Driven Point, Boring, Drilling...

[kfander]

I have a hundred acres of land in the far northern part of Maine, near the Canadian border. The land is off the beaten path, and there are no utilities nearby. One of the early projects that I would like to complete is finding a water source, and I would like to at least take a stab at doing it myself. I'm not sure, but I'm thinking that a driven point well might be the only thing that would be at all practical for me to attempt by myself, considering costs.

I just bought the land and am not sure what the ground will be like below the surface, but I know someone else who has property about thirty miles from me was able the establish a driven point well.

What are the advantages or disadvantages? What other alternatives are there? I know that I can hire someone to drill a well for me, but would really rather save on that expense if possible.

[grumble]

The advantages are pretty obvious, cheap and secret.

The negative part would be that it would be a shallow well of necessity, unless you have some pretty good equipment. That means easily contaminated. Such a well for irrigation or cooling could be very handy, but using it for drinking water could be problematic.

[oldtimer]

grumble is right, but a better question is whether or not a driven well or sandpoint will work for you.

The point you "drive" into the ground with a post pounder is called a sandpoint. You need sandy soil with water close to the ground to make it work. If you're not within about 25 feet of water, you need a well other than a driven point.

The driven point is called a sandpoint because it needs to be in water bearing sand to produce and you can't drive it in in ground that has rock.

I don't know much about Maine's terrain, but from folks I've visited with who have been there, they say it has heaps of rock, so I reckon a driven well isn't going to be the ticket.

Do you know how far you are from water?

[kfander]

Do you know how far you are from water?

A small brook borders our property on the north, and there is a large lake about three miles away. Other than that, several small ponds but not on our property. We are in a flatland with mountains all around us. There is no inhabited land within a couple of miles of us, but a snowmobile club located about a quarter mile from the southern end of our property has a driven-point well, I am told, although I haven't talked to any of them about it yet. I've been through there in the summer and in the fall, and the southeastern part of our land seems to be wet all the time, although no bodies of water that I've come across, or know of.

[keydl]

It is not real hard to hand bore 15-20 ft in sand and 1 in- pebbles and driving 35-40 further is work without a 'gypsy' to pull the line.

A Hydra-drill is up to about $4k but you can resell it for most of the money back.

[kfander]

$4k is a bit pricey for me to consider. A hand auger is a possibility, but I'm weighing the options; which is difficult since I'm not overly familiar with any of them. Any suggestions on equipment?

[kfander]

Is anyone familiar with this product, or do you have any comments to make about it? It's cheap enough, which is good; but that also worries me.

http://howtodrillawell.com/

[grumble]

I know nothing of the air drill, kfander, I suppose it would make the drilling easier. But then, in addition to the water you haul and the pump to provide the pressure, you also have to have an air compressor with sufficient volume to run the drill.

'Twere it me, I'd try just the water pressure drill, and then if it needed more 'giddyup,' go with the air bit. You really don't know what will work until you start punching the hole.

[oldtimer]

A small brook borders our property on the north, and there is a large lake about three miles away. Other than that, several small ponds but not on our property. We are in a flatland with mountains all around us. There is no inhabited land within a couple of miles of us, but a snowmobile club located about a quarter mile from the southern end of our property has a driven-point well, I am told, although I haven't talked to any of them about it yet. I've been through there in the summer and in the fall, and the southeastern part of our land seems to be wet all the time, although no bodies of water that I've come across, or know of.

By water I mean how far are you from water that is *below* the ground? That will determine what it will take to get you a well. How deep are the neighbors' wells and what quality of water do they have?

[kfander]

By water I mean how far are you from water that is *below* the ground? That will determine what it will take to get you a well. How deep are the neighbors' wells and what quality of water do they have?

There are no neighbors. We are "in town", as far as being within the limits of an incorporated town but we're a few miles from the nearest residence. There are no utilities, as in power lines or telephone lines, and the like. The only information I have is second hand, that a snowmobile club just past the end of our property has a driven point well. There has never been anyone there when I've been around so I haven't been able to get any details, like how far they had to go or how well it's been working out for them. On the other side of our property, someone is building a fairly large house, which seems to be too large to be a seasonal hunting camp, but I haven't found anyone there either. I'm guessing that eventually they'll be paying to have power extended as far as their property but I could be wrong, and that wouldn't tell me anything about water, anyhow.

[TAS]

I grew up in Maine and know how isolated it can get the farther north you go so I would think your ground water quality would be fine as long as you do not live down stream from a paper mill.

A thought on the soil type is that most states do extensive soil mapping with just about every pc of land mapped. You would find this info at your county extension office - I would just say you want to find the best place to put in a garden.

A hand dug well is a lot of work, but that could be an option. I have a very old one I am considering restoring and there is a lot info on how to put one in on the web.

Have you tested the water in your stream to see if it is good or not? You could build a system with a large cistern to creat pressure to move the water to where you live. There is a way to dig a double well near a stream using the first to collect and then push through a sand filter into the second well. You will have to figure out frost level to bury the line and also think about insulating your system so the water does not freeze during your short winter.

Do some looking around you have a lot of options.