Anyone hand dug a well?

[warhawk77]

A average home with an 1100 square Inch Roof will gather you about 200 Gallons of Water a year here in Indiana annually. Just for your information...

I thought it would be much more than that. I might start with one or two because if that is all I get it won't be worth the cost.

If you are set on having a Well, then I would go with a Spike well and put a Hand Pump on it...

I wouldn't say I am set on the idea. It all depends on cost, work involved and how well it will work.

 

[shibumiseeker]

I thought it would be much more than that. I might start with one or two because if that is all I get it won't be worth the cost.

No, he miscalculated by a pretty large number. The roof on my 16x32 cabin gives us 10-12 thousand gallons of water a year.

 

[shibumiseeker]

I came across a hand dug well from the 1800's while deer hunting in Brown County. I was absolutely amazed at the rock walls and longevity of its existence. If properly done, they will obviously last a real long time. The site had other remnants of a home site but the well was the only easily recognize able feature.

The biggest issue with a hand dug well is burying oneself. Trench collapse is a very serious issue and even burial up to ones waist can be fatal quickly.

There are techniques for lining as you dig, but it warrants a lot of study before one starts and having done it I can attest that it's a hell of a lot of work.

 

[jeremy]

No, he miscalculated by a pretty large number. The roof on my 16x32 cabin gives us 10-12 thousand gallons of water a year.

And now you know why I am not a Physicist...

Also maybe the cause for the reason I got kicked out of Demolitions Class, now that I think on it...

 

[Tryin']

Shibumiseeker speaks the truth concerning the danger of digging your own! I used to run a trackhoe for a deep trench utility crew and have seen the aftermath of wall slides and slab overs. (your terminology may vary) I have been up past my thighs twice and had a coworker killed by a slab calving off.

Drill. Do not dig if you can avoid it.

 

[warhawk77]

Shibumiseeker speaks the truth concerning the danger of digging your own! I used to run a trackhoe for a deep trench utility crew and have seen the aftermath of wall slides and slab overs. (your terminology may vary) I have been up past my thighs twice and had a coworker killed by a slab calving off.

Drill. Do not dig if you can avoid it.

I ment drill your own well by hand sorry on the mix up. I don't think ill be digging a 20 foot deep hole 3 feet wide any time soon.

 

[.45 Dave]

Sure you can dig a well, but what if Timmie falls down it (again)?
Just be sure you take every precaution to keep the kids safe because Lassie might not always be there.

 

[Tryin']

I ment drill your own well by hand sorry on the mix up. I don't think ill be digging a 20 foot deep hole 3 feet wide any time soon.

Good plan!

There are some interesting videos on youtube of folks drilling with PVC. They seem to clamp a handle to a section of pipe and then attach a couple of garden hoses to the top. Turn on the water and crank away. . .

I'll be watching the thread, I want to have something for my garden this year.

 

[shibumiseeker]

And now you know why I am not a Physicist...

Also maybe the cause for the reason I got kicked out of Demolitions Class, now that I think on it...

Sometime in person ask me about the time I made a slight miscalculation on a charge...

 

[PastorBlaster]

Spend an hour reading and watching How to Drill Your Own Water Well and you'll be ready to go with a simple hand drilled well.

 

[warhawk77]

Spend an hour reading and watching How to Drill Your Own Water Well and you'll be ready to go with a simple hand drilled well.

That is a great link thank you. That looks like the way I will do it.


Anyone have a good way to find the water table in Fort Wayne area?

 

[Westside]

I have driven three sandpoints and am working on a fourth. The deepest one I've driven was 26 feet. All have hit water where I expected. I have also hand-dug a well (my first one actually) and went down 12' with it.


The geology and hydrology of how and where water is is far more complex than I care to try to write and summarize in a post, but the short answer is that a good hydrologist can have a decent idea of how far down you may have to do and what kind of substrate you'll have to go through.

This is the best post I have seen. my Great grandmother's well is hand dug out. It is 8 feet deep and is feed by a natural spring.

Hand digging all depends on how deep you have to go to hit water.

 

[PastorBlaster]

That is a great link thank you. That looks like the way I will do it.


Anyone have a good way to find the water table in Fort Wayne area?

Follow that link and look under the comments or suggestions tab (whatever it is called). There's a way to use the USGS to get the answer for you. I also found info on the Wabash water tables and geology by doing google searches.

 

[ThrottleJockey]

I suppose a hand auger like used for ice fishing could work, similar to a two man post hole digger....My father and I drove a sand point at his cabin but used an electric jack hammer and drove it to 74 feet initially, then another 17 feet....then pulled it and started over elsewhere because he realized I was right when I told him not to put it on top of a hill...

 

[J man]

Ever thought of using rain barrels off your gutters? Seems like it would be less work than digging a well if you are looking for alt sources of water.

 

[shibumiseeker]

Ever thought of using rain barrels off your gutters? Seems like it would be less work than digging a well if you are looking for alt sources of water.

That would be starting with post number 12 in this thread

 

[Kmcinnes]

I have been thinking about doing this for a while, however I have never even attempted anything like this. We are on a well system and not city water but if the electricity goes out than so do our well pumps. I have considered rain barrels as well, we have plenty of roof between the three buildings on our property. I have heard good and bad about rain barrels. I assume you still need to boil the water?

 

[J man]

You can put a filter in the gutter t help keep debris out of the tanks. I would still boil it if you were to drink it but for the garden and other stuff I would think it would be ok.

As far as your pump not working when the power goes out, ever thought of rewiring it so you can plug it into a generator? I have an older well with a jet pump that plugs into a regular outlet. When the power goes out I can just run a cord out to the well and get the pump running. If you can not rewire yourself I would think a electrician would be able to do it reasonably.

 

[shibumiseeker]

I have been thinking about doing this for a while, however I have never even attempted anything like this. We are on a well system and not city water but if the electricity goes out than so do our well pumps. I have considered rain barrels as well, we have plenty of roof between the three buildings on our property. I have heard good and bad about rain barrels. I assume you still need to boil the water?

I don't. You can buy a diverter that sends the first few minutes of rain away from your barrel, that way the roof gets washed before you start catching water, but I just hit the tank with bleach every so often and filter the water I drink, no big deal. I've had my water tested for biologicals and it comes back cleaner than local municipal supply does.

 

[jeremy]

You can put a filter in the gutter t help keep debris out of the tanks. I would still boil it if you were to drink it but for the garden and other stuff I would think it would be ok.

As far as your pump not working when the power goes out, ever thought of rewiring it so you can plug it into a generator? I have an older well with a jet pump that plugs into a regular outlet. When the power goes out I can just run a cord out to the well and get the pump running. If you can not rewire yourself I would think a electrician would be able to do it reasonably.

Why go to all that work when it is already wired into the breaker Panel of the House?!

Just shut off the items you do not need at the Breaker Panel...