Would like to try to dig our own well.

Restricted from having a well company do it since we live in a municipality that will revoke their license if they do it within city limits.

Any suggestions on how to go about this? thanks.

You want a hand dug well or a drilled well?

The traditional way to hand dig a well (in Ga, anyway) is to take a shovel and cut the handle in half. Lay a wagon wheel on the ground and trace around it. Dig to the diameter of the wheel tracing. Line the hole with stones to keep from collapsing.

Note: NEVER toss a cat down a well with a digger in the bottom!

For a drilled well, there is a hand operated contraption sold for this purpose. It is about $1500 or so last I saw and is advertised in publications like "The Mother Earth News" and other nature and survivalist type publications.

How far down iws your water table?

Thats what I was wondering also, if you have a high water table a point can be used. We were on town water but punched a point for lawns & car washes and just in case.

__________________
14 S&W Revs none with locks!

Hand dug a well for my grandparents back when I was a teenager. My two brothers and I did it for them, and it didn't really take as long as you might think (depending on the circumstances).

Where we were digging was mostly sandy soil with a little light clay, so the actual digging wasn't that bad. And, the water table was fairly high (we only had to dig down about ten feet to get a couple feet of water standing in the bottom of the well).

Contrary to what someone else mentioned, I'd stay away from stone or brick linings for a couple reasons; first, they're difficult to lay up as you go; second, they allow all kinds of roots and insects to enter the well in between all the cracks and joints.

Grandpop had on old brick-lined well which became contaminated by critters and stuff dropping into the well through all the cracks in the brick lining.

We simply bought a few cast concrete well rings (which are made with lips so they stack one on top of the other and stay in line).

Set one on the ground where you want the well, and start digging the soil out from the inside. As you get the soil dug out lower and lower, the ring will simply drop down into the well hole as you remove the soil.

A bucket (or two) on a rope will come in real handy as you get deeper (and some good boots!)

When the top edge of that one gets near ground level, stack another on top and keep digging. They'll drop into place as you dig the soil out from under the ring.

When you get the well deep enough to have sufficient water depth for a pump (or a bucket if you're going for that type of well) you're done! And the well is all line nice and clean!

Just add a top cap or whatever meets your needs for your well (pump line opening or "traditional" well head with pulley and bucket!)

Good luck.

If the town is going to revoke a well driller license for drilling a well there what do you think they are going to do to you if they find out you hand dug a shallow well??? Many places do not allow shallow "dug" wells anymore. If it's like that where you live {most places it is these days} and you have a dug well and it fails or if you try to sell the house the local ordinance requires you have a new well drilled. Suggest you contact your local Health Dept to find out just what you can and cannot do.

I helped hand-dig my parents well circa 1953 in what was then rural county. It served ample sweet water for decades for house use. It became a square hole about 5x5, and top-of-head deep when breaking through the last 2' of hard pan, into the water table below. A shaft was drilled down for a stand pipe, and the standard pump/pressure tank/connectors etc was installed.

Into the late 60s it was active with no issue from the county health dept. As the city limits overtook the area, of course more bureaucrats became preoccupied with making sure their sovereign territory was properly administrated, so a increasingly hostile multi decade argument ensued. Finally the city demanded the folks hook up to the city water pipes now running down the center of the street.

The folks got a new well professionally drilled just before the grandfather clause expired on such facilities. The complexities over the next couple decades kept them busy, as some years they would disconnect from city water, and some years reconnect.

Finally it grew to expensive and legally cumbersome, and they abandoned their home wells, like good little subjects.

My own home has a private well, but we sit in the county, not the city, which has no say as of yet.

Look into the regulations the local bureaucrats seek to impose upon you, as they will do their utmost to see you comply, regardless of any reason you may attempt to use in justifying your well.

Along with your city water supply is anything they put in it whether you want it or not. Their argument is your ground water has stuff in it too.

In any case, be prepared for legal costs as well as direct well/pump costs, should you pursue your private well plan. Good luck.

__________________
Dum vivimus Vivamas

I was a waterwell contractor for 36 years so I do have a little experence. As stated there are a few drawbacks, depending on where you live. Here in Colorado it is illegal to drill your own well or install your own pump without first reading all the regulations and passing a test. Installing an unpermited well will definately get you a personal visit from the sheriff. Our state owns all underground water and permission is required to use it. Next is the sanitary question. Many states have regulations in place, requiring 20 to 40 feet of unperferated steel pipe to be installed from the surface and a concrete grout surrounding the annular, this is to prevent surface contamination from contaminating the entire water table. Check local regulations first.

There is a new (in the last 10 years or so) standardized building code that is in the process of being adopted here nation wide and in many foreign countries as well.

Last time I looked at it it basically said no wells where city or county water was available.

I have often considered putting in my own well, but really don't want to fight the local pin-head inspector. He has county and state legal assets at his disposal, me - none. I am in the poor house already, but at least I am still in the house.

"Anyone here with experience digging their own well?"

You mean on purpose?

To the OP not sure of your location, but here in Ga. Hand digging a well is not done the clay is to hard. First you have to find the water. When drilling you could have 2 holes at the same depth just 10 feet apart and water in 1 and bone dry in the other. With a shallow hand dug or bored well (15-20 feet). You my have water, but it my run dry in a short time ( like a long shower or watering the yard) and typicaly get dirty water after lots of rain. Clean, reliable water tends to be at greater depths usually at 100+ feet and needs to be drilled to reach it.

This just comes from my experience here in west Ga where there is still no county water service in some areas.