Author Topic: Locating Water Wells (Read 2741 times)

Radar67 · « **on:** August 18, 2009, 10:00:43 am »

I'm in the planning stages of having a well drilled on my property. I have a general question I want opinions on, how far away from your house, shed, barn, or whatever would you locate the well? We have to have a minimum 50 feet between a well and septic, but that is not a problem (the septic isn't installed yet). What is the maximum distance you would have the well from your house? Based on the driller's comments, I'm looking at a 175 to 200 foot deep, with a 4 inch submergable pump. A pressure tank will be supplied at the well location.

So, max distance from house or other structures?

ErikC · « **Reply #1 on:** August 18, 2009, 10:18:17 am »

Pumping water across flat ground is no big deal, so I wouldn't worry about that unless it's on a hill. Are you going to have a meter dedicated at the well, or is it off your house box? running a lot of wire is probably the biggest concern. Actually the biggest concern is getting water in the well.

Sounds like you want it as far away as practical? I would have it far enough to be out of the yard, driveway area at least.

beenthere · « **Reply #2 on:** August 18, 2009, 10:28:43 am »

I'd suggest considering the future, to get back to the well head for pulling the pump whenever that is needed. So wherever it's close to get a pump winch truck to, or over firm ground that won't get torn up with ruts.

Radar67 · « **Reply #3 on:** August 18, 2009, 10:44:35 am »

I have two sites in mind, the first site will be next to a firm road/drive and about 100 feet from the house site. Other water needs will be down hill at 300 and 900 feet. The second site would also be near a road/drive and be downhill of the house site by 300 feet (elevation difference of maybe 30 feet) and 600 feet from the other location. Electric will go right by the second location.

It's not necessarily getting the well as far away as practical as it is getting a practical location to feed eveything I want to feed. I'm looking at a spigot at the tractor barn/saw shed, the house, a wood shop, and maybe a couple of guest houses. In the future, there will be two more houses if the daughters elect to build on the land.

Larry · « **Reply #4 on:** August 18, 2009, 06:27:18 pm »

The first consideration is to get a good "witch" to find the water...especially if your planing three houses. Your driller is probably right on depth but make him drill the hole where you will have the most water...the witch can find the veins and they will run together.

Radar67 · « **Reply #5 on:** August 18, 2009, 06:37:19 pm »

I've already witched/twitched the locations...that's the reason they were selected.

LeeB · « **Reply #6 on:** August 18, 2009, 08:11:42 pm »

At sight #2 you may have to get a surface pump to get enough pressure up the hill, exspecially if you have a 2 story house up there. With that said, you may need a bigger pump at sight #1 if the well has to be drilled deeper due to elevation.

Radar67 · « **Reply #7 on:** August 18, 2009, 08:18:30 pm »

My neighbors well is down 160, my site is about 50 feet higher, so the 200 feet counts for the deeper well. I've also about decided that which ever way I decide to go, a pressure booster will be placed at each location, and maybe a holding tank.

maple flats · « **Reply #8 on:** August 20, 2009, 04:28:05 pm »

Can your witch tell you how deep, I have heard some can get fairly close? If both are about the same depth I would place it closer to the "main house" and then distribute to the others, with boosters if needed. If the lower is significantly less drilling I would go with that because of the per foot cost. Many times you will find that a well does not need to be deeper just because you go up in elevation. Underground strata defining the aquafer determine that. Try to find a witch who gives an indication of depth needed as well as vein strength.

SwampDonkey · « **Reply #9 on:** August 20, 2009, 04:40:45 pm »

Well it wasn't hard here to tell the new neighbors where to drill. It was coming out of the base of a small knoll in the field. It was artesian. They drilled and water was gushing out that like old faithful. The neighbors sold about 4 years later and the new owner thought there was something wrong with his well until my brother explained what was going on. He's got more water than he can handle.

Down by the old barn site, not far away from this new house we had a trough there that was always running water from the ground. Came from a spring across the road actually, about 800 feet away. Grandfather's house was on the same spring. Also fed a second house about 200 feet away. No pump needed it had all kinds of pressure. Water!! No end to it. I used to try and hold back the pressure with my hand over the pipe at the trough as a kid, never could do it. Came in handy to spray water on an unsuspecting younger brother or a cat.

The next farm down was the same, there was all kinds of water and the old man made 3 fish ponds besides got his water from a spring as well. Seems that dark earth is what you look for around here for easy water. Not mucky earth because these spots can be worked by tractor. But can be soft ground early and late in the growing season.

Radar67 · « **Reply #10 on:** August 20, 2009, 06:35:58 pm »

At 200 feet, my well will run $3200, that includes the pump, pressure tank, and all the wire to hook it up. When they get through, all I have to do is build a shed around it.

beenthere · « **Reply #11 on:** August 20, 2009, 09:43:34 pm »

Stew
Can you get by without any well casing? In WI, we have to put down at least 50' of casing. More if there are any cave-ins or signs of surface water getting into the well.

Radar67 · « **Reply #12 on:** August 20, 2009, 09:54:45 pm »

Wells here get a casing all the way down. We have very little rock. From a conversation with the driller, he hit rock on my neighbor's well at 20 feet, said it was a few feet thick then no more.

LeeB · « **Reply #13 on:** August 20, 2009, 09:56:10 pm »

I would recomend against open hole completion. If your pipe gets a leak, you will wash out the side walls,detroy your pump and likely ruin the well. Then you will have the cost of drilling a new one plus pump.

beenthere · « **Reply #14 on:** August 20, 2009, 10:23:45 pm »

LeeB
What is "open hole completion" ? Is that casing part way down?

I have 70 feet of casing, and then limestone rock. The well is drilled 320' deep. Was having some supply problems, and thought was that maybe some filling had occurred from uncased drilled hole.
Camera was lowered down, and after 41 years since drilling in 1968, we could see the rotary drilling tool marks at the bottom. Zero silting. I was quite surprised, as was the well driller.

But alas, I may be punching that well down lower this coming winter. Decision is yet to be made.

LeeB · « **Reply #15 on:** August 21, 2009, 06:25:44 am »

Sorry, oilfield term. Yes, it means only partially cased with the lower section being 'open'. Our first well was like that at the place in Texas. Got a hole in the production pipe and washed out the side wall. The cuttings/grit ate up the pump and trashed the well. It would have cost me as much to fix as to drill new so new well it was. The new one was much better, ie no oil in the water and a whole lot less sand although it did have to be drilled about 300' deeper than the first one. It was interesting for me actually because the old feller drilled it with a cable tool rig (spud rig) instead of a more modern rotary rig.

beenthere · « **Reply #16 on:** August 21, 2009, 10:02:52 am »

This well was one of the very first in this southern WI area drilled with a rotary rig. Others were being "pounded" down with cable rig and dropping the bit for a hole. Sometimes would take weeks to get a pounded well finished (hadn't heard it referred to as a "spud" rig, but suspect it is similar). So I was surprised that this well was done in 2 days.

We don't have that problem of hitting oil instead of water. Bummer

StorminN · « **Reply #17 on:** August 21, 2009, 02:51:05 pm »

Quote from: Radar67 on August 20, 2009, 06:35:58 pm

At 200 feet, my well will run $3200, that includes the pump, pressure tank, and all the wire to hook it up. When they get through, all I have to do is build a shed around it.

Jeez louise! "Only" $3,200??

A 200 foot well here would be about $8,000! I just got a estimate for a 300 foot well, all told it was about $13,500...

I wonder what the difference is?

-Norm.

Reddog · « **Reply #18 on:** August 21, 2009, 03:04:29 pm »

Quote from: StorminN on August 21, 2009, 02:51:05 pm

I wonder what the difference is?

-Norm.

Most likely bed rock.
A rotory rig in grave/sand can fly. Takes longer to set up than drill the well.
When drilling rock it takes power and wears the drill head. Also some places all of the tailings from a rock well have to be hauled away as hazard waste because of heavy metals.

Radar67 · « **Reply #19 on:** August 21, 2009, 03:39:41 pm »

Lack of rock is the biggest reason. My neighbors 160 foot well took a day and a half from start to finish. They probably could have done it faster, but they had to talk and cut up some.

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Author Topic: Locating Water Wells (Read 2741 times)