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erikj Online Content OP
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I have cabin near Anchor Pt. Neighbors have good water, but I have little experience for DIY. Found a contractor in the area but was wondering if anyone has been down this road recently.


@jameslavish

If you work 40 hrs/wk: at 5% inflation and after 5 years, you need a 28% pay raise or to work 44 more hours (*one full extra week* per month+) to make up the difference.

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You say your neighbors have good water. How deep is their well? How many gallons per minute does it make? What is the static water level? At what depth do they have the pump set?

Your title refers to a shallow well. Be advised if your well is too shallow your just drinking water ever is on the ground. Ideally you want to be at least below the first clay layer and into water below that level. That can be fairly shallow in some areas and considerably deeper in others.

If you plan on a shallow well that is essentially giving you surface water, you need to consider a water filtration system or at least frequent water tests.

One thing to consider if you are not using the cabin year round is to put in a tank and haul water. Not as convenient as a well but for the price of having well drilled, casing, pump, pump pipe, and running pipe to the cabin you might be money ahead to haul water.


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I agree with Mart, but I'll add that a shallow well can be worth it just to have non potable water. Then you only have to haul drinking water which is minimal.

At my old cabin we had water at 6' deep and punched a well to 40' to get below the clay layer. Water quality was not great, lots of soluble iron, but it reduced the hauled water by alot. It cost about 1500 dollars and it was worth it to me. I installed the pipe and pump myself.

Last edited by Pittu; 05/21/15.

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Thanks for responding. The water is 4-6 feet deep. Most wells in the area are 20-30 feet deep. Deep well nearby has crummy water. I'm looking at a Gould's pump that I assumed stayed above the well. The contractor uses 4' diameter concrete sections with drain rock around it. Still trying to piece it together in my head. Not sure how much water we'll need yet, just trying to go big.


@jameslavish

If you work 40 hrs/wk: at 5% inflation and after 5 years, you need a 28% pay raise or to work 44 more hours (*one full extra week* per month+) to make up the difference.

This is inflation
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Sounds like he is using a jet pump. They are designed for shallow wells. I cannot caution you enough about drinking water from that shallow a well. At 4-6 feet you are drinking what ever hits the ground. Unfortunately most wells in Alaska have sulfur tasting water. It may test out fine but the sulfur gives it an off taste, sometimes a downright terrible taste. A Brita filter pitcher does a fine job of removing the sulfur taste.

I would even be skeptical of a 20-30 foot well unless there was a layer of clay between the ground surface and where ever the well was making water. The clay serves to isolate the surface water from the subsurface water and driving casing through that clay layer allows you to draw water from the lower water zones without danger of the surface water co-mingling with the clean water.


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Thanks mart, we are planning on testing the water and adding the correct filter system.


@jameslavish

If you work 40 hrs/wk: at 5% inflation and after 5 years, you need a 28% pay raise or to work 44 more hours (*one full extra week* per month+) to make up the difference.

This is inflation
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I spent 36 years being a well drilling and pump installation contractor. One thing to consider is, are there state regulations dictating construction standards? Our state have very stringent standards. Mart has a firm grasp on contaminated wells. For every well there is a septic system to add once used water to shallow water tables. Even if your septic is at a safe distance, is your neighbors close to your well? I have never seen a well where concrete casing is used. I do not care for surface pumps. They work fine but I much preferred submersibles. The drain rock is known as a filter pack and is used to hold back fine sands from entering the pipe perforations. That gets me to thinking, with concrete pipe, how was it perforated? I would assume the contractor has been at his profession for a few years and has a firm grasp on well construction in his area.

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Thanks. The neighbors are a minimum of a 1/4 mile away. I have no idea how they put holes in the concrete casing, but the contactor was recommended by two different sources. I'll look into state regulations.


@jameslavish

If you work 40 hrs/wk: at 5% inflation and after 5 years, you need a 28% pay raise or to work 44 more hours (*one full extra week* per month+) to make up the difference.

This is inflation
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Originally Posted by erikj
Thanks mart, we are planning on testing the water and adding the correct filter system.


Testing the water is a good idea but if you are set on this shallow well, I would incorporate a filtration system regardless of how the water tests. Water quality, specifically surface water quality is entirely dependent on what is hitting the ground whether it's water or an unknown contaminant. That can very from month to month or even day to day depending on precipitation and the activities of surrounding neighbors.


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ericj, I have installed a number of systems that you have described. They work quite well in the Anchor Point area. As long as your neighbor is not a gravel pit operator, water levels should not fluctuate much. Testing the water is always a good idea.

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Will have a filtration system regardless. I figured to test the water to see which contaminants I would most likely be targeting. This is vacation property for now so I'm not trying rush it.

Jim, are you familiar with the concrete casing? BTW, we are eight miles out of Anchor Point just short of the Knob Hill area.


@jameslavish

If you work 40 hrs/wk: at 5% inflation and after 5 years, you need a 28% pay raise or to work 44 more hours (*one full extra week* per month+) to make up the difference.

This is inflation
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The concrete casing is actually a 48" precast concrete manhole. Numerous holes are drilled with a Hilti in the first section for water infiltration. They work quite well in the AP area. Some of the area rednecks just use a section of a large diameter culvert instead.

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Thanks Jim. Planning on breaking ground June 20. Working with Johnson and sons construction.


@jameslavish

If you work 40 hrs/wk: at 5% inflation and after 5 years, you need a 28% pay raise or to work 44 more hours (*one full extra week* per month+) to make up the difference.

This is inflation
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Originally Posted by erikj
Thanks Jim. Planning on breaking ground June 20. Working with Johnson and sons construction.


Mart is right about very shallow wells and surface water, plus who knows what can get in the water below (even what your pets leave behind).

Anyway, a coworker of mine and his uncle drove a 40' 2" pipes in sections of 6' in length using a jackhammer. However, unlike shown on "youtube.com" these guys continuously turned the pipe that was being driven into the ground using a pipe wrench (jackhammer moving the pipe down, and the pipe being turned around by the other guy). He said that it took them about four hours.

The pump and a tank are inside the cabin, and the pipe outside is insulated coming into the house, plus heat-taped. The cabin is heated winter long. If you want a submerged pump outside (in the well), then the pipe can't be 2" since that's too narrow for the pump.

Last edited by Ray; 05/25/15.
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erikj Online Content OP
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Something like that could be an option, very few rocks.


@jameslavish

If you work 40 hrs/wk: at 5% inflation and after 5 years, you need a 28% pay raise or to work 44 more hours (*one full extra week* per month+) to make up the difference.

This is inflation
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Ray is speaking of a device called a well point. These have hardened tips and a screen on the lowest section. These are commercially available. I have never installed a well point as they are illegal here and because we have too much pee gravel here in the mountains. Unlike other pee gravel elsewhere, our pee gravel is so large you can stand behind it and pee, and your neighbors cant see you. These should work good in areas with no rocks and shallow water.

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7 to 10 ft is frost line in the winter in Anchorage thinking it will be a summer time well only. Lots of taste and hard water in Anchor Point area but it all depends on aquifer that you are drawing from. Lots of other issues in shallow water wells also.
Lots of Water sales people selling (Snake Oil treatments) but am a little biased. Just retired from 40 years in Water Treatment.
PM me for any help. Kurt


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Originally Posted by stuvwxyz
Ray is speaking of a device called a well point. These have hardened tips and a screen on the lowest section. These are commercially available. I have never installed a well point as they are illegal here and because we have too much pee gravel here in the mountains. Unlike other pee gravel elsewhere, our pee gravel is so large you can stand behind it and pee, and your neighbors cant see you. These should work good in areas with no rocks and shallow water.

This one, but my coworker would turn the pipe with a pipe wrench. Supposedly by turning the pipe at the same time the jackhammer drives it down makes the process a lot faster since it prevents to pipe from binding against the whole it's creating:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flYs98xBEZo

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erikj Online Content OP
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Thanks for the help. Still have a bit of time before I get started.


@jameslavish

If you work 40 hrs/wk: at 5% inflation and after 5 years, you need a 28% pay raise or to work 44 more hours (*one full extra week* per month+) to make up the difference.

This is inflation
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Kurt congrats on your retirement. Do you know of a filtration system to install if the water is worse case scenario? Just curious. Go enjoy your time off. Chit sorry for even asken. Go have fun.


@jameslavish

If you work 40 hrs/wk: at 5% inflation and after 5 years, you need a 28% pay raise or to work 44 more hours (*one full extra week* per month+) to make up the difference.

This is inflation
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