Having your own well puts you in charge of the quality of your water. It can save you money versus the standard charges made by your local water board. You’ll also find it is convenient and surprisingly easy to maintain.
You may be more surprised to find that it is easier than you think to drill a well in your garden.
Check Permissions
The first thing you need to establish is your local rules and regulations. In most parts of the country, it is acceptable to drill a water well at home. But, you will need a permit and, in some cases, a licensed driller to create the hole for you. That’s why it is essential to check before you start setting up your well.
Once you have the permission and permit you can move on to the next stage. If you already have an old well in your property, you can just get it inspected and repaired instead of installing a new well. For more information, check out How to Make Use of an Old Well in the Yard.
Establish Water Level
It’s essential to establish the water table in your area. This is effectively how far below the surface you will find water. The water table fluctuates with the seasons. You need to know what the water level is in the height of summer, this will ensure you drill deep enough to have water throughout the year.
If you go by the winter level you may not have any water in the summer when you need it!
It’s worth noting that a shallow water table with the water just below soft sandy soil, means you only have water suitable for the garden. To get drinkable water you’ll want to go deeper, it’s usually found between 150-300ft below the ground level.
Get Drilling
You are now ready to start creating your well and it’s worth investing in some rock augers. These are effectively large drills that will create a hole in the ground and find the water you seek.
However, before you start drilling you need to think about where you would like to position the well. Once it is in place you won’t be able to move it. You may also want to direct it to a cleaning station which means it should come up inside or beside an outbuilding.
The smaller rock augers are powered manually, but the largest ones have their own powerheads. You’ll need a larger one to create the right borehole and line it at the same time. Also, you can prefer a borehole that help with the extraction of water from the well.
Add A Pump
With the hole drilled you’ll need to add a pump. This can be lowered into the borehole or kept at ground level. The decision usually depends on the type of pump. Once you’ve positioned it with the relevant pipers it will be time to plug it n and test out the supply.
Don’t Forget to Test
You can’t assume the water quality is good in the same way that the main supply is. In order to have usable water, you need to test the water. If necessary, it can then go through your own treatment plant and be ready to use for anything you want.