well drilling site?
18 years ago
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- 18 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
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best way to drill a well
Comments (1)Check this site out... Here is a link that might be useful: Brady well products how-to...See MoreTell me what to expect from having a well drilled?
Comments (35)Thats interesting Linda that you hear the pump turning on and off. I don't hear anything from mine. Are they done with everything and is it all cemented in? You should have a decent holding area with them driling down 445 feet. I can tell when the pump is coming on with my well only when I am watering cause the pressure of the water coming out changes. My well is about 280 feet deep and I think it takes about 15 minutes for me to go through that 280 foot storage area at which time the pump comes on. On a related subject, my mom, sister and I were playing around on the computer last night and we tried googling our names. I came up with various threads on gardenweb. One of them was in connection with my new well that had been drilled and advice I was seeking. It was interesting to read that thread again. I am linking the thread in case you might be interested in reading it. Adele Here is a link that might be useful: new well...See MoreDrill Well First?
Comments (21)Well, I thought I submitted this, so here goes again. Sorry if it ends up being a duplicate. To elaborate on Jason's post: "I know that you have to have both a well and a septic permit before you can build, and given the fact we know where both the water tables and soil types are for all of Michigan, we do it last. Before even the lot is mowed, we know EXACTLY where the well goes, and exactly what type of septic system will be put in, where, the amount of digging, pipes/chambers, and even fill and type. You have far higher a likelihood of a problem putting it in first, rather than last. That stuff is too easily damaged by everything from excavators and heavy equipment to light pickups to risk it, particularly when you already know where it goes." When we were looking for property in SE Michigan a few years ago, the county adjacent to the one we built in had a "well first" requirement, due to a couple of townships there having a lot of construction with all of the houses on wells. At one point they even limited building permits due to water issues. So find out who will approve the final well or septic installation to know what you need to do legally. Then consider all of the other suggestions made by others. I would not trust any contractor's SUBS to pay attention to where you don't want them to do something. Our sub-contractors promised everything (we were owner-builders, but the same would probably hold true for any GC), but their workers did what they wanted on certain issues. Our worst case, the framer's 25 year old son bopped around the site in the heavy equipment like it was a bumper car, ruining part of the stone retaining wall, pushing dirt into the window well opening, backing over some trusses, etc. It's a VERY good thing that our well and septic were not in yet. If you have someone else do the landscaping, be sure you are there to watch out for the well and septic as they move their equipment around. Also, FWIW, be sure to ask the right people the right questions. Before we bought our lot, I went to the county health department, since they approve the septic systems and wells here, to check on the septic location. Our plot plan had the septic and reserve drawn on it 50' from the river. The woman at the desk said that since our sub had been platted by a builder and the entire thing had been previously approved (in 1989), that we'd have no problem. Fortunately for us, our township building dept required the well/septic permit from the county at the time we submitted our building plans. When we took our site plan in to the well/septic inspector to discuss options (shapes), he said the septic had to be 100' from the river. In 1991 (?) there was a national rivers act passed requiring this, so that took precedence over the previous limit. We had to change the house plan and its location on the lot to meet the 100' requirement (not an easy thing to do with our site), as well as the 10' from the house requirement for the septic. I do not have a problem with the requirements that are designed to protect water quality--I just want to know what's ok before it'll cost money to change it! Also, we had a restriction in our deed (the only lot in the entire sub that had this, even though our lot is higher than the neighbors on each side and most of the rest of the sub) about exactly how far below the existing surface the bottom of the septic could be. This also determined the depth of the house since the plumbing waste PVC has to slant so many inches per so many feet on its way to the septic tank or you have to have a pump if it's too low. When they'd done the soil sample, they found that sometime in the geologic past there had been water that disturbed the soil not too far down (we're on a peninsula, so it could have been any time, apparently). I visited a builder's house in the adjacent more restrictive county where the trenches for the septic field had been dug too deep, so he had to relocate the septic field further away across a ravine (!) and at greater expense. We have friends who are building a home on the bend of a creek/river in a beautiful sub in Georgia. They say there are no municipal requirements for the septic. It will be located in the FLOOD PLAIN as will the lower level walkout and the garage. DH and I tried to talk to them about this, but they were oblivious. There are no 100 year/1000 year flood surveys of this area. Anyone who is in an area without requirements or surveys, will find it in their best interests to find out what issues might be there, as you are doing, so they don't have problems down the road. Anne...See MoreInitial Test and Steps for a Newly drilled well
Comments (2)and I'd add that it isn't just time that stabilizes your well. It needs to be "developed" adequately to pull the finer materials through the coarser materials right around the well and through the screen. If you have a lot of fines, some keep sneaking through, and have to settle out in a preliminary tank. But as new as your well is, I'd say it might need more pumping just to develop it. You don't want to take your water samples until the fines have been flushed out. Your county health department will tell you what samples you need to collect and there are surely some local labs that are set up for the required analysis. Make sure their detection limits are what the county is asking for, too. Labs at a distance should be fine except for the bacteriological analysis, which has a short holding time. You don't have to have all the tests done at the same lab, though-- you'll end up with different bottles for different suites of tests anyway. Usually you get a batch of metals for one price, I've never heard of paying for each one separately. Wear clean latex or nitrile gloves and be careful about how you handle the caps where they'll touch the sample. It's not rocket science, just hygiene to keep from contaminating the sample. At 200 feet, I wouldn't think you'd have bacteria unless you're downgradient from a giant stockyard or something......See MoreRelated Professionals
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