The well went dry

June 11, 2020, 04:47 PM

ensigmatic

The well went dry

quote:
Originally posted by joel9507:
quote:
Originally posted by ensigmatic:
Appliance Brad: If you're installing a traditional stop/start pressure-switch system, you might consider popping for a larger expansion tank than will probably be recommended. Less pump cycles = less wear and tear on the pump and some energy savings.

Also, if you're putting together a new system, I seem to recall hearing something in a recent thread about selection of a well pump motor controller being worth some thought as well.

Yeah, I had brought that up, along with some other considerations, but, since he hadn't actually solicited input, I quickly deleted the post.

June 11, 2020, 11:07 PM

Appliance Brad

quote:
Originally posted by bionic218:
quote:
watering our livestock

Do you have a local SWCD or NRCS office in your area? If the well is used - even sometimes - as the main supply of water for livestock, there may be financial assistance at your local USDA office.

I have seen them covered anywhere from 50-100% in my area as long as there is a legitimate agricultural reason - such as livestock watering source. Even if that same well provides the home with water, we call that an ancillary benefit.

No different than if we install a pond to stop gully erosion, and the landowner ends up putting a dock and a diving board on it. As long as it stops the erosion for the life of the contract (usually ten years) we really don't care about ancillary benefits.

May not be worth the hassle and time loss to design, contract, and implement, much less dealing with the feds, but these programs exist for a reason. It's not like the government is going to spend it on something wise and resourceful if you don't use it.

Thanks, in fact it was already suggested by a fellow farmer.
Simply put, we do not take government money because it ALWAYS comes with strings attached.

June 11, 2020, 11:11 PM

Appliance Brad

quote:
Originally posted by ensigmatic:

Appliance Brad: If you're installing a traditional stop/start pressure-switch system, you might consider popping for a larger expansion tank than will probably be recommended. Less pump cycles = less wear and tear on the pump and some energy savings.

We will reuse our current captive air tank plus the new one thus doubling capacity before the pump starts.

June 12, 2020, 08:12 AM

ensigmatic

quote:
Originally posted by Appliance Brad:
We will reuse our current captive air tank plus the new one thus doubling capacity before the pump starts.

I'm going to assume the existing expansion tank is a "newer" model with a bladder? (If it's not: Bad plan.) If it is: How old is it? They don't last forever. E.g.: We just had to replace ours about four years ago. It lasted 24 years.

My latter point is if you rely on the existing tank as part of your expansion tank capacity and it dies w/in a couple years you'll be faced with more expense than if you'd just bought a new, larger tank now.

June 12, 2020, 08:25 AM

gearhounds

The previous owner to our house didn't play around. despite having a high water table and excellent recharge, he had the well drilled to a whopping 680'; the pump hangs right 420', I know this because when it quit several years ago we had to draw the whole shebang out and lay it out in the yard. From inertial spinning up and down over 25 years, the power cable had worn down and finally broken. The strand that finally let go was literally the width of a piece of lead from a mechanical pencil.

Go as deep as you can afford to go unless it means having to go through a large pluton of bedrock.

June 12, 2020, 09:14 AM

ensigmatic

quote:
Originally posted by gearhounds:
Go as deep as you can afford to go unless it means having to go through a large pluton of bedrock.

Not really. You go as deep as you need to go to get to an aquifer with enough capacity to meet demand. The driller will know when he's found it as he sinks the well.

The deeper the well, the more power required for the same volume and pressure. E.g.: The 1 HP, 18 GPM pump we have is rated for 60 PSI at 18 GPM for the depth of our well. Going significantly deeper would've required more pump to get 18 GPM at 60 PSI.

Btw: You just made another argument in favor of slow-start pumps.

June 12, 2020, 10:02 AM

Appliance Brad

quote:
Originally posted by ensigmatic:
quote:
Originally posted by Appliance Brad:
We will reuse our current captive air tank plus the new one thus doubling capacity before the pump starts.

I'm going to assume the existing expansion tank is a "newer" model with a bladder? (If it's not: Bad plan.) If it is: How old is it? They don't last forever. E.g.: We just had to replace ours about four years ago. It lasted 24 years.

My latter point is if you rely on the existing tank as part of your expansion tank capacity and it dies w/in a couple years you'll be faced with more expense than if you'd just bought a new, larger tank now.

Yup, it's less than 10 years old and a captive air tank
We are country people, farmers. Every house I've owned has had a well and septic. We get kind of familiar with this stuff.

June 15, 2020, 09:22 PM

Appliance Brad

So the health department is closed to the public but i can e-mail in my permit application and pay with a credit card for a convenience fee or I can mail the application and check and whatever delay there is with the postal service. Can't start to drill the well until the HD inspects our site and gives their blessing.
Well guy was out tonight and we agreed upon a location for the well and how to access our existing connections to the house. Looks like it will be another week before they can start. Argggg!

July 08, 2020, 01:29 PM

Appliance Brad

As of this morning we have a new 5" 111 foot deep well that tested at 60 GPM. Big improvement over our old shallow well.

It did kinda deplete my Submariner fund though.

July 08, 2020, 01:57 PM

bendable

do you have to test it for "stuff"
every month for 7 months
it confirm that all is well ,. . . . .
with the contents of the new well?

July 08, 2020, 02:04 PM

sjtill

Good news for you, AB. Should be good for the duration.

July 08, 2020, 04:10 PM

Appliance Brad

quote:
Originally posted by bendable:
do you have to test it for "stuff"
every month for 7 months
it confirm that all is well ,. . . . .
with the contents of the new well?

One water test and done.

July 09, 2020, 02:17 PM

slabsides45

Brad, I apologize for the question, but it seemed a good spot to query since your thread got me wondering: does the well always have a filtration system associated with it, is that something that people sometimes do, or is that what paranoid people who professionally worry for a living do?

________________________________________________

"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving."
-Dr. Adrian Rogers

July 09, 2020, 06:23 PM

95flhr

quote:
Originally posted by slabsides45:
Brad, I apologize for the question, but it seemed a good spot to query since your thread got me wondering: does the well always have a filtration system associated with it, is that something that people sometimes do, or is that what paranoid people who professionally worry for a living do?

I’ll say my well does not have a filtration system. No need with clean water.

July 09, 2020, 11:36 PM

whanson_wi

Congrats on the well, and may it last for generations.

July 10, 2020, 06:43 AM

Oz_Shadow

quote:
Originally posted by slabsides45:
Brad, I apologize for the question, but it seemed a good spot to query since your thread got me wondering: does the well always have a filtration system associated with it, is that something that people sometimes do, or is that what paranoid people who professionally worry for a living do?

Most I know of have a screen!

Some may add whole house filtration or softeners if needed but it seems that’s more for taste or hardness. Sometimes the water needs to be shocked like a pool but I don’t think that is done often beyond the initial testing. If water continuously tests bad I would look for a different option.

July 15, 2020, 07:45 PM

Appliance Brad

quote:
Originally posted by slabsides45:
Brad, I apologize for the question, but it seemed a good spot to query since your thread got me wondering: does the well always have a filtration system associated with it, is that something that people sometimes do, or is that what paranoid people who professionally worry for a living do?

No filtration needed. We do have a taste and odor filter at our kitchen sink because our old shallow well had a ton of iron which was not the best for ice cubes or drinking. This new well is perfect water.

Here's a picture of when it blew off

New Well by Brad Benzing, on Flickr

July 20, 2020, 03:32 PM

slabsides45

Wow, that's very impressive!! I've seen some of the well digging machines they use on missions trips, but they don't look much like that machine.

So did the 6K estimate include digging it, setting up the pipes/plumbing, and the pump, or is that just hitting water and the pipe?

July 20, 2020, 05:42 PM

Skins2881

quote:
Originally posted by 95flhr:
quote:
Originally posted by slabsides45:
Brad, I apologize for the question, but it seemed a good spot to query since your thread got me wondering: does the well always have a filtration system associated with it, is that something that people sometimes do, or is that what paranoid people who professionally worry for a living do?

I’ll say my well does not have a filtration system. No need with clean water.

Around here 95%+ have filtration, and the majority have softeners. I wonder if it's a regional thing, or if it's based on your plot?

Glad you got your new well in, sucks to blow that kind of money on something like that.

July 20, 2020, 05:43 PM

Appliance Brad

quote:
Originally posted by slabsides45:

So did the 6K estimate include digging it, setting up the pipes/plumbing, and the pump, or is that just hitting water and the pipe?

That was to drill it, well casing and screen, pump and connections and trenching from the well to our pump shed and tying in to our run to the house. All together it was just shy of $6,400.