Well-drilling has become more popular in recent times on farms. Many farmers believe it is the most cost-effective and efficient way to supply water to their farm. The Irish Farmers Journal spoke with Colette Ellis of Ellis Well Drilling, a Carlow-based well drilling company which specialise in the area to find out what’s involved in installing a new well on the farm.
Finding the well
Before the process of finding a water source begins, a consultation takes place with the farmer, mainly in terms of accessing fields with heavy machinery. The consultation process is done for practicality and safety reasons, to look out for obvious obstructions such as overhead wires, trees and in general to ensure the site is suitable for large-scale machinery work.
Once consultation is complete, the area is divined. Divining is the process used to detect underground springs using a hazel rod divining bow.
“The divining process itself is conducted by a specialist or diviner. An underground spring is detected by the hazel rod when the rod bends towards the ground, indicating the presence of a spring. This can only predict where there are springs. Divining cannot predict the depth the water is underground,” Colette explained.
Drilling
When the water is detected and the farmer and the well drillers are happy with the location, the contractors will set up and begin the drilling process. “We will drill until we are satisfied that we have got enough supply to keep the well in circulation. It is the experience of the driller to ensure that there is enough water in the well for the customer. We would never leave a well that we don’t have enough water in,” said Colette.
While there is no planning permission required to dig for a well, the well must be located over 100ft from an existing septic tank percolation area.
Depth
According to Colette, the depth that a driller will drill to varies from well to well. “We would base the average depth on 150ft to 200ft. Normally, if you go to 450ft and you have not struck water at that stage, it is unlikely that you will get water at that borehole. But that would not happen that often. “Sometimes the customer is conscious of depth due to cost and they might want you to stop where they would see you strike water” said Colette. However, she says to do the job properly, the well should be drilled lower to create an underground reservoir. “Once water is struck we would advise to drill another 40ft to 60ft for storage,” she said.
Pumping
After drilling, the pumping installation process is the next stage. “The amount of water pumped out of the well depends on the well. It would pump in the region of 500 to 600 gallons per hour.”
The power of the pumps depends on the depth of the well. If the well is up to 200ft, you would be looking at a 3/4 to a 1 horsepower engine. If you have a 300ft well, you would need a 1 to a 1.5 horsepower pump.
Time
The drilling process is surprisingly quick . Colette said oftentimes they would have the drilling done in less than a day. “All depending on where you find water, you could set up at eight in the morning and be gone by two or three o clock,” she claimed.
Installation of the pumping system takes less than half a day. Both processes would not be done on the same day, however.
The pump would usually not be installed on the same day because a trench must be dug from the well-head back to where the pressure vessel is going to be placed. A pressure vessel must be insulated for the winter and cannot be left out in the open. The pump is powered by electricity and a power outlet would be required close by.
Time of year
Colette says that typically, the summer months see an increase in demand for well-drilling. As field conditions improve, the land is better able to cope with the impact of heavy machinery. All terrain mats are available and used in wet weather or poor conditions, but they can only be placed down on the field at a certain distance, she said.
Cost
Cost depends largely on depth. The cost of well drilled by Ellis Well Drilling is priced per foot drilled. According to Colette, “for a well and a pump with a 6in diameter borehole, the average cost would be in or around €4,500 to €5,000. Again, this depends on depth.” says Colette. “If a farmer wanted to go with an 18in diameter borehole, it would be an average €6,000 to €7,000 again depending on depth,” she continued.
Grant:
There is a 75% water grant for domestic use, so if a farmer wanted to drill a new domestic well and leave the existing well for farm use, conditions of the grant are that the dwelling has to be over seven-years-old and no water mains passing by. The customer must apply to their local county council.
To read the full Water and Septic tanks focus supplement click here.