Help Setting Up a Shallow Well for Veg Garden Irrigation

[Lazynofoodbum]

I am really hoping someone can help me out with a drawing, procedures, and a parts list. I live in an unincorporated area where I am able to place a shallow well up to 30’ deep, without pulling a permit. I have a 3’ X 1 1/4” well point, 30’ of 1 1/4” pipe cut and threaded into 5’ sections, drive couplings, and a drive cap. I purchased a pneumatic driver.

Where I am, I get eaten alive by watering costs for our small vegetable garden. I have to irrigate from about late April, till rains begin in the Fall, usually early November. I would love to take irrigation off of our city water, and use the shallow well.

Can someone provide me with good specific details, such as quality pump and other parts needed? The “manifold” - which is not really a manifold, since we only have one zone for all our raised beds , is a 3/4” pipe that is for the drip irrigation, is currently fed by a hosebib, and has worked great for years. It just costs us an arm and a leg. We go from having a water bill in the winter of about 40.00 per month, to close to 100.00 by late summer. Thanks to drought consciousness and conservation, our water districts’ income is now reduced, and we have been rewarded with a roughly 60% increase phased in over the next five years.

The manifold is roughly 25’ or less from where I propose to sink the well. I want to do a quality job, cutting no corners. Can anyone help me out with a detailed plan? In addition, I would love to be able to talk by phone, if possible? Thanks.

 

[Reach4]

I suggest that you figure out how much water flow you use, and how much pressure that you need. You can do the flow calculation by figuring the extra water usage divided by the minutes that the system was injecting water during the period. The pressure info I expect you can get from manufacturer literature.

I have not seen a sand point well myself.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[LLigetfa]

First thing you need to know is the ground formation and how deep you might have to gl to get to a reliable aquifer. My well had to go through 55 feet of solid clay to tap into a tin layer of gravel above the bedrock. My father and I used the washdown method on his well to drill through 120 feet of clay to get to an aquifer.

Depending on the formation, a single sandpoint might not produce the GPM required and you might need to put down more than one.

 

[Valveman]

I would use a 1/2HP jet pump like the Goulds J5S. Drip systems normally use very little flow like 1-3 GPM. You can just hook the pump up directly to the drip system and turn it on manually when you want water. If you don't already have one, I think you will need a 10-15 PSI pressure regulator to keep from having too much pressure on the drip line. If you want the pump to come on automatically when the faucet is opened, and go off when the faucet is closed, you can use a pressure switch like in the Cycle Stop Valves PK1A kit. The CSV1A in this kit will also work like a pressure regulator for the drip system. You can set the CSV1A to maintain say 20 PSI on the drip, and set the pressure switch on/off to 10/30.

You can all me if you need help. 806-885-4445
Cary