Water Well Decisions

The casing on our 40+ year-old well has cracked after being hit be debris during a hurricane storm surge, and we're going to have to have a new well drilled.

Well water in this neighborhood has generally been poor -- very high mineral content, either calcium and iron or sulfur (mine had the former before the casing break, now has the latter). But the man who runs the company that drills most of the wells around here (his father or grandfather drilled ours way back when) has often hit an aquifer with good, drinkable water at about

300 - 350 feet (including the next-door neighbors'), so I imagine that's the depth we'll be looking at for our own.

I'm probably going to have to go with a 2" well and a jet pump, for reasons of cost, but I'd appreciate hearing the pros and cons of both options -- jet and submersible.

Every time I've ever had to prime my old pump, I've wanted to go to a submersible. I understand submersibles are more energy efficient -- but is that true, and if so, is it significant, cost-wise?

Other than the higher initial cost, the biggest drawback I can think of to a submersible is that my ability to work on it myself if anything goes wrong is pretty limited. I've been told wells with submersible pumps are prone to lightening strikes, but have never heard that first-hand or even second-hand -- is that really a problem?

Any other points to weigh down one way or the other will be appreciated.

Reply to
Robert E. Lewis
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At 300' or more, I'd definitely go to the submersible.

1-1/2" should be adequate for household supply and a 2 hp pump also.

Don't know who told you about the lightning, but it just ain't so...

Reply to
Duane Bozarth

i suppose this is subject to climate and water temperatures... wondering can you do geothermal heating thru a water well or can you use the old one for geothermal...

Reply to
buffalobill

I have a subm.. pump. Never got hit by lightning yet... The pump is over 20 years old.

Jet pumps are a pain in the butt to prime, and I dont think they can go that depth. Most that I have heard is around 70 feet, unless they got some new design.

If you had usable water before, why not just have the casing repaired. It cant be cracked more than a couple feet below the ground. Get the soil dug away and weld on a new piece. Of course you'll have to chlorinate to kill any surface bacteria that got in. Unless there is some local code issue, there is no reason you cannot weld a new piece of casing on the top and seal the soil around it as required. You'll save lots of money.

Mark

Reply to
maradcliff

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