How to Drill a Driven Point Well
How to Drill a Driven Point Well. If you are located in an area where the land subsurface is sandy and the water table is within 10 to 25 feet of the surface, you can drill a driven point (sandy point) well. It is the easiest and the least expensive method of obtaining well water; however, most pumps can only effectively lift water down to 25 feet because the volume of water being pumped continually drops as you go deeper. Read on to learn how to drill a driven point well.
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Instructions
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Acquire the items necessary to drill a driven point well from your local hardware store, including a 3 to 5-foot-long sand point, four sections of 5-foot-long pipe with a 2-inch diameter, special drive couplings and a drive cap. Rent or borrow a post hole digger, a pipe driver and a hand pump (pitcher pump) if you do not have these items already.
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Use the post hole digger to augur a starter hole where you want the well to be located. The hole only has to be 3 to 4 feet deep before you can start driving pipe down.
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Attach a 5-foot length of pipe to the sand point with one of the drive couplings and place the drive cap on the open end of the pipe. Put joint compound on the coupling connections and use two pipe wrenches when making the connections.
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Drive the point with a sledge hammer or a rented motorized pipe driver and ensure that the pipe is vertical by using a level. When only about 4 inches of the pipe are left above ground, take the drive cap off, attach another pipe section with a drive coupling and place the drive cap on the new section.
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Continue driving down and adding pipe until the water table has been entered by 5 to 10 feet. Drop a weighted line or stick a narrow pole down the pipe hole to check the location of the water table.
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Install a temporary pitcher pump or hand pump on the pipe after reaching the proper depth to clear the well pipe of sand and dirt. Hand pump until the water is running clear out of the pump.
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Purchase a motor driven suction pump of a size and capacity that will lift an adequate volume, at least 4 gallon/minute, of water to the surface. Install the pump in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
