Well drilling woes
Well drilling woes
(OP)
I have a well driller who drilled a well for me that went down 270 meters and "didn't find any water". However, as I listened above the hole, it sounded like running water. So, I lowered a HD camera into the hole. As can be seen on the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K6BQ6cZwE8 there is at least some water in the well although I will agree that it is hard to tell how much. All I need is about 30 liters (8 gallons) per minute and it looks to me like I've got that.
The big issue, however, is that the water is not rising up and spilling out of the hole (this is a problem according to the driller). It seems to me that if your hole cuts through a crack in the rocks that has water running through it, that there will almost always remain an outlet for the water in addition to the inlet. So, it doesn't surprise me that the water is not filling up and flowing out of the hole.
The driller is telling me that I should drill a second hole next to the existing hole, "a couple of meters away". As I pay for each meter drilled, I want to make sure this is necessary and advisable.
Three definite questions:
1. Can anyone with experience tell me how much water is flowing from the video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K6BQ6cZwE8)? Obviously, I'm not expecting a solid number, but if someone has enough experience to say it is definitely no more than x, it would help me a lot.
2. Is a hole usable if you've drilled down 270 meters but have water at 100 meters? If so, where do you put the pump and how far down would you case the well?
3. If the water is running out at the same rate it is running in (I know this because the water level has been the same for weeks now), how does one trap the water? It would seem to me that putting the pump anywhere below the level of the outlet "crack" would do the trick, but with 170 meters of water filled in the lower portion of the hole, how on earth do I know where that crack is? It would have to be below the surface to have any pressure on it to force it back into the rocks.
I realize this is a huge bunch of questions, but any advice on any of the issues would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
The big issue, however, is that the water is not rising up and spilling out of the hole (this is a problem according to the driller). It seems to me that if your hole cuts through a crack in the rocks that has water running through it, that there will almost always remain an outlet for the water in addition to the inlet. So, it doesn't surprise me that the water is not filling up and flowing out of the hole.
The driller is telling me that I should drill a second hole next to the existing hole, "a couple of meters away". As I pay for each meter drilled, I want to make sure this is necessary and advisable.
Three definite questions:
1. Can anyone with experience tell me how much water is flowing from the video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K6BQ6cZwE8)? Obviously, I'm not expecting a solid number, but if someone has enough experience to say it is definitely no more than x, it would help me a lot.
2. Is a hole usable if you've drilled down 270 meters but have water at 100 meters? If so, where do you put the pump and how far down would you case the well?
3. If the water is running out at the same rate it is running in (I know this because the water level has been the same for weeks now), how does one trap the water? It would seem to me that putting the pump anywhere below the level of the outlet "crack" would do the trick, but with 170 meters of water filled in the lower portion of the hole, how on earth do I know where that crack is? It would have to be below the surface to have any pressure on it to force it back into the rocks.
I realize this is a huge bunch of questions, but any advice on any of the issues would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.





RE: Well drilling woes
RE: Well drilling woes
RE: Well drilling woes
RE: Well drilling woes
Thanks for your time.
RE: Well drilling woes
RE: Well drilling woes
RE: Well drilling woes
RE: Well drilling woes
Peter Smart
HydroCAD Software
www.hydrocad.net
RE: Well drilling woes
RE: Well drilling woes
RE: Well drilling woes
I am aware of some wells drilled in rock in the northeast where the well acts as a reservior. The average production is not adequate for peak use, but the water will accumulate over time.
Your well contractor should have enough experience drilling wells in the local that you are in. Perhaps you should consult another local well driller.
RE: Well drilling woes
You truely should have a pumping test performed. I mean if you pump at 4 gpm for a few hours and the well level keeps heading down, then you throttle back to 2 gpm to see if you can demonstrate a sustained yield. Somewhere there is a sustained yield that may support the average well demand.
Your well driller may be correct - maybe you don't quite have the yield. That said, moving over a few feet doesn't seem to make sense to me. It's not like you could run both at once and hope for each to perform without influence to the other. . .
f-d
¡papá gordo ain't no madre flaca!
RE: Well drilling woes
I would suspect that this well will never be adequate for peak use. The 8 gallons per minute is for constant draw and a storage reservoir for peak use. I have to service 20 homes and 8 gallons per minute continuously will suffice.
We are going to do a pump test now, but the problem is that the well driller needs to ream out the pilot hole he dug to do a pump test and we are not sure if the flow is enough to be worth the extra work. But, we've made the decision to go ahead so I'll report back with the pump test results.
Thanks for all the feedback.