Well Drilling

[warrenshudson]

About to have a new well drilled. In my area (north of detroit, mi) , there seems to be a 50/50 mix of steel and pvc wells being drilled. Anyone have any advice? The well will probabaly be between 100-250 feet, with a 2 or 3 hp pump.

[Steve Barker LT]

Advice? Call some well drillers and get some free consults and estimates. Go from there. There may be a well registry in your county, (there is in mine in KS) then you could talk to other people near you who have drilled wells and the registry will tell who the driller was also.

[Steve Barker LT]

I'm no well expert, so I can't help you there. I guess it would all boil down to geologic conditions and such. Would you want a steel plate or pvc plate for a bullet proof vest?

[John Reddy]

I missed the part where he said that somebody would be firing bullets into his well.

[AndyS]

Andy suggests: If you go to

and use the keywords ' PVC well casing ' you will find numerous hits from manufacturers and organizations that deal with the problems of PVC. A quick once over shows that it is a common practice, is not allowed in some states, and has thickness standards. Fracturing of the pvc and premature failure seem to be the problems, and that is dealt with by using a thicker wall thickness on the PVC. It looks like you just have to make a choice. You might ask a well driller about his opinion and any warranty that may exist regarding casing failure or collapse...

Good luck, Andy in Eureka, Texas

[marson]

I'm no expert either. but steel casings rust, and the rust can effect water quality.

[AndyS]

Andy adds:

At this website is a discussion of lots and lots and lots of stuff about wells. I found it to be an interesting read, whether drilling a well or not, and a section deals with well casings and stuff. Give it a shot.

Andy in Eureka, Texas

(who is currently digging a well with a shovel, a bucket, and a beer )

[Carolyn Marenger]

Not a clue regarding pipe. I do have a thought on drill heads though. Diamond bit heads are nice, they cut through stone and anything else very quickly, however they also create a lot of dust in doing so. That dust has a tendency to get pushed down the hole and clog the first few water veins you would have come across. Typically in this area, conventional head drills find water in the 60 to 80 foot range, diamond bit heads typically find it in the 150 - 250 foot range. Based on this "local? statistic, and the assumption of paying by depth, not time, conventional head drilling is cheaper. Not to mention less pipe required.

Carolyn

[RCW]

I think PVC is a bad idea. You live in a frost area and I'd worry about uneven frost action shearing or cracking the plastic.

Rusting of steel casings isn't a big problem. It's a slow process, and any rust that flakes off fall to the bottom of the well and doesn't affect the water at all.

Richard

[hawgeye]

Unless there is something preventing the ground from heaving upwards (as it normally does) during frost, then there is little chance of the ground expanding laterally causing the pipe to shear or crack.

I live in a frost area, my well is SCH.80 PVC. I haven't had any problems in 15+ years.

There's probably some truth to that. Either way, the casing will probably out-live the life of the well, it will certainly last longer than the pump. It's all a matter of preference. Both steel and PVC are fine for most applications.

[<moo]

Thanks for the link they got some strange stuff on that site

[Dennis]

PVC doesn&#39;t rust. Steel reacts with the minerals in the water to form a parcipitate and eventually will cause problems (my pump was clogged with the gray goo from the gal steel pipe.)

Go with PVC, it&#39;s a no-brainer.

[shortbusbush]

quoted text -- Show quoted text -

[Matt Whiting]

Interesting. I live in northern PA and have never seen a well casing that was grouted. Around here, they just drive in 20&#39; of casing as a matter of course (unless it takes more to get to rock). I guess they figure that 20&#39; of earth is enough of a filter for any ground water than may head down into the well.

Matt

[shortbusbush]

[Matt Whiting]

I sure am glad I live in PA. Sounds like MD is almost as stupid as NY when it comes to laws. I&#39;ll take 20&#39; of casing down to rock over 2&#39; of casing and grout any day. That grout won&#39;t maintain its integrity through probably even one year of freeze thaw cycles, let alone the 40+ years that most drilled wells last.

Matt

[Dennis]

"> I sure am glad I live in PA. Sounds like MD is almost as stupid as NY

Here in Indiana, shallow wells are not allowed, and all wells are required to be grouted. A good website to better understand well requirements is presented by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

PS I feel your (very) mistaken about the grout in a well.

[shortbusbush]