Can anyone tell if this well is bored or drilled by looking at this pic?

[Wakey]

There is absolutely no info plaque or paperwork. The home was built in 1994. It has 220 volts / 20 amp circuit.

 

[Wakey]

I talked to someone about this well and he said that I'd have to remove the cap and look inside to know for sure but he was a manager with perhaps limited knowledge. I can do that but it looks like a bit of work to disassemble and then rebuild the PVC parts..

 

[Egon]

It may be a bored shallow well with a submersible pump. ??

But only a visual inspection will tell you.

If you pull the plug on the fitting comming out the casing and drop a line down the depth may be an indication.

 

[Firemanbuck82]

It may be a bored shallow well with a submersible pump. ??

But only a visual inspection will tell you.

If you pull the plug on the fitting comming out the casing and drop a line down the depth may be an indication.

THIS. Since boring and drilling have the same meaning, I'll assume OP meant dug or drilled.... It looks like a dug well, although a bit small on the diameter. Could have been drilled with a bucket auger to a shallow depth. The surface completion looks neat and tidy though.

As Egon said, remove the sounding plug on the seal cap and drop a weighted line down to check depth. If you're careful on the way down, you can hear the "plunk" when the weight hits the water. Mark that depth and then keep going till the line goes slack and that will be the total depth. The difference is the amount of water column you have to work with inside the well.

What exactly concerns you about the well? Does it make a difference to you if it was drilled or dug?

 

[Egon]

In well terminology there is a difference between boring and drilling. Quite different equipment and methods will be used as well as the depths can be significantly different.

A dug well is a different method completely.

 

[fried1765]

There is absolutely no info plaque or paperwork. The home was built in 1994. It has 220 volts / 20 amp circuit.
View attachment 521236
View attachment 521237

A 1994 well using galvanized fittings?
Get rid of that galvanized pipe, if you possibly can!

 

[oosik]

The picture gives mixed information. The well cap would indicate a drilled well of some type. The large concrete casing - some other method of construction.

Be careful dropping weights on strings down the steel casing. You very likely have a submersible pump down at some depth and a weight on a string could become lodged between the casing and the pump.

I would contact your local Health Dept and see if they have records of your well. The Health Dept may recommend other agencies with pertinent information.

 

[Wakey]

Great idea..

This all started with me trying to decide what sized generator would be needed to run the well and we've got that squared away by just getting a whole house setup.

When it was suggested that this well was bored I asked what the difference was and all I paid attention to was that it was shallow depth. Like not underneath bedrock.

These broodmares hang out here until the sun tops the tree line, every day. They are standing about 30 feet from the well.

I'll be testing the water after the storm passes!

THIS. Since boring and drilling have the same meaning, I'll assume OP meant dug or drilled.... It looks like a dug well, although a bit small on the diameter. Could have been drilled with a bucket auger to a shallow depth. The surface completion looks neat and tidy though.

As Egon said, remove the sounding plug on the seal cap and drop a weighted line down to check depth. If you're careful on the way down, you can hear the "plunk" when the weight hits the water. Mark that depth and then keep going till the line goes slack and that will be the total depth. The difference is the amount of water column you have to work with inside the well.

What exactly concerns you about the well? Does it make a difference to you if it was drilled or dug?

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

THIS. Since boring and drilling have the same meaning, I'll assume OP meant dug or drilled....

I would have thought so, too, but this thread made me look into it.

Difference Between Drilling and Boring: Drilling vs Boring Compared

I didn't find much on the difference when used about wells, but perhaps comparing these two videos gives a clue:

3 inch bored water well being drilled (bored actually) Lostant, IL - YouTube

Watch a Water Well Being Drilled - YouTube

 

[LouNY]

Just looking at your picture I would guess that you have a bored well;
View attachment 521292 I tried to attach a image of a bored well and it didn't work well Search for shallow bored water well.
A bored well is the modern equivalent of a dug well, normally done with an large auger, than lined with a casing of some type.
A "drilled" well can be done in a couple of different methods, the newest is a rotary drilling machine which can get lots of footage
in a day by using high horsepower applie to a drill bit with high pressure "mud" being injected down hole to lubricate the bit and flush the
drilled material to the surface. Some people are convinced that a rotary water well drill will seal and plug some of the smaller veins of water
between rock layers.
The other "older"method of drilled water wells is done by using a pounder, a heavy bit is raised on a cable an then dropped repeatedly to drive
a hole in the ground and also to drive the casing into the ground, a pounder, driver is believed to fracture the rock surrounding a well to
enable the small veins of water bearing material the well bore passes thru to enter the bore and the combination of lots of small veins can
create a good well as well as locating the larger veins of water. In some areas driven wells will produce good water flow rates at less depths
then rotary drilled wells, as much as 100 ft compared to two to five hundred feet.