How do i measure water in casing

sisterpine · #1 09/01/04, 09:52 PM

this week we drilled the well i have been saving for for the past 5 years. we are now the proud owner of a 360 foot dry hole! wont even go into how i am feeling about this 8000.00 dissapointment.

the driller said the well hole (through solid granite) would slowly seep water into it and would be up to 200-300 gals. i must say if i could get 200 gals of water out of this hole each week or two i would be very very happy. i know how to measure how deep the water in the hole is but i do not know the formula for how many inches of water in a six inch casing equals how many gals? anyone out there a math type whiz who an help me with this? TIA Kathleen

agmantoo · #2 09/01/04, 10:09 PM

1.47 gallons per foot

uncle Will in In. · #3 09/01/04, 10:22 PM

Pie R squared X 3 x depth of water in inches divided by 231

That would be roughly a gallon and a half per foot.

sisterpine · #4 09/02/04, 05:00 PM

Thanks soooo much guys! I just measured the water in feet and there are 320 feet of water at 1.45 gal per foot equals 464 gals of water! WOW that will work, now I just gotta figure out the best way to get it out of the well a couple of times to flush the well!

Cyngbaeld · #5 09/02/04, 05:13 PM

I near bout cried when you said you had a dry well. I sure hope it keeps giving you enough water. Did the well diggers say anything about 'fracting' it? Do you have a pump?

agmantoo · #6 09/02/04, 06:18 PM

sisterpine, if you have power this is the least expensive and easiest method that I am familiar with.... http://www.quantumlynx.com/water/bac...2/v22_st5.html

agmantoo · #7 09/02/04, 06:27 PM

sisterpine, to enhance the output of the well I would go deep into the new well as my budget permits with the above system. I would pump every bit of water out that is available each day. This will permit the incoming water to rush into the empty hole and it will wash a lot of loose small stones into the well and the water passages will open. It is surprising how much the drilling equipment will glaze the walls of the well and consequently block off available water. The pump described above with not be affected by the bits of trash washed into the system. You need to bugdet for some storage capacity also.

sisterpine · #8 09/03/04, 09:19 AM

That air pumping sounds interesting. I suspect we would need to buy /borrow an air compressor. And I must find out what kind of a pump is required for the water.

Cyngbaeld - I know what you mean! I sat down in the well mud and cried my heart out myself! Saved for so long to be so disapointed!

First we must pump out all that is in the well to remove sand and stuff and let it refill to see how much water actually accumulates that is not from the well driller.

I am trying to remain hopeful through this process which is not always easy after such a great financial and emotional loss! Thanks again for all the words of wisdom. Kathleen

sisterpine · #9 09/03/04, 09:22 AM

Oops! Forgot to add that we already have 2-300 gal storage tanks, a pressure tank, hot water heater (propane) and a very energy efficient Fisher-Paykel clothes washer waiting for arrival of the water we thought we would be getting. So I will just need some kind of a pump, air compresser, tubing and wiring. Of course all of these are expensive, but less so than the thousands of dollars for the hole!

Cyngbaeld · #10 09/03/04, 10:21 AM

Is there anyplace that rents out equipment near you? Or somebody that irrigates? If you could borrow or rent a gasoline power pump for a bit, that would work well for pumping the dirty water out. For everyday pumping the bubble pump sounds doable and pump to your storage tank. Then you just need a smaller pressure pump to use the water from the storage tank. Forgot if you are on solar power?

agmantoo · #11 09/03/04, 10:48 AM

sisterpine, over on the the shop talk forum is a discussion of making a compressor. Here is a link http://news.thomasnet.com/fullstory/25988 describing the type of oil you would need to use in a compressor for your application. Since once you determine you have water you will need a compressor that will perform for a long time. Stick with a lubricated version and look at the CFM output and get the most CFM for your money. Make certain that you buy a belt drive compressor when you do make a purchase. For right now if you could borrow a small compressor the method I posted above should be the cheapest method (and most foolproof) to start pumping your water. PVC pipe in the 3/4 inch size is relatively cheap. With a borrowed compressor we are talking less than 100 dollars

thebeav · #12 09/03/04, 11:11 AM

How large is the compressor that pressurizes your 300 gallon tanks? Could you use it?