Step-by-step instructions for properly drilling water wells

The construction of a well source on a site is one of the main methods of obtaining water for residents of an individual house without a centralized water supply, while a casing pipe for a well made of various materials is used to create a water intake shaft. During drilling operations, pipes are connected into a column using various methods. The choice of installation method and shaft design is directly related to the technical characteristics of the well.

Although drilling is usually carried out by qualified specialists with extensive experience, any homeowner will benefit from information about the types of casing pipes, their dimensional parameters and technical characteristics, selection criteria, and casing installation technology. Since the diameter of the casing is tied to the size of the submersible electric pump used, which depends on the volume of water consumed, before drilling it is important to determine the model of the deep unit used.

Rice. 1 Scheme of water wells

Brief plan for creating a well

First, we’ll talk in general about what needs to be done for water to appear on the site. The action plan is:

Determine the location for the future well.
Determine its parameters: drilling method, depth.
Perform drilling.
Casing the well.
Pump water.
Check water quality.
Conduct well construction.
Pipe water into the house and install a filter.

It would seem that the plan is simple, but each stage includes different nuances, which we will now consider.

What are the types of aquifers?

Obviously, you need to drill where there is an aquifer (horizon). It is important to understand that these layers are distributed at different depths, not evenly, based on the properties of the rock.

Based on their depth, there are the following types of groundwater:

Soil - located almost near the surface. Precipitation adheres to solid parts of the soil and forms underground soil layers. They do not have a waterproof layer
Perchal water is basically sediment that accumulates on top of the aquitard.
Groundwater is found almost everywhere; it is formed by precipitation, water from lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water. This permanent aquifer lies on an aquitard.

Important! These three layers do not have their own pressure. If you make a well up to them, the water will not flow. That is why they drill to other interlayer horizons. In rare cases, drilling to groundwater is enough, but this is rather an exception.

Interstratal is an aquifer that is sandwiched between two aquifers. There is pressure here and you can install a well - they are often called artesian. The water from it will rise and flow even without the help of a pump.

What factors need to be taken into account?

Sources of drinking water are very deep, so it will not be possible to remove the casing with your own hands.

When performing work, the following criteria must be taken into account:

material for manufacturing the reinforcing column;
weight of the structure;
depth of the foundation of the structure;
well construction time;
mine operating conditions;
reason for disassembly.

Removing items can be costly in terms of money, time and labor. If it is possible to create a new source, dismantling is abandoned.

Where to look for water on the site

Specialists from companies that drill wells usually know at what depth the water is in a particular region. But this does not mean that the waterproof layer extends to the entire region! It may be that on your site the water lies at 25-30 meters, but your neighbors have none at all or it is much deeper.

Important! As a rule, water wells are drilled to a depth of 30 meters. If you need it deeper, it costs more and you need to obtain a license to use the aquifer, which is on the state. accounting (See Article 19 of the Russian Federation Law “On Subsoil”)

There are three nuances here:

the deep aquifer cannot be used without a license;
only a legal entity can receive it;
The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources issues licenses;

What to do if you are offered to drill expensively and deeply? In this case, it is better to additionally check that there are no other aquifers on the site that do not lie so deep. You can clarify this like this:

Collect information from several companies. If several specialists insist on deep drilling, then most likely it is so.
There are paid and free databases that indicate the depth of the upper aquifer in different regions. You can get information there. Another option is to make a request to Rosgeolfond, where data is available for different regions, or search for information on the Rosgeology website
It’s definitely worth talking to your neighbors, especially if they already have an operating well. Neighbors can provide other information about groundwater and its quality.

Connection types

When arranging the casing, pipes are connected into a column in the following ways:

Socket threaded . The method is used when joining polymer or metal thin-walled pipes, while an internal thread is cut in the socket, and an external thread is cut in the section of the outer shell of the connected pipe.

Threaded. They are used in thick-walled metal and polymer pipes; the connected elements have external and internal threads; when they are joined, the walls are smooth on the outside and inside.

Coupling. The pipe elements to be connected have an external thread; they are screwed into a connecting coupling with an internal thread until the ends are connected.

Electric welding. Welding can be useful when joining thin-walled steel pipes where the cut threads would be too weak. The welding method is often used when installing steel casing - although it takes some time and requires good welding skills from a specialist, its use can be cost-effective (no need to purchase expensive heavy pipes with threads and thick walls).

Rice. 13 Steel and HDPE casing pipes

How to drill a well

There are several drilling methods, which are chosen taking into account the terrain, the depth of the aquifer, and the geostructure of the soil. The most popular methods:

Shock-rope. It is carried out without heavy equipment, is budget-friendly and environmentally friendly. A special metal cylinder (the so-called “glass”), which has a beveled edge, is driven into the ground on the site. Then it is pulled out with a winch, the soil is removed from the inside and immersed again. No rinsing solutions are required. But this method also has disadvantages: it is not applicable on some soils (fluid loam, weak sandy loam), and is also slow.
Rotary drilling. The method is universal, suitable for any soil, and is often used. Its essence is that a special tool with an attachment is screwed into the soil, which destroys the earthen rock.

There are different types of nozzles, based on this they distinguish:

auger drilling. A metal auger is used, like in a meat grinder. He winds the rock around himself and lifts it up;
core drilling. Using a drill core, a core pipe is inserted into the ground, through which air or solution is then supplied. Drilled earth (so-called core) is collected in the pipe, which is lifted up;
roller drilling. For it, a special chisel is used (the so-called cutter), which is driven into the soil. The bit is secured to the drilling rig with rods, through which solution or air is then supplied. Drill cuttings—fine soil—rise to the top.

As a rule, to make a water well, the last option is used - roller-cone. It is suitable for various soil types. But again, this choice is individual and selected by a specialist for a specific area.

Do-it-yourself caisson for a well

As already mentioned, it is better to place pumping equipment for wells in a special pit rather than on the surface of the earth. To do this, the pit is concreted and insulated, or a caisson is installed in it.

This name refers to a special container made of metal or plastic in which the upper part of the well and the pipe that drains water to buildings are connected. At the same time, pumping equipment, a pressure tank (not always), electrical equipment and control devices are also located there.

Access to the caisson is provided by a hatch. Insulation of the structure is not necessary, but to prevent freezing in winter, the upper part (lid and “ceiling”) is provided with a layer of thermal insulation 50...100 mm thick. Additionally, the walls of the caisson can be insulated.

You can independently build a structure from concrete, brick, blocks (with careful waterproofing), or weld it from sheet metal. Plastic products are produced industrially.

What equipment is used for drilling

These are different types of installations with an attachment (crown, chisel) that destroys rock. Typically, a URB drilling rig is used, made on a ZIL, Ural, Kamaz chassis. This unit is capable of drilling a well to a depth of up to 350 m, and does it quickly and efficiently.

But there is a nuance - this large machine needs room to turn and maneuver on the site. Therefore, it is usually used if the site is still empty of buildings and large trees with beds and bushes.

The second version of the technology is a self-propelled small-sized unit. Works on any site, even planted ones. Can drill a well near a house or outbuildings. It is less powerful than UBR, so it will take longer to drill. Among self-propelled drilling rigs, Albatross, Alligator, and Zhuravl with augers are popular.

In our company, well drilling is carried out using UBR units, which do it in a day or two. Their big advantage is that the system drills both clay and rocky layers. When the drill reaches the aquifer, a column of water gradually rises from the well. Next, the water is sent for analysis, and the well begins to be lined and landscaped.

Drilling a well manually in questions and answers.

Which well to choose, regular deep or Abyssinian?

To make a choice, you need to know how they differ.

The Abyssinian well is drilled with a small diameter drill of approximately 60-90mm. The casing pipe for it is most often 40-70 mm in outer diameter. In an Abyssinian well, the pump is located on the surface of the earth. Modern surface pumps can lift water that is at a maximum depth of 8 meters.

For example, if you have drilled a well and the water level is deeper than 8 meters, then it is impossible to lift this water with a surface pump. The water surface is the distance from the ground level to the surface of the water in the well.

But if you dig a well 1-2 meters deep and install a surface pump at its bottom, you can raise water from a depth of 9-10 meters.

An ordinary deep well does not have this drawback, since its submersible pump is located at a depth below the water surface.

The diagram shows a regular deep and an Abyssinian well.

Therefore, if the water surface is deeper than 7-8 m, then you will have to choose a regular well.

The question immediately arises of how to preliminarily determine the depth of the water surface.

If you have neighbors who have a well drilled, you can ask them at what level the water level is. As a rule, on neighboring land plots the aquifers are the same and the water table level will also be the same. Exceptions occur in rare cases and are related to the geology of the site.

If there are no such neighbors, then you will have to drill. There may be two options here:

1. drill for an Abyssinian well and if the water surface is below 8m, then drill it for a regular one.

2. Immediately drill a regular well with a cutter with a diameter of 160 mm under a casing pipe with a diameter of 125 mm. Its diameter should be at least a quarter wider than the diameter of the casing pipe.

Before you start drilling, you need to understand that it will be much easier to drill an Abyssinian well than a regular one, since the diameters of their holes differ significantly. In addition, the cost of materials for an Abyssinian well is less than for a conventional one. But there are also disadvantages. An Abyssinian well has a much smaller filter surface area than a regular well, so the Abyssinian filter will clog more often. It also has approximately 2 times lower flow rate (the amount of water that a well can produce per hour) compared to a conventional well.

What to do if quicksand is exposed during drilling.

“Quicksand is soil saturated with water (usually sand or sandy loam), which is capable of liquefying under mechanical influence on it, when it is opened by pits and other workings. We can also say about quicksand that it is a sealed volume in the thickness of the soil, in which fine and dusty sands saturated with water are under pressure. Its thickness varies from 2 to 10 m. Silty sands and sandy loams, saturated with water and containing large quantities of very small particles (clay and colloidal), which begin to play the role of a lubricant between large particles of soil, often exhibit quicksand properties. Due to the presence of clay and smaller colloidal particles, these soils have hydrophilic properties and weakly release water.” - Wikipedia

If during the drilling process the so-called slurry is removed - it can be sand mixed with water and clay and the well is not deepened, then it means they have drilled to quicksand. Quicksand constantly fills the drill shaft and prevents it from being deepened.

To pass the quicksand, you can try the following options:

Wash the quicksand with bentonite or glue.
Drill the well to a larger diameter to the quicksand and drive the conductor. This is a metal pipe that is one or two sizes larger than the casing pipe. It is important that the conductor completely covers the quicksand and enters its end into solid ground. If this is not done, the conductor may turn into quicksand, since he is in constant motion. After this, you can continue drilling through the conductor using a bailer or hydraulic drilling.

Drilling diagram with conductor.

Why is it necessary to flush a well?

Washing a well is washing it with a special adhesive solution, which glues and strengthens the walls of the well and prevents them from crumbling and collapsing.

The solution is prepared using water and bentonite, which can be purchased at a hardware store.

Bentonite is a natural, non-toxic material that swells in water to form a dense gel. In confined spaces, this gel does not allow water to pass through.

Approximately 25 kg of bentonite per ton of water is diluted. After this, the resulting solution should sit for at least 2 hours, and preferably 12 hours. During this time, the bentonite will swell and the solution will resemble jelly.

As a replacement for bentonite, you can use ordinary CMC wallpaper glue. It costs an order of magnitude cheaper. Dilute it with approximately 20 liters of water per 4 plastic cups of glue. If during the work the glue begins to curl up and turn into a paste, then ordinary soda can be added to the solution. This will prevent the glue from curling.

You can also mix water with fatty clay and create a jelly solution. This solution also works well.

Cases when well cleaning is necessary:

If a well is drilled in sand, then it must be washed along its entire length. If the hydrodrilling method is used, then the drilling fluid should be prepared from the very beginning of drilling. If the auger drilling method is used, then it must be flushed after changing each rod.
If a well was drilled in clay and reached a sandy aquifer, then the well must be flushed before removing the drill and installing the casing. While drilling is taking place in clay, it is not necessary to wash out.
If you need to pass quicksand.
If it is necessary to pass through an unnecessary water carrier, for example, a perch. In this case, this aquifer must be sealed and prevent the drilling fluid from escaping into this aquifer. The density of the drilling fluid should depend on the rate of outflow of the solution into the aquifer. The stronger the outflow, the thicker the solution should be and, therefore, the longer it will take to flush the wellbore.

How to understand that an aquifer has been found.

There may be more than one aquifer. Therefore, if water is needed for technical needs or for irrigation, then you can stop at the first layer. Such a layer can be at a depth of 4 meters. Water taken from this layer is usually not pure, but there may be exceptions. This water is called perched water.

“High water is underground water that accumulates above temporary support (frozen soil and the like). They lie close to the surface (above the groundwater horizon), are prone to sharp fluctuations, and are easily polluted.” - Wikipedia

If water is needed for general use, then it is better to drill deeper.

It is not difficult to understand that you have reached an aquifer.

If the hydrodrilling method is used, the drilling fluid will begin to flow into the well. This will be clearly visible by the drop in water level in the technical pits. That is, the aquifer will absorb the water that is poured into it. At the rate at which the water carrier consumes water, at the same rate it releases it. In 95% of cases it will be an aquifer, in 5% of cases it will be a crack in the ground or a void. If water goes into the well very quickly, then it may be a void in the ground.

If the auger drilling method is used, then you can understand that you have reached the aquifer by the wet soil being removed and its type.

Good aquifers are found in coarse sands, limestones, sand and gravel, or gravel. Sometimes there is water in loam, but very rarely. Therefore, one of the signs of an aquifer will be coarse sand or other aquifer-bearing rocks.

The end of a sand aquifer can be determined when the drill hits something harder than sand, most likely limestone or clay. If the coarse sand runs out and another rock starts, it means the aquifer has ended.

Once the aquifer has been found, it is necessary to install a casing pipe with a filter.

Why is well backflushing done?

Backflushing is done immediately after the casing is installed. It is necessary to unseal the water-bearing channels of the well and wash sand and small stones out of it. Essentially, this is hydraulic fracturing (creating voids in the well).

Backwashing also flushes water-bearing channels that were previously sealed with bentonite or glue. Moreover, if the water carrier was sealed in loam, then it will take longer to erode than a water carrier in sand.

It is best to wash with a high-capacity motor pump (from 1000 liters per minute) with water in a volume of 2-3 m3. In order to perform backwashing, a head with a fitting is placed on the casing pipe, to which the hose from the pump is connected. Water under pressure is fed into the casing, exits the filter into the well and rises to the surface of the earth between the casing and the walls of the well.

A pressurized water supply hose is connected to the blue plastic casing.

How to pump a well.

Pump the well immediately after backflushing.

Pumping a well is a long-term pumping of water with a pump in order to flush water-bearing channels, clarify the water and increase the productivity of the well. Pumping can be continuous for 2-48 hours.

This action allows you to clean the well water from small rock particles dissolved in it. Therefore, you need to pump until the water becomes clear. Also, in order to increase the productivity of a well, it is practiced to pump it for a long time for a day or more.

All small particles that pass through the filter are pumped out of the well, while the rest accumulate at its bottom. Therefore, it is better to use an inexpensive pump for pumping, as it can easily clog. If a well was drilled in the warm season, then you can understand what kind of water flows from it by its temperature. The water from the well will be noticeably colder than the water that was previously backwashed.

Well filling.

Filling the space between the casing pipe and the walls of the well is carried out in order to protect the well from various contaminants entering it from the surface of the earth.

In order not to clog the water-bearing channels, sprinkling is carried out only after backwashing and subsequent pumping. Also, sprinkling is done only under water pressure, so as not to clog the casing filter. Therefore, before sprinkling, a pump is connected to the casing pipe and water is pumped into it. Everything is the same as for backwashing.

The well is filled with sand or crushed stone above the height of the casing filter, and then covered with clay.

How to determine the water level in a well.

Everything is very simple. You need to take a regular rope with a narrow weight. For example, you can attach a regular wrench to it.

You lower the rope and listen. When you hear the sound of a “gurgle,” this is the beginning of the water column, that is, the level of the mirror. Tie a knot in the rope and lower it further. If the rope weakens, it means it has reached the bottom of the well. Tie a second knot. Pull out the rope and measure the distance between the knots, this will be the height of the water column.

You also need to understand that the water level may change according to the season or with active pumping of water. Therefore, the level of the water column in the well should be as high as possible. Preferably at least 2m.

What to do if clay sticks heavily to the walls of the drill shaft and drill rod?

Red-brown clay tends to swell and stick strongly. In this case, ordinary soda helps well, as it makes the clay inactive. Soda must be added to the drilling fluid. As a result, the clay stops sticking to the tool and the walls of the drill hole.

Does the water surface level depend on the depth of the well?

A well is drilled to find a source of water - an aquifer. It may end up at a fairly large depth, for example, 25m. But this does not mean that water will need to be raised from such a depth. After the well has reached the aquifer, water fills its trunk and rises along it to a certain level, for example, 10 m from the level of the earth's surface. This level is called the water mirror. The exception is artesian wells, where water is under pressure in the ground and when such an aquifer is opened, water can spontaneously flow to the surface of the earth.

What pipes to use as casing.

Metal or plastic pipes are used as casing pipes. Since metal pipes are quite expensive, plastic casing pipes are most often chosen for wells. Special blue HDPE (low-density polyethylene) plastic casing pipes for wells are available for sale. These pipes are made of food-grade plastic and are chemically safe for humans. It is strictly forbidden to use ordinary yellow or gray PVC sewer pipes for the well.

HDPE casing pipes

Pipe with slot filter. Filter length 3 meters.

When purchasing plastic casing pipe, try not to purchase black pipes. As a rule, such pipes are made from recycled materials. And no one can guarantee that secondary raw materials will not contain potentially hazardous substances.

Which pump to choose for a well?

A deep-screw pump is best suited. The main thing is not to use a vibration pump. Due to constant vibrations, the soil around the well is compacted and the water channels are closed. As a result, the well's flow rate may decrease until it completely dries out. Also, due to constant vibrations, the water in the well will be cloudy.

If the water surface is at a depth of 7-8 meters, then you can install a centrifugal pump on the surface of the earth.

How is water from a well analyzed?

When drilling is completed, it is very important to take a water sample for analysis. The sample is submitted to the Sanitary and Epidemiological Station, a special company or a hydrogeology laboratory. You can first learn about the quality of water from a well from your neighbors.

In Moscow, you can submit water for analysis in the following laboratories:

"Ekodar" - analysis of water from any source;
Moscow City Sanitary Service;
Testing center of Moscow State University - conducts examination of any water.

Important! The sample must be taken in a clean flask/bottle, which must be clean and free of traces of food or detergent. The bottle must be rinsed completely with the water that is then taken for analysis.

What type of analysis is performed for water? Usually this is complex, when many parameters are checked at once, namely:

The reaction of the environment is pH.
Main indicators: color/turbidity.
Hardness indicator.
Iron content.
Permanganate oxidation.
Ammonium.
Sulfate ions/Sulfide ions.
Content of manganese, hydrogen sulfide.
Nitrite ions/Nitrate ions.
Total salt content.

A report from the laboratory usually contains not only figures for your water, but also an indication of the maximum permissible concentrations.

Check that your numbers are not higher than the maximum permissible, but much lower. There is also a bacterial analysis of water, which is useful to do if neighbors do not use this water and there is no one to get feedback from.

Important! If there was an ore deposit near your site (lead, nickel, arsenic, etc.), then it is useful to test the water for the content of these elements. If there is a cattle farm near you, be sure to conduct a bacteriological analysis of the water.

↑ That's it. There are no further jokes. Only information for those who decide to work with us

As you already understand, we are not the last people to drill water wells.

Thanks to the hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical studies carried out, it was possible to theoretically substantiate the concept of an aquifer as a complex geological formation, which allowed our employees to develop, test and implement into everyday practice the “Technology for searching and hydrogeochemical research of thin aquifers”.

This is what we use in the construction of water intake wells, which helps to identify and select the cleanest and safest water for health.

The technology is based on the use of standard high-quality casing pipes and carbide bits.

Outer diameter – 127 mm.
The type of casing connection is threaded.
Thread type: tape.
Casing pipe material is steel 20 or steel 45.
Pipe wall thickness is 5 or 6 mm.
Crown type - KT 2

We have been engaged in hydrogeochemical research for several years and therefore have some idea of the distribution of certain waters, both over the territory and in depth.
We responsibly declare: the total mineralization of natural waters, with extremely rare exceptions, increases exponentially with depth. In other words, the deeper, the worse.

The most valuable waters, from the point of view of hydrogeochemistry, are concentrated near the surface. And if it weren’t for the notorious “human factor”... If only.

Therefore, when constructing water intake wells, we focus on the most protected waters closest to the surface.

Unfortunately, in the south of the Leningrad region there are entire areas where, due to geological reasons, at reasonable depths, one cannot expect the appearance of waters that at least closely correspond to GOST. We can only talk about waters that have greater or lesser mineralization.

Due to our professional interest, we compulsorily conduct a chemical analysis of water from our wells, assessing it according to 26 parameters, identifying, among other things, the presence of such unpleasant substances as hydrazine, cyanuric acid, cyanide, and fluorine. Details in the section “Hydrogeochemical studies”. It is best to sample water for chemical analysis 2-3 weeks after the construction of a well, since it takes time for an oxide film to form on the surface of steel pipes under the influence of oxygen dissolved in water. After 2-3 weeks, the impact of the casing pipe material practically ceases to affect the chemical composition of the water.

The technology we use allows us to continue drilling a well at any time if the water of the identified aquifer suddenly turns out to be unsuitable for use.

Upon completion of the work, we issue a well passport, which summarizes information about the technological and design solutions applied (drilling diameters, casing intervals, etc.); hydrogeodynamic characteristics of the production formation are given; lithological column; protocol for determining the chemical composition of water; recommendations on the use of pumping equipment and measures to protect water from pollution.

We try to build good relationships with all our clients, and for many years we have been monitoring wells, periodically sampling water for chemical analysis, which will always be free for you.

Due to professional interest, we are vitally interested in the long-term operation of your well. That’s why we don’t even stipulate the warranty period for the work performed.

How to casing a well

The casing stage begins immediately after drilling is completed and involves installing a casing pipe into the well. This technique protects water from high water, prevents pollution and slippage, and strengthens the wellbore.

For casing, it is best to use metal pipes rather than plastic (PVC/UPVC). Plastic pipes are not very durable and are suitable for shallow wells. Whereas metal is very strong and durable. The cost of a metal casing pipe depends on its thickness, which is also selected individually.

Important! If you have a deep well, we recommend double casing. For example, the outer one can be made of a metal pipe, and for the inner one you can use plastic or also a metal pipe.

Purpose

When drilling wells, a casing is always made of special pipes, which performs the following functions:

The main purpose of the casing is to protect the mine from soil shedding and clogging of the borehole channel.
The presence of a column makes it possible for the water column to rise upward without being absorbed into the ground, and prevents water pollution.
Due to the tightness of the connection of the pipe sections, the casing protects the well source from the penetration of contaminated surface and ground water into its channel.
It is convenient to immerse a deep-well electric pump that sucks up water into a smooth and rigid round trunk.
A cap or cover is attached to the top of the column, which prevents external precipitation and dirt from penetrating into the channel and serves as a support for the safety cable of the deep-well electric pump.
When connecting an adapter water supply, the casing pipe is a support for attaching the adapter, which is cut from the side into its wall at a depth below the freezing point.
The filter, located at the bottom of the column, filters out large and small particles of gravel, sand, limestone, clay, making the water more suitable for drinking and household needs.

Rice. 2 Designs of casing steel pipes according to GOST 632-80

Which filter and where to use

The next step after installing the casing is installing the filter. The filter itself can be mesh, perforated or slotted, which is selected taking into account the properties of the aquifer. It takes into account which layer the water passes through, the size of the particles, and their composition.

Each type of filter has its own nuances. So, synthetic mesh can often become clogged, and perforated metal can add iron. Slotted ones are most often used. The cost of filters varies depending on the wall thickness, diameter, and material from which it is made. Metal ones are more durable, stronger, but also more expensive than PVC.

The filter is installed directly at the level of the aquifer. There is no need to place it deeper - the water will wash out, collapse the rock to the filter and it will be difficult to clean. You should not install the filter above the aquifer, so as not to block and ruin the well. One of the consequences of an incorrectly installed filter is cloudy water, which is then difficult to get rid of.

#2: Pipe tension and breakage

To pull the pipe out using the tension method, a system of hoists is used, with the help of which the upper section of the pipe is lifted until the structure breaks. After this, the torn section is lifted up, and the next section of pipe is captured with a fishing device, and the process is repeated. This method has disadvantages and is not advisable when pulling large pipes, from great depths and removing pipes from an inclined well.

When pulling out the casing, you must act very carefully so as not to damage the structure made of fragile materials, for example, plastic pipes. Otherwise, pieces and fragments of pipes may get stuck in the well space, or fall to the bottom, from where it will be difficult to lift them up.

What is well pumping

One of the key stages that directly affects the efficiency of the well and water quality. The essence of pumping is to form a feeding chamber around the barrel, into which water quickly flows. In addition, during pumping, water carries clay and sandy water into the well, which is then pumped out. Each time the flow will be greater, and the water will be clearer and cleaner as the turbidity decreases.

Important! Don’t worry if during the first pumping, not just muddy water comes out, but soil/soil. This is normal because soil enters the water during the drilling process and remains on the surface. Once pumping begins with a submersible pump, the water will become clearer over and over again.

What pump is used for pumping? There are different ones, the most primitive is vibration, but it is better not to use it. It does not go down into the well because it cannot form a feeding chamber, clogs the filter and raises sludge. It is much more practical to use screw, rotary or vane pumps.

We recommend a pump for artesian wells Grundfos SQ 3-105 (or its equivalent Waterstry 3 ST 3-90)

How to make a drilling tool

The easiest way is to buy, rent or borrow from friends. But if this is not possible, it is too early to despair. Any drilling device can be made independently. Before drilling a well at your dacha, you need to include in the estimate the materials that will be required for its manufacture.

Spiral and spoon drill

The load-bearing element of the structure is an iron rod. A row of knives is welded to it. You will also need a disk sawn in half. Its edges are sharpened. The knives, beveled at 20 degrees, are welded to the rod along the longitudinal axis opposite each other. In this case, it is necessary to ensure that the diameter of the structure exceeds the dimensions of the casing pipe.

Another way is to weld sheet metal in a spiral. To do this, take a strip that needs to be “wrapped” around a rod or pipe. It is advisable to harden and sharpen the edges of the cutter. Of course, it is hardly possible to make this tool in a garage with bare hands. But if you have all the necessary equipment and metalworking skills, the procedure will not be difficult.

Bucket and glass

If you plan to drill a well with your own hands using a bailer, it can be made from a pipe 2-3 meters long. The wall thickness can reach 1 cm. At the bottom there is a shoe with a petal-type valve. This is a sheet metal plate that is pressed by a spring of medium elasticity.

The lower end edges are sharpened inward. The upper end is sealed with an iron mesh. A bracket for attaching the cable is attached to the bailer. In this configuration, at the moment of impact with the ground, loose rock falls into the glass, and the valve prevents it from falling out during the lifting process. It needs to be cleaned every 5-10 lowerings.

Making a needle for an Abyssinian puncture

A thick metal rod made of hard steel is used. The diameter must be such that the metal does not break, shrink or bend under impact loads. The tip is hardened and sharpened. The essence of the method is to pierce the rod into the soil with blows of a sledgehammer. You don't have to choose anything. After finishing the work, it is enough to remove it and insert a casing pipe with a filter.

What to do after casing

The next step after casing the well is to secure the head and casing to the top of the casing. The case is designed for thermal insulation, and the head creates the necessary pressure and closes the well. The head is placed no higher than the freezing level so that the water in the well does not freeze. You can find out the level of freezing from the “Manual for designing foundations of buildings and structures.”

Arrangement is not the end of the work, since for a full water supply you also need a water treatment system and a water supply to the house. An automatic water supply system is also desirable, then the process of use will be the same as in apartments. In addition, it is necessary to improve the well itself on the site.

Downhole pumping units and automation

To extract water from wells, surface and submersible electric pumps of a centrifugal operating principle are mainly used. The advantage of this design is the ability to create high pressure in the line, thanks to the use of units with a large number of impellers, which allows increasing the pressure in each subsequent stage.

Household submersible electric pumps can lift water from very great depths (about 200 meters), while surface types are used in sources with a water surface at a depth of up to 9 meters from the surface of the earth. To increase the intake depth of surface models, built-in or submersible ejectors are sometimes used, although their efficiency decreases significantly.

Rice. 11 Centrifugal electric pump

Hydraulic accumulator, relay and pressure gauge

To automate the operation of water intake pumping equipment, an automation system for a well or a pumping station is used, consisting of the following devices:

Hydraulic accumulator. It is a voluminous metal tank with a rubber bulb inside, which fills with water when the electric pump is turned on. The device allows you to avoid water hammer in the system and optimizes the operation of the electric pump, reducing the number of its on and off cycles.
Relay. The main element of the automatic control system is a pressure switch, which is connected to the line using a fitting. When pressure appears in the system above its settings, the built-in membrane inside the relay housing through a mechanical system interrupts the supply voltage to the electric pump and it turns off. After consuming water, when the pressure in the system drops, the relay closes the contacts and turns on the electric pump.
Pressure gauge. The device is one of the main elements in any plumbing system; it allows you to control pressure and configure equipment.

Rice. 12 Automation in the electric pump control system

The design of water wells is not very complicated; the main internal elements that are installed during drilling are casing pipes and a filter in the bottomhole area. To collect water after installing a well, additional equipment and engineering systems (caisson, head, adapter) are used, which make it possible to effectively connect the electric pump to the source, taking into account its location and type.

What is used to supply water to the house

For this, it is best to use galvanized metal pipes - reliable and durable. Polypropylene or polyethylene pipes are used as a budget option, but they are not as reliable.

You also need an expansion tank, automation and filters. The tank is made in the form of a sealed vessel, which can be of different volumes and pressures. It is also possible to provide automatic protection against dry running. It will turn off the pump if the consumption is too high and the water does not have time to flow from the depths.

In addition, based on water tests, a water treatment system and filter are selected. It must be set if, according to the results of the analyses, the water parameters are higher than the maximum permissible concentrations.

Only professionals drill wells correctly

Creating a well on a site and supplying water to a house is a rather complicated procedure that is beyond the capabilities of simple “home craftsmen.” If you want to do everything right and use the plumbing for decades, then it is better to entrust the work to specialists. offers a service such as turnkey drilling, when the owner does not worry about anything and receives a ready-made, equipped well and supply to the house.

View our client well map

Our reputation and professionalism are confirmed by numerous reviews from grateful clients. We have completed dozens of wells in the Moscow region, drilling them at different depths and in different conditions.

Cooperation with us is supported by an agreement signed by two parties: we and the customer. Having a contract in hand, the client is protected from missed deadlines and unfair work.

We have a % promotion: We give a hydraulic tank as a gift when ordering a well!

Typical estimate for drilling a well 105 meters deep and installing an automatic water supply system with a capacity of 3 m3/h

In the example: static water level - 70 m, pump depth - 80 m.

Name	Qty	Unit change	price per one	Sum
1	Well pump SQE 3-95, 220V, “Grundfos”	1	PC.	45,000 rub.	45,000 rub.
2	Waterproof cable 3*4	80	m.	180 rub.	RUB 14,400
3	Heat-shrinkable cable sleeve KM-1	1	PC.	1,500 rub.	1,500 rub.
4	PET pipe d 32 mm (Russia)	80	m.	70 rub.	RUB 5,600
5	Brass connections 32*32 Beulco (Germany)	2	PC.	1,500 rub.	3,000 rub.
6	Stainless steel cable d 5 mm	85	m.	70 rub.	RUB 5,950
7	Cable clamp	4	PC.	70 rub.	280 rub.
8	Insulating tape	2	PC.	80 rub.	160 rub.
9	Flexible eyeliner	3	PC.	800 rub.	RUR 2,400
10	Leaky steel head	1	PC.	3,000 rub.	3,000 rub.
11	Polyethylene hose 1/2″	1	m.	100 rub.	100 rub.
12	Check valve brass	1	PC.	1,500 rub.	1,500 rub.
13	Steel caisson d=1 m, h=2 m.	1	PC.	25,000 rub.	25,000 rub.
14	Ball Valves	4	PC.	600 rub.	RUR 2,400
15	Pressure gauge and air bleeder	1	PC.	1,500 rub.	1,500 rub.
16	Pressure switch MDR 5/8 Condor (Germany)	1	PC.	4,500 rub.	4,500 rub.
17	Reflex membrane tank - 80 l (Germany)	1	PC.	9,000 rub.	9,000 rub.
18	Hydrant with installation	1	PC.	9,000 rub.	9,000 rub.
19	Fitting kit and additional materials	5,000 rub.	—	—	—
20	Fare	5,000 rub.	—	—	—
Total for equipment and materials:				RUB 144,290

1	Installation of caisson (with excavation)			10,000 rub.
2	Installation of a pump, head, cable and cable made of stainless steel on water-lifting pipes and installation of pumping equipment in a well			10,000 rub.
3	Trench button and 10 meter pipeline installation			0 rub.
4	Installation of a hydraulic storage tank			6,000 rub.
5	Installation of automation, cable connection to			4,000 rub.
Total cost of work:				30,000 rub.
TOTAL ESTIMATED:				RUB 174,290

View prices for drilling wells in the Moscow region

Standard passport for a well

Well location	Malakhovka
Absolute wellhead elevation	Lyubertsy district
Well depth in m	76
Tested aquifer
Static level (depth from surface) in m	25
Pumping data (at dynamic flow rate	3 m3

Types of casing pipes

Pipes used for casing wells must meet the requirements of strength, corrosion resistance, and withstand the temperatures of the surrounding and working aquatic environment. They should not change the chemical composition of the extracted water or saturate it with chemical elements harmful to human health. Their service life must exceed the operating time of the well source.

All casing pipes are divided according to materials of manufacture into the following categories.

Steel

The technical conditions for seamless steel pipes for casing wells with triangular and trapezoidal threads are regulated by GOST 632-80; according to this standard, they are produced in the following dimensional parameters:

Outer diameter: from 114 to 508 mm.
Wall thickness: from 5.5 to 16.1 mm.
Length: casing pipe has dimensions from 9.5 to 13 m, for some categories lengths from 8.0 to 9 m are allowed, as well as sections less than 5 m at the request of the customer.

For the manufacture of metal pipes, steel of various grades is used; if they produce budget products, they use structural carbon steel of ordinary quality St2sp or St3sp (sp is a mild steel, higher quality than semi-calm PS or low-quality boiling kp). For the manufacture of expensive high-quality steel pipes with higher strength and corrosion resistance, structural carbon steel of ordinary quality grade St20 is usually used, a little less often St45.

Often, to increase the anti-corrosion properties, steel pipes of grades St3, St5 and St10 are galvanized and theoretically they can be used in the ground as an outer shell with a two-pipe casing (zinc is prohibited for direct transportation of drinking water). However, in practice, the use of zinc in the ground is not much different from ordinary metals, and the coating decomposes in the soil at the same rate as ordinary steel, which zinc is designed to protect.

Rice. 3 Dimensional parameters of steel pipes for wells according to GOST 632-80 with short triangular thread

Steel casing has the following distinctive features in comparison with other types:

The main advantage of steel is its high compressive strength, bending strength, longitudinal and lateral loads, which is especially important when sinking mines to great depths.
High-quality carbon steels St20 and St45 have a long service life due to their high corrosion resistance; as an outer shell in a two-pipe casing they can last about 20 years.
Steel casing is not as sensitive to shaft drilling errors during installation as other less durable materials.
When the bottom area of a water layer becomes silted, a heavy metal bailer is often used for cleaning, which is thrown into the mine from a great height. In a steel barrel there is no danger of damage to the walls of the inner pipe shell, which cannot be said about products made of polymers.
A steel column has the highest cost of materials and installation.

Rice. 4 Cost of popular steel products

The disadvantage of steel is its poor resistance to corrosion; because of this, steel pipes saturate the water with iron oxides, so they are not recommended for using drinking water in Abyssinian or sandy wells. The situation is different with artesian springs, the water in which often has a high content of ferrous salts and deferrization plants are used to normalize it. In this case, the use of steel pipes is more justified - a slight increase in the content of iron oxides in water due to metal corrosion will still be eliminated by the deferrization system.
The high weight and length of steel pipes make it impossible to install the casing with your own hands; for these purposes, large-sized drilling equipment is used, which requires a large area of free space during drilling operations.
Due to the large dimensions and weight, it is not always possible to install steel casing on a small area, much less inside a house.

Rice. 5 Technical characteristics of uPVC

Polymer pipes

Polymer materials occupy a leading position in many sectors of the national economy, and drilling equipment is no exception. The following products are sold on the construction market for use in well sources:

uPVC pipes . The main dimensional parameters and design of pipes made of unplasticized polyvinyl chloride PVC-U are regulated by TU 2248-001-84300500-2009, its main provisions:

Average outer diameter: from 90 to 450 mm, for domestic wells the optimal values are 90, 113, 125, 140 mm.
Wall thickness: from 5 mm to 23.5 mm.
Length: any from 1 to 6 m with a multiplicity of 1 m, maximum deviation ±50 mm.
Design:
one end is bell-shaped with an internal thread, the other has an external thread.
socketless straight pipe sections, one end with an external thread, the other with an internal thread, while the wall cross-section is increased.
Permissible immersion depth: for products with any wall thickness up to 100 m, with a thicker wall the pipeline can be deepened to 300 m.
Type of thread: conical thrust TRK, and trapezoidal TR.

Rice.
6 Dimensional parameters of uPVC according to TU 2248-001-84300500-2009 Plastic casing pipe for a well made of uPVC has the following performance properties:

PVC-U is an environmentally friendly material and does not pollute water with the chemical elements it contains.
The cost of polymer pipes is significantly lower than metal products.
The standard color of the material is light blue.
It is resistant to high mechanical loads such as impacts, compression and tension.
Resistant to most aggressive chemical elements, allows well treatment with any components for regeneration and disinfection.
High electrical insulating characteristics eliminate electrochemical corrosion of plastic, which is inherent in metals.
The smooth and dense plastic shell prevents the formation of mold, algae, the accumulation of bacterial colonies, and the appearance of limestone on the walls.
The polymer has hydraulically smooth walls that reduce resistance to water flow.

Rice. 7 Cost of uPVC

Due to their lighter weight compared to metals, polymer pipes are easier to transport and install, and the installation speed is much higher than their steel counterparts.
The service life of uPVC products exceeds 50 years.
Unlike other polymers, uPVC has a density higher than that of water, so it sinks in it - this prevents any floating of the pipeline when it is in water layers.
The uPVC pipe does not collapse when the water inside its channel freezes.
Has the lowest coefficient of linear expansion compared to other plastics.
The disadvantages of uPVC include the fragility of thin-walled products under lateral loads; in a well, this can lead to cracks in the casing during horizontal soil movements.

PVC pipes have similar parameters to uPVC products for the reasons that they are actually uPVC, and the manufacturer or seller unknowingly omitted the first letter in the product description.

Rice. 8 Dimensional parameters of PE pipes according to GOST 18599-2001 for different pressures

HDPE pipes. Polyethylene pressure pipes are produced in accordance with GOST 18599-2001; unlike PVC products, there is no separate standard for casing varieties of HDPE.

The main provisions of GOST 18599-2001 are as follows:

The standard applies to pressure pipes made of polyethylene intended for transporting water for domestic, drinking and other purposes at its operating temperature from 0 to 40 ° C and pressure up to 2.5 MPa (25 bar).
The diameter of PE pipes is from 10 to 2000 mm.
Their length in straight sections is from 5 to 24 m with a multiplicity of 250 mm.
The wall thickness depends on the operating pressure and diameter of the pipeline; its value ranges from several units to hundreds of millimeters.
PE pipe has standard sizes for use in wells - 90, 110, 125, 140 mm.
The HDPE pipeline has parameters similar to those of uPVC in terms of environmental friendliness, chemical and biological stability, and its service life is also 50 years.

Note: A significant difference between the material and uPVC is its low rigidity and high elasticity - this can lead to compression of the walls by soil when placing pipes at great depths.

PP pipes. Polypropylene pipes, despite the statements of many Internet sources, are not produced at all and are not used in casing strings due to the fragility of the material, its poor resistance to low temperatures and the destruction of PP when the shell is exposed to direct ultraviolet radiation.

Rice. 9 Technical characteristics of some brands of suspension HDPE according to GOST 16338-85

Casing made of other materials

In addition to the two options discussed above, in rare cases, casing columns are installed from the following materials:

Metals . Theoretically, it is possible to make a casing from welded cast iron, stainless steel, enameled pipes (another connection of these materials, such as a bell joint, is devoid of practical meaning, and the thread is technologically difficult to implement), but in real life such an assembly does not occur, since it has no technical application. This is due to the high cost of the work carried out, the complexity of installation and the low functionality of the resulting structure (for example, it is not clear how and what to make a filter in the bottom region of the column from).

Asbestos cement . The standard pipe connection of asbestos-cement pipes with rubber rings is not intended for use in vertical shafts; moreover, due to the fragility of the material and the complexity of installation, it is hardly technically possible to install an asbestos column.

Polymer pipelines . Industrially produced HDPE pipelines on reels and reels have a considerable length and high diameters, sufficient for use in wells. Using HDPE pipelines, casing is made in shallow Abyssinian springs for water intake by surface pumping stations from depths of no more than 9 m.

If you use HDPE pipes of large diameter at large depths, due to their elasticity and insufficient rigidity, the borehole channel will have low straightness, which will complicate the use of a submersible electric pump and increase the risk of it getting stuck in the mine. Theoretically, it is possible to use a continuous HDPE pipeline inside a casing made of rigid steel pipes, especially since the standard size of their outer diameter completely coincides with the polymer pipelines used in wells (90, 110, 125, 140 mm), but in practice no one has yet tried this idea took advantage of it.

Rice. 10 Cost and sizes of HDPE casing pipes

What happens when a water well is drilled by “self-taught” people

Please note that the process of drilling and constructing wells is not as simple as it might seem! In order not to risk your health, money, or time, read the reviews of those who drilled on their own and what came of it:

1. “A woman bought a dacha and decided to start settling down. Based on an advertisement, I invited “masters” to drill a well for water. After they were drilled, a fountain hit several tens of meters high. The drillers were washed away like a wave, and along with them a house with a plot of land and several neighbors. The fountain could not be stopped for about six months; a third of the village was flooded. By the way, the water turned out to be undrinkable. It turns out that everyone can drill!”

2. “An acquaintance made a well herself, as a result they still can’t stop the fountain of water, the house has already been lost, which has gone underground and a large area around the house and then slowly goes under water...”

3. “DO NOT DRILL A WELL YOURSELF! In our homeowners association in the Moscow region, one friend had a water fountain running for 4 days, they barely stopped it.”

Do you need such problems? It’s worth thinking about before you decide to save money and trust the work to self-taught craftsmen!

Advice from an experienced summer resident

When calculating pump power, two quantities must be taken into account:

Height of the water column. This is the distance from the water surface to the surface of the earth.
Horizontal water transmission range. The calculation includes the distance from the well to the distant consumer.

The height of the water column is an indicator that must correspond to the power of the pump. It is generally accepted that every kilowatt allows you to raise water by 10 meters. The power of the pump is designed to create the required pressure in the pipeline so that each consumer can function in normal mode.

When calculating the required amount of water, you need to take into account the consumption rate in the region when it comes to irrigation. But for domestic use, you need to add up the entire flow rate, as if all the points were turned on. In this case, the pump productivity cannot be greater than the well flow rate. Therefore, when the well is ready, they measure how much liquid flows into it in one hour.

What questions need to be clarified before signing a contract?

Before you finally choose a drilling company and sign an agreement, it is advisable to find out a few points that relate to the well and other nuances. Ask these questions to company employees (for example, ours)!

What is your company's drilling experience? Have you performed wells in our region?
What is the probability of finding water in our area? At what depth are you planning to find it?
What borehole diameter do you recommend and why?
What casing pipes are suitable, from what material and thickness?
How is pumping done? How long does it usually take?
What to do with the soil that will be raised after drilling?
What is included in yours: drilling, casing, pump installation, water supply to the house? Will this be done by one team or different ones?
What equipment and tools will you use for drilling?
What drilling method is preferable in our area?
Is there a guarantee and for how long? What exactly is included in the warranty?

In addition, request an estimate of labor and materials. Check to see if there will be additional costs. If you plan to pay in installments, be sure to ask what advance payment is needed immediately and what the monthly payment amount is, whether there will be a commission, and what payment options are available. Find out, clarify everything and when you are sure, sign the contract and make payment!

The main advantages of plastic

A material such as HDPE has a number of useful characteristics, including:

long service life - more than 50 years;
chemical resistance;
absolute resistance to corrosion;
light weight;
good tightness;
low cost;
easy to install.

The easiest way to install such casing systems is if they are threaded. This is the best option for wells of any type.