Flushing a shallow well
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- The well has been in for a year now and I’m still pulling a lot of sand with every use. I never did flush it after installation so that’s my current goal. The plan is to use an electric pump to pull water from the bottom of the well and pull water/sand through the sand point. At some point in the process, the area should clear and the water should run clean.
The idea comes from another You Tuber who has the same set up as mine. Here is a link to his page:
Joe and Zach Survival ( / @joeandzachsurvival )
The set up includes a generator, electric pump, pvc piping, and a garden hose. A critical aspect of this method is to use a ridged garden hose or a non-collapsible hose between the pvc piping and the input to the electric pump. Otherwise, the suction created by the pump could collapse the hose on itself.
The well ran dirty for the first hour and by the second hour the water was clearer. By four hours the water was very clear and had no mineral taste at all. I will confirm water testing results from the lab when they arrive.
I hope you enjoyed the video and learned something from it. Take care, God bless and we’ll see you on the next video
Thank you. We are putting in a point well now.
Awesome. How far down did you have to go?
@@thehandyoutdoorsman9014 We purchased enough pipe for 25'. Not down there yet.
You say you are pumping about 2.5 gallons per minute with that little electric pump. How much is the pump rated at? Could you get more with a bigger pump or does water not seep back into pipe quick enough?
The pump is rated at 25 gallons per minute, I think it was just the recovery rate of my well.
Cool videos! I started digging a well at some land we have that has no electricity. I dug down and hit water at 10 ft. with a manual auger. I wanted to go deeper and put a more traditional casing and riser type well in there but the sides kept caving in. I then tried to wash casing in with water and pipe go stuck. I think I can get the pipe out with bottle jack like you used in this series. I have bought a sand point to use. Should I use it in existing hole once I get the pipe out? I also bought an additional 3 ft. section that has the well screen but no point so I will have 6 ft. of well screen on bottom of pipe. Do you think that will add to flow rate?
I reused the same hole when I was trying to install my well. Since I hit water in the hole when I bent the pipe I thought I might as well continue using it. My well is 25 feet deep with a 3 foot sand point and the flow seems to be just fine. The only issue I see with a larger screen section is if the screen is not in water it will continue to allow sand (or dirt) to filter into the pipe when you create the suction to pump the water. I am no expert but just my thoughts on the design.
Im Drilling Eng.in your case try to run simple casing perforated you can do it by drill the perforation then run another smaller casing in diameter also perforated you will create annulus then fill it with small rounded gravel on this case you created a wall and filtration system. Hope i answer your Q..
Hey for a rookie, I’ve learned a lot. Thank you very much for sharing your experiences, I hope I’m as lucky hitting water. God Bless.
Can you tell me the model of your pump please. The electric one. Thanks
I bought it through Harbor Freight. Just went out to their website and do not see it listed anymore. Perhaps you can search the internet for one. I think I paid $60
Item # 65836
Portable Utility Pump
25 GPM 120Ft Lift Capacity
I would recomend the harborfrieght $159 well pump with the bladder tank. Primes very well. Would not use larger than 1" pipe on the intake side. Mine has done great.
@@cyoteone Sorry for the late reply. Are you dealing with sand build up? Considering pulling my 1 1/4 inch pipe and trying a 6 inch pipe surrounded with pea gravel. What is your set up?
I get small amounts of sand. I installed a three filter system. Each filter housing has a bypass if i need it. Im sure the pump passes some sand through but its been a year now and no issues. First filter is a sediment and the nest two are carbon. That Harborfrieght well pump with the tank has been one incredible pump. Especially for the money. Can run two sprinklers effectively. One sprinkler very well.
My system starts with a pvc well head 1 1/4" up just below the water table then reduced to 1" pvc from there to the pump. I use a pvc check valve just as it comes out of the 2" pvc casing. The only metal is the pump and threaded galvanised discharge pipe to the faucet. No metal at all in the well. I have a 25 ft well and 11 feet of water. It is a trick to get a pvc well head that deep. Trick is to hydro the 1 1/4" pipe to the water table. Then trill about 1400 little holes in the first 4 ft of 2" casing and bevel the inside of the end of the pipe. Use a sledge hammer and 2x4 to soften the blow on the top of the pipe but beat the casing about a foot at a time then use 3/4" thin wall pvc pipe attached to a hose to flush each foot of sand out. Add 2" casing and 3/4" flushing pipe as needed. When you achieve the desired depth, install your well point to the bottom. After your first run with the pump, it will pull sand in all around the well point and lock it in. So, make sure it is as deep as you desire before first pump. Sand will still allow full flow. As for continued sand in the line after completion, a void should start to form over time creating a lower suction as the void gets bigger. After a while it should minimize. Till then, run a sediment filter so as not to clock faucets or sprinklers with screens. Can install gravel in the type of well i did. Pvc is much cheaper than steel.
Thanks for the detailed information. I do not use my well enough to keep the "pocket clear". After more research I am looking at putting in a 4" PVC pipe surrounded by pea gravel verse a sand point.
Once you have a bucket of clean water reverse it and blow clean water down the pipe to clear up filter and remove crap stuck on the out side of your intake
Great idea!
Kool!
I installed a pticher pump on my well point. Just keep pumping it until the water runs clear. Yes, it takes a lot of pumping. But, it beats tearing up a $60 electric utility pump with all that sand running through it. So what if you wreck the leather on the pitcher pump. That's only $5 to $9 to replace.
Very true, it does take a while to clear with a pitcher pump. Once I do get it to clear it runs clear for a day or two. My issue is I am away from the property weeks at a time and have to do this every time I came back. Kind of a pain. Working on putting in another well with a 4" casing.
Is it possible to keep an electric shallow well pump connected to the sandpoint. I went down 13' @ 3" with a hand drill using water. I'm thinking of finishing with a sandpoint. I've been maintaining about 4' of water in the well currently but not recovering fast enough where I'm at.
That is the key when using an electric pump...recovery. If you do not have adequate recovery you may burn up the pump. My issue is I do not use the well enough and sand collects in the sand point between uses.
Thank you Brother for sharing this!!!!
Really great stuff to know... for those of us who have never dealt with this before.
Happy to hear it was useful. Thanks for watching!
Could it be that your well is not deep enough and sand keeps building up on the bottom too close to the water collection point?
It is very possible, as it is only 25’ deep. I have never been able to keep it clear without constant use. Once it goes 2 weeks without being pumped I have sand in the water.
Hi I have property in Clare County Michigan and I am considering driving a sand point well...how good is the drinking water? Did you ever have it tested? I’m just nervous to invest $400-500 in parts
I am in Arenac County. Yes I did have the water tested and it came back as drinkable water, a little high on the chart in Iron but nothing to be alarmed about. Cold and good! Not sure what the water table are in your area, average shallow well near me is 13' to 25'. Good Luck!
@@thehandyoutdoorsman9014 thanks for the reply, the water table is anywhere from 17-25’ so I think I will be good! Just got to build up my nerves to attempt to pound a well
Its amazing how you can pick up a ton of sand with one arm
I have discovered the longer it sits the more sand there is. Have tried to make sure I use it as frequently as possible.
Question - are you filling the well with water, and then pumping that water out (flushing), or are you only pumping out the water that is IN the well only, and thus sucking out the sand at the same time?
I am only pumping out the water int he well, which then pulls the sand from the well.
What I have found out is if I use the well on a regular basis (at least a few days a week) the well stays clear of sand
If I let it sit for more than a week the sand collects in the well and I have to do it again (what a pain).
I am working on a new way but have not perfected it yet so when I do I will post a video update
@@thehandyoutdoorsman9014 Hmm, that's interesting. I wonder if this is common with all sand point wells? Your sand does look quite fine (looks awesome could be great play sand). Maybe you're in a situation where you just have really fine sand?
I think you are correct regarding the commonality with all sand points. I am thinking that because there is no space where the sand point sits next to the sand it draws that in with the water every time you pump due to the suction.
I plan on driving my own well next summer, but I won't use it enough either, I'm thinking just for garden. Sandy water for a garden I don't suppose is the worst thing. My plan had been to drive it like you did originally, but another video suggested to use a 10" nipple pipe with the driver cap, as often the thread skips and you can't get them off. So the 10" with a drive coupler and you just throw away that 10" piece. That looked back breaking for you!
It was, I recommend using the jack hammer method. Will never use a sledge hammer again.
How deep is your well?
It’s 25 feet deep
If you have a point on the casing, how will your PVC pipe cut into the sand below?
I was trying to breakup the fine sand that had settled in the base of the casing. What I am finding with my well is if I use it on a regular bases (once a week or more) I don't have sandy water. If I let it sit for over a month without usage the sand settles in the casing and I have to flush it to get clear water.