Areas with heavy sand and gravel deposits often yield water. The larger the pieces of gravel or sand, the more water is most likely beneath the surface. These areas will be harder to drill, however, because of large boulders that may exist in the path of your drill. Vegetation can tell you the location of water. In arid climates, locations with greater number of plants growing indicate water below the surface. Look for groups of trees or shrubs to locate a good place to drill. Topography can help you make your choice. Areas of lower elevation, such as the bottoms of valleys or hills often yield more water. You may also have success drilling near rivers or other bodies of water like ponds or streams. It may also be helpful to call your county survey office or other planning organization and ask for groundwater maps. Many county offices can provide you with information about the location of water tables and places where others have successfully dug wells.
Reach your required depth. Using your chosen method, work until you reach the depth you want for your well. If you want to check to see if you’ve reached water, tie a small rock to a string and feed the string down the hole. When you feel the rock reach the bottom of the pipe, pull it back up. If the string is wet, you’ve reached the water line.
Turn the auger in a clockwise direction into the ground. This will move the earth and create the beginning of your hole. Continue to turn the auger to displace the earth. Remove the auger when full. Once the auger is filled with dirt, you will need to empty it. Pull the auger out of the hole and dispose of the earth. Start a pile for your dirt and continue to empty the dirt into this pile for easier cleanup. Continue to bore into the ground. Continue drilling deeper, always moving clockwise. Empty the dirt into the same pile and work the auger until it you can’t reach any further. Extend the auger when it becomes too short. Add a drill rod to the auger when it can no longer reach the bottom of the bored hole. It may become difficult to detach the auger once you’ve added many extensions: to overcome this, use a spanner to catch the auger while you install or remove the auger in pieces. Drill until you reach your desired depth. Depending on how deep you want your well to be, continue to add extensions to your auger as you drill to that depth. Once you’ve reached the bottom of the well, stop drilling and remove the last bit of dirt. You’re now ready to bail the well.
Start a pilot hole. Using a post hole digger or shovel, dig a hole two feet deep. This will give you a good starting point. It will also give you a good idea of the softness of the soil, and let you know how hard it will be to dig. Install your well point. Well points are generally made of steel or any other hard metal so that they can withstand being driven deep into the ground. They are available for sale in a variety of sizes that will fit onto the end of your PVC pipe. [12] X Research source Begin driving the well point. If the soil is soft enough, you can use a rubber mallet or other heavy hammer to strike the end of the PVC pipe section, driving the pipe into the ground. If the earth is harder, you can use wrenches to turn the pipe, screwing it as you would a screw into wood. Be careful not to apply too much force to the PVC with either a hammer or wrench: it can shatter. Add each extension of pipe. The end of the pipe that you are striking or screwing into the ground will continue to get closer and closer to the ground. As it becomes level with the earth, add the next length of pipe, screwing the joints together. Then continue driving the pipe into the hole.
Use a water drill. This type of drill works by forcing water into the ground. The high pressure of the water acts effectively as a drill bit, moving dirt out of the way. There are many resources online that can help you build a water drill, but the process is time and labor intensive. Use or modify a digging machine. If you have a tractor or other small farm machine, you can use or modify a post hole digger or mechanical auger to dig the hole. Be aware that these methods require a large financial investment if you don’t already own them. They may also only be able to dig a hole up to 10 feet deep, requiring modification that can be dangerous if you don’t know how to use the equipment. [13] X Research source
