# Hand drilled wells.



## reddog719 (Dec 22, 2002)

Looking to try to put down my own well this summer with a mud pump setup. My question is can I sink my well down to around 120-130 ft using PVC. I would like to use a submersible pump so I would have to go 4" wouldn't I? I would also be using Bentonite as I went down. Is this project do able or am I way out of wack? lol


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## bucko12pt (Dec 9, 2004)

reddog719 said:


> Looking to try to put down my own well this summer with a mud pump setup. My question is can I sink my well down to around 120-130 ft using PVC. I would like to use a submersible pump so I would have to go 4" wouldn't I? I would also be using Bentonite as I went down. Is this project do able or am I way out of wack? lol


Sure you're not in over your head?


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## CHASINEYES (Jun 3, 2007)

I just spent an hour reading up on water boring your own well, very interesting. It left me wondering how rock or sizable stones would move out of the way rather than fall to the bottom and inhibit further drilling. Also wonder how one would get a good water supply to drill the well. Though I'm not familiar with this method, the little bit of reading left me with the impression that 40ft is pushing it.


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## Liver and Onions (Nov 24, 2000)

reddog719 said:


> can I sink my well down to around 120-130 ft ...........


Is there anything wrong with the water that you will run into around 25" ?

L & O


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## reddog719 (Dec 22, 2002)

I don't know if im over my head. There is a guy that drills geo thermal wells and they are over 100'. He uses a 1 1/2" PVC pipe to do it and he says its a 4" hole when he is done. He uses 2 garden hoses for the water flow when he is drilling. A mud pump recirculates its own water then you shovel the mud out of the mud box. I have watched hundreds of videos and read countless articles on the subject and it all seem to contradict each other. I came up with the depth from what my neighbors wells are. The property is on a hill and about 40 to 50' down is a swamp. So I wouldn't think that water would be suitable for drinking. There is a hand driven well that is down 27' and it is dry. I just don't want to spent 12-1500 on a well if I can do it myself. I have tried to ask the well drillers around there but they have no comment on it which is what I fully expected. If I go with a 2" pipe (I should by everything I have read) have at least a 4" hole when I'm done. 20 sticks of 2" PVC isn't too much to spend and if I cant do it I will have pipe to run water to my garden.


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## MossyHorns (Apr 14, 2011)

reddog719 said:


> I don't know if im over my head. There is a guy that drills geo thermal wells and they are over 100'. He uses a 1 1/2" PVC pipe to do it and he says its a 4" hole when he is done. He uses 2 garden hoses for the water flow when he is drilling. A mud pump recirculates its own water then you shovel the mud out of the mud box. I have watched hundreds of videos and read countless articles on the subject and it all seem to contradict each other. I came up with the depth from what my neighbors wells are. The property is on a hill and about 40 to 50' down is a swamp. So I wouldn't think that water would be suitable for drinking. There is a hand driven well that is down 27' and it is dry. I just don't want to spent 12-1500 on a well if I can do it myself. I have tried to ask the well drillers around there but they have no comment on it which is what I fully expected. If I go with a 2" pipe (I should by everything I have read) have at least a 4" hole when I'm done. 20 sticks of 2" PVC isn't too much to spend and if I cant do it I will have pipe to run water to my garden.


First off I think you need to be a licensed water well driller to install a drinking water well (if that's what you are doing) and there is no way you could ever get deep enough with the method you are talking about. I supervise the installation of monitoring wells for environmental purposes and the rigs they use are huge even when doing mud rotary. I don't know of any driller that would install a well for $1200 to $1500. It's more like $4,000 on up.


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## Steve (Jan 15, 2000)

I hand drove a sand point through very sandy soil down to about 30'. Would never want to dry going deeper than that myself.


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## FREEPOP (Apr 11, 2002)

Steve said:


> I hand drove a sand point through very sandy soil down to about 30'. Would never want to dry going deeper than that myself.


Hardpan is fun!


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## CHASINEYES (Jun 3, 2007)

It's all sand and gravel where I live. Guy across the street had a new well put in and its at 55ft, cost him around 5 grand. My well is at 55ft (machine driven) and a close neighbors is at 85ft. Anything inbetween doesn't have enough water. The first water vein is much higher, but to close to the surface for drinking.


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## reddog719 (Dec 22, 2002)

I mis spoke on the price. I looked up an estimate that a local well driller told me. It was 2500 3000. for where I am at in Clare county. I need to get the land cleared and electricity run before I even think of drilling a well. Cant wait till spring so the cutting can begin. Would like to be cutting now but I cant get around up there too much snow.


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## kcfishin (Nov 12, 2003)

MossyHorns said:


> First off I think you need to be a licensed water well driller to install a drinking water well (if that's what you are doing) and there is no way you could ever get deep enough with the method you are talking about. I supervise the installation of monitoring wells for environmental purposes and the rigs they use are huge even when doing mud rotary. I don't know of any driller that would install a well for $1200 to $1500. It's more like $4,000 on up.



I also have observed hundreds of well installs for environmental purposes. We usually install 2-inch wells and large drill rigs. I thought the same as you one day and tried to install my own 2-inch irrigation well. I made it to 18 feet and hit groundwater in sand couldn't get past 22 feet and got a trickle of dirty water. My wife cut me off before I tried again &#128516;!

I am fairly certain you'll fail miserably if trying to go much over 40 feet. Most successful hand dug wells I've seen are hand augered and then driven to depth with brute strength and drive couplings on the riser pipes.


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