i could sure use some help here – i’ve got 2 estimates on a well one pounder one driller . breakdown as follows
est depth driller 300′ pounder 150′
drilling/ft $ 11 $12
casing $13 $20
drive shoe $75 $65
well cap $65 $ 50
all other items $2800 actual cost $3200 est cost
including pump tank &
everything else neccessary for
the installation
I know that pounding usually produces a shallower well.
The driller hasn’t put a well in this particular area and he is basing it on an avg well. the pounder is fairly local to the area. Both have good reputations. the estimates for the wells are fairly close 6600 vs 7000 except for the depth which is significantly different 150 vs 300 .
The area we are putting it in is about 10 miles s/w of oneonta ny delhi county
I know that well depth is hard to calculate does anyone have any thoughts on this
it would be greatly appreciated – thanks
for both wells differ by about $600n-
Replies
When I had my well drilled(Great Valley) NY we went down 104' I used an experienced local driller and we pounded for 11/2 days. I think I paid $17 to drill and case for a total of about $2700 complete in 94. Check your neighbors wells and see how deep they are and I'll bet yours will come in about the same depth. I'm up on the side of a steep hill and my neighbors are further down in the valley. The driller told me that ground water pretty much flowed with the terraine of the land. The driller was right on at about 100' like my neighbors wells and the water quality was excellant. The driller looks for hard rock and when he hit that he went down 10 more feet into the hard rock. He took samples every 10' and looked at them carefully.He set each sample on a board on the side. We sent down a pump and within 15 minutes we had clear water running. Check with your neighbors to see what depth they are at. Bob
I'd call outside the area too, to get a basic price from several drillers who don't know one another. With the economy as tight as it is, there should be numerous drillers/pounders available and willing to travel.
Often the best price comes from an old guy with an old pounder. He has invested less than ten percent of the price of a modern drilling rig and his rig has been paid off for many years. His rig will probably take a few days to get down there but so what?
As previously suggested, talk to all the neighbors about their wells. Ask about depth, quantity and quality of the water, who drilled/pounded the well and anything else they'd like to tell you.
not sure of your drillers drill head, but there are heads that have the shaft spin but the head isn't turning, it's banging the hell out of the rock down below just like a pounder..
Have you seen any data on nearby wells (ie depth)? The health department should have it if there is any.
I can't comment on the preference between the two methods, But you are better off with the deeper well. The depth of the well directly relates to how much " reserve" water you have in the system. The deeper the well, the less flow you must have.
<<But you are better off with the deeper well. >>Not necessarily. Different strata can have different problems. I just had my well deepened to avoid a fine sand issue and now i have iron, which is worse.
Places are different. Not same water at different depths so sweet water at 75' can be spoiled by heavy percents of minerals of one kind or another at 150'I also took note of how different a description above was from mine, in that his driller went another ten feet after he hit rock. My hole hit rock at 20 feet, which is pretty deep here. I had to drill to 177 feet before we had water supply of 3GPMA neighbor who is ten feet higher in elevation drilled 197 feet and has ten GPM, so I sometimes wonder if I should have sent one more stick down.All in all, it can be a #### shoot.
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If he had that well witched, they'd know where the water was and the flow before drilling.
Thart bottom line as presented means nothing, unless you are in an area and soils type that is consistent and the local pounder can gaurantee water at that depth, which he probably will not.
If you take the judgement of the pounder that water will be reached at about 150'. then apply the numbers from the driller and see that his well will cost you far less for that depth.
or alternati=vely take the numbers from the pounder and think, gee, what if it has to go 250', what will he cost me? What if he can't go deep enough to hit water???? That makes his hole a mightly expensive one.
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
Has the well been witched or are they just picking a spot and drilling? The local guy with the banger probably knows how deep the water is if hes been around long at all. But the driller will be in and out quicker and the water is the same depth no matter who drills it.
The cable tool ("banger") is better at not passing water by if it's tricky or scarce. If you have to go deeper, a driller can set up where a cable tool has been before. The cable tool is a lot slower.
Definitely go knock on some doors to talk to your neighbors about their experiences and recommendations. Buy your own well cap and save $30. Casing costs my driller about $10 per 20' stick.
Check to see if digging is included in your all-in-one price. If i need to run a line underground, that's extra for the backhoe.
Howdy neighbor!
I'm about ten miles east of Oneonta. Anyway,I'd always
look for someone who new the area very well.
I haven't seen more then a handful of different rigs,
a rural area like ours will only have so many well guy's.
Shouldn't be hard to get the scoop on who has dug around you.