DIY Well Digging

If you own land outside the boundaries of a city, you might not have access to a municipal water supply of any kind. You might also want to use private water for irrigation. In either case, if you need to use private water, you must dig a well. Most people choose to hire a professional to dig their wells, but this is a project you can tackle yourself with the right equipment and the appropriate knowledge. Hand-dug wells are still an option, but the powered tools now available can greatly speed the well-digging process.

Well auger
Well screen
Well casing
Well grout
Well grout pump

Instructions

- 1
  Decide where you want to drill the well. Look for signs that indicate the location has water close enough to the surface to reach with a well. Sandy soil, rather than rocky, is one quality to look for. Broad-leaf trees or reeds that seem concentrated in an area of your land also indicate the potential of ground water being within reachable distance. Choose an area with a lower elevation if possible to start your well closer to the level of the water table.
- 2
  Drill a hole using a well-digging hand-auger or a rented well-drilling power auger until you hit water. If you hit rocks along the way that you can't maneuver around by slightly angling the auger, you should either contract a professional for assistance or try drilling in another location.
- 3
  Attach a well screen to the bottom length of your well casing.
- 4
  Insert a well casing into the hole that you've dug. Steel or plastic casings can be purchased from agricultural supply stores. Buy a casing that is 1 or 2 inches narrower than the hole that you've dug.
- 5
  Insert the grout tube into the space between the outer edge of your well's hole and the casing. Pump grout into that opening until it fills up all of the air space and reaches the surface. Don't ever just pour grout in from the top of the well.

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