# Drive point well



## TH9 (Dec 15, 2017)

Planning on trying to get water to our cabin in spring. Was wondering if anyone in the Gladwin area has tried to drive a point well. If so, how deep was water table? I just don't want to waste time trying to drive one of its too deep. Any tips? Recommendations?


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## JUSTCATCHINUM (Feb 19, 2004)

Look up the county well records for your area. You will get a good idea on depth and soil composition.


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## big show (Sep 10, 2007)

Ask a neighbor. It only takes a couple hours to drive 20 feet of pipe.


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## Petronius (Oct 13, 2010)

big show said:


> Ask a neighbor. It only takes a couple hours to drive 20 feet of pipe.


And learn water dowsing too.


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## FullQuiver (May 2, 2006)

Best thing to do is ask the neighbors and don't always count on the fact that surface water is nearby there are all kinds of anomalies in aquifers..


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## FullQuiver (May 2, 2006)

JUSTCATCHINUM said:


> Look up the county well records for your area. You will get a good idea on depth and soil composition.


Just don't tell the Health Dept that you will be driving your own well as driven wells aren't kosher in the state of MI...


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## tdejong302 (Nov 28, 2004)

pm sent


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## TH9 (Dec 15, 2017)

T


JUSTCATCHINUM said:


> Look up the county well records for your area. You will get a good idea on depth and soil composition.


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## TH9 (Dec 15, 2017)

Will check that out. Thanks for the help!


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## JUSTCATCHINUM (Feb 19, 2004)

TH9 said:


> Will check that out. Thanks for the help!


http://www.deq.state.mi.us/well-logs/


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## feedinggrounds (Jul 21, 2009)

C


JUSTCATCHINUM said:


> Look up the county well records for your area. You will get a good idea on depth and soil composition.


County records would only help if you are putting in a deep well. Shallow driven wells are rarely part of county records as they are frowned upon by health depts. Having driven three wells with friends in that area for camps and cabins, they ended up in the 24 to 28 foot range. Diving shallow wells is fairly easy but does have a few tricks that help success. Use drive couplers, I prefer pipe dope vs tape slather it on the threads, and very important to tighten pipe every 8 to 10 whacks. Some like to dig a pre hole as deep as possible, but once pipe is started should be filled in while driving as pipe will bow with each hit wasting effort and loosen joints faster. Unless pipe is driven while standing in hole, you want the hits to push down not spring pipe sideways. Once past 20 or so feet fill pipe with water, when you cannot keep pipe full of water between pipe tightening breaks it is time to hang a picture pump and try it. add lots of water if it takes it, as it will help clean point of clay and sand. I have a cap with a valve stem and use air also. A chalk line with a sinker will come in handy to check water level in pipe and allow you to stretch out and measure depth. It can be done, but is a bit of a gamble, the last well I helped drive a while back cost about $300- $400 in cost, that is point $65, couplers $12 ea. and 6 foot sections of pipe about 4. Short chunks, elbows and unions are needed to set pump. When done I like to rinse well with bleach pumping till smell and taste are gone. Good luck!


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## feedinggrounds (Jul 21, 2009)

Another thing when asking neighbors pick the one with a pump house in the yard not the ones with a well head pipe sticking up. The pump houses normally mean a above ground pump and most likely a shallow well. The well head pipe sticking up normally means a deep well. Also the older do it yourself type of neighbor may be the most knowledgeable about the local wells as he may have helped install or repair a few in the area.


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## JUSTCATCHINUM (Feb 19, 2004)

I agree with most of your posting. However, the op is looking for a water depth. The county records will give him that. Also the records will give him a good idea of the ground composition. I don't think he would want to drive a well into rock or if the water table is below a depth of a driven well.


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## Martin Looker (Jul 16, 2015)

Drilled wells have to be 35 ft deep to be legal in Gladwin and probably the whole state.


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## feedinggrounds (Jul 21, 2009)

Martin Looker said:


> Drilled wells have to be 35 ft deep to be legal in Gladwin and probably the whole state.


I get that, but 35 ft. is beyond driven well depth unless static level rises in pipe to around 25 to 30 foot below pump. A drive point well means to me a shallow well. I do not think most shallow well are listed/reported to the county, why? if they are going to say its not code. In my area the 100 ft wells are nasty and full of minerals the 25 foot wells are good. Well drillers get paid by the foot...


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## feedinggrounds (Jul 21, 2009)

JUSTCATCHINUM said:


> I agree with most of your posting. However, the op is looking for a water depth. The county records will give him that. Also the records will give him a good idea of the ground composition. I don't think he would want to drive a well into rock or if the water table is below a depth of a driven well.


A geological survey will have better info if that is what your looking for. Most of that part of the state is glacial till, layers and layers of sandy gravel with thinner layers of blue gray clay, the clay perches water. If you ever get a chance to drive down in the Gravel mine at the I 75 West Branch exit you can see the many layers. But any shallow well is a bit of a gamble, the skill of installer, and clay layer being at a depth a shallow well can pump. Without the clay or bedrock the water keeps perking downwards.


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## jjlrrw (May 1, 2006)

We put in shallow well years ago, my neighbor helped we went to the creek and he cut a branch and did the water dowsing. Found an area and told me to start there I could not for the life of me get the water dowsing to work.

My neighbor made a hand drill, it was an old school wood drill bit ~2" in diameter welded to a 5' long 1" diameter pipe, he had a tee handle and 4 - 5 sections of pipe that would connect together. You would screw it in about 4 - 6" at a time then pull it out and knock off the dirt, when the bit came up clean and wet measure the distance then add 4' of pipe plus the amount you want above ground. Drop it in the hole drive the last 3 - 4' feet and done. He recommended doing it this way because its much easier, if you hit a rock or tree root you just move a bit and start over plus easy to pull the pipe when needed.


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## feedinggrounds (Jul 21, 2009)

jjlrrw said:


> We put in shallow well years ago, my neighbor helped we went to the creek and he cut a branch and did the water dowsing. Found an area and told me to start there I could not for the life of me get the water dowsing to work.
> 
> My neighbor made a hand drill, it was an old school wood drill bit ~2" in diameter welded to a 5' long 1" diameter pipe, he had a tee handle and 4 - 5 sections of pipe that would connect together. You would screw it in about 4 - 6" at a time then pull it out and knock off the dirt, when the bit came up clean and wet measure the distance then add 4' of pipe plus the amount you want above ground. Drop it in the hole drive the last 3 - 4' feet and done. He recommended doing it this way because its much easier, if you hit a rock or tree root you just move a bit and start over plus easy to pull the pipe when needed.


The only thing I would add, I have seen and done them this way is once pipe is placed and you "have water" is fill around pipe with some type of clay. I like bentonite that well drillers use. Reason being is surface contamination can now very easily flow right down around pipe into your water. I think Unplugged abandoned wells are a very real danger, and may be one of the reason some places have chronic bad water problems like tannins.


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## jjlrrw (May 1, 2006)

feedinggrounds said:


> The only thing I would add, I have seen and done them this way is once pipe is placed and you "have water" is fill around pipe with some type of clay. I like bentonite that well drillers use. Reason being is surface contamination can now very easily flow right down around pipe into your water. I think Unplugged abandoned wells are a very real danger, and may be one of the reason some places have chronic bad water problems like tannins.


Thanks for adding this! I do remember he packed the hole but don't remember with what. Thinking back this was over 23 years ago WOW, that man taught me so much even the simple things like when my rear mount rototiller was running backwards, I was scratching my head, he said "put a twist in the belt" BINGO!


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## bucko12pt (Dec 9, 2004)

emergencywaterwell.com

They sell complete kits for shallow well drilling.


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