What Are Some Kinds Of Water Wells?
Living away from the municipal water system means that you need to come up with another way to get water for drinking, washing, and other uses to your house. In most cases, that means that you have a water well installed somewhere on your property. There are different kinds of water wells that you can get when you have one installed. So, what are the different kinds of wells?
Dug Well
A dug well is one that is dug out by an excavator or backhoe, or even by shovel, although that can be very difficult to do. When the well is completely dug, then it's cased, at least partially. The well is cased with bricks, stones, or tiles. The goal behind casing the well is to support the sides so that the well won't collapse. These wells are shallow and tend to be rather wide because of the way that they are dug. The well very rarely gets down into the water table or aquifer, instead just gathering surface water. Because they are so shallow and the water tends to be surface water, they are very prone to contamination, and you probably shouldn't use them for your drinking water.
Driven Well
A driven well is created by driving a pipe down into the ground. The well will be continuously cased, and often has a screen at the bottom. These wells tend to also be shallow, but deeper than a dug well because of the way that they are installed. They are less likely to attract only surface water but may get placed in shallow aquifers or water-rich areas. However, there is still a risk of contamination because the well is still fairly shallow, so you may want to get your water tested periodically.
Drilled Well
A drilled well is installed by using a long auger or a percussion drilling tool. These wells can go hundreds of feet down, which means that they can reach down into deep aquifers or water tables. The wells are cased continuously, which is necessary because of the depth. Because these wells go so deep, there is a much smaller risk of contamination from surface water. These wells also tend to do better during times of drought, because the water they are accessing is so far down.
If you live off the municipal water system, you need to make sure that the water gets to your house, and a well can do that.
For more information, contact a well company such as Uni Tech Drilling Company Inc.