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jrbarnard
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# Posted: 28 Mar 2012 06:16 - Edited by: jrbarnard
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Curious.. water wells cost about 20k down in SW Texas and they have to dig them 350-600 ft deep.
If I have all the time in the world to dig a well, and want casing to make it a good well...any ideas for digging it myself?
I was thinking that if it took a year even, and I just worked on it a weekend a month.. even a couple years to dig it.. curious on ideas of how to dig it.
I know it was done a hundred or two years ago, just not sure how ;)
I have heard of ideas people used with an electric cement mixer controlling the bit etc..
Russ
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Martian
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# Posted: 28 Mar 2012 09:01
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Russ, the first thing I would do is research the geology of your area.
Then, I'd start looking at used drilling rigs. Back in the 80's, I worked for a drill pipe and tubing company. Even small drill stem weighs 5.5lbs/ft; so a stack 300 feet long weighs 1650lbs plus the bit and drilling fluid (water in this case). You're going to need some serious equipment.
Then, I'd call a drilling company. As my brother-in-law says, "You can't beat a man at his own game." Some things are best left to the professionals.
Back in the "old days", they substituted manpower for equipment. You would need to hire/recruit a lot of people to punch a well that deep without the modern equipment. It would probably be cheaper to bury several large cisterns and buy an Army surplus water buffalo to fill them.
Tom
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 28 Mar 2012 13:12
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From what I've learned a hole that deep will require serious equipment. As Martian points out just the weight of the drill pipe is high. Plus I wonder if sitting idle for periods of time would cause problems.
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turkeyhunter
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# Posted: 28 Mar 2012 18:28
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at my grandparents house .( poor cotton mill workers--BUT good as gold!!!! hardworking and farmers ( animals and gardens on every piece of ground with no trees) for his family to eat--- i remember the well on the pack porch, with a bucket and rope and hand winch....later on my uncles and grandfather dug another well, by hand like the the one at the house---got it to a quess 40 feet or so and struck water, had a elect pump in this one  family aways worried about the well caving in on them--- it was 3ft wide and square and boarded up with local sawmill lumber----but served the old homeplace for years----me i would hire it out---to much danger in doing it yourself!!!!!! old cables break everday!!!!!
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Just
Member
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# Posted: 28 Mar 2012 19:06
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have you though of offering a neighbour half of what it would cost to drill and run a line over to your place...????
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sparky1
Member
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# Posted: 30 Mar 2012 09:01
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here in s.Va after the Earth Quake caved my well in. my new well 450 ft was 7,000.oo new pump & 1: black plastic pipe.
sparky1
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