I need a well to water plants, wash off beach stuff & pets. We have a
shallow water table (15 to 25 feet) & have sandy soil across the street
from the Atlantic ocean (excluding a macadam layer which is vestigal
remnant from runway dating back to WWII). The well which came with the
house does NOT supply our potable water & I do not intend to use the
new well for this. Our initial well/pump system simply quit providing
water several years ago even though the pump runs. We have had a heck
of a time to have even 1 person come look at system - declared it
"fouled" & unfixable as it sits next to the back of the house beneath
the stand holding the heat pumps.
Sooo, I am interested in digging a shallow well myself. I can't get a
truck into our yard due to big shrubberies on our wedge-shaped lot so
this will be using tools I can drag into the back. Simple specific info
would be REALLY appreciated. Thanks in advance...

"stormy" wrote in message
ps.com...
I need a well to water plants, wash off beach stuff & pets. We have a
shallow water table (15 to 25 feet) & have sandy soil across the street
from the Atlantic ocean (excluding a macadam layer which is vestigal
remnant from runway dating back to WWII). The well which came with the
house does NOT supply our potable water & I do not intend to use the
new well for this. Our initial well/pump system simply quit providing
water several years ago even though the pump runs. We have had a heck
of a time to have even 1 person come look at system - declared it
"fouled" & unfixable as it sits next to the back of the house beneath
the stand holding the heat pumps.
Sooo, I am interested in digging a shallow well myself. I can't get a
truck into our yard due to big shrubberies on our wedge-shaped lot so
this will be using tools I can drag into the back. Simple specific info
would be REALLY appreciated. Thanks in advance...


Wash in PVC well points with your hose.
http://bradyproducts.com/documents/wellinstallation.pdf
http://bradyproducts.com/faq.htm

You can get the well points by going to a full service hardware
store and ordering them.

Or, you can get stainless steel "driven points"
http://weather.nmsu.edu/hydrology/wellpoint.htm

Google "well points" for more ideas.

Bob

One of the guys at work did the same thing. He had sandy soil too. He went
to a plumbing suppy and got some advice, a well point, some well casing,
pipe and a tripod/rope/weight arrangement and pounded the point 25 ft down
to make a well for lawn irrigation. Took him a couple of days.

But first, check if your original well pump perhaps lost its prime? There is
a check valve at the foot of the well that prevents the water in the well
pipe from dropping back into the well when the pump shuts off. It keeps the
water in the pump. There has to be water in the pump body before it will
pump anything. I would try to run some house water back thru the pump into
the well to restore prime. That may be all you need to do: prime the pump,
or if it won't hold, remove the pipe from the well and check if there is
water in the well at all, or most likely fix a leaky/stuck open check valve.
Good luck.
--
-bye,
Rick

"stormy" wrote in message
ps.com...
I need a well to water plants, wash off beach stuff & pets. We have a
shallow water table (15 to 25 feet) & have sandy soil across the street
from the Atlantic ocean (excluding a macadam layer which is vestigal
remnant from runway dating back to WWII). The well which came with the
house does NOT supply our potable water & I do not intend to use the
new well for this. Our initial well/pump system simply quit providing
water several years ago even though the pump runs. We have had a heck
of a time to have even 1 person come look at system - declared it
"fouled" & unfixable as it sits next to the back of the house beneath
the stand holding the heat pumps.
Sooo, I am interested in digging a shallow well myself. I can't get a
truck into our yard due to big shrubberies on our wedge-shaped lot so
this will be using tools I can drag into the back. Simple specific info
would be REALLY appreciated. Thanks in advance...

"stormy" wrote in message
ps.com...
I need a well to water plants, wash off beach stuff & pets. We have a
shallow water table (15 to 25 feet) & have sandy soil across the street
from the Atlantic ocean (excluding a macadam layer which is vestigal

http://weather.nmsu.edu/hydrology/wellpoint.htm

go to google.com and enter driven water well
for more hits.

lee

On 28 Nov 2006 17:34:33 -0800, "stormy" wrote:

I need a well to water plants, wash off beach stuff & pets. We have a
shallow water table (15 to 25 feet) & have sandy soil across the street
from the Atlantic ocean (excluding a macadam layer which is vestigal
remnant from runway dating back to WWII). The well which came with the
house does NOT supply our potable water & I do not intend to use the
new well for this. Our initial well/pump system simply quit providing
water several years ago even though the pump runs. We have had a heck
of a time to have even 1 person come look at system - declared it
"fouled" & unfixable as it sits next to the back of the house beneath
the stand holding the heat pumps.
Sooo, I am interested in digging a shallow well myself. I can't get a
truck into our yard due to big shrubberies on our wedge-shaped lot so
this will be using tools I can drag into the back. Simple specific info
would be REALLY appreciated. Thanks in advance...


You can buy a well point from www.lehmans.com that you
should be able to just drive into sandy soil with a sledghammer,
once you get past the pavement. Or you could
just bury a couple of plastic water tanks and fill them
with water off the roof. Most places on the east coast
get enough rain for that to work.