Hi All, Can any one give me some information about Shallow wells. Or wells in general. I am looking to get some information about wells as we may need one dug in the near future in a somewhat remote property. My question is, once water is found at whatever level, under normal usage for two people, what is the life expectancy of a well? I understand is best to have wells dug during the driest months, something to do with water tables and drought, etc. Thanks in advance. Kat
I can't really give you any specific answers I'm afraid, but well "life expectancy" should be much longer than we'll likely be around. The cost obviously varies from place to place, but I've never heard of a well being drilled cheaply. I would advise drilling deep enough so that you don't have to worry about running it dry. I would advise putting in a submersible pump, I have a "convertible jet pump" and started having issues last fall which have not been fully addressed yet due to weather. Don't know when the previous well pump system was installed, but we purchased the house in Aug 2010, and had problems last year, so it's not as if it's the end of the world or anything. If I can think of anything else I'll let you know. Edit.. I've never heard that about when to drill a well, but I'm no expert either.
a good well should last a lifetime. once they drill and find a good flow, they usually will drill deep enough to have a good reserve. probably around 100 ft. if you're in a hollow you might only need to go 70', or if youre on a ridge you might need to go 500-1000'. talk to your neighbors, yours will probably be similar. even if you find water less than 70' put in a submersible pump!!
The well was in when we bought our place back in 80. Our two boys were here for close to 15 years before they moved out and it has just been my wife and I since. Well is still going strong for more than 40 years.
What do you consider shallow? If the water table is really shallow, walt might have some advice for ya...
My well is 420 feet guy across the road some 500 feet away tbey had to cap off at 30 feet, never know what you find and where you find it.
The water table here is about 8-10’ and a few places have 25’ wells with jet pumps. It’s nothing you’d want to drink though. That’s why one of my seasonal neighbors fills up his drinking water jugs from my outdoor spigot. Most wells in my area that are potable are between 150 and 200’ deep. The original well from the 1959 at my last house was 90’ deep and dried up after a couple farms drilled new irrigation wells. The replacement I had drilled in 2010 was 210’. Wouldn’t hurt to call the county or some local well contractors to get an idea of average depth and water quality if there aren’t any neighbors around. If it’s just for irrigation, shallow is fine. May need to go deeper for better water if you have agriculture in the area, high iron/calcium/etc.
What one calls a shallow well others call a deep well in other places. Farm I grew up on was 350 feet down. One place I lived had a 20 foot deep well and a constant 12 foot depth. It however was the worst well I ever had. The contamination from ground runoff from prior owners made it un-drinkable. At one point you could get a small flame to take on a glass of water due to an old diesel spill. Are you planning a powered means of lift or are you only looking for a hand power pitcher pump? Hand pumps generally only can lift water 20 or so feet.
check you state division of natural resources, they should have drill logs that you can search. hopefully some wells near you are new enough that they were tested and drill logs were submitted. that will give you an idea of TD, formations, and water level plus GPM. not sure about your state and local regs but here in ohio the only legal way to do a driven well is if you do it yourself otherwise it has to be a drilled well with minimum 5"(i think its 5 but may be 6") casing and you must case thru any sand and the casing must be pressure grouted. not sure on prices but I need a new well drilled at my shop and called a local outfit....according to local drill logs and the fact i am right beside the river we figured we need to drill 40' to set the casing on bedrock. cost of the well and permit is going to be roughly $2500 paying cash. that works out to $50 per foot for drilling and casing it plus a $500 permit
I believe you and I spoke about this previously, probably via email. You'll remember that Judy and I drove a point down ourselves and got excellent water. It was a bit of work but saved us a lot of dollars that we did not have at the time. The county and state does not like it but who cares? As for depth, it can vary so wildly that it would be difficult to say what depth to count on.
My well is 16 feet deep and has been in constant use since 1880, it's about 36" in dia. We have gone dry twice in the last four decades for a day or two, till the rains came. We stagger our water use in Aug./Sept. during the very worst dry years, but generally we have plenty of water. Our vein comes from the lake out back which has hundreds acres of woods between us, so the quality is good. I don't know how they dug it then and set the big round tiles in. I'd love know! My pump is in the cellar, and suction line goes out from the house 4' deep as the frost line is that here. My suction line enters the well casing at that level and hangs down to about the 10' level. Good Luck!
If I remember right we went down 20+ feet but less than 30. Just used a shallow well pump. While we were driving the point I'd put a pitcher pump on to test. When we really hit good water I knew because suddenly the point went down several inches with one blow. Put the pitcher pump on and it seems like it took maybe 10 minutes for the water to clear then we had some super water! All it cost was for the pipe, point and some gas as we used the tractor with pulley. Wrapped a rope around the pulley and up over a block we fastened to a tripod. Made driving the point much easier.
This site provides so much value to my life. Every time I come for help dozens jump out. Thank you all. For reference , the well will be dug in the Dominican Republic. After 35 years of living in the states, my wife and I are at a point where we can take it easier. Kids are in college and we’re building a house in my home country. Grandma right before she passed last year February called me and gave my wife and I s beautiful plot of land. She heard I was looking to buy land in Western NY and asked me if I’d consider building in the country which saw me birth. How do I say no to Mama. The kindest soul and smartest being I know. So building we are , in a way she and grandpa would be proud. Self sufficiency is 100% the goal. I get chills every time I hear her voice asking me to build on the spot their original house used to be, where I was born. How do I say no to that. So hence the well question. Kat
