New Well

skent · Jan 9, 2002

After the drought of the summer of 1999 the hand dug well that serves the farm went dry. We started trucking in water while we tried to figure out what to do. Then we had a normal fall and the well came back. Now this year we've had a much dryer than normal fall/winter and I've been taking water level checks every two weeks or so, now it's down again. Can't/don't want to live this way. I think the well (being over 100 years old) has seen its days and needs to be put to rest.

Went to the county to apply for a permit, filled out all the paperwork. Many pretty colored multi-part forms with many questions to be answered. Had to agree to fill in the old well after new on is in service. Health dept has to be present to be sure it's done right. Had a friend who is a douser find what looks like a good area, now we need to get the health dept to come out and approve the location. Have a well driller standing by, price breakdown (for your info) is as follows:

$80.00 for permit
8.00 per foot for drilling (as deep as needed to hit water with good flow)
5.50 per foot for casing (as deep as needed to hit rock)
200.00 for flow test
175.00 to grout the casing
35.00 for well cap and seal
300.00 for pump
30.00 pitless adapter
200.00 for tank
500.00 labor for hookup to house (ditch and pipe) (plumbers estimate)
600.00 for stone/cement/topsoil to fill in old well

Most likely it will be between 3500.00 and 4000.00 when all is said and done. I've received prices from many rotary drillers, all seem to be within 5%. The one I going to use has put in several strong wells in the area and is a family friend.

I'll keep you posted as to progress.

PTRich · Jan 9, 2002

Why do they want you to fill the old well in. It would be nice to use for watering the lawn, washing the cars, etc.

PTRich

MossRoad · Jan 9, 2002

Around here, its to protect the watershed as old wells are a good place to introduce pollution down the pipe.

TerryinMD · Jan 9, 2002

Steve,

Doesn't seem that far off the mark. When we had our well put in 12 years ago, we paid just a $1.50 less for drilling and somewhere near $4-4.50 for the pipe.

I haven't heard any pricing lately for Washington County but I would imagine that it's not to far off from your quote.

How many feet have you questimated for your well depth? We planned on 500 feet and ended up with about 215 feet.

Terry

MikePA · Jan 9, 2002

Do the drillers offer fixed price contracts up to a certain depth?

MarkV · Jan 9, 2002

Skent,

Very close to the prices that we would pay in N. Georgia. Drilling a well is one of those things that are hard to budget for. You just never know how deep you will end up. We had to go 550 ft. to get enough water for the house and just down the road they go 200 ft and have enough for the whole community.

MarkV

DVerbarg · Jan 9, 2002

Prices vary on individual items but the total is right in line with what is here in northern Illinois. References are important. Talk to General Contractors to see what they think of the reputation of certain drillers. One of the local drillers here is known as "Deep Well Kneely" due to his belief in "overkill" but then he isn't getting new work from the same client 10 years later. Other locals have a booming business in drilling new wells because the old ones "dried -up".

hayes · Jan 9, 2002

I think I need to move. I live just north of Dallas, put in a new well over a year ago, 525', 3hp pump, and pressure tank, cost just under $10,000. The cost was a little more than usuall because of the bigger pump and heavier casing.

Our price was within a 1,000 of the 4 other estimates that we got from other drillers.

Well Horror Story:
Make sure you check out the driller, our 2 neighbors across the road used a guy that we talked too but decided not to use. Both have well problems, 1 gets sand in his water and the other gets pieces of shale.

Also make sure the well is run enough to clean it out before you hook it into the house.

Larry

StoneHeartFarm · Jan 9, 2002

skent,

Price seems right in line with here in Michigan. My driller quoted a price to 125 feet and then $15.00 per additional foot for 6" well. Total cost with pump, tank, hydrant, etc was $4400.00. And that's in line with most of the others I see quoted. Prices usually are within 10% of each other, and frankly, I get scared if I see one quoted too cheap.

SHF

JJT · Jan 9, 2002

Sound like excellent prices. 8 yrs ago I paid $12/ft uncased and $18/ft cased, (after shopping around). No extra charges for flow test, well cap or grout. I hung the pump and did the wiring/plumbing.