anyone dug their own well?

[UUmom2many]

If so was it harder/easier than expected? did you purchase or rent the tools needed? Do you have references or books you'd recommend to somoene looking at digging their own?

Thanks!

[Cabin Fever]

I've never "dug" a well, but I have pounded in a sandpoint well. Let me know if you're interested in that.

[poorboy]

I personally have never dug a well, but know where there are a few that my dad dug back inna early 50's. His equipment consisted of pick, shovel,buckets, ladder, he fabricated a windless above the well for hoisting dirt and himself when the ladder would no longer reach bottom. I remember on one he had to have a punch bar and drill and singlejack, he hit solid rock down about 15-20 ft, drilled it and broke it with Dynamite, was a good stream of water underneath, so that was as far as it went. I remember him digging one well for a "bill" of groceries, probably a months worth of food at the local general store....
A word of caution if you get down a little ways and all of a sudden you start feeling kind of woozy, GIT OUT Immediately, Damp may have set in. Take the day off, leave the well open and come back tomorrow.
DON"T work alone, you need someone hoisting and offbearing the dirt for you, preferably someone stout enough to raise you on the windlass.
Most of the old wells have been filled in , know of a couple still in use.

[RiverPines]

Originally Posted by Cabin Fever

I've never "dug" a well, but I have pounded in a sandpoint well. Let me know if you're interested in that.

Diito!
Thats all we have is a sand point. Its 25 feet deep.

[Windy_jem]

Cabin- We'll be digging a sand point sometime this summer....how do we find water? lol

[65284]

I helped dig and wall up several wells as a youngster. Pick, shovel, spade, sledge, drills, and a strong back, and as mentioned a windlass and buckets. Use extreme caution, cave ins were not at all rare when most wells were hand dug, and as poorboy mentioned be alert of noxious gases and never work alone.

[billfosburgh]

i have driven several shallow wells. get a hand pump, your point is 3ft. i use 5 ft sections of pipe , i drive 3 section with the point, 18ft. put your hand pump on & prime it. when your in a good vein of water your pump handle will not kick back & stay down. if not keep driving sections until tour in a good vein. where im at usually the 18ft. mark will do it. i have 3 wells here and all are at 18ft. one is in my barn that sits on a hill.

[paul]

Just a word of caution of a different type: In most places it is illegal to poke your own well and there are often requirements that have to be met even if you do your own. I don't know if it is legal to drill your own well here in Missouri, but all wells are required to be cased and sealed for 100'. That means all wells need to be over 100' deep.

homesteadpaul

[fatrat]

Like the former posts said "never dig a well alone". I'd say have plenty of people there and a rope and harness attached to you, a hard hat and someone watching all the time. One buddy may not be enough to pull you out. I wouldn't do it nowdays since a drilled or pounded well will work fine. There is some good information in the FoxFire books about it. Even some those old timers who knew what they were doing say they would never do it again because of it being so dangerous due to cave ins and gas pockets. If the wall caves in when the well is deep they will never be able to dig you out in time to save you. The gas you may hit can be oderless and can knock you out before you know what is going on. Anyone climbing into the well to save you may not be able to get out themselves. I read about a soldier who climbed into a well looking for enemy weapons. He collapsed from gas. Another soldier went in after him and also colapsed. They both died. They just couldn't get them out in time. If you ever have to climb into a well be sure you have a harness and rope tied to you and there is enough strong people to pull you out because just one buddy may not be able to do it.

[fantasymaker]

Ive dug out a spring, its just a lot of work!
I already owned the shovel so I didnt have to rent.

I have used a rented backhoe with a extend a hoe to dig a well in Alaska it was about 25 feet deep in the end . To get that deep even with the extend-a-hoe I had to dig down a spot down for the hoe to sit in and then dig agin .

[CSA again]

You should see my well , it was dug by my wifes grandpaw and uncles in the 20s.
Its 43 ft deep and 6 ft across.
I can not beleave thay did this with a shovel and a bucket tied to a rope.
We still use the well . The house has been added on to, and the well is now under the stairs incased in concret with a man hole cover over it. (We also have a drilled well that we can switch back and forth if needed)

I do not have the energy to start a project like that.....
Try googleing "Drill" your own well....... I havs seen some cheeper home made drilling machines on the net.

[UUmom2many]

i'm concerened with sandpoints. it seems that either the people have them are are 100% about them or hate them. With a sandpoint is it dangerous to have a septic system? I was just reading about leaching contaiminants also with ground treatments. I know we won't be using hazardous fertilizers or treatments on our lawn (probably bc we won't have a lawn LOL) but the land we bought was a sod farm so god only knows what is in that soil now.

also do you have to worry about a certain perimiter of leaching around the well? for instance if WE dont' use chemicals that are bad to drink but our neighbors do and we're on 5 acres what's the probablility we'll have contamiinants?

do you have a whole house filter on the water supply coming in?

[Cabin Fever]

UU, you raise a good point. A sand point well draws water from the surficial aquifer. If this aquifer starts just a few feet below the soil surface, and if you live in an area where chemical use is prevalent, or is densely populated with septic systems or has adjacent large feedlots, I would not recommend a sandpoint.

BTW, a "dug well" also draws water from the surficial aquifer, so your concern should be the same with this type of well.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

i helped my neighbor with his after he snaped off his pipe at a joint he had been using a sledge to drive it

he dug down and we cut off the pipe and re-threaded it then he borrowed my fence post driver and drove it with that to 17 feet


i think if i did another one i would dig a hole 3-4 feet deep then dig as far as i could with the post hole digger then start standing on a step ladder with a 20 foot section of 1 1/4 and the drive point that way i would only actualy have to drive about 8-10 feetand have that much less resistance on the sides of the pipe and use the fence post driver as it gets a much straiter hit


i see the sand points going in all over around here people putting them right next to the garden with the pump and pressure tanks sitting on concrete blocks no cover for the motor at all . just disconect and cap before frost

[bobf19460]

usually you are not allowed to drill a well any closer than 100 feet from a septic field

Originally Posted by UUmom2many

i'm concerened with sandpoints. it seems that either the people have them are are 100% about them or hate them. With a sandpoint is it dangerous to have a septic system? I was just reading about leaching contaiminants also with ground treatments. I know we won't be using hazardous fertilizers or treatments on our lawn (probably bc we won't have a lawn LOL) but the land we bought was a sod farm so god only knows what is in that soil now.

also do you have to worry about a certain perimiter of leaching around the well? for instance if WE dont' use chemicals that are bad to drink but our neighbors do and we're on 5 acres what's the probablility we'll have contamiinants?

do you have a whole house filter on the water supply coming in?

[Pony]

Originally Posted by paul

Just a word of caution of a different type: In most places it is illegal to poke your own well and there are often requirements that have to be met even if you do your own. I don't know if it is legal to drill your own well here in Missouri, but all wells are required to be cased and sealed for 100'. That means all wells need to be over 100' deep.

homesteadpaul

Remarkably, here in MO, there aren't a lot of requirements if you live in a rural area. If there are any specs etc, they're usually due to local governments.

Of course, you would want any work you do to meet at least minimal standards, but it's nice to not have to worry about someone breathing down your neck, forcing you to do it THEIR way if your way is at least as good.

Just sayin'.

Now I'm going to read about sand points, because while we have a well at the end of the property, it's going to take some $$$ to fix it. I'd like to have a little sand point in the garden. That way, I wouldn't have to run over 200' of garden hose to the hydrant.

[UUmom2many]

i'm consdiering a sand point near the garden to aid the rain barrels. my hubby is looking into sand points now thanks to ya'll here. It's pretty rural, smallest county in all of FL and it's been tricky finding their requirements. The county building department website actually says
"david
now is the time"

that's it. notihng else. it's kinda comical except when you're trying to find out permit and building code information.

[Tricky Grama]

Originally Posted by fatrat

Like the former posts said "never dig a well alone". I'd say have plenty of people there and a rope and harness attached to you, a hard hat and someone watching all the time. One buddy may not be enough to pull you out. I wouldn't do it nowdays since a drilled or pounded well will work fine. There is some good information in the FoxFire books about it. Even some those old timers who knew what they were doing say they would never do it again because of it being so dangerous due to cave ins and gas pockets. If the wall caves in when the well is deep they will never be able to dig you out in time to save you. The gas you may hit can be oderless and can knock you out before you know what is going on. Anyone climbing into the well to save you may not be able to get out themselves. I read about a soldier who climbed into a well looking for enemy weapons. He collapsed from gas. Another soldier went in after him and also colapsed. They both died. They just couldn't get them out in time. If you ever have to climb into a well be sure you have a harness and rope tied to you and there is enough strong people to pull you out because just one buddy may not be able to do it.

On the subject of being careful, many years ago, my cousin who I grew up with was cleaning an old well (w/gas motor), got down inside it b/4 the CO cleared (guess this takes days, not hours ) and died quickly. Neighbor went in after him and died also. So sad. Both men had families-small children.
Be careful on your homestead!

Patty

[PhilJohnson]

I knew a guy who put in a sand point. I think he went in about 50-60 feet with it. He rented a jack hammer and put it in with that. Worked really slick and sure beat beating on the pipe with a post-pounder or a mall.

[Micahn]

Originally Posted by Cabin Fever

I've never "dug" a well, but I have pounded in a sandpoint well. Let me know if you're interested in that.

My farther and I done one to 40 feet here in Florida one time. The water was just for our dock but it was nice clean water that tested ok to drink.