Help need information on driving a well about 20 feet deep,I live in north west florida. The water table is about 16 feet below the surface any information will be appreciated. thanks

-- Daryll (twinck@wfeca.net), April 26, 1999

Answers

Lehman's catalog 330-857-1111 is seriously backordered and slow right now but they do carry a "Drive Point" and couplers for shallow wells using 1 1/4" galvanized pipe. I bought it but as we keep pounding it down are at 18 ft and no water yet.

If you do this also get a heavy steel fence post driver (big steel pipe just larger diameter than drive cap - 3 ft long with heavy cap on it) and hope your soil is sandy enough - probably is where you are. Good luck! Also, if you do this, use one 3 ft. length of galvanized with a cap as the driver for the other lengths as you go. We started trying to put the cap on each length as we pounded and discovered you just can't avoid destroying the "top" threads as you pound. So far so good now (after having 3 lengths rethreaded...). Bye!

-- Kristi (securx@Succeed.Net), April 26, 1999.

Unless you have ambitions of John Henry, pass on hand driving a well to 20 feet. If you look about, you may be able find a one-person, portable drill rig for rent. Do some research on well casings and try to find someone who has dug a few holes to give you hand. If you have the rig, dig multiple holes and cap them. You may find better gpm one place or another. And know exactly where you want animal pens, pasture, septic system, etc. Sixteen feet is a shallow water table easily corrupted by surface contaminents. Make a determination on your water pump up front... and remember that a pump "pushes" water far better than it "pulls" it. There are some hand pumps that will work at 20' feet, but you'll have arms like "Arnold" if you want to wash clothes.

Regards,

-- Mr. Decker (kcdecker@worldnet.att.net), April 26, 1999.

Daryll; Because you live in Florida you have the advantage of sand as your (dirt). I have dug wells with just a garden hose and a pvc pipe with a well point on the end. Your depth of 20' is not unsual, go to your nearest home center and in their plumbing section look for well points. They come in various sizes some are 1-1/4"diameter,which is best for what your doing. reason is it will attach to the pump better. There are liturature from FlowTec about this at the store. check it out, you can do this yourself...

Furie...

-- Furie (furieart@dnet.net), April 26, 1999.

see if you can get someone to dig a well for you. a shallow well (well-sealed from surface contamination) with a thirty inch or so diameter allows for electric and manual pumps, as well as dropping a bucket with a brick in it in emergencies (been there, done that).

furie, i e-mailed you. did you get it? you wanted to talk.

-- Cowardly Lion (cl0001@hotmail.com), April 27, 1999.

Thank you all so much!! We moved here 8 months ago and built a small cabin on our 5 achres,knowning nothing of y2k until about a month ago. It seems we made a good choice,was'nt so sure at first,but now the chickens are laying and the goats are giving milk:+) it was a big change for both of us,20 years bartending in Key Largo. Bye the way read a thread about someone thinking of living on a boat for y2k- lived on a sailboat for 10 years,my advice,have lots of MONEY and be young and strong,It's not like a Jimmy Buffet song. Thanks again

-- Daryll (twinck@wfeca.net), April 27, 1999.

Thank you all so much!! We moved here 8 months ago and built a small cabin on our 5 achres,knowning nothing of y2k until about a month ago. It seems we made a good choice,was'nt so sure at first,but now the chickens are laying and the goats are giving milk:+) it was a big change for both of us,20 years bartending in Key Largo. Bye the way read a thread about someone thinking of living on a boat for y2k- lived on a sailboat for 10 years,my advice,have lots of MONEY and be young and strong,It's not like a Jimmy Buffet song. Thanks again,Daryll

-- Daryll (twinck@wfeca.net), April 27, 1999.

Sorry about the double post,I'm a newbie with computers.

-- Daryll (twinck@wfeca.net), April 27, 1999.