[Shop-talk] Well water installation

[Scott Hall]

Hm.  I think all the pertinent information is local, but:

Our water table is also very shallow here.  They still go at least 50 
feet down (and I think rarely that shallow), partly for biological 
reasons.  And there are still biological issues--wells here are 
frequently pulled here because of fungus, mold, etc. stuff found in the 
water...which they don't know about until after someone gets sick.  
That's avoiding your actual micro-'local' issues (like where your septic 
field is, your neighbor(s)' fields are, or where they were fifty years 
ago).  The guy drilling the well should know how far away your local 
code requires he drill from your septic system, but he won't know about 
the one there before that your new one replaced, or the old outhouse 
cesspool, or any of the other reasons you might have to end up having 
the well re-dug.  So don't think that with subterranean wells a lot of 
that goes away--it just gets put on the end of a pipe sixty feet down, 
and requires paying someone first to dig, then install (and re-install) 
with a gantry crane.  Really, if you have the time, space, and 
inclination, I'd get a truck and dig your own setup.  You might have to 
get licensed where you are, and that might actually be cheaper in the 
long run.  It would have been for me, and I've not had half of the 
issues other people have.

I have sediment filters on one house.  It requires changing once a 
week.  Seriously.  It only takes thirty minutes, but once a week gets 
old fast.  I left it (the filter element) out once to see what'd 
happen.  I get to re-plumb part of the house because sediment closed up 
the lines.  I'm not done with that yet.

I guess what I'm saying is if what you have works, consider not messing 
with it.  I'd change to a spring-fed concrete box on the surface in a 
heartbeat if I could.  At least then all my issues would be where I 
could deal with them myself if I had to.

Or...you might get lucky like my mom.  Anything could happen.

If you do go through with it, keep the list updated.  I'm stuck with my 
wells and I've got to get a handle on them.


On 8/15/2011 10:31 AM, eric at megageek.com wrote:
> Thanks for the feedback.
>
> To clarify what I have is a spring well box.  Literally, it's a concrete
> box that a spring keeps filled up.  I've never really had problems with
> it, but it seems that there are biological issues with this set up.  Lots
> of stuff gets in there and dies.  Then, I still have some small sediments
> in my water.  I need to install a filter, but right now, if I did, it
> would most likely need to be cleaned daily!
>
> With an inground well, I remove the biological aspect pretty much.  Then,
> since my water table is about 4' (and that is also my frost line) I can't
> image this being a tough process.
>
> If I need water, I can dig a hole with a shovel and get it flowing
> quickly.  8>0