Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
How to Dig a Well. People have been digging wells since prehistoric times. If you're hoping
to add a well to your backyard by doing it yourself, there are several ways -- both ancient
and modern -- to make sure you never go thirsty. You will need Pick Shovel Bucket Stones Pipe
fitted with screen Driver Drill rig Pump and soft soil (optional). Step 1. Dig a hole in
the ground using a pick and shovel. Use a bucket to remove the soil. Step 2. Continue
digging until you reach the water table. Water will then start filling the bottom of the
hole. Step 3. Line the hole with stones to prevent the sides of the well from collapsing.
Step 4. Try driving a small diameter pipe -- fitted with a filtering screen at its base
-- into the ground as a less labor-intensive alternative to hand digging. Driven wells
-- like hand-dug ones -- can only reach shallow water. And both require soft soil. Step 5.
Hire a truck-mounted drill rig if you want to reach water below the water table. Drill
rigs can drill more than a thousand feet into the ground, and a pump can then be installed
to bring water to the surface. Now you've got your own source of water, without depending
on city pipes. Did you know In 230 BCE, Eratosthenes measured the first radius of the earth on
the summer solstice by knowing that the sun shone directly over a well in Syene, Egypt.