Boreholes

No Breezer, I'm saying most Americans don't use a submersible pump, unlike the English in your link.

They drop a pipe down the liner, with a non-return valve/filter which then has to be primed. the pump is above ground, and can be any power source available or multiple powers.

As a foot note, sand is one of the biggest problems the Americans have in bore holes. not good for pumps.

doitall said:

Not so Breezer.

The bore hole has to be lined or the ducks foot becomes clogged, also they use the pipe down the hole system, as per your pic, very rarely do they use a submersible pump.

Click to expand...

I have to disagree the modern and more efficient way to extract water from a borehole is by a submersable pump. We have used this on all boreholes we have used to extract water for heat pumps. Granted this is in the UK where we like to do things efficiently!

The borehole on my water supply in Lagos has a submersible pump. Its about 60 m deep. It has been lined with a blue poly water tube.

The problem is the water is from sandstone which contains iron. Removiron is almost impossible on a domestic scale and it stains all the baths etc.

Tony

does this mean i am right? (like i said in the first place?)

hi all never heard of concrete lined bore holes? we have one at work 50 m down they just bore hole drop plastic say 6" pipe down to water . the pipe is perferated where its in water then a bullet shaped sub pump is dropped down with its own say 2" pipe and the water comes out . And its free water no more water bills, a friend of mine sunk his own by knocking steel pipe in ground.lots of it

They should be paying for an extraction Licence and for sewerage charges!

Tony

http://members.lycos.co.uk/fdungan/well.htm

I've probably got other links if you want more information.

A borehole is a well. Wells were formerly dug by hand and lined with masonry as they were sunk. They're now drilled; it's easier, less spoil and can be sunk below the water level. The borehole has to be lined with a well casing or it will collapse; Durapipe used to make them.

The casing has to be grouted into the borehole, to prevent contamination of the aquifer with surface water, which contains nasty organisms. The bottom section is slotted to allow water to seep in. I think the lower section is back-filled with gravel and a concrete slurry used to seal the upper section. Water is extracted by a submersible bore-hole pump (long narrow, multi-stage cetrifugal job); Grundfos make them.


The Alternative Technology people do a book on hand-drilled wells, that they were installing in rural areas of Africa; it's an interesting read, even if you don't want to drill a well. All the auger bits were welded up locally. The ground water is contaminated with toxic organisms, sewage or guinea worm larvae; the ingested larvae hatch inside the body and the mature worm emerges through a limb. Cattle are often infected, but it does affect people who have no safe water source and you can be crippled if the worm emerges through a joint. Makes a hose pipe ban sound less of an imposition, doesn't it?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borehole

Information on old hand dug wells;
http://www.kurg.org.uk/sites/wells.htm

Lagos, Tony? Not a villa on the Costa? I thought the iron could be removed with a greensand filter, maybe I'm thinking of hydrogen sulphide.

"""Guinea worm disease is a parasitic worm infection that occurs mainly in Africa. It is also called dracunculiasis [dra-KUNK-you-LIE-uh-sis].
People get infected when they drink standing water containing a tiny water flea that is infected with the even tinier larvae of the Guinea worm.
Inside the human body, the larvae mature, growing as long as 3 feet. After a year, the worm emerges through a painful blister in the skin, causing long-term suffering and sometimes crippling after-effects.
Infection can be avoided, even in areas where the disease is very common. Use only water that has been filtered or obtained from a safe source. Keep people with an open Guinea worm wound from entering ponds or wells used for drinking water."""

Since they have about 100 cases a year in Nigeria I will not drinking my well water any more! However its seems the infection is carried mainly from open wells which have been infected by someone who has the worm! Sounds unlikely from a 60m deep pipe well! Better get some bottled water in!

Tony

An old pub I used to frequent, Called the "welldiggers" Has an old invoice on the wall.

For excavating and lining with stone.

20 feet & 1shilling.
10 feet & 2shillings.
7feet & 2shillings and sixpence.

£2.17.6

Not bad work for digging a 37ft hole.

I know a guy who's father used to dig them.

He was saying they would dig a 6ft hole and build it up and out of the ground to form a chimney, then they would dig out from under the wall and the chimney would slowly sink, whereas they would stick more bricks/stone on the top.

Before drilling, you need to find out where the water is, how is this done?

You can call DIA and ( for a fee ) he will come and devine a location to dig the well.

Before he disappears I must remember to ask him to show me how to do it!

Update, Martha says she learnt water devining on her farming course! I will ask her to have a look in the garden later!

Maybe she will quote a lower fee than DIA ?

Tony

two pieces of hazel about 2 feet long are used i think to devine, agile by the way no sewerage charge because boss has septic tank one that degrades only emptyed every 7 years so about £ 150 pounds every 7 years not bad hey . and as for water i think youl find you dont have to pay to extract the small amount of water for drinking purposes. unless you are using it for buisness purposes thinks its an old law sure some one will correct me if i am wrong ?

the ground water is only the same that i collect in my water butts but has travelled through the soil rocks im surprise we dont have to pay for the rain then lol

What are abstraction licences?

In England and Wales, the Environment Agency (EA) is responsible for ensuring that water resources are managed effectively. This role is principally fulfilled through a system of abstraction licensing administered by the Environment Agency. As a requirement under the Water Resources Act of 1991, almost everyone who wants to take water from a surface (e.g. river, stream or canal) or underground source must obtain a licence to do so from the Agency. In Scotland, there are no abstraction licences in existence. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) have recently called for the introduction of a licencing system similar to that employed by the EA.

An abstraction licence gives the holder a right to take water from the stated source every year, until the licence expires or until the holder wishes to give up that right by cancelling the licence. A licence guarantees that no one else who would require a licence can lawfully take the share of water allocated to the holder.

An abstraction licence will generally state:

how much water can be taken;
what the water can be used for;
the land where the water can be used;
the name and address of the licenced abstractor;
the duration of the licence;
the source of supply, e.g. name of underground strata or river
the means of abstraction, e.g. borehole or river intake;
conditions to protect other interests and the water environment;
the means by which abstraction is measured and records kept.
Further restrictions could be placed on licences depending on specific local conditions.