"dpb" wrote in message
ups.com...

Matthew Reed wrote:
The water level in my well is dropping, which I understand is normal for
this time of year. Once it drops below the pickup, I can't pump any more.
Is
there anything that can be done to deepen the well or clean out the
bottom,
or am I stuck with what I have? The well is 17 feet deep, I don't know
how
much debris or mud might be at the bottom. I have a 2" pipe going into
the
ground. The guy that drilled it dropped a stick of dynamite into it and
blew
out the bottom, but I don't know how big of a cavity might be down there.

All you can do is pull the pump and do a sounding to find the water
level and the existing hole bottom. Is it cased? Depending on the
hydrology and the geology of the area you're in, it's possible you may
be able to drop the pump a little--oh, I guess you've got an above
ground pump, so it would be dropping the pipe a little farther.

How long has the well been there and what is its history? Do you get
significant surface regeneration or not? Is level dropping because of
current drought or high usage or area-wide usage or ...???

Lot's more questions here than answers--you're best bet is to talk to
local well folks, most likely the guy who drilled it to begin with.


I have a suction pump - JRS something or other, shallow well adapter in the
pump itself, so it's just a pickup tube that goes into the hole. I'm using a
1" pvc pipe with a foot valve at the bottom of the pipe. I also have a 1
1/4" pipe with a backflow valve at the top instead of a foot valve at the
bottom, but I would have to extend it (easy enough to do). I may do exactly
that - angle the end of the pipe, and push it into the bottom of the well.
It was in the well when I bought the property, but the backflow valve was
bad and I had to prime it everytime I wanted to use it, so I replaced it.

The well is 17 feet deep. I'm wondering if there is debris/mud at the
bottom, and if it's possible to remove it? The well casing is a 2" pipe. I
can pump for hours on end, but lately I've started to get air bubbles in the
output. Not sure if that means the water level is down to the foot valve, or
if there is a leak somewhere that lets air in when the water gets low enough
(because the suction at the pump is higher).

I think it's about 20 years old, I met someone that knew the person that
drilled it. According to the neighbors, the water level drops in summer. All
they can tell me is that in mid-August their wells all run dry. I'm guessing
due to irrigation and area-wide usage, a lot of nieghbors have wells. Also,
it stops raining for a few months. The water level a few months ago was at 9
feet, I think I'll pull out the pickup tube and take another sounding. We
had heavy rains last winter, and the water level rose enough that my
basement started taking on water, so did my neighbors basements. This is
rare - happens every 10 years or so.