Well Drilling Procedure with the LS200 Drill Rig

Part 3 - Setting the Well

While we are drilling the final depth of the hole, we get everything laid out to build the well.  This is important since once we stop circulation of drilling mud and pull the rods, there is danger of the hole collapsing - so we want to be ready to put the well casing in right away.  Also - Linda paints the water tank while we are drilling.

The bottom 40 to 60 feet of the well casing is slotted to allow the water to enter - this section is called the screen.  We usually use a 0.010" slot width which we can buy locally in the capital city of Asunción.  This is a real blessing since in Honduras we had to cut the slots ourselves with a hacksaw - slots on three sides of  the pipe spaced 3 per inch - for 40 feet!

Once the casing is set we flush out the drilling mud with "fresh" water (relatively speaking, since we get the water from a nearby creek or pond).  Then we place a coarse sand around the screen to serve as a filter, then place a seal of bentonite to prevent surface water from entering the screened zone, then backfill with the soil that we took out of the hole.  We then cement the top 3 to 5 feet of the hole and pour a small slab around the well casing to further prevent surface water contamination.

The final step is setting the pump and cleaning out the well.  We usually bail out the well first to remove all of the really muddy and sandy water using a tripod, rope and bailer.  Then we set the 4 inch electric submersible pump to finish the process. 

Once the pump is set we can finish cleaning out the well - this may take as long as two weeks, depending on the flow rate and the geologic formation.  But - Praise the Lord - they always clear up and the Pastor's family and the congregation are always so pleased to have the gift of abundant, clean water - straight from a tap!!