Wednesday, January 22, 2014

The PVC Pipe Method For Drilling Water Wells

By Judy Sullivan


Few items are as critical to maintaining life as potable water. While there is a good deal of this naturally occurring resource on the earth, many fresh aquifers can only be found deep underground. This is the reason why drilling water wells has become so critical all over the world to help furnish this resource to everyone so they can live and flourish.

What many people often do not realize is that many times there is an abundance of it right under their feet. Most wells are no more than 60-70 feet deep and a shallow well is often half this at 30 feet. At this depth it is reasonably easy to use common PVC pipe and some elbow grease and a garden hose to get down to it.

There is a real possibility that the water you discover at this depth is not safe enough to drink and use for preparing food. You should plan to have any well you are digging tested for possible contaminates or bacteria. This is vital even when it is installed by a professional driller.

The common size of piping used for this is 2 inch, if you are planning to go deep it is typically best to start with a 3 inch pipe. Start by beginning the bore hole using your 2 inch or 3 inch piping. This is accomplished by pumping slurry down the drill pipe while it is rotated forcefully in clockwise then counter-clockwise directions.

Any displaced sand or other material will be washed out of the bore hole by flowing slurry moving through the piping and out from the outside of the boring hole. It is even easier if you make notches along the bottom of your pipe to assist breaking up the ground as you twist the pipe around. As you drill deeper, keep working the pipe side to side and up and down while twisting it so its shaft will not collapse.

After the pilot hole is drilled out and cleaned up it needs to have some kind of well screen in it to be serviceable. This will stop the well from caving in and stop dirt or rocks from getting drawn up in the pipe line. These may be purchased at most home improvement stores. One could be made by cutting out slats on a long piece of 1 1/2" piping and then wrapping it up in burlap cloth.

The hole should also be capped off to prevent the aquifer from any possible contamination from outside contaminant sources. Generally, this is completed by filling in around your pipe with pea gravel or sand to around 5 feet from the surface. This remaining 5 feet is filled with concrete or a mortar based slurry which seals it and forms a small service pad for any pump to rest on.

Even if your well does not have fresh drinking water, it can still be used for things like watering the lawn or garden, washing clothes or to put in pools and water features. Many times drilling water wells in your back yard can dramatically reduce how much you use. This can save families money while helping the planet save a precious natural resource.




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