EcoRenovator - View Single Post - DIY well drilling / trench digging for GSHP

slippy · 02-15-17, 05:14 PM

And it sucks.

I'm only about 6' down. I'm using the drillyourownwell.com water method, and it is going really, really slowly. I'm pretty sure the 100' of garden hose just isn't going to cut it. I think that the cuttings are just bogging me down; when the well settles, my drill bit will come to rest about 2' higher than the last place I was before removing it.

So, whatcha think? Lots more water?

What kind of flow rate would I need to raise "average" gravel-sized stones? I'm suspecting there's lots of aggregate like that in the ground around here.

I tried a shop vac, but it didn't have the lift to get out the mud. I was toying with the idea of a second set of pipe, with a flapper check-valve in the bottom, to use to hand-pump the mess out. Seems like an Archimedes screw of some sort would work as well, but I have no idea where to obtain such a thing.

02-15-17, 05:14 PM	#198
slippy Helper EcoRenovator Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: Charlotte NC USA Posts: 37 Thanks: 1 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	I began drilling today... And it sucks. I'm only about 6' down. I'm using the drillyourownwell.com water method, and it is going really, really slowly. I'm pretty sure the 100' of garden hose just isn't going to cut it. I think that the cuttings are just bogging me down; when the well settles, my drill bit will come to rest about 2' higher than the last place I was before removing it. So, whatcha think? Lots more water? What kind of flow rate would I need to raise "average" gravel-sized stones? I'm suspecting there's lots of aggregate like that in the ground around here. I tried a shop vac, but it didn't have the lift to get out the mud. I was toying with the idea of a second set of pipe, with a flapper check-valve in the bottom, to use to hand-pump the mess out. Seems like an Archimedes screw of some sort would work as well, but I have no idea where to obtain such a thing.