Checking well depth

[encoad]

Hi All,

Quick question, my well ended up being 200ft deep, where as my neighbours are all 165-175ft. The well driller offered me a 10% discount to give him the business, but I'm just wondering if he just increased the depth to compensate.

Is it safe to change a well's depth with a piece of fishing line and a fishing weight? Or am I wasting my time?

Thanks!

 

[Reach4]

Is it safe to change a well's depth with a piece of fishing line and a fishing weight?

I wonder what you intended to type.

Or am I wasting my time?

That's me. Notifications.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Mliu]

So you believe that he drilled your well shallower than 200', but charged you for 200' to boost his bill? Has a casing and pump been installed yet?

 

[Craigpump]

It better have casing in it or it will be caved in.

If the pump is installed, the chances of getting a weight on a line all the way down are pretty slim. AND. If you did, and found the well to be short he would probably say it fell in a little, or your line didnt go all the way down......

 

[Reach4]

If the pump is installed, the chances of getting a weight on a line all the way down are pretty slim.

In his other thread, he said he has no pump or pitless yet. https://terrylove.com/forums/showthread.php?57585-Pump-advice-needed-for-new-well&p=424142

 

[Craigpump]

If he doesn't trust the guy, then why did he hire him?

The driller can always come back and say "I needed to go a bit deeper to get him a really good well". Who can argue with that?

If he billed for 300' in an area with 150' wells then maybe there would be an argument to be made.

 

[Mliu]

Is it safe to change a well's depth with a piece of fishing line and a fishing weight?

If you decide to try this, do NOT use a lead fishing weight. If it gets hung up and you lose it in the well, then you will forever have a source of toxic lead in your water.

 

[encoad]

Thanks to everyone for the replies.

Good point on the lead weight, bad idea to use lead.

It's not a matter of trust, I simply don't know any well drillers at all. I'm in business I regularly see people jack their prices then offer discounts, or cut quality or cut quantity. Normally I can be in control of such things and notice, but with this I just need to take the guy's word for it. When my foundation is installed, I'll measure it out, regardless of if I trust the form crew. After the surveyor marks out the building, I'll double check that as well. (there's a 1.8 million dollar home in my area that needs to be torn down because the surveyor made a mistake and the home is 5ft too close to the road).

No pump or pitless yet. It should have casing to the bedrock, about 45' worth.

I meant to say "check" not "change", sorry!

So I take it that it is safe, but not with a lead weight.

 

[Mliu]

So I take it that it is safe, but not with a lead weight.

I don't see any harm in running a sounding line down to the bottom of the well, especially since there's no pump in it at this time. Make sure you use food-grade materials that will not harm you water supply (perhaps a short piece of PVC pipe filled with clean sand and plugged at both ends?). Also, for an accurate measurement you will need to consider the amount of stretch in your sounding line over the 200' drop.

As for that $1.8M home... if I were the owner, I'd consider moving the road by 5 feet!

 

[Valveman]

You could drop a 100 pounds of lead weights in a well and it would not hurt a single person. Unless your water is hot or acidic lead will not dissolve into it. The “lead scare” came from kids eating lead paint off toys made in China. California in its infinite wisdom decided all lead was bad. Now we will all pay for it the rest of our lives. Removing the small amount of lead found in some metal didn’t make it safer, it just made it cost a lot more and not last nearly as long. I know the science on lead and global warming is settled and we are not even supposed to discuss it. But that is what makes me sure it is not settled.

 

[Mliu]

You could drop a 100 pounds of lead weights in a well and it would not hurt a single person. Unless your water is hot or acidic lead will not dissolve into it. The “lead scare” came from kids eating lead paint off toys made in China. California in its infinite wisdom decided all lead was bad. Now we will all pay for it the rest of our lives. Removing the small amount of lead found in some metal didn’t make it safer, it just made it cost a lot more and not last nearly as long. I know the science on lead and global warming is settled and we are not even supposed to discuss it. But that is what makes me sure it is not settled.

Valveman, while I agree with your assessment of the politics & fear mongering of "anthropogenic global warming" and lead poisoning, there is the possibility of a well's water having a low pH. So I see no need to tempt fate by placing a lead weight into a well when there is no compelling reason to do so. Unlike the removal of trace amounts of lead from brass manufacturing, there are no negative repercussions of using a non-toxic weight to sound the depth of a well hole.

 

[Valveman]

Unlike the removal of trace amounts of lead from brass manufacturing, there are no negative repercussions of using a non-toxic weight to sound the depth of a well hole.

Agreed. But if you have a PH that low, the PH is the problem, not the lead.