Water Well Drilling

The only thing that I know, is, that a neighbour of a friend on the road to the Hot Springs at about a 50-100 meters elevation had a contractor drill his well for a fixed price of one Million with the warranty to reach potable water, they did find water and he is happy...

 

Most charge by the foot, or meter, and not a fixed price. I know of 2 wells drilled in Bacong within the last 3 years for a small fraction of 1 million pesos. The depth was approximately 70 feet.

 

Ricky 09066886925, he drilled our 110 feet deep well with 8 diameter pipe reduced to 4 diameter- the only professional driller i found 3 years ago. He dig with a heavy equipment drllers with riggers, cost around 150thousand pesos and we hired a belgian Eric Hacquenet to set up a solar pump system, total water supply cost 580thousand pesos. Could be the best safe water in town. The water system supplied 6 hectares properties.

 

Something maybe not everybody knows, your equipment/gear is getting more costly as deeper you have to drill:
"Water is pumped from a well by creating a partial vacuum above the water by the pump. The amount of vacuum, in inches of mercury, is equal to the weight of the column of water from the water table to the surface.

Atmospheric pressure at sea level is 29.92 inches (approx. 76 cm) of mercury. This is equivalent to a column of water 406.7 inches or 33.9 feet (approx. 10.3 m). Therefore, a total vacuum could only pump water from a depth of just under 34 feet or 10.3 meters.

Actually, a total vacuum cannot be created over water. As the pressure is reduced, the boiling point of the water is lowered, producing a layer of water vapor between the water's surface and the pump. The water vapor reduces the ultimate vacuum and the maximum pumping depth, but only by about 0.7 inches (1.8cm) at 20°C. "

After the depth of 33.9feet you have to use a submerged pump and a larger diameter pipe...

 

This is not correct.

I know of two wells that are each around 70 feet deep in Bacong. Each use an above ground pump and do not use a submersible pump. I watched one of them being "drilled". The length of each pipe and the number of them used do not lie. I also know the depth where they 1st hit water too, and it was much deeper than 34 feet. If a pump relied on air vacuum the info that you supplied may be correct, but most pumps do not start by sucking air. Water is poured down the water line from the pump to the bottom of the well. The check valve at the bottom holds it in place, and the pump is started. From then on it is "primed" and will pump water. If it completely loses it's prime the process needs to be completed again. If this is a consistent problem, the check valve or foot valve at the bottom of the well needs to be pulled up and checked to see what its problem is. Well pumps do not suck air, they suck and pump water.

The wells of which I speak both use 2" HDPE black tubing to pull water out of the well. The well "casing" is larger though. A large diameter line is not needed to draw water from a well deeper than 33.9 feet, at least as far as 70 feet for sure. All that is needed is a 2" I.D. line which I would not consider a large diameter pipe.

 

I discussed this last Sunday with my friend, he is 20 years my senior and I believed him to be very knowledgeable, I argued with him about the depth of a well that can use a surface pump and he convinced me of the 33.9feet story...

I stand corrected...

 

I believe the story you were told has merit if there is air in the line (no check valve), however, as KDF explained, there normally is no air in the line of a properly designed and operating surface water pump. As long as the pump is primed, it will pump vigorously. If there is air in the line it will not.

Water is much thicker than air. Pumps are designed to pump liquid, not air.

Larry

 

First drilling. I remember in Siquijor we drilled 74 feet with 2" diameter pipe installed with Golds water jet pump took 2 days to hit the water, we got lucky as there was no big stone and the terrain is slope the water site was 100meters from the seashore but the water is considered to be sweet water. The driller told me that it is easy for them to find a right spot except not to hit a big stone. It cost 150k whole package deal/contract but such pump is hard on maintenance. Drillers name is JOEL from sibulan.

Second drilling, the terrain was flat and sandy water site was 100 meters from high tide of seashore. No expert drilers involved, local carpenters and mason on the job, they dig 2meters x 2meter open hole and they hit the water more or less 15 feet, piled CHB hallow blocked and installed manual hand water pump cost(3,000pesos) then connected to pressure tank(cant remember the name) cost less than 20k pesos. Total cost more or less 50,000pesos. But also hard maintenance.

Third, property is 80 meters about sea level but the driller dug near the small seasonal creek (it dried during summer) which is 30 meters below the property. We started with the local drillers, made plenty of voodoo belief so we give up! Then i found Ricky(his signboard was posted on a tree some where in Dauin). He explained that the terrain is rough hard massive stone and it need a crane with heavy duty drilling tools. Took them one week to finished the drilling, then we installed submersible pump US made, this we used all made from USA to lessen the maintenance headache, and we installed 9 solar panels(avoiding brown-out) to run the system also from USA. Now, we are very happy so far so good "no maintenance yet" and its on 3 years now. My respect to USA quality!

Sorry its a long story..