Another old, Low yield well.

[Zoomschwortz]

I have a 65', 1.25 gpm, 6" cased well that has no records, but is believed to be 50-60- ? years old.
The surface of the water in casing varies greatly depending on season and amount of rain (Well Driller believes that this well was dug long before requirements of sealing well from ground water). I have seen it 6' to 20' from ground level.
I installed a Lowes or Home Depot submersible pump over 20 years ago and it now struggles to get 60psi and is ready for a change, so now will be the time to try and increase the gpm if it is possible and feasible.

I have a new above ground 3,000 gallon water tank that I am getting ready to add to my system, so that I can collect water from the low gpm well, but still be able to get 20-25 gpm for the house, yard and garden.

Before I start digging ditches, pouring concrete and setting up metal build to cover 3,000 gallon tank, that would greatly restrict future access for drilling equipment, I thought it would be best to ask some questions about possibly improving my gpm.

For a little less than $1,000, I can have my well brushed and bailed.
What, if any, are the chances that this would increase my gpm?

Around 30 years ago, I asked a well driller about drilling this well deeper, but he was against trying it because he felt the chance of the casing collapsing and losing his equipment was too great.

Just thought of this today. Is it possible to run a 4" casing inside my old 6" casing and drill this existing well deeper without risking the loss of the drillers equipment?
All of my neighbors have wells in the 120' range and they are getting much higher gpm and never run their wells dry no matter how much they are watering their yards and gardens.

I would really like to just drill a whole new well, but the County I live in does not like the idea of new wells and a few Well Drillers told me that I would need to tell the County that my well runs dry and stays dry for long periods of time. It wouldn't take long for the County to figure out that it doesn't stay dry for long periods of time.

Besides wanting more water per gallon for my use, if I ever decide to sell my home, it may be hard for any potential Buyers to get a loan with such a low gpm. My daughter bought a home in an adjacent County and the Mortgage Company made a fuss about her well only getting 15 gpm.

Thank you in advance for any help or information you can give.
Ken

 

[Valveman]

Brushing and bailing is probably a good idea. It is hard if not impossible to drill and old well deeper in many cases. Usually best to move over a bit. I think the county should consider 1.25 GPM as a dry well. However, that is almost 2,000 gallons a day if you have a cistern for storage.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Zoomschwortz]

Brushing and bailing is probably a good idea. It is hard if not impossible to drill and old well deeper in many cases. Usually best to move over a ways. I think the county should consider 1.25 GPM as a dry well. However, that is almost 2,000 gallons a day if you have a cistern for storage.View attachment 94280

Thank you Cary,
Unfortunately I live in a county that does have written rules, but prefers to make their own, unwritten, tougher rules on a whim. Example written, no building in 100 year flood zone, but you can build in a 500 year flood zone. Unwritten, "We will not let you build in a 500 year flood zone because Al Gore is going to get elected" and "we will make everyone in 500 year zones remove their homes and buildings". They actually told me this.

We had a "500 year" flood of a small creek that came 15 feet onto my property and surrounded my pump house, but got nowhere near my house or location for planned shop building site. After nearly 2 years of dealing with the county, they finally agreed to a car port, with "no walls, because walls would impede the travel of salmon". They actually said walls would impede the travel of salmon.
We are talking a large drainage ditch that they call a creek, that is bone dry at least 4 months out of the year. Salmon are now in the rivers and streams and this creek is dry. There are no salmon, there has never been any salmon, but in 30 years I have seen a handful of trout trapped in some pools as the water receded.

In order to build a carport, I had to remove around 12" of crushed rock from my driveway, down to dirt and then put in 3" of crushed rock. I was also told that I would need to install a concrete culvert at the road under my driveway before construction could begin. I told the county person on the phone that my driveway already had a concrete culvert and his response was "No You Don't" we argued about whether or not I had a culvert for a few minutes and then he demanded to know who illegally installed my culvert. When I told him that the county had installed mine and my neighbors culvert 5 or 6 years before, he then said that he would wave the requirement for me to have a culvert. I'm happy that he didn't make me remove it.

Dealing with our county is an exercise in patience, alternate reality and trying to hit a moving target that can change directions without a moments notice for no rational reason.

In your experience, on average, what is the average gpm increase after brush and bail?
Would you guess the chances of jumping to 5 gpm in the area of slim to none?

Thanks again
Ken

 

[Randy in Iowa]

Hey Ken, I can't answer either of your questions but wanted to let you know I saw them at least. Nobody has paid any attention to answering my questions for whatever reasons they have. Maybe this site just isn't very active anymore. IDK, I'm trying to not take it personally or give up.

That county sounds like you need a permanent vacation from it. I'm luck insofar as I live in a county that has few rules (or rules that I am aware of anyway, lived here 35 years regardless). I can do my own electrical work, my own plumbing (why I'm here on this site), and my own building construction (although with this I would try and see at what point what I'm doing might become illegal or if necessary permits/possible inspections be required).

 

[Valveman]

Sorry for the delay. Trying to be mostly retired these days and I loose track of time when the granddaughter is over. Brushing and bailing on steel casing can make a big difference. Not so much with PVC casing. But 5 GPM of water must be there for it to get in the casing even after it is cleaned.