Water is essential in human and animal lives. People use water every day. It is used for drinking, cleaning our body, cleaning items, and much more. Humans cannot survive without water. Today in our modern world, we pay for the water. We buy bottled waters to quench our thirst. We pay monthly fees for the water service installed in our house. Every year we pay for the most important item in our life. But there is a way where you can get water for free. And that is through a well.
A well is one of the many ways to extract water by digging a hole deep enough to get water supply. During old times, people don’t pay for the water they are using. They will just dig a hole using a pick and shovel deep enough to get water to suffice their needs. Usually, the well’s depth may reach from 10 feet up to 30 feet.
Today, there are already three types of wells depending on the process.
- The most common type of well is the dug well. This process is used since the old times. The process involves digging using picks and shovels. After the digging process, the walls of the hole they dug are covered with bricks to avoid infiltration of the water inside the well.
- Today, the most common type of well is the drilled well. People have now invented a machine to drill a hole in the ground. This process doesn’t involve the backbreaking shoveling and picking. Also, drilled wells are used for a very deep well.
- The last type of well is the driven well. This type is not very common. The process here involves pounding of a perforated pipe deep into the ground. Usually, this process is used when the aquifer is shallow.
If you want to save money on water, you might want to have a well. Just like other things, having a well will cost you money. But how much does it cost to dig a well?
Average Cost of digging a well
Water well installation cost depends on a lot of factors. One factor is the method to be used, another factor is how deep your well is going to be, and another one is the type of ground to be dug (whether it is sand, solid rock, clay, and other more).
- Well drilling cost will range from $15 up to $30 per foot. The price already includes installing the tubular lining that will prevent the dug well from collapsing. It also includes a tight-fitting cap that will prevent pests from infiltrating your well.
- For a 100-foot deep well, it will cost you around $1,500 up to $3,000. For a 400-foot deep well, it will cost you around $6,000 up to $12,000.
- The price might increase from $30 up to $50 per foot if the condition of your terrain is unusual and the place is difficult to access.
In digging a well, the total cost does not only consist of the drilling. There are still expenses you need to pay after the drilling, or digging process is done.
- After drilling or digging your well deep enough, you will need to install a complete water system.
- In a complete water system, you will need to buy a water pump. The water pump’s function is to bring the water to the top surface.
- You will also need a tank that is pressurized
- Installation of the underground piping will also be needed so that the water will have access to your house.
- Of course, you need power to make the system run. You will need to install new electrical wirings together with the control panel.
- The above-mentioned items that are needed after the digging process will add to the water well installation cost. Around $2,000 up to $8,000 will be added.
- Because of these extra items, the total well drilling cost would reach around $3,500 up to $20,000.
- But how much does it cost to dig a well that is very deep and has a very complex complete water system? Prepare an amount around $20,000 up to $50,000 if you have conditions like these.
Inclusions
- In installing a well, it would take one up to several days to completely do the job. The length of the time needed depends on the depth of the well you want.
Factors
Just like the others, you will have to consider many factors that can affect the total price of your planned well.
- Licenses and Permits. In some places, it is illegal to dig or construct any project. That is why you will have to obtain permits from your local government office. Some of these permits will specify the dimensions for your well to be legally constructed.
- Equipment and Tools. Some of the tools and equipment needed for the installation of your planned well will not be provided by the contractor you hired, so you will need to buy or, to save money, rent the equipment and tools needed.
- You will need to hire a professional to do the estimation and inspection for your land. After giving you the result, you will now have to hire laborers to do the job for you. The rate of the laborers depends on the location you are at.
- Water system. Mentioned above, the cost of the complete water system varies on many factors. The size of the water pump is one of the factors. Another one is the quality of the materials you used in your water system.
In a water well installation, you need to hire a professional contractor. The reason is to make sure that your planned well will be built correctly. It should be of good quality and should be safe. To achieve a good result for you well, you will have to consider important factors.
- The contractor you will hire should have the important licenses and permits required to operate the procedure.
- Your contractor should also be certified by the National Ground Water Association.
- If you are looking for a contractor on the web, you should look for their license number. You should also read the reviews and feedbacks given by their past costumers. It would be best to hire the one with a lot of good reviews.
There is a website on the internet that will give you a complete guide on hiring a well contractor.
Ways to save money
If you have a lot of time, you can do the digging of the well on your own. In this way, you can save money from hiring people for the drilling process. You could do it through the traditional way, by picking and shoveling. But that process requires a lot of hard work. You can also buy equipment for the drilling to help minimize the work. Make sure that you know how to use the specified equipment. A do-it-your-own well is a dangerous work and could lead to accidents if you do not have much experience in doing hard work such as masonry. Do not try to do the process by yourself. But if you have experience doing heavy masonry, you can visit a site called How to Drill a Well. They have the complete and specific information about the process of installing your well.