I’m having a drilled well installed on a site south of Atlanta. After going down 650 feet, the well drilling company tells me the 2 gallons per minute rate is adequate for my 4 bedroom house needs. He says the 6″ well will hold roughly 900 gallons which I understand; however, my concern is at only 2 GPM, will I still have water when the drier weather begins. Do well drilling companies generally warrant a well for at least a couple of years?
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Hey j ,
I'm not sure what you are asking them to warrant ? They might warrant their workmanship or the pump and materials . But they can't warrant water flow . How would you even be able to check out what they tell you if you have a problem . Two gallons a minute is two gallons a minute! Well drillers are an odd buch of guys, in a good way .
DAVE
How many gpm are you planning to pump? Not difficult to calculate when you'll pump it dry with a sufficiently large pump.
We have a tiny reservoir compared to yours, also 2gpm when I drilled, never have pumped it dry. We could, but don't. Irrigating the garden is no problem and we don't restrict our indoor use. Measure your shower flow sometime. "Drier weather" isn't a well problem unless you get into a several yr drought.
Well drilling is always a gamble, that's why I bought my own rig.
PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
Bump.
I am not a "well savy" person but I would like to know the answer, edumacate me too!
650' of 6" bore hole will hold ~950 gallons of water if it is actually full. This 950 gallon reservoir would provide ample water and be replenished at the rate of 2 GPM. Note: at 2 GPM it will take 7.9 hours to fill / refill the bore.
My question is how does the bore get full? If you had to bore 650' down - what makes the water rise to fill the bore? Seems to me the well driller would only bore as deep as necessary and I don't think the water table is pressurized to make it rise in the bore - was there water running out of the bore hole when he finished drilling?
I've been wrong lots of times before.
Jim
Never underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.
I hit water at 90', under a layer of quartz. Rose to 40' from the surface. This is on top of a mountain even. There's pressure down there. During drilling it's also common to hit several small flows on the way down, none adequate by itself. Didn't happen for me, but it's common.PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
at 650 feet 2 gallon per minute is pretty good. mine is only 60 feet and i get just a hair over 5 gallon per minute. I think its more the pump itself than how much it will flow.. 2+3=7
You can't get Water there with out a pump. With that much head you would need a submerged pump at the water level to pump to 650'. In the south you drill until you hit sand (clean potable water). This sand comes to the surface with the water used to drill the well. In Mobile we only need to drill to about 60', maybe this is different in other areas (material to drill through). I use a pump above ground with a 60' suction pipe. As far as I know there is no practical way to increase the volume or pressure with out using a submerged pump at a depth of 650'.
Semper Fi
We recently drilled a well that draws about 2 GPM. The well driller advised us to put in a holding tank (I think it is 1500 gallons) that the well pumps into, then pump out of that resevoir to keep pressure constant at the house.
This was far cheaper than drilling the expected 150 extra feet, and there are a few dry holes in the area, so we took his advice and haven't had any trouble yet.
Might be a solution that you could use, might not. Just thought I'd mention it.
What Jim describes is very common out here. My system pumps about 2.5 to 3 GPM from 350 feet. We have about 7500 gal of unpressurized storage. This serves 4 households. Usage tends to be peakish but a dozen hours of well pumping restores the storage system overnight. The only problem comes if someone leaves a faucet on or a pipe breaks. The storage is also useful to tide us over if the well needs repair.
Erich
Thanks for the input, my original question really is, do well drillers guarantee their work for a warranty period.? For example, if the well dries up after 1 year, do they normally come back and drill another or deepen the existing well without any extra cost to the homeower? Based on your responses I think pumping with a submersible pump from 650' down and given the storage capacity of the bore hole will give me plenty of reserve unless as you say, someone leaves a faucet on. I can add reserve storage later if needed.
No, they don't gaurantee it to produce water anymore than the weatherman gaurantees whether it will rain, snow, blow, or shine.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
why would they, all they are doing is supplying the labor. The bore of the hole has nothing to do with storage. Its not storage till it gets above ground.. 2+3=7
Mine produces between 3 and 3.5 GPM. nEVER A PROBLEM FOR HOUSEHOLD NEEDS, BUT OCCASIONALLY IN THE SUMMER, IF SOMEBODY FORGETS AND LEAVES THE SPRINKLER ON ALL NIGHT, THE water takes on mineral colour cause no time to settle out
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Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
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I'm no expert, but here's a few basics:
The water level where it stands in the well is called the "static level", at least in the rockies where I'm familiar. The static level actually goes up and down seasonally in most wells around here.
Two gallons a minute is equal to 2,880 gallons a day, IIRC. Since most households use 5-10k per month you should have plenty of water. As others have alluded, the trick is to have the amount of water you need, when you need it.
I agree with blodgett's well man: put in a cistern.
A tank in the ground (cool drinking water in hot weather), usually either precast concrete (my preference) or plastic (has to stay full of water or lateral pressure from the ground around it will tend to collapse it bit by bit if you run it low... and the point of the tank is to be able to run it low!) is best.
The cistern also has another benefit. The wear on the submersible pump is primarily from starting up. If the well is deep it takes a lot of power (both starting horsepower and the electricity to run it) to get going. If the pump is also pressuring the system there is just that much more work for the pump to do. If the pump pumps directly into a non-pressured holding tank it's easier on the pump. It is also better to run the well pump with a float switch than a pressure switch since the float can be set so as to pump more water at one start up. i.e. if you have a 60 gallon bladder type pressure tank with a pressure switch to start the well pump, you will never pump very many
gallons of water per start-up of the well pump. If you have a three thousand gallon holding tank with a float switch set to turn on the well pump, you can safely pump out 80% or more of the holding capacity of the well itself (say the well shaft holds 400 gallons between the static level and the bottom of the pump. You could probably pump 300 gallons or more at one pump start-up). If you start the pump so many fewer times it will SAVE YOU BIG BUCKS in the long run. Ask your pump man how much it will cost when you finally burn up the well pump and call him to come out and replace it!
You obviously also don't want to run the pump dry and you don't want it too close to the bottom since it will be more likely to pull in sedement.
If you have a pressure pump that does nothing but pressurize the system that pump is cheap, easy to repair or replace, and, especially!, easy to get to.
With this type system you will also have enough water on hand to run your household for quite awhile if you are waiting for the well man (or woman!) to show up and replace the pump. You will also have a standing amount if a drought slows your well recovery rate (the 2 gpm you mentioned).
You can also put the well pump on a time switch that only allows the pump to start every few hours. That assures that the well has recovered before you pump again.
All this may sound elaborate, but the long term savings, the ability to pump a thousand gallons or more at once if you need it for watering, car washing or a fire, the protection from drought (and the ready to use system for handling water should you ever have to have it trucked in temporarily) all make this type system superior, IMO. As Mike would say: whudda I know.
Around here we have all sorts of well problems: Low flows (There's someone here who lives on a one pint per minute well), sulfur, iron, and drought. It's not unheard of for a driller to hit an un-mapped mine hole in certain areas and in the solid rock they are sometimes drilling in around here they will occasionally hit water, test the flow, set up the system and then find out later that it was a captive pocket that runs dry never to refill again.
Happy new year and best of luck with your well.
Life and suffering are inseparable.
All this may sound elaborate, but the long term savings, the ability to pump a thousand gallons or more at once if you need it for watering, car washing or a fire, the protection from drought (and the ready to use system for handling water should you ever have to have it trucked in temporarily) all make this type system superior, IMO
I'd agree with most of the above. Clearly not the "long term savings". Considered setting up such a system, priced it, and concluded the payback was... never. We're submersible and pressure tank only. Due to our odd system (large pressure drop) and poor advice from the pros, run it 80/100 psi. Works fine although I was sold 2 wrong pumps before the factory finally told me which was correct.
My pump's been down there for 15 yrs, no service required. I do keep a spare on the shelf 'cause it'll probably be a holiday weekend when it finally quits. Replacing a pump isn't particularly difficult. Pretty sure I'll still remember how, when I finally have to.
I was amazed when our health dept. approved a 3 br house on a pint/min well here. Small property with 4 previous dry holes. I was a little surprised anybody bought it. To get a building permit here you now have to prove water.
PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
Replacing the pump your self depends on a variety of things. You and I could do it perhaps, but even that depends on how it was done to begin with. If it's on steel pipe it'll take a rig. I know you have one, but virtually no one else does.I've seen plenty of pump failures. Good for you that you haven't had one.Life and suffering are inseparable.
If it's on steel pipe it'll take a rig.
LOL That would change the economics. A buddy had one like that, went out on Easter Sunday a few yrs ago. Couldn't even get a driller to return his calls, much less come out. 2 commercial greenhouses were at stake. He wasn't asking how much, just when.
I called another friend. 3 of us, an extension ladder, lever handle chain hoist, and an improvised clamp did the job. We hauled out ~350' of pipe. Replaced by plastic of course. Took an hr and a half to set the ladder and get the pipe out of the well. Lots of cranking on the chain hoist.
Next time it goes he knows to put a tire rim next to the well head, attach his truck to the pipe/rope, and drive slowly off until his spotter sees the pump. 10 minutes tops.
My rig uses such short stems that it wouldn't be significantly faster than the chain hoist.
I'm pretty sold on Grundfos pumps. PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
I lived on an island in Puget Sound from 89 to 94. I could never understand why, but they were still installing new steel pipe. Even 120 feet of 20' sections were way beyond almost any homeowner.Life and suffering are inseparable.
Even 120 feet of 20' sections were way beyond almost any homeowner.
Way beyond me too, without some mechanical advantage. But then I think every homeowner ought to have a decent comealong. And everybody at least knows somebody who owns an extension ladder. Makes a pretty good A frame. Clamping the pipe (to reposition the 5' chain hoist) on the way out was the trickiest part.
I could never understand why, but they were still installing new steel pipe.
Beats me. I was shocked when I recently learned that they still sell steel well casing here. No idea who uses it.PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
VaTom - what are you casing wells with down there? I had a pvc casing crack on me once, (months of mud, filters & fun) and I was planning on steel this go round.
Is there a better option?
Treat every person you meet like you will know them the rest of your life - you just might!
Seems you're one up on me.
I've never seen a problem with pvc, which I had previously assumed everybody here used. Maybe drillers here use steel when they have a customer with your experience. Don't know. Somebody's buying the steel here. The supplier didn't have an answer when I asked who. They guessed around 5-10% of the casing sold.
You're right about one thing though. The casing only has one job to do. If it fails, the well's pretty worthless. Was there a repair or were you stuck with another bore?
I guess, now that I think about it, chances are good that I could pull my casing and replace it. That's if the bentonite surrounding it would let loose or succumb to being washed out. PITA though. My rig, unlike large commercial ones, has a separate engined high pressure water pump on it. Meant for drilling without a hammer and compressor. Useless around here.
Far as I know, steel rusts. We typically have acidic water and while the casing isn't normally in contact with the well water, our ground water is likely acidic also. Doesn't sound like a great combination. I'll stick with pvc. 2 more wells and my rig goes to a new home. Not a business I enjoyed. Hitting a good flow is pretty exciting, but the rest isn't anything I want to spend much time with.PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
Va Tom - Our cracked casing didn't cause trouble until the drought hit a few years ago - it stops raining, and we get mud - huh?
Anyway we put in a smaller casing with a "packer" basically a gasket - to seal inside the pvc.
If pvc is usually fine, I'll probably stick with it for the next well - steel costs more anyway. My bad experience was probably rare - although I believe the drillers use the rig to push the pvc down - great potential for overdoing it.
Treat every person you meet like you will know them the rest of your life - you just might!
If pvc is usually fine, I'll probably stick with it for the next well - steel costs more anyway. My bad experience was probably rare - although I believe the drillers use the rig to push the pvc down - great potential for overdoing it.
Well, I notice that there are several posts where health depts. require steel casing, just not here. Not that our health dept. is lax, far from it. They don't approve anything new until it's been in service elsewhere for several yrs, like the Infiltrator septic systems. I never asked them about steel casing. Don't know what drillers with large rigs do for casing installation. My rig won't push very hard, nor have I had, or heard about, a (pvc) casing problem here at all. Grout is another matter.
CYA, profit margin, or convention might be what the drillers are doing there. Or they may know that pvc doesn't work well there, shifting geology or whatever. I don't know. How a drought could crack a pvc casing I don't understand at all. Now, if your casing wasn't sealed well enough and some surface water, or dirt, got down there around the bottom of the casing, you'd have mud for sure. Or if the joints weren't glued well and grout failure. Or it was cracked on installation and your grout failed at the crack... Do they use bentonite grout there? I'm a true believer.
When I called to ask about steel casing here, the driller supplier wanted to know what I was doing with it. Seems some have tried to use it for culverts. Doesn't hold up to vehicle traffic. I drive over buried pvc everytime I go up or down my driveway, protects my driveway sensor. Same schedule as the well casing, no problem with my not-exactly-light-weight traffic.
No recommendation.PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
"CYA, profit margin, or convention might be what the drillers are doing there. Or they may know that pvc doesn't work well there, shifting geology or whatever. I don't know. How a drought could crack a pvc casing I don't understand at all. Now, if your casing wasn't sealed well enough and some surface water, or dirt, got down there around the bottom of the casing, you'd have mud for sure. Or if the joints weren't glued well and grout failure. Or it was cracked on installation and your grout failed at the crack... Do they use bentonite grout there? I'm a true believer."
I think it cracked at installation, then the drought freed things up somehow - clear water for 3 years then mud. Cement grout - 11 bags - but something wasn't done correctly... I'll be there to watch this time.
Our geology is limestone karst - basically swiss cheese rocks - but I believe we were drinking surface water mud - with all the cows within 1/2 mile, I'm certain it was healthy for us, too.
Treat every person you meet like you will know them the rest of your life - you just might!
Vermont requires steel casing, a minimum of 20' even in a bedrock well. Gravel wells must be cased all the way. Most of the New England states (may be all) require steel casing for a potable water well.
Pretty sure that has to do with what you're drilling through. Glacial till?
Here, we generally have decomposed stone down to bedrock, soft to where the casing ends at bedrock. Health dept. told me to case down to bedrock. Great! That's about 6" on top of this mountain. "Nooooo, minimum 20'." I got down 32' with my soil bit before it wouldn't go any further. Case, and switch to the hammer for the rest of the trip. 15 yrs later my pvc casing is doing what it's supposed to do.
The other side of the Blue Ridge Mtns, casing can extend hundreds of feet due to the geology. I'm gratefully ignorant of what they go through. Wells typically at least twice our cost.
When I had a real estate license here the only steel cased wells I saw were old ones, often with rust problems. PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
JonE, where you located in Vt? Just drilled my well this past year and installed my septic for a vacation home I'm building in Vt, and you are correct about the steel casing. Lots of water up there too.
Southwestern corner. Just north of Bennington.
Steel well casing is still required for the first 60 feet of any new well in Colorado.Life and suffering are inseparable.
I'm amazed that 3 gal/Min sounds decent to all of you. I'm a Real Estate Broker in Western Oregon (lots of water its true) but lenders don't like to finance a home unless the well gets 5 gal/Min or more. I think a storage tank is called for at 3. for sure.
We are going to build new this year, does anybody know how close to the home a well needs to be? I assume that additional pumps could send it uphill several hundred feet if necessary?
We are going to build new this year, does anybody know how close to the home a well needs to be? I assume that additional pumps could send it uphill several hundred feet if necessary?
That I have a little experience with. I wanted to drill 700' and ~150' elevation down from the house. Tank and switch in an outbuilding near the well. The driller supplier did a bunch of calculating and said "no problem". Wrong. We got a 50 psi pressure drop. Standard switch only adjusted up to 60/80 psi. Shower? What shower? Great result for a first experience... No, they wouldn't take the hardware back.
Got with the pump mfg. and pressure tank mfg. to get the right answer. Took each of them less than a minute to tell me what I already knew, that my hardware wouldn't work. Took a different pump before I finally had the right one. Not hp differences, some are designed for high heads. Lifting the water, rather than friction from the long pipe, is the main thing.
We run our pump 80/100 to get 30/50 psi at the house. Works fine, but reduces the effective size of our pressure tank. Clearly, the pump doesn't mind the push. You learn to be cautious opening the hydrant at the outbuilding.
Better, and perfectly workable, would have been to place the switch and tank in the house, rather than the outbuilding near the well. But by the time I knew I had a problem the trench had been filled and I didn't want to re-dig it.
The drillers (that I didn't hire) at least gave me the right answer (for them) to whether it'd work: "I don't know."
Did I cover your situation are are you lifting water a lot higher/farther? Talk to the pump mfg. They'll get you straightened out. Probably not much of a problem. Don't forget to put check valves in the line on the way up. I used 2.
PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
Hi, mj, and welcome to breaktime.I'm a real estate broker in southern Colorado. It's funny how regional things are. Here loans are made on rural places even if they have no onsite water source. People from elsewhere are often amazed, but there are still quite a few places here where the residents haul in all water. Trucks and trailers set up with big plastic tanks are an everyday sight. The county tried to require onsite water before a building permit for a new place, but so many people complained (including our local bank VP, who had started out living in an old trailer and hauling water) that the rule was immediately revoked.We have had out-of-area lenders balk at low well recovery rates, but the sales still get financed by someone.Life and suffering are inseparable.
VaTom:
My submersible pump experience has been similar to yours: Pumps directly to a pressure tank, and was installed at least 15 years ago, with no maintenance since.
But until five years ago the well supplied only a toilet, garden hose and a single potable cold-water faucet at the kitchen sink. There was a separate rain-water fed cistern (with its own pump and pressure tank) that supplied shower, laundry and kitchen.
Then for a couple years instead of using the rainwater cistern, I used the well pump to fill a 250-gallon holding tank that fed the previous cistern water system.
Now, after a few years of using just one system - well pump to pressure tank -- I'm worried about my old pump burning out. It turns on and off once per toilet flush, and several times for a typical shower.
And there's no spare pump on my shelf. Might be a good idea to reinstall the 250-gallon tank and reconnect the secondary pressure tank and pump as a temporary emergency backup. You think?
Allen
It turns on and off once per toilet flush
Allen, how many gallons you have going there? Either you need a lower flush toilet or your pressure tank is effectively non-existent. Maybe both. That your pump is still going is testimony to it's durability.
The one economic quick payback that I didn't mention to Hasbeen is size of pressure tank. Small investment (100 bucks) that will greatly reduce the number of pump turn-ons. I'd go buy the largest one you can fit in your system. Two, if nobody sells anything very big there. I installed a second tank (largest I could find) on my mother's system. Was real handy when the original one quit. I've got a spare here, but that's only because I got it free.
We get a leisurely shower on one pump cycle. Something I learned from talking with the pressure tank manufacturer was the effect of higher pressure. Our system requires 80/100 psi, which substantially reduces the effective size of the pressure tank. Fortunately, I'd started with the largest in stock. If you're running high pressure, your really need a big tank.
If you're talking about storing 250 gallons, how you gonna keep it clean? Hooking that tank into your system like Hasbeen wrote about will work fine, but probably requires a second pump to pressurize the output. I'm very much KISS, don't see any reason to run 2 pumps/tanks/switches if 1 will do.
I learned a couple of yrs ago that Grundfos had discontinued my pump, only stainless now available in the size I need. And my previous supplier dropped Grundfos. A new distributor opened up here. Gave me an incredible price on a pair of stainless pumps. Why, I'm not sure, but I jumped. I'd encourage anybody to keep an eye out for a spare pump bargain. Easter Sundays happen.
PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
VaTom:
RE: Pump turning on for a single toilet flush. Thanks for the feedback.
The toilet is a brand-new low volume model. My pressure tank is twice the size of the one that was hooked up to the cistern system. The new one stands about 4 feet tall. System is pressurized to about 40psi.
But as I was just now checking the various labels to find a size, I noticed instructions for maintenance. From what I inferred from the instructions, twice a year I need to use a tire pressure gauge to check the tank's pressure ... which should be 2 psi lower than the system pressure??? Then use a tire pump to pressurize the tank?
RE: 250-gallon emergency reserve tank. I have the old cistern pump and pressure tank. Keeping the water clean would be a problem. Maybe a little chlorine? I abandoned the old cistern after a cat got through a basement window and drowned in the cistern ... and I didn't discover it for a couple weeks. Dang, the water was tasting mighty bad (didn't drink the water, but showered and brushed my teeth with it)!
Allen
Can't speak to your tank but generally the diaphram pressure is set to 2 psi below the cut-in pressure setting of you pressure switch. To check it you must turn the pump off, let the pressure off the system (water side, not air) and check/adjust to that #. At least that is how my system works.
Had a tech check mine while they were fixing a broken wire, he had no idea what the cut-in was and said it was "OK" after putting his tire guage on it.
From a WNC guy.
Bob
Bob in Western North Carolina:
Thanks for the info. Yes, the instructions on the tank say exactly what you suggest, except it adds "drain the tank completely." I'm glad I caught this thread, as I was completely ignorant about this required maintenance. (I had a similar ephinany a few months back when reading a thread about hot water tank anode rods.)
Thanks again.
Allen in WNY
The "let the pressure off the system (water side, not air) " part does just what your instructions say about draining the tank. If your tank was way down a hill or something then it might not. Mine is right beside the faucet I use to drain or check it. Good luck.
Bob
The toilet is a brand-new low volume model. My pressure tank is twice the size of the one that was hooked up to the cistern system.
You need air. Rasconc's instructions are what I do.
To each his own, but I wouldn't mess with your cistern unless you plan to change the water frequently, and then probably only for irrigation. And at least put a lid on it. Yech!
But then I've been known to drink out of the public fountains in Rome, and further south (Italy, not Georgia). Pretty sure they didn't do much coliform testing there.PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
Tom, thanks. Yeah, I'll follow Rasconc's instructions. And I have no plans to reinstate the old cistern. But some kind of backup water source would be good to have eventually. Besides the possibility of pump failure, there's the fear of the well running dry. There were a couple instances during this past summer's drought when the pump was sucking air; we had to wait an hour or so for the well to replenish.
Allen
If the well can supply 2880 gal/day and you use 300 gallons/day (a slightly high average usage) without any conservation measures, there is a very low chance of running out of water.
To be sure, you can use the extra low flow 2 step flush toilets, water saving showerheads, short showers, wear shirts and pants more than once before washing, and all the other water conserving measures.
The design requirements here for a four bedroom house for waste wter is 360 gal per day
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
The design requirements here for a four bedroom house for waste wter is 360 gal per day
The design for waste water would be at the upper limit for the expected family size and would include an allowance for heavier than normal usage. You have to design for it but may never approach that usage. A number of community websites I've gone to give average family use from 110 gpd to 225 gpd unless you live in the southwest, where over 50% of your water use goes to landscaping (and daily usage will be from 200 to almost 400 gpd.
I agree a lot of variables. I've read of expectations for useage from 25 to 90 gal/day per individual.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
"The design requirements here for a four bedroom house for waste wter is 360 gal per day"
Thats really high and abnormal to run 11,000 gallons per month in a drain.
Our normal high here is 8500 but expect figgures of 6000 on a four beroom house from the light and water company averages.
Gotta keep in mind that 11,000 doesnt water animals or any thing growing out side and does not wash the car. Nothing but drain.
A septic system on a 3 bed 2 bath here is 6500 peak per month. Thats all its designed to hold at capacity , so that figgure is certainly not expected.
Tim
a three bedroom would require 270/day
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
In VA, we design septic systems based on 150 gallons/day/bedroom, allowing 2 persons/bedroom (i.e., 75 gallons/person/day). Of course, bedrooms don't use water, people do. Most recent studies indicate that a "typical" person uses 60 to 80 gallons/day for household uses (not including garden watering, etc.). There's also some indication that residents in homes with more sq. footage use more water/person/day.
There's lots of variability between households, of course. Mom, dad and three teenagers are going to average more water per person than mom and dad.
Edited 1/1/2006 10:22 pm by JimB
I don't know much about wells never having had one or dug one. But this thread got me thinking and when I was reading the paper this morning, some of the acerage lots for sale have wells on them.
I remembered the 2 gpm figure from here so got to scratching my head when one lot said well in place, 650gpm. That seems absurdly high. So, knowing little, my questions:
Is it possible that this is a well hole originally used for a pivot irrigation system, and retrofitting it to a house is straightforward? Second, since we're basically directly over the Ogallala aquifer, do we just get lucky and have all kinds of water under us to tap into? And everything here at BT seems to vary so much locale to locale. I don't think our wells are deep at all. Farms have the obligatory yard spigot, and the house I've been at the last few weeks, you can top a 5 gal bucket from that in half a minute easy. Do we just have natural water pressure? Asking you since you sound well versed here, but anyone with a guess, I'm interested.
"A bore is a man who, when you ask him how he is, tells you." -Bert Taylor
Better check your State rules for well use. You may get by with almost anything over there in Nebraska, but in Colorado there is a limit of 15gpm that can be drawn from a domestic well. That rule is nearly meaningless though, few wells here could produce that much and few people would have use for that much water. The State also has no way to monitor how much water is drawn from a well, but they already have the right to monitor if they choose.Life and suffering are inseparable.
I wonder if they ever changed it from the days of the 7 gallon toilet and 5 gallon per minute shower heads?
This past 3 day holiday weekend we stayed at the cabin after getting there and finding out the well appears dry. Wont get into that but I didnt pump any water this past weekend.
We have a 500 gallon cistern that I think had 400 gallons in it . Robbi and TJ had stayed 2 nights the previous weekend . She said that they both had one shower and no real cooking eating left overs brought from the house. paper plates or paper towel type thing I guess. She did one small sink of dishes. So theres a 100 gallons for two in a weekend abnormal conditions. But I still dont know for sure how much was in the tank.
In a camper the three of us use 50 gallons per three days for what ever thats worth.
This weekend we were frugal saving water where we could but used it as we needed it . 5 showers and several cooked meals . TJ and I used the bathroom out side some of the time .
Heres the results of what I think;
The toilet is 1.8
No way over 5 gallons for a shower.
5 gallons hand washing dishes after a cooked meal.
Hand washing , shaving , brushing teeth , etc. no more than 5 gallons per day.
Shower is 1.8 with a cut off on the head we use.
No washer and dryer but mine is 30 gallons per fill.
I dont have a clue what a dish washer uses.
You can play with the numbers as I have . What do you really think is normal?
At the cabin I cant come up with 50 gallons per day for 3 people.
Tim
The State of Vermont requires a septic system for a three bedroom house to accept 420 gallons per day (140 per bedroom). Any additional bedrooms are 70 gpd each. The minimum system size shall be for a three bedroom house, period. Water flow rates are different, and require 150 gpd ber bedroom regardless of the number of bedrooms.
360 seems low to me, but not too far off.
2 gallons? 900 gallons in the pipe?
What is the static level?
5 feet of pipe gives you roughly one cubic foot of water. one cubic foot of water is about 7.5 gallons (don't remember exactly, between 7 and 8). So that 900 gallon figure assumes a static level of right near the surface. That is unusally, but maybe not in Atlanta.
Food for thought:
I beleive a typical garden hose runs close to 5 gallons/minute.
A sprinkler system can run 10 gallons per minute.
I know people with wells delievering 3 gallons/minute and to water their yard they NEEDED a storage tank.
I've installed and serviced submersible pumps for 20 years and can assure you the most important and best device to install is a Pumptec. Manufactured by Franklin Electric, maker of submersible motors, it will protect your pump from a run dry condition. It monitors the amp draw of the motor and when it detects a decrease in load (not pumping water) it shuts down the pumps and restarts at a user preset interval unit the water level is restored and pumping can continue. Pumptecs run about $150 and are very cheap insurance. A low pressure cut-out switch is effective only half the time. At a 650' depth you do not want to pull the pump due to run dry. If you find the 2gpm gives you supply problems, you can add the storage tanks suggested at a later date
I had a well drilled, and at 32 feet hit bed rock. Continued down to a total of 220 feet. I got 2 to 3 gallons per minute. I wasn't happy with it so coughed up another 1500 dollars to have it hydro-fractured. When I did that some rock shifted and I could only lower the pump to 126 feet where I got a flow of 5 gallons a minute but only for 45 minutes before the pump started to suck air. Recovery would happen in 15 or tweny minutes. Each year the time has increased before breaking suction to where I can pump steady for over three hours.
Maybe your well capacity will increase with use, as some of the drill lubricant and rock dust slowly gets pushed off the surface of the bore hole by the water filling the well.
I agree with others here, that you should be able to live with your present capacity and have less wear and tare on your pump with an intermediate holding tank or cistern.
Virginbuild