How deep should a house well be for drinking water?

For drinking water wells it’s best to be at least 100 feet deep so that surface contaminants cannot enter the well. The average well depth for private homes is between 100 to 800 feet [2]. You may need a deeper or shallower well if your area has different geology than another region of the country.

How do I know how deep my well needs to be?

If you cannot see the top of water in your well then you can tie a fishing float or “bobber” to your string and lower it carefully into the well until it stops dropping. Mark the string at ground level. Measure that string length – that’s the depth from the ground surface to the top of your well water.

Is a deep well better than a shallow well?

Deep wells have higher protections against potential surface contaminants. The equipment involved in these types of wells is less visible than with shallow wells, which require an above-ground well housing to contain the well pump. Their water tends to last longer and require less monitoring for quality.

How far away from your house can your well be?

Any contamination in your neighbor’s well can travel into your well. Some activities legally require more than a 50-foot zone of protection. As a general guidance, personal drinking water wells should have a minimum horizontal distance of at least 10 feet and preferably 25 feet from such boundaries.

How deep is a shallow water well?

A shallow well, also called a dug well, is less than 50-feet deep and constructed above the bedrock. Placement and drilling of these wells depends on the soil type – the best geology make-up sandy gravel. An excavator digs into the ground as deep as possible to ensure a high yield.

Is well water cheaper than city water?

Well Water Is Cheaper Than City Water And if you buy a property with a previously installed well, you bypass the installation costs. In the long run, you may pay more for monthly city water bills. When you use city water, you can expect to pay per gallon used.

Do deeper wells mean more water?

In general, when it comes to water quality and well depth, there’s one golden rule: the deeper the well, the better the water quality. As you go deeper down, there’s a higher chance that the water you encounter will be rich in minerals.

Can I drill a well on my property?

You probably can drill your own well on your property. You, of course, would have to contact your local building department to see if there are any regulations that must be followed. Some states and cities may still charge you for the water that’s pulled from your land, but that’s a debate for another day.

How deep does a residential water well need to be?

The location of these aquifers will govern a well’s depth; some can be installed at 100 feet, while others will need to be 1000 feet or more – it all depends on the specific geology of the area. There’s no way to know, for sure, how deep a well will go without assessing the site specifically.

What is the average depth of a water well?

The average depth of a water well is 100 to 200 feet. While 9.8 feet is the lowest recommended depth, some wells can go as deep as 3,000 feet.

How do I determine the depth of my well?

Attach a sinker to the line, drop it down to the bottom of the well, and take up the slack. Using a permanent marker, mark the line at ground level. Reel in the line and measure the distance between the mark and the sinker. This is the well depth.

What is the depth of a shallow well?

A shallow well has superficially supplied water, usually from sand formation. They generally run about 50’ deep, but could be shallower or deeper depending on the formations.