How to Drill Your Own Deep Water Well?

Make sure you check local laws before you start drilling a water well at your property. Most states only allow licensed contractors to drill a well.

How to Drill Your Own Deep Water Well?

The right way to drill a well at your property is to hire a licensed contractor, even if your state permits individuals to drill a well at their property. The following discussion will help you drill a well yourself or while working with a contractor.

Costing: Drilling a new well costs a lot. The average cost varies from $1500 to $15000 depending on well depth, drilling ease, materials used, plumbing pipes length, quality of well equipment and well diameter.

Ground Knowledge: Gather as much ground knowledge as you can if you are DIY drilling a water well. Ask your neighbors using well water, visit local offices and check well drilling records online to see the results of previous drilling activities in the area. It will help you reduce the chance of not finding water after drilling.

Alternatively, you can avoid the hassle and hire a contractor.

Drilling Site: The next important thing to do is select the drilling site. The site must be away from possible contaminations sources like a septic tank, animal feedlot, trash cans, petrol storage, and dump yards. There is a long list that you need to follow but don’t worry it is not tough to build a well as per local laws. Millions of people do it.

Drilling the Well

You need heavyweight machinery to drill a new well either it is a shallow well or a deep well. These tools are big, costly and can only be operated by professionals. Hence it is advisable to hire a contractor for this task.

You can also try your luck if local laws allow you to build a DIY well at your property. You can rent the machinery but you need technical knowledge to operate it. Some of the tools you will need are a drilling rig, air compressor and automatic inline incubator.

You will need the following supplies too

• 1 quart of air tool oil
• 1-inc PVC pipe (160 feet, schedule 40)
• Rope (350 feet)
• 55-gallon open drum
• Duct tape (2 large rolls)
• Small pea gravel (700 pounds)
• Measuring tape
• Magic maker
• SDR 35 pipe (100 feet, 4-inch diameter and schedule 20)
• 8-inch PVC pipe (5 feet)
• 2-inch PVC Pipe (10 feet)
• Concrete mix (80 pounds)

Step 1: Start digging the hole with an auger. You can also use a shovel for this purpose as you need to go 4-5 feet deep for now. Now you have to cut the 8-inch PVC pipe to fit the hole, leave 4-5 inches above the ground.

Step 2: Drill a shallow settling pond 10-12 feet behind the well and no less than 4 feet across. Dig a shallow 8-inch ditch. It will connect the pond to the well hole. Connect the pond and ditch with a 2-inch PVC pipe and cover. The pipe will transfer clean water from the pond to the drill hole. Ensure you cover the pipe opening in the pond with a net so that dirt, mud, and debris won’t get into it.

Step 3: You need to place the 55-gallon drum at the corner of the pond, secure it with stakes, and make sure it’s open face is towards the well. The drum is used to catch water from the well and drains in the pond. Clean water will simultaneously flow from the pond to the well.

Step 4: Connect the 1-inch PVC pipe with the drill using the glue. Secure it with the help of duct tape to prevent any leakage. Once you start the drilling process, remember to use a marker after 5 or 10 feet to know how deep you are drilling. Place the other end of the PVC pipe in the drum. You need to set up the air compressor and connect it to the drill. You can use duct tape to secure the air hose with the PVC pipe and keep it away from drilling.

Some Important Things to Consider

• The drilling process can take 2-14 days and you will need at least 3 healthy adults to work with you.
• Make sure that the air supply is not turned off while the drill is running.
• Turn on the drill before inserting it in the hole.
• Move the drill sideways if it gets stuck.
• Run the water for 2-3 days after well completion to clear off the sediment.

Final Words