Help!! Driving a 1.25' Well point

20 years ago

My husband and I are trying to install an 1.25 drive point well. We dug the hole about 5 feet, past the clay to sand. Then we started driving. No water is staying in the pipe at all, contrary to what all of the on line instructions have said. We pounded 5 hours on Saturday and another 5 hours on Sunday and we have only gone 12 feet (5 of which is the hole we dug - so only 7 feet in the undisturbed ground). We are so sore it isn't funny and we are starting to think we never should have started this. Can anyone tell me - is this pace normal? we are using the drive tool with a handle on each side and lead on the top alternating with a sledge hammer. And does anyone know why water will not stay in the pipe - or is it your expeience that the water doesn't stay in the pipe. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

steve_l
20 years ago
Might be too late, but that pace isn't normal. You should be able to drive a well to 18 or 20 feet in a couple hours using the drive handle tool you describe. It's possible you've hit rocks or you're back into very hard clay. Do you have an update on your progress? I'm not a fan of using a sledgehammer - too easy to mess up the pipe threads.
rej11_juno_com
15 years ago
steve
I don't have an answer to your problem but have a similar one of my own. My question is how does one know when the well point is in an area that produces water and is there any way to determine if the water it will produce is adequate to satisfy the desired result. i'm trying to supply water for our residential sprinkler system Max capacity +/- 12 gals / min.
Related Professionals
Hot Springs Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Westerly Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Santa Rosa Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Quincy Landscape Contractors · Lexington Landscape Contractors · Elizabeth City Landscape Contractors · Galveston Landscape Contractors · Salt Lake City Landscape Contractors · Wenatchee Landscape Contractors · New Braunfels Home Additions · New Haven Home Additions · Toledo Home Additions · Kenosha Home Additions · Bend Home Additions · Calgary Home Additions
lehua49
15 years ago
rej,

Check the County records for any wells driven in your area by professional drillers. Also check info from Government sources(extension services, water boards, etc) for your area. This usually gives you info of what to expect when you drive the well and where the aquifer is and how big. Also neighbors that have driven wells are a great source of info including well yields(flow rates that are sustainable). GL Aloha
elmer97
15 years ago
You have probably hit water. When water no longer stays in the pipe it usually means you have hit a waterbearing formation. To check, hook up the pitcher pump pour water down (may take several gallons) while pumping to get a prime. The pumped water will be really muddy.

When driving a well you should keep water in the pipe to see when you first hit water. When the water disappears you have hit water, the water in the pipe basically flows down into the aquifer. It's best to drive down several more feet so that the water level is at least 5 feet above the top of the well point. This will allow enough depth to account for seasonal water level change and to avoid sucking air from excessive draw down. You don't want to go down too far or you may push past the water bearing formation.

Once you reach a satisfactory depth it's time to develop the well. Proper development of the well improves it's yield and longevity. The idea is to remove the fine particles near the well point and leave the larger particles near the screen. This is accomplished by alternately plunging/surging and pumping until the water clears. Repeat this step several times. This can be fairly time consuming with a pitcher pump. Renting a trash pump for this part of the project is well worth the cost.

Do a quick search on the web for shallow water well development for more info.