Drillin' for water! - NF

[The Urban Fisherman]

Hey guys,

 

I wish this was a fishing report, but the way things are going around here I'll be lucky to get out before Bass Opener. Anyways, our well has been running dry fairly often for the past year or so. Today I got mad when Ginny ran it dry doing laundry and decided it'd be a good idea to crawl down into my well and start drilling holes through the walls hoping water would start trickling in....

 

Well, I got more than I bargained for... as soon as my drill punched through, water started spewing out with enough pressure to soak me to the bone! It was like striking oil! haha

 

 

 

So I punched a dozen or so holes and now we've got a ton of water, but it's a little stained.... for those well owners out there, what do you use to filter out your well water? We have 1 standard cartridge, and a UV light but I'd like to clear it up a little more if I could... Any other well tips, or experiences would be appreciated!

 

 

As usual, thanks for any tips you guys might have on this situation!

 

Cheers,

Ryan

[ohhenrygsr]

Brita...

[skeeter]

What a smart idea!

i hope you started drilling from the bottom up--lol

 

with all that water your wife can do more laundry now

and the dishes and dont forget about your car

[The Urban Fisherman]

Brita...

 

don't they just have the jug? Or does brita have an actual system that you can plumb in?

 

What a smart idea!

i hope you started drilling from the bottom up--lol

 

with all that water your wife can do more laundry now

and the dishes and dont forget about your car

 

lol funny you mentioned that...I thought the water would just kind of trickle down so I did a test hole half way down... needless to say I didn't really get to drill any much lower...weird thing was I punched through a couple more deeper down on the other side, and in a few other spots and didn't get much.... that one area was the sweet spot...

[HTHM]

You may have open up a bit of grief doing that. The concern I would pose is that the well liner will rust even more than it is now and the ground (dirt) may go into your well and fill it up. As well, if that happens, there is a possibility of a sinkhole occuring.

I would suggest consulting a well driller regarding this.

[The Urban Fisherman]

You may have open up a bit of grief doing that. The concern I would pose is that the well liner will rust even more than it is now and the ground (dirt) may go into your well and fill it up. As well, if that happens, there is a possibility of a sinkhole occuring.

I would suggest consulting a well driller regarding this.

 

The plan is to get a new well done anyways, but it's not in the budget for a few more months, and @ $60,00 a week to have water brought in, this is looking like a pretty good short term fix! haha One of the main reasons that it's drying up is because the cracks in the well that are supposed to let water in are rusted closed, so I just made some new holes.

 

On a side note, the idea wasn't all mine, my neighbour told me that the previous homeowner did the same thing about 10 years ago with great success, and had no major issues because of it....until those new holes of his rusted closed...

 

I do appreciate your tips, and will keep a close eye on silt build up on the bottom of the well. I already have a jig that I made up to keep tabs on how deep the water is, versus how much silt buildup is inside.

 

Cheers,

Ryan

[dannyboy]

The idea of the casing is so that the water can be drawn from a deeper in the ground and not the shallower less desirable water.

It may be a good idea to have it tested before you drink it and to call you local well driller to get an estimate. It may be cheaper to fix it now with a new casing than having to drill a new well later.

 

Dan

[The Urban Fisherman]

The idea of the casing is so that the water can be drawn from a deeper in the ground and not the shallower less desirable water.

It may be a good idea to have it tested before you drink it and to call you local well driller to get an estimate. It may be cheaper to fix it now with a new casing than having to drill a new well later.

 

Dan

 

we've already had several companies come out and give us quotes... but like I said it still just isn't in the budget for a couple more months... We can't put the new well in the same spot due to property boundary issues. The original owner, owned both my lot and the lot next door and for some stupid reason put the well right on the line...

 

My holes are about 2/3 the way down my well, about 15 feet... We don't drink this water, it's just for laundry, dishes, and showers... until we get a new system we drink bottled water and boil water for cooking. Good idea though we will have it tested again.

[Daplumma]

That would be a big no no down here.Its not a good idea to itroduce ground water into a potable water system.As long as you dont drink it you may be ok though.What is the water table there?How deep is you well?

Joe

[TroutnMuskieHunter]

The idea of the casing is so that the water can be drawn from a deeper in the ground and not the shallower less desirable water.

It may be a good idea to have it tested before you drink it and to call you local well driller to get an estimate. It may be cheaper to fix it now with a new casing than having to drill a new well later.

 

Dan

 

I agree 100%.....I'd be concerned with where that shallower water is coming from and has it had a chance to be filtered through the sand/soil properly or is it just "spring run-off" that has saturated the ground right now...I certainly wouldn't drink it before boiling the crap out of it..

[The Urban Fisherman]

more info... our well was so bad that if the kids had 1 bath, we did 2 loads of laundry, and 1 load of dishes our well would go dry.... it refreshed about 3 inches of water in 6+ hours.... we have two young messy kids so 1 load of laundry per day doesn't cut it. Forget about trying to wash the car or water plants...

[The Urban Fisherman]

That would be a big no no down here.Its not a good idea to itroduce ground water into a potable water system.As long as you dont drink it you may be ok though.What is the water table there?How deep is you well?

Joe

 

We don't drink our water, never have. And I'd hardly call it potable! lol have you seen how rusty that old culvert casting is? Not to mention the rotting drowning bugs that you can see swimming around down there. I should mention that the only water that was getting into the well came from a crack in the well wall right where I drilled my holes... that's how I knew where to drill them.

 

It's about 22 feet deep, and my holes are at around 15 feet. Water table for the most part is about 10 feet down. We can't do deep wells here because you get into sulfur water and water that's very very high in Iron.

 

My in-laws put a point in next door and it's only down 14 feet.

Edited April 18, 2010 by The Urban Fisherman

[TroutnMuskieHunter]

We don't drink our water, never have. And I'd hardly call it potable! lol have you seen how rusty that old culvert casting is? Not to mention the rotting drowning bugs that you can see swimming around down there. I should mention that the only water that was getting into the well came from a crack in the well wall right where I drilled my holes... that's how I knew where to drill them.

 

It's about 22 feet deep, and my holes are at around 15 feet. Water table for the most part is about 10 feet down. We can't do deep wells here because you get into sulfur water and water that's very very high in Iron.

 

My in-laws put a point in next door and it's only down 14 feet.

 

 

If you're not using it for drinking water than go for it.....looks like ya struck gold and the wife will be happy now that she has water .....a sand point is easy enough to do especially if you can get water at 14'....do some some research and do it yourself to save lots of $$$$$$$

[MCTFisher9120]

Haha, looks like fun down there..was the water coooold???

[The Urban Fisherman]

If you're not using it for drinking water than go for it.....looks like ya struck gold and the wife will be happy now that she has water .....a sand point is easy enough to do especially if you can get water at 14'....do some some research and do it yourself to save lots of $$$$$$$

 

Yeah my father in law put his sand point int for around $200. Here's the problem with that! lol I phoned a bunch of companies about different options. The sand point guys told me they wouldn't bother trying in my little area. Apparently the sand is silty and sticky and plugs up your point real quick... but my father in law was determinted to try it anyways. If his works out then that might be an option but I'll let him be lab rat for that experiment...

[The Urban Fisherman]

Haha, looks like fun down there..was the water coooold???

 

buddy i was soaked in that ice cold water from me chest down...

[Sinker]

Be careful going down that well Ryan. You never know what kind of fumes are down there. That casing doesn't look too sturdy either. I know a guy who went down his well, and never came back up.

 

As for water filters, check out home springs. Their pricey, but they work amazing.

 

S.

[Billy Bob]

You can disinfect the well yourself by dumping a gallon of household bleach down the well and then pumping it for a couple of hours.

[aplumma]

Your well should definitely NOT be used for drinking. If you have bug bits and organic contaminants. The Brita is not a organic filtration system and the U.V. will not sterilize organic matter. One of the criteria for U.V. to eliminate bacteria is a clean water source without colloids (fine sediment)and low mineral content. High sulfur and iron can both be removed with the correct systems but they will cost you some what to install. The main reason for well casings is to make the water seep past the organic stage of the aquifer and then filter thru the surrounding inert soil it also promotes the water source to rise from below. It is important to also make sure that you have a good well head seal to keep the bugs, organics from getting into the water table. It takes one mouse/mole to send you all to the hospital even though you are not drinking it. I would encourage you to have a professional test the waters condition both mineral and contaminates and then have a system designed for it.While it seems like an unneeded cost now when you can turn on the tap and drink it you will be safer and happier I am sure.

 

 

Art

[raptorfan]

I do alot of work down in Long Point Ryan, and usually the sand points only seem to plug up because of lack of flow. This is usually because most cottages down there are seasonal. There are easy options to rectify this problem though, by simply treating the point and there are numerous ways to do this. If you stay there year round though, I would take a shot with the point. With continuous, I usually don't see too many problems. You will still run into iron problems though, I don't think I have ever seen a water supply in Long Point with less than 4 ppm of iron. That being said though, we have access to a nice new backwashable filter made by R-Can that we have had amazing success with in your area. If you want any more info from me, feel free to send me a PM.

 

Shawn

[Sinker]

IMO, you need to do something in order to have safe drinking water. Its going to cost you some $, but your property/home is not worth much with a non-potable water source. Talk to your local conservation authority's water resources engineer, they may have some input. There could also be grants available to help fund it.

 

Your actually contaminating that aquifer by doing what you've done. That well should be decomissioned, and filled.

 

The home springs system I mentioned above will run you about 5 grand, but it will make pure water, from any source. I've been running one for just over a year. It was a great investment IMO. Well worth the $ to keep my family safe.

 

Again, be very careful going down that well. I wouldn't do it myself unless I had the proper safety gear, and someone above that is able to get you out, should anything happen. Lots of people die every year going down holes like that, its not to be taken lightly.

 

s.

[Daplumma]

Ita amazing how different places have such different standards for water.You would not even be allowed to sell your house here with that system.Also,the plumber types here are telling the truth,its sort of a big deal.Hanging a ladder and crawling down a well is something we have all done at one time or another.I would never do it again without proper gear/breathing equipment.Sinker is correct about contaminating the aquifer but it sounds like your neighbors beat you to it.Any lawn chemicals and fertilizer(doggy made included)are going almost directly into the neighborhood aquifer for all to share.I would not even shower in that stuff.Be careful and please get that water tested.

Joe

[cowanjo]

Simple but not used in Canada often - we use rainwater tanks (1000 Litres hooked together) run from the roof. Currently even with not much rain we have about 1200 litres in four weeks - switch the pump over after ice out to rainwater tanks then switch back to the well in winter. This is at our cottage. The well replenish without all the use and we have no issues anymore - we used to run dry also.

 

We also have the home spring system sinker talks about - this all runs through this after collection prior to anyone using

 

I will take some pictures of my system next week when at the cottage

 

Good Luck

 

John

Edited April 18, 2010 by cowanjo

[Daplumma]

Simple but not used in Canada often - we use rainwater tanks (1000 Litres hooked together) run from the roof. Currently even with not much rain we have about 1200 litres in four weeks - switch the pump over after ice out to rainwater tanks then switch back to the well in winter. This is at our cottage. The well replenish without all the use and we have no issues anymore - we used to run dry also.

 

We also have the home spring system sinker talks about - this all runs through this after collection prior to anyone using

 

I will take some pictures of my system next week when at the cottage

 

Good Luck

 

John

Funny you bring this up.When I was in the Navy Seabees I was stationed in Bermuda.There is no fresh water source there.The houses catch the water and it goes into the basement where it is stored and used.The base I was on had these hills that were concreted over and had channels that the water would run into and then to under ground storage tanks.We would filter and chlorinate the water for potable water to the base.Very simple and easy system,no chemicals or e-coli worries....until....one of the catchment hills needed maintenance and one thing that was needed was for them to be painted,,white.So they got painted..white,with lead based paint!his was done in 1979,about a year before I got there.They just finished installing these tractor trailer sized lead filtration units about the time I started my tour.I was there for 1.5 years and no one knew if or how these units needed to be maintained so nothing was done to them.Mostly we didn't use the water from that catchment tank unless it was the last resort and then the water was for washing only.Just funny how diferent things are in different areas.

Joe