Test Well

[Bernard]

Having trouble with the Search Engine. I want some info on a test well (water). Every way I try to run it, I get results on "test" and "well", but nothing on "test well". Help??

Or, if there truly is nothing in the archives - hard to believe - can someone explain exactly what information you get with a test well? Can you determine the gallons per minute? Can you determine the recovery rate?

 

[novatech]

Having trouble with the Search Engine. I want some info on a test well (water). Every way I try to run it, I get results on "test" and "well", but nothing on "test well". Help??

Or, if there truly is nothing in the archives - hard to believe - can someone explain exactly what information you get with a test well? Can you determine the gallons per minute? Can you determine the recovery rate?

Try test-well water on google

 

[r and s peckman]

Get a hold of your local extension office and I am sure that they could help you.

 

[Hippie Rancher]

Do you mean drilling a test well to see what is down there? Or testing an existing well for depth, flow, water quality, etc?

 

[Bernard]

Not an existing well - a new test well. I guess we all figure a test well shows if there is water in the hole or not, and I'm pretty sure the driller would know how deep he went and if he reached red bed or not and what type formations he drilled through. Beyond that, however, what else can it show? How much water there is standing in the hole? If you went ahead and drilled a 4" well, how fast it will pump down, if at all, and how fast it will recover (gal/min and appropriate hp for submersible pump)? In other words, how much of the information that is available from an established well can also be first gleaned, quickly and inexpensively, from a test well? THAT's my question.

I've pretty well run all the Google searches that can be run every way they can be run, and found out lots of info about water tests (quality of drinking water, how to test a well's water, etc. etc.), but very very little about the finer points of drilling a test water well - especially what can be learned from the process beyond the basic of water/no water. If someone can shed some light on that, fire away, and thanks.

 

[KenB]

Not an existing well - a new test well. I guess we all figure a test well shows if there is water in the hole or not, and I'm pretty sure the driller would know how deep he went and if he reached red bed or not and what type formations he drilled through.

Beyond that, however, what else can it show? How much water there is standing in the hole? If you went ahead and drilled a 4" well, how fast it will pump down, if at all, and how fast it will recover (gal/min and appropriate hp for submersible pump)?

The wells that I have had drilled,(several) were not test wells but wells that I put into use after they were drilled. The driller was able to tell me all of the info. that you are asking about.

Also why drill a 4" well? Why not a 6-8 inch well that you can use after its drilled.


In other words, how much of the information that is available from an established well can also be first gleaned, quickly and inexpensively, from a test well? THAT's my question.

I've pretty well run all the Google searches that can be run every way they can be run, and found out lots of info about water tests (quality of drinking water, how to test a well's water, etc. etc.), but very very little about the finer points of drilling a test water well - especially what can be learned from the process beyond the basic of water/no water. If someone can shed some light on that, fire away, and thanks.

 

[Bernard]

Yes, sorry, typing too fast. 4" = typo. I'm refering to what around here is a normal run of the mill production well with 6" casing for a house, windmill, livestock water supply, etc.; and not a big irrigation well. And I know the answers to all those questions for my 3 existing wells.

But I don't know about a small diameter, uncased test well. I've looked, and asked, and had different answers from different drillers, neighbors, and such. Some say a test well only show if there's water down there; not how much. Others say a test well can show how good (productive) a well will be. I don't know who's right.

Locally, a new well, cased with 6" pvc, graveled in, with pitless, runs $17.50 per foot. A test well, depending on who does it, runs around $3 per foot, with adjusted price options if you then drill a well on site. In our "iffy" country where I need the next well, with the red bed at over 500 feet, it sure might pay to go with the test well(s) first. I'd just like to know, for sure, how much real info can be developed from one of these test holes.

 

[KenB]

The well drillers around my parts have a very large air compressor on their service truck, after the hole is drilled they blow large volume of air down the well forcing the water out.
They can measure the amount of flow at this time.
I can't see why it would be so much cheaper to drill a test well.
after the hole is drilled it wouldn't be much more work to case and finish it.

 

[Hippie Rancher]

seems like a huge price difference - I can see why that would be tempting to do. Still, I don't see why a test drill would be so much less than going ahead and casing it - especially with pvc.