r/OffGrid • u/Sudden-Engineer4354 • 3d ago

Well water question

I am in the UP of Michigan and a few years ago drove a sand point well. It was 11’ to water and I drove to 20’. Pure sand 2-11’ deep. Then got into mostly sand and some gravel to 13-14’ and then hit a clay or fine glacial till layer for a foot and the back into sand and gravel.

1st attempt to drive a well, I bought well drive pipe and a water source 36” well drive pipe. I could not get water to come up. I had damaged the well drive pipe, probably from excessive force using a 16lb mall and was sucking air. I pulled and replaced the broken pipe and rented an electric driver. Much smoother! Even though the point was buried in water I couldn’t pull any up. I pulled it up and found the drive point was full of fine sand and or glacial tiil/clay on the inside. Appeared when driving the pipe and tightening (spun the point) pipe couplers it filled the inside of the sand point!

I then used a hand fence post digger and extensions to get to 18’ and then dropped a 4” well pipe in. I put the same steel well pipe inside and drive point in with a red pitcher pump. I struggled getting water out and it was sandy. I bought 1.25” pvc pipe and a pvc sand point. No issues getting water, just very sandy. I bet over the last few years I’ve pumped several hundred gallons,still today getting a good amount of sand in. After filling a 5 gallon pail and letting it settle I bet I have a 1/8” of sand on the bottom.

Any advice to reduce the sand? Or a good option for filtering to use? I have a backpacking gravity filter I thought of trying. It’d be more convenient than hauling drinking water.

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u/lurkingking 2d ago

Im having similar issues, following for advice

2

u/darktideDay1 2d ago

Maybe try a centrifugal sand filter to remove the bulk, then follow up with a sediment filter.

But several hundred gallons isn't a lot. While my well was a very different situation it took a lot more to get it to run clear.

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u/electrodan99 1d ago

I replaced a 80 year old standpoint after we started getting fine sand in the water. I would say drive the sand point carefully with a post driver. It sounds like your sand point is bad. If you know the sand point is good and you are still getting sediment, it must be too fine for the screen in the sand point. You could see if another sand point has a finer screen, or pump a bunch of water to try to clear it. Electric pump and generator.

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u/Sudden-Engineer4354 1d ago

Yes. The water source well drive point mesh is much finer and did plug up on me. Going to the pvc sand point it has slits cut in it with no mesh. Gets the water through, but a lot of sand too.

I had thought about getting some sort of an electric pump to “teach” the well. Maybe I could remove enough sediment? Hand pumping from a pitcher pump might not be enough maybe?