Monitoring water depth in a well?

[dcyrilc]

I was reading in another thread, when the topic of wells came up. This reminded me that a while back I had been looking for a way to monitor the water depth in my well and never found anything to do what I wanted.

I have a 350ft well shaft, which when finished, the water stabilized 13ft below ground level. During the initial testing of the well, it drew down to 75-100ft relatively quickly then leveled off. We hung the pump 150ft down the shaft.

After our well was completed, I met several people who had wells go dry during extra dry summers and I began to think it would be nice to have a digital readout in the well house which told the water level in the shaft. I searched on line for a year or so and never found anything and basically forgot about the idea until the other day.

A few people expressed interest in this idea, so I have decided to start this thread to draw upon the wealth of information available through the users of TBN.

For myself, since I am not present at the well house very often, an audible alarm could go weeks without being heard. I hope I can find a way to have a digital readout in the well house for when I am there to look at and check, but also to be able to remotely monitor it via IP from a computer. All the buildings on my ranch either have IP there via the LAN or have pathway for future installation.

This thread is intended to be open to any type of monitoring system so that myself and others can have access to the information as to what is available in monitoring systems for their wells.

 

[Egon]

Heron Instruments | dipperLog Groundwater Data Logger

Something like this.

 

[dave1949]

I wonder if there is a pressure transducer that would measure psi at the bottom of the well. The pressure could be translated to the depth of water in the well.

For example a pressure reading of X equates to a depth of Y.
Dave.

 

[dcyrilc]

I wonder if there is a pressure transducer that would measure psi at the bottom of the well. The pressure could be translated to the depth of water in the well.

For example a pressure reading of X equates to a depth of Y.
Dave.

That's what I would expect, but does anyone make it and does it interface the way I would like?

 

[TheGoose]

Of course there is, this would be very easy to do in an industrial setting. Not sure how a homeowner would accomplish it in a cheap and efficient way.

In an industrail setting to measure the level in a vessel you have two legs at different depths. The lt (level transmitter) can measure the difference in pressure between the two points and give you level in inches of water or whatever you calibrate it to. For a well you leave the high leg in air and put the low leg at the bottom of the well (or whatever depth you call 0). It will measure and display the level according to how much pressure is on the liquid leg.

 

[dex3361]

The simplest and most readily available to give a contact closure is a resistive sensing probe it would close or open contacts when the water drops off of the probe. The issue that will be apparent when researching is the cost of the equipment. If you have the money it can be done. There are a few other reliable ways to do like a home made bubbler system that you read a gauge. Here is a link to USA Bluebook it serves the water industry. The section I have linked is for level indication. Google Bubbler water level indication.
http://usabluebook.dirxion.com/dialup/

 

[dave1949]

This company provides two forms of interface output, don't know if you can use them easily or not. I am guessing the simplest way would be to have a plug-in card in a PC with some scientific instrument software. You would think someone sells a kit that includes a wireless unit similar to an outdoor remote weather station. Thats what you are looking for I think. Seems expensive, but if it saves a couple animals, probably isn't.

There are numerous hits if you google 'water pressure transducer'.

Water Level, Stage, & Flow Sensors: Pressure transducers, bubblers, shaft encoders, ultrasonics

Dave.

 

[Highbeam]

I've seen it done with an air tube attached to the pump down in the well. You add air pressure to the tube until the pressure doesn't go up anymore. Measure this pressure. The depth of water above the pump can then be easily calculated. 20psi = 46 feet of water.

 

[The Dougster]

As Highbeam suggested, the airline method is most often used with public supply water wells... It isn't complicated but one must know the length of the tube in the well...
It's a good idea to keep an eye on the static water level but to monitor it constantly might be a bit of overkill. State and Federal folks normally use a graduated steel tape. Chalk up 20-30 feet with carpenters chalk and lower it into the well. The chalk makes the wet tape much easier to see. Subtract the wetted portion from the total amount you lowered into the well and that is your water level.
All that is assuming you have a well that is cased to the bottom. In open hole completion wells, water tends to wet the tape making an accurate measurement difficult.
There are devices known as E-Lines (Google it) that are relatively inexpensive. They are battery operated and when the probe reaches the water, the circuit is complete and a small alarm will go off....
Unless you're in a vuggy and fractured formation, it is highly unlikely that you will see significant change in water level on a daily, weekly or even monthly basis. Check with your Dept of Natural resources and see if they have groundwater data available. Often they have water level monitor wells, which you can use to calculate your approximate water level using land surface elevations.
I used to do this for a living and would be happy to help if possible.

 

[dex3361]

I've seen it done with an air tube attached to the pump down in the well. You add air pressure to the tube until the pressure doesn't go up anymore. Measure this pressure. The depth of water above the pump can then be easily calculated. 20psi = 46 feet of water.

This type of system is called a Bubbler system if you google it. The pressure of water is 1 pound for every 2.31 Feet of water column or .43 psi per foot. The bubbler system is accurate and reliable. The pressure of the bubbler could fee a 4-20ma transducer/transmitter and input into a RTU (Remote Telemetry Unit). I can and is done all the time if you have the money. The bubbler system could economically be installer to visibly check the depth as the others have stated using a gauge instead of a transducer.