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mike223
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Well longevity
11/25/06 11:40 AM
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I have a couple of questions for the well experts here. I had a well drilled on my property in middle TN. The driller picked the spot, went down 265' and hit water. At first he was getting 3 GPM, then he hydro frac'd it and increased the yield to 7GPM. They ran a pump for 6 hours to prove the yield and certified it with the state for 7 GPM. This was last October. We have been trying to sell and move to build on the property and are just getting to that point. My questions are, how long should we expect this well to last? If it doesn't last what alternate methods to get a yield should be used, drilling deeper? Different locations? County water is available up at the hard road, but it would cost $40K to bring it to our property, a little out of reach. The property does have two year round springs, but they're 1400' from where we want to place the house, and first estimates for developing them were in the $12-14K ballpark, which is why I gambled on the well. I guess the real dilemma I have is should I invest alot of money on an unproven well? Thanks.
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egon
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Re: Well longevity
[re: mike223]
11/25/06 02:24 PM
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If you are looking for 100% accurate answere the answere may just be blowing in the wind. 
But in your case with the results you have indicated I would not worry. There are a lot of people that would be very happy with 7GPM.
You may check other wells in your area as well as looking at a geographic profile which may indicate the aquifier and its size.
And oh; I'm not an expert! : 
Egon
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Pat
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Re: Well longevity
[re: egon]
11/26/06 01:20 PM
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We can't sustain 7 gal per min from our well and it handled a houshold of 3 adults with ease including watering yard and garden (not at same time.)
Are there other wells in the same aquifer as yours? Have they been reliable? You pays your money and you taks your chances. If you want a really guaranteed mimimal risk water supply stay in or move to town. How was the cost of bringing in rural water figured?
If it were me, I'd probably go for it and build, figuring if worst comes to worst I could develop one of the springs.
Isn't this pretty much your original thinking (gamble on the well but have a fall back to a spring if needed) and now you just are shopping for a little approval and reassurance prior to closing your eyes and jumping off the cliff after asking just one more time about the water depth below the cliff??
If the springs are too iffy AND connecting to the water system is not even thinkable then I would be nervous about the well but as described I think you are not being too risky.
Pat 
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
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jimbrown
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Re: Well longevity
[re: mike223]
11/26/06 01:24 PM
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We have one that was drilled in 1953 it is still pumping.
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mike223
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Re: Well longevity
[re: Pat]
11/27/06 11:34 AM
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The reason I ask is because I AM looking for some reassurance from those that have more experience with this subject than I. There are two properties with wells that produced yield in my area, mine included, and three that use springs. There are also two wells that were dry holes when drilled, and the homeowners are trucking in water. The estimate for county water was from the county water authority, which estimated $10/ft, plus drawings from an engineer, and this along 3500' of road frontage not including connection to the future home. The spring development was from the same company that drilled the well.
I'm not particularly worried about the yield, as a 1500G holding tank is in the plans. I am simply trying to get empirical data from those that have lived on low yield wells as to how long the wells have lasted, or have they had some problems with that and what they did about it. Sorry if my seeking information on a project before gambling tens of thousands of dollars offends your pioneering spirit.
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Pat
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Re: Well longevity
[re: mike223]
11/27/06 01:50 PM
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Mike, I'm not offended spiritually or otherwise. You gambled and won as far as we know now. There is no particular corelation between low flow and longivity of a well. My well is at least 25-30 years old and has reliably produced about 6-7 gal per minute whenever tested. If you run a faucet at the well house open full for long enough the well will procuce some sand and a slight turbidity but this clears up pretty quickly when you stop "free flowing" it. The water has always tested good.
I use a filiter to trap any granules of sand so it doesn't get in faucet seats or interfere with water control solenoids in clothes and dish washers.
Don't be concerned with longivity because of low flow. Of course longivity is an impoortant concern, it is just that low flow is not neccessarily associated with it.
The way I uynderstand our well is that there is plenty of water but it just can't flow into the bore any faster than 6-7 gal per min. As we are in an old oil field and there is GREAT uncertainty with wells, I don't want to do any "Shocking" of the well, hoping status quo will be maintained.
It is good to have an emergency supply of water. I super chlorinate a supply and use carbon filtration at time of consumption. I think it is preferable to a large storage tank like you mention. Since the new water mixes with the old water in the tank some of the water and any organisms is there for a very long time (longer and longer as tank size is increesed) so for your water supply to be safe and not grow a lot of undesireable stuff you will need to chemically treat it and then remove the chemicals with filters before use.
I'd skip the large storage tank as an in-line part of your water supply (especially if it is open to the atmosphere) and consider a separate emergency supply that you can super chlorinate and carbon filter when consumed. This is simple. Of course you may have requirements that make my suggestion invalid.
Yoiu have more source redundancy and less chance of having to truck water than most folks with those springs. You are to be congratulated on your good fortune in selecting your property.
I have a connectioin to the rural water district (came into existance about 4 years ago) by virtue of swapping services with the installling contractor. I provided land for parking their equipemment and storing materials and they plumbed water to two houses for me. I have about 700 ft of 2 inch PVC from my water meter to the house thanks to the trade. I have a change over arrangement so I can use the well if there is a glitch in the rural water.
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
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mike223
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Re: Well longevity
[re: Pat]
11/27/06 08:19 PM
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Pat,
Good, I'm glad you're not offended, because it sounded as if you were; like I should stay in the 'burbs if I'm not ready to gamble all on a low yield well. I've been planning this move for a long time, and it's just now coming to fruition with the sale of our house in FL. We are currently on a well, but it is an artesian well established 22 years ago and has given a consistent 40 GPM flow even during drought. I'm not used to having such a low yield (7GPM) in a well such as the new one on our land in TN, especially one upon which I plan using for a household and crop irrigation. Nothing commercial, just an orchard and vegetables.
Thanks for the tips on the sand and turbidity. The reason for the 1500G holding tank is because the well drilling company also does the sump and pressure pump installation, and they recommended this setup, with a UV type of purifier after the tank but before the house. The tank sounds like an accumulator in a hydraulic system so as to absorb high demands without depleting the static level of the well. I'll get more info as we get closer to building. Thanks again for the advice.
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speedbump
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Re: Well longevity
[re: mike223]
11/28/06 03:22 PM
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Most wells once drilled, especially in rock, will deliver for many many years with little or no problem. I wouldn't be worried about it at all. With the cistern, you should be good to go.
bob...
Pumpsandtanks.com
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mike223
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Thanks speedbump, I guess only time will tell.
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Pat
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Re: Well longevity
[re: mike223]
11/28/06 05:55 PM
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Mike, All the ins and outs of storage and post treatment, alternatives, and on and on has been thrashed out on CBN over and over and over. Anyone reading there could probably pass the state board tests and be a liscensed water expert.
Note, I only claim a reliable 6-7 GPM for my well and used it for 3 adults and garden for 6 years. This with only a medium sized blader tank. I think if I were in yoiur position I'd plum the well output to a bladder tank and the output of the bladder tank to the house. Then a parallel pipe from the well output through a check valve/backflow preventer to the storage tank which would be plumbed to hose bibs and ag uses. No treatment needed, especially no treatment of the irrigation water. OF course I'm not selling you anything.
There is a tendency for everyone fleeing the city to the country to want to be the last one and then lock the gate. Not me. Welcome to an improved life.
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
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GaryQWA
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Re: Well longevity
[re: mike223]
11/28/06 09:05 PM
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The 7 gpm is the volume that runs into the well; the recovery rate.
The well stores water from the static water level down to the pumping level or from the depth of the pump's inlet IF the pump were sized to pump from that depth.
A 6" dia well has 1.47 gal/foot of water above the pump inlet or the pumping level. The pumping level is the depth where the recovery rate maintains the water level with the pump running. The pump only has to move water from the water level in the well. So the more water above the pump inlet, the more water the pump can deliver.
Many people have wells with less than 7 gpm recovery and have used them for decades while raising a family.
I've been doing water treatment for 20 years and I also say no to the cistern. The water leaving a cistern will not be good and just a UV light is not going to do the job. Plus the fact that every drop of water taken from the cistern must be replaced from the well. And with the cistern, there can be must less water conservation going on than without it.
All UV lights come with a set of minimum water quality parameters that if exceeded require pretreatment; such as iron, manganese, hardness, H2S, turbidity etc.. And if the water has iron, manganese etc. in it, you really don't want to have to treat it before a cistern and then again after it for microbiological contaminates.
Gary
Quality Water Associates
Gary Slusser
Quality Water Associates
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mike223
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Re: Well longevity
[re: GaryQWA]
11/29/06 01:31 PM
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Thanks for all of the tips guys. The water has been tested and has very little iron or high levels of other minerals, and is not hard. The well people recommended the UV treatment for biologicals based on the test of the water. I'll have to consider the cistern option some more. Thanks again.
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GaryQWA
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Re: Well longevity
[re: mike223]
11/29/06 08:13 PM
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Mike, you need to know exactly how much iron, hardness, manganese etc. and then compare those figures to the UV light manufacturer's maximums for each. Anything close to or over the max will cause the UV to fail and cause more maintenance.
Gary
Quality Water Associates
Gary Slusser
Quality Water Associates
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