Is a 6" well pipe standard practice

[ycgoat]

I have a quote to install a well for my new garage with a full bathroom and eventually a house. Today while looking at my budget forecast, I went to price pumps (the quote was just for the well). They said they only put in 6" pipes; OK, but I just noticed the box stores Lowes and Home depot only sell 4" pumps. Choices for contractors are limited out there and I am from a County that has always had city water.

Is a 6" typical for a 3 to 4 bedroom or at least typical for an agricultural region?

 

[YeCats]

Here in SC, 3 bed 2 bath,, since ‘88,,,,, 4”

I assumed 6” was more commercial, etc. Here in SC.

 

[rancherbill]

I have a quote to install a well for my new garage with a full bathroom and eventually a house.

They said they only put in 6" pipes;

Is a 6" typical for a 3 to 4 bedroom or at least typical for an agricultural region?

What??? The "6 inch is the size of the well casing. You'd put a 4" pump in to guarantee you can get it out in the future.

What you should be worried about is the flow from the well. IIRC correctly you need 1.2 gal/min to run a house (Cistern would be required at that flow). If yuou well is above that say 3 gpm it should be alright as long as it has good recovery rate.

Be concerned about flow and recovery rates, leave the rest to your contractor.

Math 1.2 gpm x 60 min x 24 hr = 1728 gal/day
That's over 6 of these

 

[Jbullfrog]

6" is standard for casing with a 4" pump. You have to have room for water to flow around the pump. You also have to have space to get the pump up and down 80-400' of casing.

 

[jack stand]

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Water Well Basics - Wellowner.org

wellowner.org

You owe it to yourself to get informed about well water and the components.

 

[ycgoat]

What??? The "6 inch is the size of the well casing. You'd put a 4" pump in to guarantee you can get it out in the future.

What you should be worried about is the flow from the well. IIRC correctly you need 1.2 gal/min to run a house (Cistern would be required at that flow). If yuou well is above that say 3 gpm it should be alright as long as it has good recovery rate.

Be concerned about flow and recovery rates, leave the rest to your contractor.

Math 1.2 gpm x 60 min x 24 hr = 1728 gal/day
That's over 6 of these

Thanks for the info and advise, I am also concerned about pressure, quality, and cost. I have looked into the pressures vs flow vs head and pipe size, but in the end I am waiting to see what the well will be able to deliver. In theory I could add multiple wells and or a cistern, but my budget is not going to allow that.

 

[ycgoat]

6" is standard for casing with a 4" pump. You have to have room for water to flow around the pump. You also have to have space to get the pump up and down 80-400' of casing.

Makes sense, and now that you mentioned it, I seem to remember (many years ago) trying to help some one recover an old well with a failed 4" pump in a 4" pipe and could not get the pump out.

 

[ycgoat]

---

Water Well Basics - Wellowner.org

wellowner.org

You owe it to yourself to get informed about well water and the components.

I am, thanks for the link

 

[rancherbill]

...I am also concerned about pressure, quality, and cost. ...

Pressure is controlled at the pressure tank. You can turn it up or down to suit.

Quality can be improved or fixed with water softener or filter or other stuff.

You are already past the point worrying about cost because you bought the property.

The only thing to worry about is the flow and the recovery rate.

It costs what it costs.

Hopefully you checked out the guy that's doing the well for experience and reputation .

Check with your state, I am sure they have info on wells and what's normal in your area. It's been 15 years since I did mine, but I read and became comfortable with the terminology and techniques.

 

[kbs2244]

remember that a 6 inch pipe will ho;d a lot more water than a 4 inch

 

[mike93lx]

remember that a 6 inch pipe will ho;d a lot more water than a 4 inch

Why does that matter? The pipe isn't for storage and isn't used to transport the water

 

[ycgoat]

I would think how much the casing holds does come into play a little, in that it gives some kind of buffer to extend the recovery rate a bit longer. Correct me if I am wrong I am new at this; With a 6" pipe and 10' of head above the pump that would be ~ 14gl. of stored water. If I was using 3gpm I could run the water for ~4 minutes + water ever the recovery rate of the well is. Am I catching on?

But if I add up all of the potential appliances I might install and use the maximum appliance flow all running at the same time, that would be 33gpm

 

[mike93lx]

I would think how much the casing holds does come into play a little, in that it gives some kind of buffer to extend the recovery rate a bit longer. Correct me if I am wrong I am new at this; With a 6" pipe and 10' of head above the pump that would be ~ 14gl. of stored water. If I was using 3gpm I could run the water for ~4 minutes + water ever the recovery rate of the well is. Am I catching on?

I guess, in theory.

If you are ever needing to draw down that little bit of water, you have a bad well or need the pump deeper

 

[rancherbill]

Why does that matter? The pipe isn't for storage and isn't used to transport the water

When you turn on the tap it might use 5 gpm. With a 4" casing there is much less water than in a 6" casing.

When you turn the tap the water level will drop less in the 6" casing. Water flows into the casing at some rate. You do not want to pump out all the water or get it really low. The well will fill with sediment if it is worked too hard.

 

[ycgoat]

I edited my above post while you were entering yours. It looks a large Cistern would likely be needed if I truly expected 30+gpm. I have been trying to simultaneously weigh the option of a rain collection system. For now a 10gpm system would be great and allow my wife to shower while I use my pressure washer as a media blaster, with water to spare.

 

[mike93lx]

I edited my above post while you were entering yours. It looks a large Cistern would likely be needed if I truly expected 30+gpm. I have been trying to simultaneously weigh the option of a rain collection system. For now a 10gpm system would be great and allow my wife to shower while I use my pressure washer as a media blaster, with water to spare.

My last house had a 7.5gpm pump. Never felt it come up short with people showing, watering the lawn, running the washer, etc. I have to imagine 10gpm gets you in a solid spot

 

[ycgoat]

My last house had a 7.5gpm pump. Never felt it come up short with people showing, watering the lawn, running the washer, etc. I have to imagine 10gpm gets you in a solid spot

Thanks

 

[ycgoat]

All helpful feedback, thank you

 

[MTY]

6" casing with a 4" pipe is standard here. Think about this though. You drill a 400' hole and get minimal but acceptable water. If over time it decreases and you want more water, fracking or redrilling are the options. If you use an 8" casing you can redrill the well you have deeper. With the 6" casing you most likely will have to start a new hole. The cost difference between 6 & 8 is not that great. The last two wells I had drilled I used 8" casing for this reason.

 

[kj_mustang]

Ask the well driller for references in your local area and how many they have done in your area. The guy I used had did most of the wells in my local area and had a good reputation. I got a 300' deep well that produces 25 gpm. He asked me questions to determine how much usage the family would have to determine the size pump to install. I think I have a 1 HP 15 gpm pump and have a 6" casing.

 

[larry_g]

My well is at 220' deep. The water rises in the casing to ~30' below the top of the casing. The pump is at 180' deep. When drilled the well delivered better that 80 gpm. So not all wells have problems and low flow rates. I have farm animals, a large garden and ~ 2acres of lawn and pasture that I water in the summer months. I have a variable speed pump that is rated at 3hp. I've yet to run out of water in the 10 year I have been here. I can run 3 #35 rainbirds without a problem, https://www.rainbird.com/products/35a-series.

My son just a 1/2 mile down the road has put in 2 wells and a 1500 gallon cistern and still has to be careful with his water use.

So what you end up with can vary a lot. You are blindly poking a hole in the earth and hoping that you get the water you need.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[ycgoat]

Ask the well driller for references in your local area and how many they have done in your area. The guy I used had did most of the wells in my local area and had a good reputation. I got a 300' deep well that produces 25 gpm. He asked me questions to determine how much usage the family would have to determine the size pump to install. I think I have a 1 HP 15 gpm pump and have a 6" casing.

I called all around the area and talked to the local health department who issued the permit for the well and septic, plus spoke to the septic contractors, and the soil scientists who did the septic system design. When I asked the designer about how to figure out where to put the well, he said divining rods.

 

[ycgoat]

My well is at 220' deep. The water rises in the casing to ~30' below the top of the casing. The pump is at 180' deep. When drilled the well delivered better that 80 gpm. So not all wells have problems and low flow rates. I have farm animals, a large garden and ~ 2acres of lawn and pasture that I water in the summer months. I have a variable speed pump that is rated at 3hp. I've yet to run out of water in the 10 year I have been here. I can run 3 #35 rainbirds without a problem, https://www.rainbird.com/products/35a-series.

My son just a 1/2 mile down the road has put in 2 wells and a 1500 gallon cistern and still has to be careful with his water use.

So what you end up with can vary a lot. You are blindly poking a hole in the earth and hoping that you get the water you need.

lg
no neat sig line

The soil scientist selected the well location so we will see

 

[NUTTSGT]

I called all around the area and talked to the local health department who issued the permit for the well and septic, plus spoke to the septic contractors, and the soil scientists who did the septic system design. When I asked the designer about how to figure out where to put the well, he said divining rods.

Did they do a perc test before issuing the permit for the septic ?

I'd suggest waiting till you find water to decide where to put the septic, you have to maintain an assured distance between them.

 

[rancherbill]

When I asked the designer about how to figure out where to put the well, he said divining rods.

It Works.

I have done 6 subdivisions. I had to have 6 wells drilled. I witched the property and picked where to drill. I where I had a strong response I got a great well and where the response was weaker the well was OK.

On one property, there had been 4 2gal well found by the previous owner, he wanted more flow and kept drilling. I paced the whole property with rods and constructed a map. I clearly showed there was something. I drilled in the middle of it and hit 20+ gpm. The driller was impressed, he'd done the other poor holes. I am not a geologist, but I call it an underground stream.

 

[jack stand]

I edited my above post while you were entering yours. It looks a large Cistern would likely be needed if I truly expected 30+gpm. I have been trying to simultaneously weigh the option of a rain collection system. For now a 10gpm system would be great and allow my wife to shower while I use my pressure washer as a media blaster, with water to spare.

Generally a well yielding less than the expected maximum usage, you'd install a larger pressure tank.
I'm not an expert but the math is not linear and when you're guy hits water that he feels is sufficient, he'll stop and do a pump test. That is he'll dig a little hole and put a little piece of pipe in the "dam" and blow the water out over a period of time, maybe a half hour and measure the flow (usually in a quart jar or something similar and time it. He'll advise you from there as to how much reservoir (more hole) he'd suggest that you have for storage. Usually they'll add depth in increments of their drill rod, iirc about 20-25'.
Trust your guy, he does this for a living and wants a successful well as much as you do.
Find a recommended driller and just talk price. Maybe casually ask if he's drilled anything close and what he would take a guess at for depth along with a guess at the depth to bedrock (for a casing estimate). Then let him do his thing and let him do the talking.
Nothing "tweeks" a guy with a million+ dollars worth of drill dig and support trucks more than a know it all homeowner who doesn't have a clue.

 

[ycgoat]

Im

 

[jack stand]

Im

That wasn't a poke at you! Both you and I are not drillers, I've been around them a good bit but that doesn't make me one either. I'm just observant and like a 8 year old boy with all my questions to the driller.

 

[ycgoat]

Thanks for the added input. The contractor has been doing it a long time and id the only one with an hour drive. They have repeatedly declined to predict in this area, I have tried. Originally on a cold call I was quoted $6500 installed for up to 200’. Now, it is $2800 for just the well and we will talk pump and additional costs once water is hit and as you said evaluated the well. I expect the change in costing process is the climbing costs. I did look up the hydraulic data and the potable water depth starts around 50’ below the surface at their well in the same county. I did not check it against sea level and my property elevation. I was just looking to see if getting water at or below 200’ was realistic for the area.
At my house a few hours away I had looked into getting a well for the lawn, and the local guy told me I may hit a little water water around 30’ but if I wanted good flow I would have to bust through a layer a shale at 60’ before I could get any volume or potable water. I did not have them drill it and washed it down myself. Sure enough at 60’ I hit a hard layer and thatvwas as far as I could go. That was 2” with a well point and an above ground pump. And I abandoned it when the pump failed. I was able to pull the pipe out the same way I put it in.

 

[ycgoat]

That wasn't a poke at you! Both you and I are not drillers, I've been around them a good bit but that doesn't make me one either. I'm just observant and like a 8 year old boy with all my questions to the driller.

No wories, I did not take offense. If I did not want advice I would not have asked for it.

 

[rancherbill]

I edited my above post while you were entering yours. It looks a large Cistern would likely be needed if I truly expected 30+gpm. I have been trying to simultaneously weigh the option of a rain collection system. For now a 10gpm system would be great and allow my wife to shower while I use my pressure washer as a media blaster, with water to spare.

You really need to sit down and re-check your assumptions. Thirty gallons a minute is a huge amount of water. A shower is
https://www.google.com/search?q=how...57j0i512l8.12293j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

A pressure washer is 1-4 gpm

 

[ycgoat]

You really need to sit down and re-check your assumptions. Thirty gallons a minute is a huge amount of water. A shower is
https://www.google.com/search?q=how...57j0i512l8.12293j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

A pressure washer is 1-4 gpm

Oh I get it, I knew 30+ gl/min was not realistic, and even if it was I would not be running everything wide open all at once. My pressure washer is rated at 4gpm, but I do not know what the actual draw is