Success! Randall in Central Florida

Randall in Central Florida reports a successful well using this method!  He drilled 17 feet on his first try.  He had a four foot well screen (1.25″) and was initally only able to get it two feet below his two inch drill pipe.  He was able to pump water OK but was sucking some air.

He removed the well screen, added some pipe to the top and set that piece aside.  Then he made another 1.25″ PVC pipe into a drilling pipe and drilled eight feet below the bottom of his two inch piece for a total of 25 feet.  He quickly removed the 1.25″ drill pipe and put the well screen back down through the two inch pipe.  This put the well screen far enough below the bottom of his two inch piece that it no longer sucked air.  

Randall very cleverly figured out how to put some pea gravel at the bottom of his well to increase production.  Normally it is impossible to put pea gravel down the space between the 1.25″ well screen pipe and the 2.00″ drill pipe.   The pea gravel is just too big.  It will stick and not go all the way to the bottom of the well.   I have only been able to pea gravel  down in this manner when I have a 3.00″ drill pipe and a 1.25″ well screen pipe.

Randall used what he described as very large screened sand.  He says it is called, “Mule Mix.”

It is mined in Ocala, Florida.  As a comparison, most aquarium gravel is about the same size.  I also use this sand in gravity flow filters for my small garden fish pond.   It took a little bumping on the casing but I was able to pour it in.

Randall’s experience can be instructive for the rest of us.   He was somewhat successful on his first try, but he kept working through problems until he had a great well.

Nice Job Randall!

If you can’t find large sand Randall suggests mule mix, ” This stuff is like crushed pieces of brick, and will not break down.  

  A photo is shown below

Mule Mix

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