Driving a shallow well with a sandpoint. FAIL! LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES! 

At age 78, I've done thousands of projects ....some worked, some didn't. We've all been discouraged at times, but kept going....that's the message. I must admit, there were times during this video you made me laugh....reminded me of my frustrations. You're a trooper.....keep trudging along.

When attaching coupler to pipe, you never will fully bottom out all threads. Pipe threads are not straight inline with the pipe - they are angled so they pull up tighter. Also, when threadded connections are so tight they won't come apart - heating the outer part (Coupler) with a torch will expand it slightly to help it release from the pipe.

Hey Terry, I haven't commented in a while. This is why we love you because most RU-vidrs wouldn't even upload a video like this. I don't think I've ever seen you so defeated, it made me sad. I love your heart,your determination and even when you crush your balls you're still pleasant. You really are a special person and I know we're just subscribers to you but I do think of you as a friend. If I ever win the lottery I'm going to give you money so you can put a well in professionally. Thank you for your content and thank you for your generosity of spirit. Shawn

They will come apart without dope you just need bigger wrenches or cheater pipes for extra leverage to get them apart. Anytime you screw fittings together it will always take a lot more torque to unscrew them. Someone mentioned heating the coupler with a torch, you can do the same thing with 2 hammers. Hold 1 hammer against the side of the coupler and hit the opposite side with the other. In the oilfield we called it warming up the connection, actually works pretty good when you don't have a torch handy.

Terry, one thing is for certain. You are not a quitter. Your determination is admirable. Best of luck moving forward. Your camp is a great example of your hard work. That’s a lot to be proud of.

Gotta love the intestinal fortitude you display my friend. Makes me appreciate my rain catchment system and 12v pump setup for running water in the cabin.

Thank you for being real! I bought all my sandpoint well stuff in 2021 and am now trying to learn how to install it as thinking with all the weird weather and other things I need to get an alternate way to get water in an emergency as we have a deep well powered by electricity as our water source. I love that you shared all the problems and some of the things you have learned. You are a blessing. Gonna try it but if I fail ....well what you said is true. If I don't try I for sure won't hit water.

That is why I like your videos , you show mistakes and let people learn from them. Cheers

Love your determination Terry. It's motivating as well as comforting to know I'm not the only one!!!

Thank you for keeping it real. Trial and error builds new skills. I haven't decided how I'm going to do water. I've found old homesites nearby that have the remnants of hand dug wells. I'm pretty sure that the water table is pretty high, but it's going to be a gamble to get a sandpoint to work for me

Great tips ! I’m going to do one this summer and I will be thinking of your video! Thanks for sharing

I LOVED this video! Insanely intriguing to watch. So realistic! It’s tapping into my inner soul. Reflects the daily struggles of all men out there. Starts with how he bought these a while ago and didn’t get to kick off the project for like 2 years 😂 Then continues with big hopes, and a reasonable hypothesis why it should have water.. and then kicks off and keeps refining and adjusting towards the goal. So many trips to the hardware store. The doubts, the fear, the struggles… So realistic man! Felt like I was there cleaning the pipe threads, torquing, and even trying to get the wrench out, and having some of the bbq. Great video!

The struggle is real. APPRECIATE your determination, been there many times myself. Think we can just power through the obstacle facing us.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I am planning to install one myself. And I have some more researching to do!

I fully understand your frustration! Every project I do is a comedy of errors. My most recent was yesterday. A project that should have taken 15 minutes took all day. I've just accepted the fact that it's always gonna be like this. I think the devil is messing with me.

This was me last summer. Failed at my first sandpoint well like you. Smash cap seized to the pipe. Went about 15 feet down and had to pull it. Used a farm jack and broke 2 wrenches getting it up. Very sandy soil so it was a challenge and had to dig down 10 feet to get enough leverage to salvage the sandpoint. Going to retry this year at a new spot downhill.

Suggestions: Chain Wrench for the Couplings. It will distribute the force around the coupler without "egging" the coupler and seizing it up. Use Aluminum Rigid 3' pipewrench 18 or so inches away from the coupler to hold the pipe. Rent a demolition hammer or gas powered fence driver to drive the pipe.

I feel your frustration bud. I’m at my cabin at Vermilion now and seriously felt like running over to try to lend a hand or at least some support. Learning is often painful but sometimes it’s worth it. Thanks for posting such an honest video Terry !!!

Im glad im not alone on these projects! But persistence always wins!! Good job!

Well you have a great week see you on next video love your videos here from Ontario Canada ❤️❤️❤️❤️🇨🇦🇨🇦😎

You did a good job ,even if just for learning...Don't give up! Thank for letting us watch

Just think how thankful and proud to have gotten your own water.

I really appreciate your effort. Projects that go this way can be very frustrating.

One other note: After you get the sand point driven into the ground (1st section) you then backfill around the pipe, before driving it further. That way if you drop things (Like a wrench) it only lands on the ground. Also, it helps keep the pipe steady so it's not wobbling around while being driven.

"and then I dropped the wrench down the hole." Man, this sounds like one of my projects already.

I'm Sorry to see that I was not the only one struggling with this same project.......Hope we both can figure things out. Best wishes Bud

Watching this in preparation. Wish me luck. Thanks for all the pointers. I chuckled a lot as it's all too familiar with my 1 day projects around here.

Great video..thank u for sharing 😊

Drive coupling are not made to strike, that's what the drive cap is for. When I sell a driven well set up, I always include 3-4 short pieces of 8-10" pipe. If using a drive cap they would be threaded on both ends. If using a jack hammer attachment, then they are threaded on one end only. Those short pieces take the impact and are disposable. We rent a pipe driver attachment for a jackhammer that fits inside a 2" pipe and takes a lot of the work out of driving a well. You will never get the pipe all the way onto the threads. They are tapered, and the way the pipe thread cutter works, there will always be some threads showing and are too "fat" to fit into the coupling. Thanks for posting so we can all learn from your experience. Every well driving job is different.

Sorry it didn't work out Terry. But at least you learned some valuable info if you decide to try again in the future. Got to hand it to you buddy, you showed a lot of determination and put in a lot of hard work. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Terry, i remember at age of 12, my father used two wires to find water, one in each hand and when the water is located the wires cross, this method is called water dowsing, we only found water in the middle of our drive way, its not always where we want it but we did find it and punched a 600ft well and had lots of water. Best of luck from Appalachia.

I love ur channel so when I give un founded comments or suggestions I don't mean to sound all knowing or negative. I just have a problem with regurgitation. I see something my mouth just goes. Lol ur a smart determined man u'll figure it out!!

I recently bought the pitcher pump and the well drive point piece. I called a well company and they weren't any help. Our neighbor said the old well dried up a long time ago but that was a deep well. We live on a large pond so there has to be water under the ground. I want to be able to water my garden and my chickens, we also catch rain water in barrels but I am getting ready to do this so thank you for the tips, I've watched a lot of videos and people usually hit water, now I'm nervous after watching you, I hope and pray I hit water!

I've used a pump like that MANY times. My brother has a camp on a riverside piece of land, and the river is our water source. I wish you luck on getting your projects just the way you want them to be.

Here in Southern Ontario where I live the ground is very sandy and sand points are very common, instead of driving them in we jet them in by attaching a pressurized water source and put the pipe down with little pounding, sometimes the pipe just slides down with hand guidance.

Great job Tre, just keep at it. Better than not doing anything or just sitting around bored. Not you😀keep livin and diggin ❤😊

"One day, easy project..." You are clearly not related to me! Thanks for the 3 gotchas, extremely valuable!

Definitely go a few more sections if possible. Root cellar/storm shelter is a must. Good luck Tre.

Thanks for the video. When I got 8 ft down I stripped the threads on the red cap. Had to use a sacrificial coupler and nipple. Pounded the nipple from 6 inches to 3 but it worked (until I tried to get the coupler out!) Had to walk away for the night out of frustration. That next day, like you, I was able to free the coupler but the pipe threads are slightly bent.

Hello! I'm watching your video, have a nice day.❤❤❤

Oh, Tré, I feel for ya, buddy. It's so frustrating. You worked so hard and thought it all through. Maybe a rain catchment system instead with water filters? I'm glad you took breaks to run and get some RD therapy. 😊 The canine doctor can work magic. Be well and stay safe. Your mate in NOLA.

I wish I was living in USA , You Guys are so cool

I'm learning! I'm learning! 😊

I've wanted to put in a sand point for watering my garden at our remote cabin but when I dug the outhouse hole there were a lot of rocks in the 4-6' section. It seems that digging another hole to get through that was too much work. Of course I dug the outhouse hole about 30 years ago so maybe it's time for a new hole, anyway. LOL. Very good video.

Wow, you are no quitter, but you also have some tough soil there! I'm about to make my own well. Thank God I'm in FL and my property is just about all sand, not to mention that the water table is really high. Wish me luck!

Yikes! Im cheering for you. A sandpoint is a wonderful thing!

Dang it! Keep going my friend!

You had me on the edge of my seat the whole video. I felt your frustration when you didn't hit water. There's a website in MN that tells where all the known wells are and how deep they are. It might be helpful. Good luck.

Well, (no pun intended), your shirt said "I WILL" and after watching your video's, I believe that you will figure out the water situation. Frustrating for you but so very inspiring for those of us living "off grid" through you and your adventures. Hang in there. God bless.

My father did the same thing. He tried to place a well next to a building. On the high and dry sections of land, the water flows towards the low areas. The water table changes almost opposite of the topography. You may even get some water from your well, but not enough to draw up. Your best bet is to try in one of the low points you describe early in the video. My father eventually used the first well he drove and buried pipe some 50 ft to supply the building.

I feel your pain, dude,,,, I had to pull out my well point after it was 13 feet down. I used a chain around the pipe and used a pry bar as a fulcrum. It was slow going but it came out. I’m starting over. The drive cap was useless. When I try again I will rent a gas powered post driver.

Hey Terry! Sorry about the well attempt, I seem to have the same luck at the Mistress as you do some weekends. My well is sitting at about 8-10 ft waiting for me to start back up

I think your best bet like a lot of off gridders, is to invest in a rain water catchment system. The 275-300 gal totes are fairly cheap and you just gave to put a gutter or gutters on your cabin and plumb it in. In fact the $ you put into a sand point well would have covered it.

Hi: I tried installing a sandpoint well at my home on NC's Inner Banks. You would think I would hit water rather quickly but I was wrong! I could only get the pipe down about 8 feet when I bent the pipe! I could not get the pipe out! I felt like a failure until I watched your video. Now I don't feel all alone :-) Can't wait to see what you'll try next.

Im right where you were, i am about to drive a Sandpoint well but first I'm going to weld up something to use a tripod with and my property up north is nothing but sand here in Michigan. I'm praying i hit water.

Thank for the info

If you keep your wrenches closer together on the pipe and coupling (one just below the threads on the threads on the pipe and the other on the bottom half of the coupling) while keeping your wrench closer in angle (you were 90 degrees apart - try 15 degrees so you are squeezing the two handles together versus pulling on handles) it will be more effective. I would try pouring some clean water down the pipe when you return to see if the point is simply plugged from the clay. Good luck!

Like others have suggested, for those stuck couplings, I would heat them with a torch, get them to expand.

Hi Terry, you need BIGGER wrenches and a lot of heat. Not propane, maybe map gas will heat it up enough, but oky/act will give you enough heat. Also,tie cords on your wrenches so you can pull them out of the holes. Hope you hit water!

Ugh, experienced all of these frustrations and mistakes, too!! In Wisconsin, you can't legally go further than 25 feet, so we get it! We struck water, but then hit a rock shortly thereafter. Exhausting. We try again next year 🫣😅

Hey Terry, Tough break on the well attempt. I have no experience with harvesting water that way so I can’t offer any advice. My property in the mountains of VA is completely different terrain that’s mostly clay & rock. I have no plans to have a well professionally dug so for now, I pump out of my creek coming off the mountain. I treat it and filter it and I’ve had no issues yet. I’ll soon be harvesting rain water but that’s only good outside of winter then I’ll be back to the creek til Spring. Take a break, try some more research and maybe you can find a workable solution. Good luck and stay safe!

So the other day i had one of those days.. blew a trailer tire out on a 8 lane hwy.. no spare, but clise to store, drop trailer get spare tire, get back to trailer, jack up trailer, trailer falls right on the new spare popping it....❤❤😅😅 and so on....

I just started one of these yesterday. Ran out of time & had to head back, im only down about 6 feet lol next time I'm bringing a gas powered driver

I hate that the project didn't go well. But does make me feel better that it's not just my luck that every project I do seems to be disasters. Especially the ones that were supposed to be "Easy" ones. Those seem to be the ones that are the largest disasters. Hoping the move of the well works for you and goes more as planned. I am planning to put one of these type of well pumps in at some land soon myself and I think I have watched every RU-vid video for this type well. But I am sure I will come up with some new problem no one else has ever had. LOL!!

Hang in there Bud!!

I put down a 2 inch point well 20 feet. 2" because its the smallest banks will consider as a well. I got lucky and it flows to about 24 inches. And we have some drop so can siphon out of well too. I use a 2 stroke water pump because well is at bottom of ridge. Took the pitcher pump back because didn't need. We have a couple of springs on the property and well is about 30 feet from one.

The big thing is you need to have a sacrificial section of pipe at the top between your drive cap and drive coupling, it doesn't have to be long say 5 or 6". The pounding will still destroy the threads but it will be on the sacrificial pipe instead if that makes sense. Boy do I feel your pain on all of this after just installing a sandpoint myself, it was WAY more work than what I think folks initially realize. For me, I had quite a bit of clay and rock to deal with and had to abandon two holes because I could not get further than around 5'. I was finally successful at finding water but it was around 20' in my case and it took a hell of a lot of effort to get there.

Well I enjoyed the video anyway. I'm going to try auger digging first before input pipe down. The post augers that let you add sections can drill well over 20 feet but it's alot of work.

i have driven a couple of these and I have learned that you should always get double or more of what you think you will need and just return what you did not have to use once the job is done.

Hi Teri You tried so very hard. That's what counts!!😊

2 Rigid 36" pipe wrenches would have helped a lot. Take it from a Pipe-fitter there is a big difference between cheap and quality pipe wrenches.

Still our hero buddy. Sometimes things don't work out. My guess you will sit back...refigure and overcome. Again you inspire us with each episode.

To bad you didn’t get water after all the work. I had my well drilled by a company, after they drilled and 180 feet they knew water level was at 70 feet. I was told by the driller that they do that in order to have enough water and don’t run out. Three months after when they went to install the pump the well collapsed. I had to spend $3500.00 more to install a 4” pvc liner/ screen. I do have plenty of water, but that is to show you that even professional that drilled wells for a living can and will fail for time to time. Great Video.

First thing to do is ask your neighbors!! If they have lived there a while, they'll know or know somebody that does have a shallow well. (or if it's not worth the effort). That person can probably tell you a lot about the ground. Sometimes you can hit water lower than 25 feet and still make it work with an electric pump. If you have to pull 25 feet with a pitcher pump, a couple gallons will be a workout!! Sometimes when you punch through a clay layer "cap" water will come up into the pipe. Plan on "developing the well". pumping water up followed by pumping water down. By cleaning out fine clay and silt, the pump should produce better. But if you don't have electric, I'd suggest getting aa generator. You'll want one eventually and that can open up some options for sinking your well. I suggest 3000 to 4000 watt continuous. That will allow for some heavy duty power tools. I'd also suggest getting an electric transfer/watering pump, hoses, fittings etc. I'd also pick up a poly sprayer tank arout 100 gallons or so something that will fit in the back of a pick up truck. I guarantee that you'll find uses for it later. If your well ends up some distance away, it will be handy for hauling water to your cabin. I have one I keep on a small trailer with a small gas 2 stroke pump and 50 feet of fire hose. This can be handy for a lot of things including fire control! Alternatively, you can find used poly tote tanks quite a bit cheaper. Standard size is 275 gallon. Keep in mind, that will be close to 2500 lbs full. They make god storage tanks at your cabin. Put some bleach in it to keep it fresh, but this would be water for washing, showers, etc. For drinking water use a smaller 5 gallon water tank for that purpose. But what these things buy you for your well are several things Putting water down into your starting hole makes driving easier. You might also use it to "jet" a well. Plenty of videos on that subject. You can usually use PVC pipe for this which is cheaper. For the 1-1/4 drive points you can rent an electric jack hammer pretty cheap and they make bits for driving pipes,. I've driven steel well point wells this way and it is the way to go!! They make gas versions too but almost all rental places have the electric ones. Always have a couple "cheater" pipes 4-5 foot long!!! If you salvage parts of your failed attempts, you'll at least have cheater pipes! I'd hesitate to try reusing unless you rethreaded, used new drive couplings etc. You can buy a HF hand threader in 1-1/4 inch fairly cheap. Use it to dress or slightly lengthen pipe threads before you start. Think along the lines of buying tools like this with other future uses. Tighten as you go when driving. Using drive caps and a hammer is a good way to mess up threads if you hit a bit off the mark. I just use drive couplings but not with a hammer! Pope dope yes! Heat on stuck couplings along with cheaters! You learned the hard way! Most everybody does on their first one! I made a custom driver with about 3 foot of 1" rod with round steel plates welded together and a lifting bar. Looks kinda like half a barbell! Weighs around 35 lbs or so! Drove quite a few points with this until I discovered the jack hammer method. If you are going to do it right, with less labor, plan on investing a bit with things I mentioned that will save you some work and that you will find useful down the line. I see some other good hints in the comments here too! After success or two, you'll get a feel for the ground. Usually, you'll want to punch through a dense clay layer to get to good water. You can feel it as it really slows down and then improves when you're in water bearing sand. The layering you find in the area will tend to be pretty similar in the area, but at different depths. You can get water out of a clay layer, but the point will tend to plug up before very long. A good idea to put a check valve and ball valve up top. That will save you priming headaches. You can use tees and additional valves with a banjo fitting to quick connect a pump and put a pitcher pump on top. Use the valve to isolate each. I have a few set up this way in different locations on my property where I have stuff planted. I can quickly swap my little gas pump on the trailer to draw from the well and fill the water tank or pump directly. My suggestion is to invest in the generator first and build from there. Having power when you need it, pays for itself quickly. Hope all these tips help! The drive well point sounds easier than it is. Having some helpful tools ready, saves time, work and frustration.

I know in MI theres a website where you can check your area for well drilling charts that show depths and other info related. Im sure other states do this also.

Driving onto schedule 40 galvanized pipe is a problem. It's soft threads crush easily . Schedule 80 is considerably more expensive but a lot stronger.

Man that sucks all the hard work. Don’t give up (I don’t think you will). I do o know if you do get it working you need to soak the pump get the cow hide in it wet. That’s what we have to do. Good luck with it

Bigger pipe wrenches or pipes to fit over the pipe wrench handles for more leverage is what I did. You need a come a long with a tpee to pull the pipe which I have done many times.

Ours is at 39 feet. We had the same problems you did. Gotta go deeper my friend. We have good, useable water at 39'.

Terry, do you have any natural springs near your camp? I bought two 275 gallon ibc totes and fill one up at the spring then use a pump to transfer it to the tote next to my camp.

I've used cheater bars on the pipe wrenches up to 4-6' in length. Brace/wedge one stationary pipe wrench with its cheater bar against the tire of your car (pulled closer to work). Then just reef on the other pipe wrench with its long cheater bar to unscrew.

these "off grid" sandpoint videos are always frustrating. ive only seen one sucessfully done and it took 2-3 attempts and finally moving 50-70 yards into a small valley to get water. This is were you pay a proffessional to put in a well on your property. ive learned from these youtube vids not to attempt this👍. youre not the only one that the elusive sandpoint well has stymied on youtube, dont feel bad Tre, you gave it a valiant try.

Sorry Tre, would check again on next trip before pulling pipe, if possible. I agree with the clay theory , it’s probably why you have those swampy areas in spring. The water can’t drain through.

Hacksaw/cutoff wheel and split the coupling. Take a screwdriver and pop it right open. Then stop using the couplings to hammer on.

I learned very fast you must go buy pipe threader preferably a electric pipe threader. Nothing worse than trying to hand thread in well hole. Get a pipe threader and save the other points

Such a simple way to get that coupler off When you have everything there you can use Have you ever used a snipe ? You have 5 foot lengths of pipe to place over the pipe wrenches,

If you choose to try again. Get a twist post hole digger. I normally go down 15ft. and pound from there.

I thought it was funny when the 🔧 wrench fell down the well the great retrieve

Gosh that’s too bad! That soil did seem a little boney and heavy. I lived in a house for many years with a point but the soil was like beach sand. Couldn’t grow anything but never ran dry. I did run into contamination problems and ended up drilling a well.

Our sandpoint in mid-upper wisconsin is 58 ft deep. We are near the Peshtigo Flowage/River.

Research rainwater off the roof and a below ground cistern. Just an idea. Also my great grandfather used a hole in the kitchen floor that went into the ground for a fridge. He would lower produce with a rope and bucket. 😊

Sorry but I had to laugh during this video. Especially when you dropped the wrench down the hole. You know the old saying, “if at once you don’t succeed, try, try (try, try, try, try) again .”Lol and lots of luck. 🤗

Use a grinder with a cutting wheel to split the coupler off

If anyone has ever wondered what it's like to live in Minnesota, just take a listen @28:39. That is the soundtrack to a summer here.

Also when tightening the couplings and pipe, use 2 Pipe wrenches like a t wrench and 2 hands to screw them home

This was like watching a train wreck. I couldn't turn it off. Sorry for your bad luck but at least you got a video out of it Also, a check valve is what you need not a ball valve.

Hi jack. That'll pull it.

Not sure if this would have worked, but sometimes applying heat to the portion of the pipe that you wanted to loosen will expand it enough to allow movement. Obviously too much heat can cause other issues.

Evenin 👋😎👍

I knew an old carpenter who was a wealth of information. We worked together on a few projects for our church. There were times when he would get supremely agitated. He'd look at me with a look of disgust and say, "Davy there's just times when nothing goes right." The problem was the walls were built with cheap grade B lumber that was as crooked as a politician. We had to install kitchen cabinets. Can you say fir wedges to level a crooked wall? I knew you could. Friend, sometime you just have to cut your losses. My hats off to your determination though. Have you ever thought about a small pond, or a sistern? If you are going to use the water for your garden that would work. Hauling water for cooking and drinking is not that bad. I wish you well. Vaughn