Outlining the Procedure: These Are the 8 Steps Necessary to Install a Well

In the realm of homeownership, you must determine whether maintaining your home is a task you can handle yourself or if it's wiser to hire professionals. Often, this decision comes down to your prior experience and how comfortable you feel taking on certain projects, such as putting in a well.

For some people, this job is too difficult to even consider. But for others, if they know the outline and basic steps, they can tackle it themselves.

If you’ve got a lot of rocky areas in the ground you’re going to be digging, you might want to hand off this job to the experts. If that’s not an issue, though, you could be a confident well digger with a little bit of guidance.

If you aren’t sure yet if you want to approach installing a well yourself, here are the 8 steps in the procedure so you can make an informed decision.

How to Install a Well - An Overview

Before you debate whether or not you are capable of handling this project, remember that wells have been dug and used successfully for millennia. It was a lot of work to dig down as deep as necessary with just a shovel and a pickaxe, but today’s tools make the manual labor less grueling than it used to be.

1. Check safety precautions. The biggest concern before you begin installing your well is ensuring that the ground your are digging in is safe. Companies like https://cascade-env.com/ are available to investigate your area before you shovel the first bit of ground.

Underground cables, sinkholes, and other hazardous obstacles may prevent you from safely installing a well where you’d like it. It’s better to know about these dangers before you put forth any energy, time and money on your project.

2. Verify your local governing codes. Being in compliance with your county’s rules and regulations is another priority. Once you have put all of the work into drilling your well, you’d like to be able to use it. But if you’re not in compliance and the county finds out, they will shut down your project quickly.

3. Purchase a drill and an air compressor. If you don’t want to put in the physical labor of digging your well with a shovel and pickaxe like your ancestors did, you can invest in a drilling kit. A reputable kit will drill deep down into the ground, sometimes up to 200 feet.

Many of these kits are cheap and won’t last if you have a lot of strong rock that you are digging through. Be sure you find one that will easily drill through clay and rock without dulling quickly.

The same concept applies to your air compressor. There are some that are great for bike tires but not so good for heavy duty work. You need an air compressor that is built to last through tough projects.

4. Dig a small hole. Using your new drill, dig a small hole, no more than two or three feet deep, into the ground where you want your well to be installed. Use a hose or bucket to fill that hole with water.

5. Dig another small area farther away from the well. As your drill works its magic, it will be pulling up dirt, debris, and rock that will flow through the drill stem (which is why it is important to keep water in the hole while you drill and avoid overheating the bit).

The debris should be collected and dumped in the small pond that you have dug.

5. Turn on your air compressor. With your drill bit removed from the ground, turn on the air compressor attached. Once it starts, slowly lower your bit into the shallow hole and begin the drilling process.

6. Continue to drill until you find water. The depth at which you will find a steady source of water will vary depending on your location. It’s almost always found by 100 feet down, but many people find it as early as 50 feet.

After you think you have hit your water source, it’s a good idea to wait at least overnight and ensure that it is still as stable the next day. Then, if it is, dig another 20 to 50 feet to ensure you’ll have a steady source of fresh water for the long term.

7. Seal the well. There are different ways that you can choose to seal your well, but one of the most common is to use pea gravel. First, remove your drill and insert the casing for your well. This setting pipe can be detailed and complex or as simple as running a steel pipe straight down the inside of your well.

Once your casing is inserted, you will next fill the small space between it and the sides of your well with cement or pea gravel to set the casing in a fixed manner.

After your casing sets, then you can seal the top of the well. Your county will have ordinances and requirements as to how to seal it, so check with them first.

8. Insert your pump. Water is going to fill the casing, no matter how much you have fixed it, but your pump will keep your water fresh. There are different pumps that you can choose from for your needs. Eco-friendly, easy to use pumps are powered by solar and wind. Manual pumps are hand-powered but still serve a purpose for some people, and then submersible and jet pumps are automatic.

Use Your Well and Enjoy Your Water

Of course, just because your well was installed by you does not mean the water is safe to drink. Always send off a sample to be tested before you begin using your new water source regularly.

But once you know your water is safe to use, your well is sealed to code, and your pump is working steadily, you can enjoy your new well knowing that every refreshing sip of water or clean dish in your home was the product of your own hard work!