sand point well question

[rod bender]

I know this has nothing to do with fishing but if I can get my lawn growing I'll have more time to fish. I'm in central Iowa and have a creek running in my back yard. I would like to irrigate the lawn with a sandpoint well. Does anybody out there know how to do this? Thanks a bunch for your replys.

[backlash 1]

If you drive your own sandpoint you're probably looking at around $500. providing you can get a vein within 25'. If your home water supply is from a deep well system, you're much better off teeing off of your pressure tank with a 1" line to your zone valves etc,etc.

[Surface Tension]

Do you have city water or a well with bad recovery?

[NorthernMN]

If I were you I would just buy a sprinkler pump and suck water right out of the creek if that is an option. The only real concern there is filtering the water really well. If you don't you will end up plugging up your sprinkler heads. I have driven a sand point by hand and I will be the first to tell you it isn't much fun. Drive it down 10' and hit a rock, then you are trying to pull it back up. After several attempts I finally gave up and had a second well drilled. $1200 and I got by really cheap. Sucking it out of the creek is really a good option. You will be able to unhook it in the fall so you don't have to worry about winterizing the pipes and pump.

If you really think you want to drive that sand point in here a a couple of tips. Get a shovel and dig a big deep hole. It will give the sand point a head start and decrease the chance of rocks. You won't have to stand on a ladder to get started that way. When you put the drive cap on the pipe make sure it is tight. If it isn't you will wreck the threads and then you will be out looking for a pipe threader. You are limited to about 25' deep with most shallow well or sprinkler pumps. Pray you find a soil layer with enough water output so your pump doesn't run dry.

Like I said earlier. I finally gave up and had a second well drilled.

[Ufatz]

Skip the sand point if you can. Go to Fleet Farm and buy a pump with a strainer foot. Buy a minnow trap and wrap it in a deer bag as your water "foot" and then wire it around the "foot" and submerge it in a deep hole in the creek. Run a hose with a "Y" in it to a central place on the yard, and then run two hoses off that. BAM.....you gotta watering system. Cheaper and more effective than a sand point.

[rod bender]

Thanks for the replys guys. I'm about to build a house on this lot. It has city water and the creek is pretty shallow, approx 6". I figured I'd hit water relatively soon since the creek is there, am I right?? Is 6" enough to suck it right out of the creek?

Thanks again for your help!

[Surface Tension]

I don't know the legality behind any of this.

Is there any flow in the creek and if so how much and what effect would diverting water have downstream?

You'd have to dig a hole and line it with a barrel to act as a well and filter to keep the sand, rocks and debris out. You'd then place your pickup line in there with a foot valve. Thing is diverting water is one thing, altering a stream bed is another. Maybe theres a low spot adjacent to the creek you could dig the hole at.

[backlash 1]

Problem # 2- If you're building on a lot that has a creek running through it I hope you're planning on a slab house. Otherwise you're probably gonna have a sump pump that runs 24-7, if the water table is that high!

Some cities offer reduced rates on sprinkling if you put in a seperate water meter.

PS. 6" of water is not enough to come close to running a sprinkler system.

[backlash 1]

If you do plan on driving a sandpoint, rent an electric jackhammer with a well driver attachment. Your body will thank you!!!

[rod bender]

The house will be a walk out with the creek much lower and 120' back from the house. I was thinking that 6" of water in a small creek would be plenty...maybe I'm wrong.

Any other suggestions.

[GoodToGo]

I put a sand point in my barn, it wasn't too bad. I have pure sand soil, and went down 16'. I drove it with a 10 lb sledge hammer, by hand. If I hadn't made beginner mistakes it would have only taken a few hours, start to finish. Things to make sure you do: 1) stop every 10 hits or so and re-tighten the drive cap and the pipe joints, and 2) use small hits with the hammer, like only one foot strokes or so.

The electric jack hammer sounds like a great idea, but I've never done it. If I had rocky soil, or a clay cap, I would not do a sandpoint (although a jack hamer might take care of the clay). I had about $300 into when I was done, pump pressure tank, pipe, sand point, some copper, a spigot.