What Types of Water Wells Are There?

June 19, 2020

If your Columbia, TN property is not connected to the municipal water grid, then you likely have your own private well from which you draw water. There are several different kinds of private water wells, which are as follows:

  • Drilled wells: These wells are created with the use of rotary drilling or percussion machines. Drilled wells can extend thousands of feet deep, and need casing installed to keep them in good condition. These wells have a low risk of contamination, largely due to this casing and their extreme depth.
  • Driven wells: These wells are created by driving pipes into the ground. They are relatively shallow (between 30 and 50 feet deep) and continuously cased. Despite that casing, they can still be contaminated fairly easily because the water they pull up comes from aquifers closer to the surface, and the closer the water is to the surface, the more likely it is to become contaminated at some point.
  • Dug/bored wells: These are wells dug using shovels or backhoes, and are thus shallower (10 to 30 feet deep) and with a large diameter. They are not continuously cased, but are instead lined with stones, brick, tile or any other material simply to prevent the well from collapsing in on itself. As they are the closest to the surface, they have the highest risk of contamination.

Choosing a location for your water well

To get the best results out of your water well, it’s not enough to simply select the right type of well—you also have to know where to place it. The proper location and construction methods for the well are crucial to ensuring the long-term safety of your well water.

First, it is important to select a well location in which rainwater will flow away from the well. Rainwater can gather contaminants such as chemicals used on the surface of the land, or harmful bacteria, and if this contaminated water collects in a pool near the well, it can seep down below the surface and contaminate the well water source. Over time, this could cause some health problems to people who regularly use that well water.

It may become necessary to do a bit of landscaping or terraforming to create a suitable location for the well, depending on the layout of your property and the location of immovable structures or features. This will add to the expense of the project, but set you up for greater, longer-lasting success and quality.

The construction method and type of well depend on the groundwater conditions in your area and the geological conditions you face. You’ll need to have professionals assess your property first before you can get started with the well digging processes. Any well driller or pump installer you work with should be fully bonded and insured for your protection, and groundwater contractors should also be licensed and certified.

To learn more about the various kinds of water wells that you can choose from and which will be your best option, contact Action Electric Motor & Pump Repair to discuss water well service in Columbia, TN.

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