Drilling a Existing Well Deeper in Search for More Water! Great Final Results 

I have a waterwell on my five acres here in Southern Colorado, and it needs to be drilled down to 470 feet, it's at 365 now. I have a pump, but that's it, living on a fixed income and fighting cancer doesn't give much money to do much of anything. I had a nice dream of what this property would be, but once cancer came into the picture, everything changed five years ago when I was diagnosed. I'm glad you were able to fix their situation, may it pump Clean water forever. God bless you all.

I have watched all of the H2O Mechanic’s videos - including the car/motorcycle & other videos and love them all. Bought a home in Texas with 3 existing wells each with it’s own problems. Tomorrow morning I am replacing a well pump that’s on PVC pipe at about 160 feet using a rig I built patterned after what I have seen in these videos. Installing the new pump on 1” black roll pipe using the techniques I have learned here as well. Thank you so much for your hard work not just on the wells but on your channel - you have saved me THOUSANDS !!! PS - Everything I do on these wells takes about 4 times longer, but there is great joy in doing something that very few people even dare to try!

Man I had no idea how complicated drilling a hole in the ground to get water out of could be! Those of us with city water never really realize how much goes into getting water out of the ground!!

I'm from a family of well drillers and am still amazed at the few number of people who understand this process. I'd like to add some information on the difference between a Cable Tool Drill (also called a Hammer Drill) and a Rotary Water Well Drill. It's important to understand the differences from a functional and financial standpoint. A Hammer Drill drops a thousand pound 20' long solid steel drill bar from the height of two feet via a cable under a walking beam, then lifts it up again and repeats this process. The detachable drill bit on the bottom of the drill bar has tungsten carbide "buttons" on the bottom and sides that maintain the size of the typical six inch diameter drill bit so the hole size doesn't change to a cone shape. The half ton drill bar impacts the ground with enough force to grind up the rock in the presence of water to create a sludge called "cuttings". A hammer driller will typically drill 3-6 feet per hour and the operator regularly needs to stop drilling and pump the sludge out of the well (with a twenty foot hollow tube with a dart valve at its bottom) before adding more water (5-10 gallons) typically by using a pail. When water is struck the pump will come out of the hole with more water than the 10 gallons added manually. Conversely, a Rotary Driller turns a pressurized drill tube and the rotating bit at the bottom of the drill tube grinds up rock much more efficiently than a hammer drill. The cuttings are constantly being blown up the outside of the drill tube by pressurized air that is forced down the center of the drill tube (typically 2000 PSI). A Rotary Driller only needs to stop drilling to add another 20' drill tube to extend the well depth. Therefore, a Rotary Drill can drill several wells in one day in decent drilling because of the efficiencies mentioned. So what does this mean to the customer. There are significant differences in the two drilling methods: 1- Impact: The biggest difference is the amount of impact the ground receives. A Hammer Drill pounds violently and this force can easily be felt a mile away if the rock being drilled outcrops near the surface. This impact will agitate any small seam in the rock to allow water to enter the well. But a Rotary Drill grinds away at the rock with only a slight vibration on the rotating drill bit. 2- Time: Drilling in softer rock such as red shale, a Hammer Drill can drill a 100 foot well in two to three days; a week or more in hard rock. A Rotary Drill can drill 2 or 3 wells in one day in soft or even medium hard rock. Many times my Hammer Drill ended the day with a dry 60' hole and returned the next morning to find 5 gallons per minute of water flow. The "Impact" mentioned in #1 above had loosened a slow trickle water seam and the overnight hours allowed it to open up and supply ample water. 3- Pressure: Hammer Drilling requires one to bail out the cuttings so an empty hole 60' deep can have a 60' water head forcing water in any surrounding seam into the well hole. This pressure can cause a slow leak to allow this small seam to be flushed open. Conversely, a Rotary Drill forces 2000 PSI down the drill tube to force cuttings to the surface. Imagine a small water seam in these two cutting removal processes. A Hammer Drill operates with an empty hole with water table pressure trying to access the hole. A Rotary Drill forces cuttings into a water seam with 2000 PSI of pressure to block water access into the hole. 4- Operation Costs: A Hammer Drill business can be started with a $20K drilling machine and a functional half-ton. A Rotary Drill would need a ballpark million dollars for the drill, drill tube service truck and accessories. Instinctively one would prefer a more efficient Rotary Water Drill, but the efficiencies of a newer higher tech Rotary Drill do not translate into a better water well or a cost savings to the customer, only a faster hole. Note, my family has all retired from well drilling, like most Hammer Drillers. I only post this information to educate. I built a house in a subdivision where every house had Rotary wells and they mostly had such a low supply (less than one gallon per minute) from a 200' well that one shower a day was their limit. I paid a Hammer Driller a footage premium to drill my 120' well and got 10 gallons per minute, enough water to run two water sprinklers all day in a dry spell. In summary, find a Hammer Driller, pay him a footage premium to save money and get a great water supply.

I’ve been watching quite a few of your videos and now realize that I have done many things incorrectly on my well. Over the past 35 years years we’ve used a 250 foot deep well producing about 20 gallons per minute serving our domestic needs. Pump set at 200 feet. About 25 years ago, I decided to add a “pump and dump” groundwater heat pump using the existing well. The well supplied plenty of water. The P&D heat pump discharged into a 200 foot “return“ that was drilled for that purpose. The heat pump used almost 3000 gallons per day in addition to our domestic water needs. (BTW The return well never received all the return water and produced a swamp in its vicinity). Starting with a small three-quarter horsepower Goulds pump which soon failed, we had to pull the pump and replaced it. Upon tearing the old pump apart, I found the impellers were completely clogged with a very fine silt. It almost resembled Portland cement which couldn’t be cleaned out at all, so the pump had to be replaced. We went with a larger one horsepower pump. About three years later, we replaced the one horsepower pump with a one and a half horsepower, AeroMotor brand pump (same failure, plugged impellers). After another three years it failed and once again it got replaced. After three or four pumps (about every three years) we gave up on the “pump and dump” heat pump. We drilled two more 200 foot wells in the vicinity of the original “return” well that had been installed for original heat pump, and installed a new “closed loop” heat pump. With 600 feet of vertical loop plus another 100 feet back to the heat pump which gave a total of almost 800 feet of loop. The new heat pump has been working well for the last 11 years “knock on wood“ but I know that the one and a half hp pump that’s in the bottom of the residential well could give up most anytime, especially knowing all the mistakes that I made with all those past pumps that went down the well. I installed all of them with a torque arrestor and centering discs but I know I never taped the wire anywhere so who knows, at age 78 I just hope it lasts until I’m gone. Still watching your RU-vid videos. Wish there was something like your channel many years ago (before cell phones😳🫤🙄☺️😀). I live in Central Pennsylvania

Thank you for the excellent content & the quality of your video’s! Since my husband passed 4 yrs ago I’ve had to replace everything from the pump all the way to the house with very little help, on a strict budget and learning as I went. Lived for 1 1/2yrs having to turn power off & on to the well or no water. (used a hose for 6mons from my sisters next door to water the ranch animals) Just found your channel and I love it! Learning a lot and refreshing this 62 yr old Gramma’s memory!! Thanks so much!! ❤

What a son, your a true professional

This is an amazing video. Ling up the drill rig on an existing well is quite the task. You do amazing things to drill a well for your clients. Keep up the great work!!!

You might say it was well-done! Awesome job! 😀

We had to go deeper in our well in PA the well went dry I think the well was 160 feet or so I think the original was in the 125 or so range. The drilling company went deeper in the same well. We had a rod pump, most people use a submersible pump now. Our farm had a 20 foot well and the water was horrible. Even collagen said drill a new well. Then call us if you want a softener. We never called because the new well was the best tasting water. Even my uncle used to take some home to drink. 73

I love your videos. I’ve watched all of them to date. One thing I wish you would include is the total well specs on each well such as total depth, depth where water was struck, well yield, static water level, and pump set depth. You could include it at the end with a graphic or just a reading of the data. I’m fascinated at how the drilling process is constant yet the results can be so different from location to location. Again, great work and nice videos. Keep it up!

I remember as a kid in the 60s, folks with summer homes near ours having wells dug with those old 'pounder' rigs. They'd say drilling rigs, but they sounded (and looked) like 'pounders' to me. These new rigs of today seem so much more efficient. 😁😆

I have watched many of your videos, and its amazing how deep you have to go, and sometimes how little water you find. I live in southern Michigan, and literally all the water i want on a 30 foot well with a 1/2hp top pump does everything i need in the shop. The house is a submersible but not much deeper. Code or something. I dont drink the shop water, its there for washing stuff or fire watch when welding. Keep up with the awesome, informative content!

It is amazing what the rigs can stand and do. Great job with the whole job.

18:43 Wow I feel blessed I can pump 60 gallons a minute out of my 2" irrigation pump

I am obviously ignorant on water wells but I had no clue fracking was used in that industry also. Makes complete sense!

Brilliant video! Came across your channel last week I've watched quite a lot of videos now. I never even knew this was a thing drilling wells in peoples gardens uk term 😁 keeps up the good work it's a fascinating process. 👍🏻

Amazing skill thanks for sharing you work with us, looks like exhausting at times.

Always a great & informative videi

All about being professional experience and knowing your craft along with your equipment

so weird i dont have well city water but for some reason i love watching your work, the best thing is you work smart and know what are you doing , wish you was up north i would hire you just to the sake of it :)

im a plumber,and i love ur videos thanks for ur good work

Fascinating. Thanks for sharing. All that work and just a few more lengths of drill pipe. Crazy.

Our well was dug first in 1994 375 ft 40 gallons a min. Ran dry after well wasn't used for years then in 2019 dug it anther 150 ft hit more water than the Guage could read. My tag says 100gpm

Appreciate your dedication to your profession. 💪🏻

We need some of you well drillers up in the NW. It took me 3 years to get my hole drilled with me being on the list of two different well drillers., and now am waiting on the pump installation, which is a separate company all together. Well drillers up here for some reason do not instal pumps. Just found your channel and it is great.

hi there, instead of a regular plumb bob that truck movement and wind affect, perhaps a self leveling laser plumb that projects a beam downward would be a better bet, unless you need a plumb bob very infrequently...

always enjoy seeing people work hard to fix existing problems drilled wells and shot fire just a suggestion cribed drills and other heavy equipment your cribbing should start level it will slide on it self and bend the heck out of your steels never thought of removeing front tires can always learn somthing

We don't usually have the elevation changes like that here in central Florida, but that alignment tool was genius. Wish I would thought of that. Good job.

Good job

To make your teams and life work easier, I highly recommend you carry 1" thick 4' x 8' sheets of uhmw poly board at least 2 on the drill truck. They can survive almost anything and they make crossing dangerous terrain easy.

Always excited for your videos

Dam son, I think we found something you do well!

What great work!

I was a well driller for ten years or so. Young man's job

Nice job

plumb good 👍

you sir have my respect

Awesome job getting the rig leveled, etc. Maybe need a plumb bob with a laser pointer in the tip shooting a beam down on that orange cap. LOL

If you could modify a plumb bob with a bore sight in the end of it.... That would be nice.

Thanks for the content. Love your channel.

Great topic & vid!

Maybe you can use that nice inspection camera but stick it in a hole right next to the plumb bob string hole so you can see exactly where you need to go. just a thought. Have a great day

My well gets 19 gallons an HOUR, 1/2 gallon a minute is over 50% more water and with a family of four we don't have any issues. Can't water the lawn but with 450 gallons reserve we don't have any issues except when the toilet gets stuck. Given how high the water came up they must've had over 200 gallons reserve just in the well alone before re-drilling.

I set up trailers for years, 1' drop over 20' looks bad aftet you go out 80' that is 4' plus the 18"-24" minimum height required for plumbing and such, typically 24"-32" is the most without getting crafty and expensive!! We did all the difficult setups, in places ppl said were impossible, we nearly pulled frames out from under homes going up hills that steep, and broke trailer tongues off backing trailers uo 60° + hills required two D8 dozers one pulling one pushing backwards! Elevation is everything!

You should try a laser pointer insead of a plumbob.

I would make that rig thing and replace the plumb Bob with a laser. No swinging with the laser. Great video.

In Kansas in most of central Kansas , you drill 60 foot and you will hit secondary water ( into the aquifer) mostly sand and clay.

Great job as usual. If a customer has rusty water and if drilling deeper for cleaner water is possible, whats the cost to do something like that. approx is OK.

We’re here in northern Arizona with our house at 6000’ elevation. Back in 2006 we has a well drilled. They went down 490’ into the Coconino sandstone. They hit water at 390’, and the bottom 100’ is so the well will be efficiently replenished. We pump 12 gallons per minute with a 3 HP pump and can do that all day. We have a 3000 gallon tank up the hill that we use for gravity feed pressure. We generally go through one tank about every 2-3 weeks.

Interesting

When you says you get 'er done , your right.

Good informative video! We have a 600+/- water well here in north Texas that we will need to have fixed. Years ago, my father in law got tired of 'fixing' it, and hooked up to city water. We would like to see if we can remove the old pump jack and put a submersible pump in it's place, and get enough water for livestock and irrigating big garden. We will have to find someone that can give us a bid. :)

Ca-ching on this job! $$$$$$$$.

You would think that today there would be plum bobs with a laser in the bottom to make reading faster and easier. But all I have ever seen is ones that point upward for overheat fixture alignments.

We never had that much trouble ever landing the rig over a hole must have a great spotter

Well. That's a DEEEEP subject

And what do you do if you hit shallow gas or oil by chance? Has this ever happened to you or anybody else?

We just moved the pipe down then dropped a quarter stick of dynamite down the pipe ...plenty of water after that ...

A good trick to line up of a experence drilleralso hope for a streight bore

Hey man how far can you dig with one of these things? Are you able to dig for geothermal heat?

This video was great, I would hate to have a well that deep but he has plenty of water

Did you ever have the ground blow out from under one of your jacks while you are drilling, and your committed to stay there. Have seen it happen. Dave D.

At least there wasn't a pump house there too. I really don't like pump houses. Stay safe!

Chad a question : Could the chambers of the barrels not be polished with a sacrificial case doped with a dab of fine valve compound or a felt mandrel loaded with matchless metal polishing compound ? Useing light pressure spinning while the polish loaded mandrel with a drill or a lathe at low speeds and light pressures apply to the tool. I have learned how to such repairs like this in the past at a gunsmithing school located in Colorado . Also not a perfect repair , it does allow a otherwise unserviceable rifle barrel to achieve a partial useful life versus being a paperweight or expensive pisto blankl blank.

I don’t understand, how do you extend the casing and perf ?

I think a gravel pad around that hole would have been a great investment for them and y'all's rig

Im in NC, and this looks somewhat familiar!

Videos are great. I own a water filtration/purification business, also a licensed plumber and licensed well tech. A well driller in my area hit a methane gas source while drilling, burned a one year old rig to the ground and the brand new, not even moved into yet, custom built log home that was only 40ft away

Respected, subcontractors that are drilling wells on open pit coal mine (water wall), have extendable stabilizer legs. Something that looks similar to stabilizers on mobile cranes (or how are they called i'm not sure) would be such an improvement for stability of the rig (in my humble opinion). I don't have any pictures or videos of them working since this is strictly forbidden, but rigs are kind of similar, except the working platform with commands is on the left side and not on left back like on yours, much more instruments and buttons and levers. Think the rig is quite bigger also, and they do bore up to 250 mm on our site, sometimes some extra large holes (who knows for what) too. Thanks You very much for very informative and educational videos. Best Regards.

Amazing, I had no idea this was possible. And it turned ou fantastic, what's not to like? ;)

When do you know when to refill and when to hydro frac it?

Would it be better to dig a hole for the front tires to go in?

So is the pump still at 200 ft or did you make the line longer, you didn't show it in your video.

… also called plumb bob in some circles

You do deeper, you need a bigger rig to drill a bigger downhole. Stepping the bore will make it easier to get equipment down bore and easier to drill. That is how the oil field roughnecks out on the ocean rigs do it.

I’m guessing you use air to bring your cuttings up out of the hole???

How are you determining how much water . Gpm is coming out white the op for a set up?

I Hang a plumb Bob on it .😅

I'm sure you've thought about using a winch to make small repositions of your rig?

Is there a way to tell how deep your existing well is without pulling the pump. I don't have any documentation showing anything about the well

Yes it can be drilled deeper

Just had mine redrilled deeper. 140 foot extra

I’m in the Mojave Desert My well is 150 feet and I make 40 gallons a minute.

I think I would charge for excavation of a pad when lining up to a existing well

A green laser plumb bob might help. Now neighbor will complain you are taking “their water 💦 “ 😊

a weighted laser on a self leveling gimble would be nice.

What's the cost comparison between drilling a new well vs redrilling an existing hole? Also, does the homeowner need to do any paperwork with the county on redrilling the existing hole? Thanks

Hardest thing is lining up to it

I would say, that aligning the rig up over an existing well would be the one time I would absolutely want a backup camera lol.

Question, wondering why not drill along side of previous well suite ? Instead of going thru that wo4k.

So how did you pump the water up and what did you use for a pump and hose or pipe?

Hey can you do a video on Shallow wells I have what's believed to be but would like to talk over phone or some way

I think part of the casing on my 100 foot water well has collapsed but I can't get anyone around here to drill an existing well out so I have had to haul water to have it.

how do you calculate the gpm with the drill rods still in the well? I do a lot of well work and curious how you know

I wanted to see the part when you resleeved the casing. Or did you.??

should put a laser pointer on that bob.

Being from Florida I never heard of a well running dry, but now living in PA my well has gone dry multiple times in the last several years. I have seen you frack a well and drill them deeper. Is there any value to drilling one deeper and fracking it? I’m getting tired of running out of water and willing to try just about anything to keep it from happening again.

… could jack one side then the other to walk right one way or the other

How do y’all know when hit water. Hard for me to tell because you’re already using water while drilling