Are you tired of relying on a municipal water supply or paying for expensive bottled water? Learn how to take control of your water source by learning how to dig a hand pump well yourself! With the right tools and a bit of elbow grease, you can easily access clean, fresh water right from your own backyard.
In this article, I will cover every single detail on how to build a well yourself, including is legal to dig your own well, how to know where to dig a well, how to find water for a well, the best well-digging kits, and how to dig a well yourself.
Well digging should be a top priority for you when it comes to an SHFT scenario or worst.
However, you should, of course, consider stockpiling a couple of weeks of water as well.
In a disaster or collapse, having your own sustainable water supply is crucial because a few weeks probably won’t be enough.
One of the best ways to have a sustainable water supply is to build a well! Building a well will take time and effort, but trust me. It will all be worth it. Building a well will ensure your family, and you have fresh, clean water in the long term.
Before we dive into this article, why should you trust me? I have personally built over four water wells in my lifetime, and I know everything you need to know about well digging.
Let’s dig in.
Is It Legal to Dig A Hand Pump Well Yourself?
Digging a deep well hand pump yourself is legal in most areas worldwide. However, there are certain regulations you must adhere to and make sure to follow.
The first step when digging your own well should always be to check with your local government about any laws or code requirements that may apply within city limits; these will vary from state to state and even county by county, so it’s important to do your research. Some places may even require you to obtain a special permit for the construction of such a well, and this is where hiring professional help will come in handy as they can easily assist with that process.
It’s generally suggested when digging beyond just two or three feet deep; it’s best practice not only to hire someone familiar with local codes and regulations for well-digging but one who’s also familiar with the methods required to avoid hitting a pipeline or other underground utility.
It’s best not to completely go in blind, as some locations have particular safety regulations when it comes to digging around utility lines.
In the end, knowing what your local government requires, paying attention, and taking extreme precautions when near any type of piping or underground elements should always yield reliable results without leading you into trouble with pipelines or law enforcement officials.
How to Know Where to Dig Hand Pump Wells For Water
Next up is knowing exactly where to dig your well for maximum ground water supply and minimum work.
When considering where to dig your well, things to consider are how close you want your well to be to your house and how expensive each location may be for drilling.
It doesn’t matter where you dig your well in several countries because you often end up with positive results.
For example, If your geology is porous stone or sand, you shouldn’t have a problem. However, if your geology is rock, it will be slightly more complicated, as in most of the US.
First off, if you want the cleanest water, you will most likely have to dig more than 30 feet because bacteria and viral infections can travel up to 30 feet underground from the anal sewer systems.
You also have to consider where you are digging and how much time you wish to spend digging.
If you want to spend less time digging, look for partially buried boulders because that is a sign of subterraneous rocks, which will slow your digging down dramatically.
You should definitely do your research when doing this. A great place to start is USGC. They publish data on groundwater and geography, which should help you understand where to dig a well more.
You can probably also find more information because many states also have information about groundwater availability.
I have no idea about your situation, but I advise you to look carefully through your circumstances and decide wisely.
For example, if digging 400 feet away from your house is easier and safer than digging 10 feet from your home, you should probably do the 400 feet if digging 10 feet is uncertain or just too complex.
How to Find Water For a Well?
When digging a well, it’s essential to know where the water is in order to avoid having an unsuccessful outcome. Being aware of some tell-tale signs can help you determine if groundwater will be accessible and make locating your desired source much easier.
Plants are an excellent indicator of water availability, particularly those that live aquatic lifestyles or thrive near wetlands and bodies of water, such as willows and cottonwoods.
If you notice these plants in abundance around a specific area, this is likely to be due to the presence of groundwater closer to the surface here than in other areas on your land.
If you don’t reside in an area of abundance or near any valley, be sure to inspect nearby rock, soil, and sediment for more clues.
Sedimentary stones such as limestone, sandstone, or gravel can indicate the presence of water, and if you can identify cracked or fractured stones, then these should provide a great access point. Moist soil is also another indicator.
Where possible, it’s best to avoid established power lines & gas pipelines, which could be hazardous and even set back your progress if you encounter such obstacles.
A key factor to remember is that not all attempts will succeed immediately, so don’t get disheartened if it takes a few days, as this isn’t necessarily an indication of impending failure.
Simply try another location nearby with the same methodologies in mind and move on from any unsuccessful drills swiftly!
Best Well Digging Kit
If you plan to dig a well yourself, you will need a well-digging kit for the fastest performance. You will need two separate tools to perform the task flawlessly. First, you will need a digger to dig the hole; then, you will need the pumper to extract the water.
You’re in luck because there is one well-digging kit that has both the digging and the water-pumping parts for a low price. After all, it is often sold and donated to less fortunate counties. This well-digging kit can easily dig 50 feet.
This amount of depth is good enough for most wells. Some shallow water wells only need 30 feet or so. A shallow well is good enough for 80% of people.
This is the DIY Water Well Kit, a cheap well digger and pumper that comes with an auger (shovel) at an affordable price, which is superior to the 5-15 thousand charged by the professionals.
I have personally used this well-digging kit, and it is top-notch quality. I had a few back problems when using this, but that is probably because I have had back problems myself.
If you can, this is probably a two-man job, just because during the next day, your back will feel really funky.
How to Dig a Hand Pump Well Yourself
Above is a video displaying how the well-digging kit discussed above operates and how to dig your well! With this healthy-digging kit, you should be able to finish in three hours, with a safe water supply for a lifetime!
The kit will have the names for everything and give you instructions better than I do. Nevertheless, I will try to explain how to use it.
I will state how to dig a shallow well yourself here as well.
Step 1
To begin digging a well, selecting an area where safe water can be found is important. This could include areas near rivers or lakes and typically involves lower-lying locations compared to higher terrain nearby (this will help locate underground aquifers).
Additionally, it’s important to research the area due to potential building or drilling restrictions that could affect whether a well can be successfully constructed.
Step 2
The next step is to start digging. This can involve relying on either manual labor or an auger instrument, commonly called a ‘well drill.’ If using this machine, dig only shallowly and make sure to remove the dirt plopped onto mats so that it will be easier during clean up after finishing the well process we are now discussing.
Step 3
As you dig deeper, you will have to add your extension pipe. Having a tree or other tall structure to lean it up against is necessary. As you dig deeper, it may get more complex or more accessible.
Step 4
Dig until you hear water splashing in watery sand, and dig about five feet more after hearing the watery sand. You now have a drilled well.
Step 5
Now, for water pump installation, you must attach a pump piston to the inner area of your well with connections such as 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, or green/blue and red combined. This attachment needs to be securely fastened using pliers just enough so that it remains immobile throughout its entire time down in the well but not too tight where any damage could occur to either end.
Step 6
Once attached by way of adding a threaded nipple found within some assembly kit packages, the pump foot valve is next in line to be connected. Again, this step also requires a secure attachment that will remain stable while below ground, yet not too tight, where any damage might ensue during operations.
Step 7
Place the water pump piston in the larger well screen. Do that by removing the smaller well screen inside first. Now slide the smaller well screen over the pump piston. Now, slide the pump piston through. Continually connect all the pipes together to reach the bottom of your well.
Step 8
To secure both well screens together, a choice must be made between cement or something like super glue (if available). Placing this to an appropriate level helps maintain strength if groundwater should ever enter within its depths below.
It is also important to double and triple-check the inner pipe sticking up for the appropriate level, adding an extra few inches higher than its outer counterpart.
Step 9
The wellhead should now be placed upon the entire riser pipes section above, with the pump handle as connected beneath it. Compile everything into place until reaching a secure foundation where the entire shallow well is now collaged together.
Step 10
After finishing this assembly, place sand back into its proper depths and ensure a full seal at all points of entry where dirt could enter from above (such as with a nearby vegetation plot). Place plastic packages around it and secure, following up by zipping within whatever ties are provided to help advise said material is properly safeguarded for upholding itself.
Step 11
To test out the drinking water, pump up and down for about five to ten minutes (depending on your set usage needs) until it nearly clears all contents seen within clearly when drawn from its reachable depths below ground surface levels. Make sure everything is properly connected beforehand, including no risks of leaking, or else this might affect overall sanitation.
Conclusion
You have learned almost everything about digging a well, and you should know how to dig a well yourself now. In this article, we covered is legal to dig your own well, how to know where to dig a well, how to find water for a well, the best well-digging kits, and how to dig a well yourself.
Now, all you need to do is sit back and enjoy your clean drinking water. Note that you should avoid using gardening supplies like pesticides unless you want contamination in your water. You can also mix some chlorine to have chlorinated water and other water treatments to ensure clean drinking water.
Here is another article on my generator to protect you from most blackout situations. Check that out!
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Well water tastes hella good. I recommend this.