ff,

Some question:

1. City water is too highly priced?
2. Can you remove all the fittings and gain access to the well proper?
3. Can you identify where the the piping goes and what the fittings do?
4. The wiring in the photo looks new. Is it going into the well to a submersible pump?
5. Is there power to the well? From Where?
4. Please measure the well diameter. What is it?
6. What flow and pressure are you thinking of to run your system? That is the start to design your system
7. What elevation difference between the well and your garden and lawn? enough for now. Aloha

Thanks lehua13, This is not something that I will do so myself! I just wanted to know if it is feasible and what to ask a professional when they take a look. It is 4in and the electrical is in bad shape and will have to be replaced. The well is just feet from the house so wiring would be no problem. And yes, water is too expensive to water grass, at least for me. I think in the long run it would pay to have a well. This is just my yard, the cost of electricity to run a pump will be much less I think than paying for water, correct me if I'm wrong. The well sits in the middle of the yard- the lot is sloped so some is above the well and some below. I'm thinking there should probably a pressure tank- I don't know though, that'swhat I would ask about.

ff,

4" diameter well is small. There is a limited choices for a submersible pump. The important question is what the sustainable yield(gallons per minute) and water quality would be from the well. The local water agency that regulates well drilling(permit agency)may have old records of your well with ground water elevation and allowable yield. 4" well may be too small to be recorded. A well contractor would be able to do this for you. It looks like a professional set up to me. The contractor would be able to set up a temporary well operation and test for yield, draw-down and quality before doing the permanent work. You would need a controller that runs the well and irrigation system and a disconnect switch. There is a good amount of information that you can read on Google about waterwell pump installations and control. The contractor would discuss your need for a pressure tank and how to control it with pressure switches. GL JMHO Aloha

Bumping this update to the top. I finally had a well man come look at the well and was very pleased. I now have all the water I need. The well is 160 ft with water at 20 ft. We are in a mini drought- 7.5 inches behind for the year but there still plenty of water. He put the pump at 130 ft. I can run two of the Gilmour X-large sprinklers with more pressure than with the house water. In fact, I may look into one of the cycle stop valves so the pump won't cycle when just using one sprinkler or some small draw. It does not cycle when using two. Water quality is good- no iron or sulfer like my neighbors complained about.
lehua13, I'm curious that you said a 4in well was small and might not be recorded- they well guy said most around here are 4in and all are recorded even though 6in is preferred now. Pretty good for a well drilled in 1960.

ff,

Good news and good news on the 4" wells being recorded. Aloha

Hi all I'm putting in a shallow well and the pipe will run from Above ground to my basement which will be a drop of 4feet to the Pump. I will not be using a foot valve just a sand screen but I figure the drop of 4 ft to the pump will keep water in the pipe with no need of a check valve Am I right

Firstly you should post a new message when you are starting a new topic.

You need a check valve. Without one, the well will siphon water backward through the pump. It's also hard on the pump to start dry, and many pumps just don't work at all sucking air. This type of pump requires that you open access on the house side of the pump, and fill the pump, and the pipe beyond it with water. You can often get away with small amounts of air, but the total air in the line between the well and the pump has to be a fraction of the volume of the pump. Call it a cup of air.