Digging an emergency well with auger

[ole442]

Anyone on the forum ever drill a well with an auger?

This would be just for emergency use and maybe watering the garden.

Thanks

 

[larry4406]

Consult your local health department on legalities of same.

Poor construction on your part could endanger watershed for others. Vice versa.

 

[Lassen Forge]

You cannot let surface water into the well - HUGE health dept violation. You contaminate the groundwater supply, well, you don't want that kind of trouble. We have a double hole system - the original well is next to the new one, drilled as a supplimental well. Did it all legal by a certified well contractor, used 8" casing, flushed the hell out of the new hole then had the source tested to make sure we didn't screw it up. Made sure we had good and legal seals on all the holes, and... yeah.

On top of all that - our water table fluctuates between 160 and 200 feet. We drilled to (iirc) 240. No way we could have done that with anything close to the equipment we had. In addition - you drop something down the hole, you have to have a way to fish it back out. All part of that contamination thing.

Yeah, I would contact the local health department and ask. Just to CYA.

 

[greg13]

No way you are going to auger that deep. You need to be able to clear the dirt from the hole by pulling the auger out of the hole otherwise all you have is a screw in the dirt.

 

[pcmeiners]

"most just fill the bottom 4 to 5 feet with pea gravel "

I went down 49', 6" casing with water pressure, filled about 10 feet with gravel, then pulled the casing up 10 ft. As to sealing the casing, we have clay layers, I scooped up gallons of clay which came up, sent it down the outside the casing. You could purchase bags of bentonite, basically the same thing. You can not use soil, depending on it's content it could allow surface water to penetrate. As mentioned, you are drilling down more then a few feet with an auger, unless it has carbide tips, a rig and a decent motor driving it. Worked on one as kid.

 

[JRC3]

It helps to know location. Location helps to answer so many questions around here, not sure why people don't approximate their location in their settings.

Florida wells are way different than Oio wells and Texas or Arizona wells. Oh well.

 

[rburke65]

I’d be Leary of the ground water contamination

 

[Mattlt]

Do a little Googling of the term sand point well. That's what you're looking for. Not for drinking water, but fine for watering the lawn, etc. There are also directions out there as to digging them with a water hose. Depends on your local soil type.

Keep in mind the type of pump you'll need to draw water from a well of this type. Centrifugal pumps will only lift a maximum height of 30' (theoretically) Anything deeper than that and you'll need a different pump.

 

[wanderer]

If your intent is to hit water I would recommend that you start drilling directly over the water main Or not to waste your time.

 

[yatg]

If you're on city water you are more than likely prohibited from punching your own well. So do it discreetly.

 

[Spencer Was Here]

If you are already on well water, you can add a hand pump to your existing well.

If that is the case, I would recommend you start your research at Bison Pumps.
https://www.bisonpumps.com/test/all-things-hand-pump/

If you are on the City water supply, then you have a bit more challenging of a scenario.

 

[Sportsman762]

We would need more details such as how deep your going to go, your location, and the situation. I believe that the concept of an emergency well dug by and auger sounds better than it is. Your going to have to overcome some hurdles with construction, well development, and legal obstacles. Just look at how deep wells are in your area to give you an idea of what your going to have to get to for good drinkable water. A poor producing hole is worse than just drinking water out of a bucket full of rain water. Once you provide some details as a community we can provide some thoughts.

 

[Falcon67]

Anyone on the forum ever drill a well with an auger?

This would be just for emergency use and maybe watering the garden.

Thanks

Water so high up you can find it with a auger has a really good chance of not being potable without extensive treatment. Our well is 110' or so and the water is very high in nitrates from years of fertilizer applications in the fields over hundreds of square miles and the recharge zones. It's clean, but would need a reverse osmosis system to be good for daily use. Good for the yard but it will burn the leaves on newly planted trees. Even the dogs get city water and we don't let the grand kid play in the well water.

 

[kj_mustang]

Yep, if the water table is up high enough, just use a point well. Not a potable source but good enough for the yard & garden.

 

[NUTTSGT]

For watering the garden, I think a couple of rain barrels or building cistern would be easier.