A shallow well point will typically use 1 1/4-inch PVC piping for its casing. In some cases, shallow wells can also have wider diameters. Bored wells are very shallow, but may have a casing diameter of around four inches. By comparison, deep wells often use casing that is at least two inches in diameter.
Deep wells are characterized by their substantial depth, typically exceeding 100 feet (30 meters) or more below the Earth's surface. Shallow wells, in contrast, tap into water sources relatively close to the surface, usually at depths of less than 100 feet (30 meters).
Use an electric depth gauge. This is the easiest, and most common method to measure your well's static water level. This equipment typically consists of two wires with an electronic sensor that indicates when, and at what depth, the tape has hit water. The tapes can be purchased or constructed.
If the depth of your well is between 25 and 110 feet, you should use a deep well jet pump. If the depth of your well is between 110 and 400 feet, use a four-inch submersible pump. Remember, you can also use a submersible pump for wells as shallow as 25 feet.
Types of wells
Dug wells have a large diameter, are shallow (approximately 10 to 30 feet deep) and are not cased continuously. Driven wells are constructed by driving pipe into the ground. Driven wells are cased continuously and shallow (approximately 30 to 50 feet deep).
Well pumps are used to deliver water from an underground water source to your home, shallow or convertible jet pumps are not submersible and are usually placed outside the well in a well housing. Deep well submersible pumps are submerged.
The typical depth of a well for a private residence ranges anywhere from 100 to 800 feet. If the geology of your region is different from that of another part of the country, you might need a well that is either deeper or shallower.
Shallow wells, also known as dug or bored wells, typically reach depths of up to 50 feet. They rely on water close to the ground surface and are dependent on rainfall and groundwater recharge. The limited depth means these wells can quickly run dry during periods of drought or heavy usage.
First find the pressure tank and look for its fill pipe and follow it as best you can. The well may be in the basement if you have one. If not, the well is probably less than ten feet directly outside from the pressure tank.
Shallow wells are less likely to experience naturally occurring contamination from radon or arsenic, but they are more susceptible to bacteria contamination. Shallow wells can also experience iron, manganese and taste and odor problems. If you suspect any of these problems, get your water tested immediately.
Those who are less knowledgeable about the subject might assume that shallow water wells are no longer usable and must be shut down for good. The truth is that drilling experts can easily deepen wells that are already in place.
Average Well Depth
If you are going to dig a well by hand, it's going to be a shallow well. The average well depth for a shallow well is between 25 and 50 feet. This depends on what the water table looks like on your property, something a professional driller can help assess for you.
The most reliable method of obtaining the depth to the water table at any given time is to measure the water level in a shallow well with a tape. If no wells are available, surface geophysical methods can sometimes be used, depending on surface accessibility for placing electric or acoustic probes.
Depending on the size and depth of the well and extent of contamination, pumping times will vary; it may take thirty minutes, or it could take several hours or days until the water runs clear.
Use a Measuring Tape or Weighted Line
For a hands-on approach, you can measure the depth yourself. Here's how: Get a Weighted Line: Attach a small weight to a strong, long line (like a fishing line or heavy string). Lower It Into the Well: Slowly lower the line into the well until you feel it touch the bottom.
Typical Depth of a Water Well
The typical depth of a residential well ranges from 100 feet to 800 feet deep. Some wells are even 1,000 feet or deeper. The deeper a well is, generally the better the water quality.
Water quality in a deep well usually changes more slowly than in a shallow well. That's because groundwater does some mixing as it moves through the aquifer. A spill a mile away from your deep well in the Basin and Range aquifer might be substantially diluted with clean aquifer water before it gets to your well.
While people might say well's life expectancy should be between 25 and 100 years, there's no way to give an exact answer. However, we can calculate a reliable estimate of your well's life expectancy if we know more about the type of well and conditions where the well might be located.
Deep well jets, on the other hand, have their jet injector down in the well below the water level, so they push the water to the surface. See Figure 2. Deep well jet pumps are not limited by atmospheric pressure to 25 feet of lift.
Highlights of a Shallow Well Pump
Water source vertical distance to the pump water inlet cannot exceed 25 feet. Water source horizontal distance to the pump water inlet is at a maximum 200 feet but can be less.
The quality of your water depends on several factors including geology and water levels. In order to allow for maximum ground filtration to remove impurities, your well depth should be at least 100 feet. As a general rule, the deeper you drill, it's more likely that there will be minerals present.