Do-It-Yourself Water Well Digging

Talk to your neighbors and your local county extension agent to determine the average depth others have drilled to obtain a good well. Fortunately, most wells in the United States are found at a depth of 50 feet or less. A water well is a shaft or hole dug down to a water-bearing lay of gravel, sand or fractured rock. Before you start digging a well you want to focus on a site that you feel will produce results. You may wish to engage the services of a water dowser or attempt to dowse for water yourself. If you wish to dowse the well yourself, use brass rods or a forked, green willow branch to locate the best location to sink your water well.

Purchase or rent a hydra-drill, a small portable rotary drilling rig that can be transported by a pick-up truck or small trailer and operated by just one person. It can be carried to locations where a truck cannot go, such as wooded lots or rough terrain. Units are available from equipment rental companies with operating instructions provided. A hydra-drill is a handy piece of equipment that can drill multiple wells. You may wish to drill several shallow wells to water your garden, livestock or to provide water for a fish pond, swimming pool or fountain.

Provide a source of water to operate the hydra-drill. If you are drilling near an existing water source, you can use water from a garden hose. If a water outlet is not available you will need to provide 50 to 150 gallons of water for drilling and a pump (0 to 20 gallons per minute at 20 to 40 psi) to re-circulate the water. You will need approximately one gallon of water for each foot of well you plan to drill. Dig a shallow pit beside the drill hole and fill it with water. Use a shovel to dig a pit 2 to 3 feet wide and about 2 feet deep. Use the pump to draw water out of the pit and into the hydra-drill stem and bit. As the water flushes back up the drill hole, divert it back to the circulation pit to be re-circulated. This method conserves water when a source of water is not readily available. Circulate the water to keep the drill hole clean. The water washes the cuttings and carries them to the surface.

Drill approximately 5 feet, shut off the water supply and pull the drill stem to add another section of pipe. Repeat this process until the water-bearing strata is reached. Maintaining circulation is very important. If you lose circulation, stop drilling and remove at least one drill stem until circulation is restored.

Examine the cuttings as they come up the drill stem. By examining the cuttings you can determine the different layers of sub-surface materials and can see when you encounter water-bearing sand or gravel layers. When you encounter water-bearing sand, you will notice sand circulating in the water supply and the circulating water temperature will be 20 to 30 degrees warmer than the water from your water source.

Insert casing into the well hole once you have encountered water. The casing can be either metal or plastic pipe. Fit a screen to the bottom of the pipe prior to insertion to prevent sand and gravel from entering the well hole. Screening can be cut to size and attached with glue or screws. Once the casing is in place, pour pea-sized gravel down the hole around the outside of the casing. Fill with gravel around the outside of the casing, from the bottom of the hole to 20 feet from ground level. This will hold the casing in place.

Flush the inside of the drill hole with water. Pour several buckets down the casing to flush out dirt and debris or flush with a garden hose. Install a shallow, down-hole pump per manufacturer's package instructions. Prime with fresh water and your new well will provide clean, sweet water.