Encyclopedia of Science

[waterboy]

I read that the water table where I live was only about 10 feet down. The soil here is sandy or clay like so it is easy to dig through it. The gears started turning in my head and I got 3 pieces of 3/4" PVC pipe and put threaded connectors on them. I attached a hose to the pipe and started making hole. In a couple hours I had a 30 foot deep hole! The water washed away dirt from around the pipe and the hole is about 4 inches in diameter. After I pulled out the PVC pipe some dirt settled back into the hole. A few hours later I checked the water level and there was water in the hole 5-1/5' feet below the surface. The next day the water level was at the same level. More dirt had filled in the hole so the hole was now only 10-1/2' deep. Even with that it looks like I have 5 feet of water in my hole. So here is where I start to have questions.

What diameter casing should I put in the hole? How deep should I run the casing? The soil is sandy and silty. What size holes should I drill in the casing to allow the water to come in? Will the holes get plugged with the dirt and sand and will the soil fill up the casing?

I'd like to have my well for an emergency supply of water. Don't really plan to use it on any regular basis. But if I can get plenty of water out of it maybe I will use it to water the plants in my backyard.

Any tips would be appreciated. I found this forum from an article that discussed the basics of a well, but it didn't really explain how to prepare the casing where it collects the water.

Thanks for any help!

[MagneMan]

You may very well be able to put in a shallow or sand point, well.

1.25" sand point and 1.25" well pipe would handle it just fine. They are relatively easy to install. You will need a wooden mallet for pounding (so that you dont damage the pipe or threads.)

Then you will need as many sections of 1.25" pipe as it will take, couplings, 2 pipe wrenches for tightening the pipe and couplings, and several "pounding caps" or caps that screw onto the pipe you are pounding into the ground so that you don't damage the threads of the pipe.

Typically you can put a hand pump on a shallow well and it will work fine, or you can put an electric shallow well pump on it (for 25 ft or less in depth) and it will more than handle your garden needs, etc.

[BrilliantMind]

Shallow wells can be very dangerous from surface contamination. If you do not have an impervious layer of soil on top of your water strata, you are essentially making a tea out of animal feces and all other surface contaminates and using that water for whatever. Have it tested by your local government testing agency. It's cheap.