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Anyone drill a well lately?

jimdeerejimdeere Member, Moderator Posts: 25,583 ******

How much does it cost? We moved here 30 years ago and the well cost ~$5500. 320 ft. deep.

I'm sure it's 3 or 4 times that, now.

Comments

  • toad67toad67 Member Posts: 13,019 ✭✭✭✭

    The biggest increase on cost is the steel casing. I have a friend who is a well driller and he said that his casing cost went up almost 4X in the last year and a half or so. Seems to have settled down a bit though.

  • pulsarncpulsarnc Member Posts: 6,216 ✭✭✭✭

    Haven't kept up with pricing over the years since I quit drilling . Much depends on where you are and the type of drilling. Hard Rock is going to cost more than drilling in sand/ clay etc. You paid almost $17.00 a foot 30 years ago. Suspect it is closer to $ 40.00 now

    cry Havoc and let slip  the dogs of war..... 
  • Butchdog3Butchdog3 Member Posts: 648 ✭✭✭✭

    Not sure around here.Last time I asked 15.00 per foot

    Note, hard rock drilling is cheaper, no well casing cost.

    JD, do you have any caverns around you area? Cost more to drill there too.

  • Mr. PerfectMr. Perfect Member, Moderator Posts: 66,184 ******

    Depends on where

    Depends on how deep

    Depends on casing depth required

    Depends on static level

    Depends on flow

    Depends on seal

    Depends on liner

    Depends on cap type

    Some will die in hot pursuit
    And fiery auto crashes
    Some will die in hot pursuit
    While sifting through my ashes
    Some will fall in love with life
    And drink it from a fountain
    That is pouring like an avalanche
    Coming down the mountain
  • mac10mac10 Member Posts: 2,539 ✭✭✭✭

    Well well well very deep subject, do you live on a hill ,small mountain, very deep Hole you have there, did it go dry

  • pulsarncpulsarnc Member Posts: 6,216 ✭✭✭✭

    The company i drilled for was in the tidewater area of VA. And northeastern coastal plain s of NC. Very little to no rock formations to worry with unless drilling thru bedrock . Admit that I know little about hard Rock drilling , always figured it was more work hence more money .

    cry Havoc and let slip  the dogs of war..... 
  • dcon12dcon12 Member Posts: 31,935 ✭✭✭✭

    It cost as much to drill a dry hole as a good one. Don

  • Butchdog3Butchdog3 Member Posts: 648 ✭✭✭✭

    Yes it does and you can miss the vein by inches.

    Local FD drilled one to 390 feet, 2gpm, went another 20 feet and hit 70gpm.

    They use it to keep a 10,000 tank topped off

  • Toolman286Toolman286 Member Posts: 2,964 ✭✭✭✭

    Jim, can they frack the existing well?

  • Butchdog3Butchdog3 Member Posts: 648 ✭✭✭✭

    They can blast a dry well but might not work.

    Not far from here they shot off 2 cases of dynamite in a dry well, 1,000 feet, still a dry well.

  • allen griggsallen griggs Member Posts: 35,183 ✭✭✭✭

    Steel casing?


    My well is 505 feet deep. The first 25 feet in dirt, the rest through solid rock The 25 feet in the dirt is cased with heavy gauge 6 inch PVC. It has worked well for 25 years.

    In what condition would you use steel casing?

  • Butchdog3Butchdog3 Member Posts: 648 ✭✭✭✭

    Not sure but they use mostly galvanized steel around here.

    I will as the well driller next time I see him, next day or 2.

  • KenK/84BravoKenK/84Bravo Member Posts: 12,055 ✭✭✭✭

    My Holler is notorious for being difficult to locate water/a well. (Miningtown Rd.) Yeah, there are a lot of "Caverns" here. People have gone down 650' and come up dry.

    I (finally) switched over to "City water," a couple years ago. Prior to that I had a glorified black line hose, laying in a creek bed about 1/10 mi. Uphill from me. (Fed about 5 houses) I was the terminus, most downhill house. My water would go dry, every year for about 4 mo. I had/have a 1500 gal underground cistern. Gravity fed. Got tired of messing with it. Went through about 3 Booster pumps/pressure tank systems, in about 10 years. Sediment? Not sure why. As said before, Got tired of messing with it.

    They ran "City Water," up through our holler about 3 years ago. (I already had a paid connect, per the previous owner.) They wanted to charge $1200 for it. Had to argue, to get them to honor it. Most expensive water in our County. The "Utility Co." Argued that too few people hooked up to it to make it economically viable. Everyone has to pay a minimum base rate for 2000 gal. ($75) I'm a frugal single guy. I use 500-700 gal a month.

    I'm getting hosed.

    I got a bill a couple mo. ago, that said I had used "3250 gallons." Uh.................................No.

  • love2shootlove2shoot Member Posts: 553 ✭✭✭

    Had a new well drilled last year. They used plastic all the way. 149' and $6200 complete

  • notnownotnow Member Posts: 1,802 ✭✭✭

    A co-worker of mine had a well drilled and they got a good flow volume at a certain depth and decided to go another 15 feet for a good water pocket and punched through a void and lost it all.

  • allen griggsallen griggs Member Posts: 35,183 ✭✭✭✭

    "A co-worker of mine had a well drilled and they got a good flow volume at a certain depth and decided to go another 15 feet for a good water pocket and punched through a void and lost it all."


    That's interesting. MY guys were at 450 feet in solid rock, and dry as a bone. The well driller guys were getting nervous, and so was I. Then at 465 feet they hit a gusher at 37 gpm!

    The guy said he would go another 50 feet deep to assure some storage. I was afraid they would hit a void and the water would go bye bye, thankfully it didn't happen.

  • JimmyJackJimmyJack Member Posts: 5,385 ✭✭✭✭

    Just pour 10 feet of concrete in the hole and your are back to the good flow?

  • jimdeerejimdeere Member, Moderator Posts: 25,583 ******
  • Butchdog3Butchdog3 Member Posts: 648 ✭✭✭✭

    Local driller here charges 17.00 per foot then adds cost of casing, approximately10.00 per foot.

    He uses a special grade of pvc 80% of the time, uses galvanized for deeper wells due to greater pump weight.

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