Did I get screwed on my new well?

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krosspen

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Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Upgraded from a shallow point well (10’) to a deeper well last week. I really trusted the guy who put it in…but now I have some reservations about what he did…and what the other guy who put in the pump and hooked it up did (next message).

Most of the houses in my area have wells in the 90’ range. One has a very deep well, 350’, it seems like he got ripped off.

My well came in at 58”. He used his smaller rig to put it in. He pounded 3 20’ long 6” steell casing into the ground and kept checking the water/substrate with a big tube with a check valve he would lower into the well.

When he bid the job, he estimated it at 100’ (I would pay less if it came in shallower) and said I may or may not need a “screen” which would cost $1,000 if I did need it, based on his assessment.

He started getting more water somewhere over 40’…. Much fine sand. He kept going deeper till mix of sand/fine gravel. He went deeper to be in better sand/gravel. He had a cool looking set of brass trays stuck together to measure the fine-ness of the sand/gravel. The substrate was held back at various levels of screen and a small amount went to the lower very fine screen.

He determined by that what grade of screen he needed (a number 12 I think). That went down the casing then…. And he pulled the casing UP so that the screen would be exposed below the casing.

Driller said flow about 30 gpm. But he rated it on the paper to the state as 15 and marked it as that under the well cap. Said he did it so state wouldn’t ask for higher rate permit (commercial vs. residential flow). Later…. The pump installer brought a 15 gpm pump with him….. but at 110v. I wanted 220… which he said he goofed at and left at shop. Had his installer run back and get the 220v one…. Which ended up being 12 gpm. He said that is rated at 150’ deep well, and at shallower it will pump much more.

QUESTION # 1 - Did he stop drilling early (60 vs. 90) and got a well with more sand cause he didn’t go deeper into more gravel content? …. And the screen let him do this? (and the $1000 price still got him profit vs. charging for more drilling).

QUESTION # 2 - What’s with needing 15gpm at one point… but a 12 gpm is just fine at a later time?
 
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It's hard to second guess a Driller after the fact. Especially when I didn't see what he was drilling through and what the material actually looked like. The fact that he got a well with 30 gpm is a good thing. That should be plenty for your needs. The 12 or 15 gpm pumps are practically the same if they are the same horsepower, so I wouldn't let that bother me.

This guy is the first one who I have ever heard of using sieves to measure the sand content. Most of us get a handful, look at it and throw in the appropriate screen. The fine sand will pass through for a while, then the coarser material will take over.

All in all, it sounds like he did you a fair job.
 
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