pretty good, lots of folks would like to have that much. Now you can have a cold one from the tap. :laughing::laughing:

 

[hr3]

Thanks Foggy.. Another question,, I see the jug of water,,Do you have to prime when you use it or is there a foot valve??

 

[foggy1111]

Thanks Foggy.. Another question,, I see the jug of water,,Do you have to prime when you use it or is there a foot valve??

That jug is just left over from the first priming(s). (Just saving it "in case" for a few days.) The only valve is the brass check valve shown at the top of the well. This eliminates the need for priming as the well pump keeps under pressure when the water is shut off.

A foot valve is used when you have bigger pipe (this pipe is all 1 1/4")....and typically a deeper well than this. There would be no way to get a foot valve into play with a driven well like mine (that I know of). About the deepest you can get my set up to work is 25 feet deep....thus by definition this is a shallow well. From what I have read.....a deep well is any well over 25 feet deep.

 

[foggy1111]

As a footnote.....my well is on my hunting land. When I left the property ten days ago the pressure in the well tank was 44 lbs. When I came back it was 43 lbs....with no power to the well in my absence. I ran my power cord to the pump and plugged it in. No prime.....just water at the turn of the spicket. :thumbsup:

Now that everything seems to be reliable I plan to trench in a GFI wire and get it finished correctly. I built a small enclosure from treated plywood to protect the pump and shield the elements.

It was such a pleasure to pump buckets of water for my seedlings without a care for my supply. I like when projects go so smoothly. Pardon my gloating.

 

[schmism]

i take it this type of thing is common in your area seeing the special fitting for the bottom of the jack hammer.

 

[hr3]

I guess you got all your connections good and tight to hold the pressure that long,, Very nice job.. I wish I had sandy soil,, I started digging a well and it's all gray clay..

 

[teg]

... I like when projects go so smoothly. Pardon my gloating...

Gloat, away!!! you deserve too... very nice setup. So few of my projects (especially Plumbing projects!!!) go smoothly... I have a hot water heater right now with a pilot light that doesn't stay on :mur:

 

[schmism]

Gloat, away!!! you deserve too... very nice setup. So few of my projects (especially Plumbing projects!!!) go smoothly... I have a hot water heater right now with a pilot light that doesn't stay on :mur:

bad thermocouple

 

[brin]

foggy...You have a right to gloat...geeez, it does feel good when a plan comes together with no hitches - doesn't it...So often something always seems to come about to delay or screw up the best laid plans...Murphy gets fooled sometimes...LOL

 

[foggy1111]

i take it this type of thing is common in your area seeing the special fitting for the bottom of the jack hammer.

Thanks for all the comments guys. Yes, up in our part of the world sandpoint wells are quite common and the jackhammer method is pretty well known. Most of the rental yards carry the attchements. I used a 40 lb (wieght) hammer as I dove an 1 1/4 inch pipe to a shallow depth. But...with bigger pipe or deeper holes or rocky ground (etc) I would go with the heavier (60 lb) jack hammer. The jackhammer is the best money you can spend on this kinda work. (unless its a box of beer for a buncha your buddies and a maul :thumbsup::laughing: )

 

[dieselscout80]

Thanks for all the comments guys. Yes, up in our part of the world sandpoint wells are quite common and the jackhammer method is pretty well known. Most of the rental yards carry the attchements. I used a 40 lb (wieght) hammer as I dove an 1 1/4 inch pipe to a shallow depth. But...with bigger pipe or deeper holes or rocky ground (etc) I would go with the heavier (60 lb) jack hammer. The jackhammer is the best money you can spend on this kinda work. (unless its a box of beer for a buncha your buddies and a maul :thumbsup::laughing: )

Foggy how deep could a person drive a well like this?

 

[foggy1111]

A sand point well is normally driven to a max depth of 25 feet. The reason is that with a pump at the top of the ground the most you can pull water up via a vaccuum is prox 25 feet. You could run a shallow well with a pitcher pump....and for some purposes that may be all thats needed. I suppose I could fill a 5 gallon bucket in 2 minutes or so with the pitcher pump....but the next pail may take a bit longer.....as you start to wear down. :laughing:

From what I have read....any well over 25 feet deep is a deep well.

I am not an expert on wells.....but there is a wealth of information on wells via a google search.....as well as via a search on wells at this site. Basically I just followed the instructions from the U of MN website on wells (found via google).

 

[foggy1111]

I was just answering a post on check valves....and it made me look at my old post from last year (above).

This spring I got my pump out of storage and attached it with the coupling. I think it took two primes and I had cold clear water flowing again. This year we are installing a self-standing laundry sink with a faucet. We will also keep a garden hose attached to fill tanks.

As my well is quite shallow (only 8 feet deep) and it gets VERY cold here....I was concerned with it freezing down the steel pipe. A feind told me to hang a garden hose down the pipe as it's supposed to eliminate freeze problems. confused:?) The pipe didnt freeze.....so the idea is "plausible".

A year later and I am happy with my water supply.

 

[teg]

...I have a hot water heater right now with a pilot light that doesn't stay on...

While "we" are updating the pilot light on the hot water heater turned out be the vent was clogged. (Actually, the old rusted pipe inside the brick chimney had collapsed into a pile and blocked the venting of gases.) :confused2: