They provide a sample quote on their web site for a "typical" well, and it runs about $1500.
They provide a sample quote on their web site for a "typical" well, and it runs about $1500.
Thanks! Looks a little pricey but a viable alternative. I'll have to check into them in detail.
Lurker,
What are the "components" of which you speak at Atwoods? I have been interested in putting down a secondary well on my acreage but have not quite figured out how to do that without thousands of dollars investment in some sort of drilling rig............
Manual pumps should have a theoretical max head they are able to overcome, just like any other pump. A lot of it would be based on how fast you're able to cycle the pump (and for how long) though. A pump mechanically creates a pressure differential (low pressure = intake side, high pressure = "exhaust"/output side), where the output pressure is greater than the input pressure. The water you're trying to pump up your well is mainly fighting the effect of gravity (there are frictional losses in the pipe as well but they should be minimal in this situation), which becomes increasingly difficult as the depth of the well increases. This "head" or "pressure head" must be less than the maximum head of the pump (which for a manual pump, would be based upon the fastest maintainable speed you can actuate the pump).
So in short, yes they do have a depth limit. Beyond that, it can get complicated.
He's probably talking about going old school and essentially pounding a steel rod into the ground. For a very, very long time. I don't recommend it, and I think that anyone who would even bring it up has only heard about it from others, who themselves likely have only heard about it being done. This is because it's very, very hard work that goes very, very, verrrryyyy slowly. I suppose if you're drilling a really shallow well in really soft soil, you might have some luck. At that point you might as well just get a pair of post hole diggers though
He's probably talking about going old school and essentially pounding a steel rod into the ground. For a very, very long time. I don't recommend it, and I think that anyone who would even bring it up has only heard about it from others, who themselves likely have only heard about it being done. This is because it's very, very hard work that goes very, very, verrrryyyy slowly. I suppose if you're drilling a really shallow well in really soft soil, you might have some luck. At that point you might as well just get a pair of post hole diggers though
I know a couple of people that installed wells inside their garages. They used a manual auger with extensions. Yes it is slow and yes the dirt was soft and they probably didn't go much more that 30 feet deep or so, but they got to the water and don't have a well house to freeze up in the winter when the power goes out.
I have a well house that's mostly buried in the ground such that only a foot or so of the house sticks up. The air temperature inside the well house rarely dips below 50 or so during the winter; I've only had one or two incidents where the pipes got partially frozen due to a strong winter wind blowing through a hole in the side of the old well house roof. Once I replaced the roof, the issue went away.
I was talking about using the components you can supposedly get for "a few bucks at Atwoods", an auger with extensions makes manual drilling a reasonable option for many people. When in doubt, get a bigger cheater bar!
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