We have recently heard that the local government are to remove our village water tower, why I have no clue, they may be putting mains water this way as they're digging up the roads now for new drainage pipes....

Anyway, my question is, does anyone know how much roughly it would cost to have a bore hole drilled?

Has anyone experienced drilling, I have no clue about this and it may sound stupid to ask but, can water be found anywhere underground???

Also, any opinion as to which way is best to go:

1. A water tower (pump needed to fill water barrels at the top and use gravity for pressure).
2. Ground level pump used to build water pressure when needed.

it cost me about 3500 baht to have a bore hole drilled down to water table about 15 meters
then you have the cost of liner which is blue plastic drain pipe and a pump + fittings to draw the water up to a 3000 litre tank on a 3 meter tower
iam sure you will get lots more info note the cost was 3 years ago and outside of the city so figure on a little more our a lot if they carnt find water hope that gives you a idea

It certainly does thanks.

BTW - Is your tower a metal structure or brick? I would prefer a brick and concrete tower if I go down that path...that way I can use the space under the water tank/s for storage

Our well is 33 meters deep. It cost 15000 contract price for a driller to come in drill the hole, provide and install all piping and pump and hook it all up. We did not build a tower but plan to do so some day but it has worked good enough as is that we may never get around to building a tower. It took a day to drill and then a second partial day to complete rest of job.

We are happy with it and have always been able to pump water even when the village system has run dry. Of course jury is still out but so far so good and we have been testing it this way for 8 years now.

this may be a dumb question but is the well water drinkable or do you still have to buy bottled water.

At 33 meters I would be very surprised i water did not contain Cloriform. Maybe I am wrong.

banpaeng wrote:At 33 meters I would be very surprised i water did not contain Cloriform. Maybe I am wrong.

I will also be drilling a water well in the next 3 to 4 months and I am very interested in your comments concerning chloriform and your reasons for thinking it would be in the ground water at that depth...Also what facilities are available in Udon Thani for testing well water..

Stoneman

Stoneman, I am going on what little experience I had in Texas. Generally speaking any well less than 250 ft. had cloriform above the approved limit. I can not remember the limit of cloriform. Also salt is an issue in this area. Usually (in my samll experience) go below 250 ft also except it can be at depths of 2000 ft plus. Actually a good well man should know the salt issues. Don't know if they will here as salt is not the issue, water is the issue. It is like pressure in most houses would be laughed at in other countries, but here water is the issue, pressure is not a problem. As long as I can fill up my buckets and barrels, I have no gripe is the typical answer.

I am only guessing but from what I read Khon Kean University has a good university for medical science and agriculture. Bet they can test the water there.

ThaiAm wrote:Our well is 33 meters deep. It cost 15000 contract price for a driller to come in drill the hole, provide and install all piping and pump and hook it all up. We did not build a tower but plan to do so some day but it has worked good enough as is that we may never get around to building a tower. It took a day to drill and then a second partial day to complete rest of job.

We are happy with it and have always been able to pump water even when the village system has run dry. Of course jury is still out but so far so good and we have been testing it this way for 8 years now.

How does one decide where to drill and how far down to drill?

banpaeng wrote:Stoneman, I am going on what little experience I had in Texas.

Banpaeng...Born and raised north of the Red River up in God's Country (Oklahoma City)..But lived over 15 years in Dallas.. Never was involved in water drilling there..It always came from a lake..,.

Oh I see, born in the north Dallas suburb and then moved to town. Lived in the sticks south of Houston. Had to deal with wells most of my life.

Wanted to say above also I would go with a pressure tank and submersible pump. Takes up a lot less room, will not have to worry about corrrosion on tower, and maintain a steady pressure. This is an opinion only. If you like towers, go for it.

ThaiAm wrote:Our well is 33 meters deep. It cost 15000 contract price for a driller to come in drill the hole, provide and install all piping and pump and hook it all up. We did not build a tower but plan to do so some day but it has worked good enough as is that we may never get around to building a tower. It took a day to drill and then a second partial day to complete rest of job.

If you don't build a tower and have a holding tank do you need 2 pumps, one to draw the water up from the well and one to push it round the house?

I just thought it would be cheaper in the long run if we had a tower and relied on gravity for pressure, thus only using the pump for the initial complete tank fill and top ups as and when. If I don't have a holding tank I'll be running the pump every time I turn on a tap..Am I correct in this assumption?

Another question I just thought of too... Do these tanks have toilet cistern type ball cock valves or similar that will shut off the pump when the tank is full...........or how doyou know when they're full....? You can see I'm a complete novice at this.....

Hi Kudchap. I have drilled just outside Kut Chap. Water was at five meters and cost 5,000 baht including liner etc. I then installed a pressure pump (which comes on when you turn on a tap and switches off when you close the tap), which gives high pressure in the pipes. Pump cost about 4,500 baht. This was three years ago and no problems so far.

I still buy my drinking/cooking water - at only ten baht for 20 liters delivered why worry about possible contamination of ground water.

Ok, I will try to explain. First my writing skill equal a novice at best.

1. overhead or above ground tank.

Pros- They are what the Thais Know. Easy to figure out how to operate. Easy to find in Thailand. Can use only one pump to fill tanks but most opt for a second to pressure into house.

Con- How do you tell your corrosion factor (one day you fill it and it all comes crashing down). Extremely hard to clean. IF maintenance is needed (leak etc) hard to fix. IF two story house is in your plans, tower will have to be extremely high or no water or pressure. This is the reason for the second pump.

2. Pressure tank


Pros Easy to operate. Easy to maintain. No hassel system as pressure is regulated. One pump will feed two or three stories easy.

Negative A bit harder to find the pressure tank, however I have seen them in Udon. Will have to have someone set the pressure at which pump will turn on and turn off.

Now I will try to explain how the Pressure tank system works. You already know the elevated tank system.

You have your well dug. You will then use either an above ground pump or a submersible pump. If it were me I would use a submersible pump.

Let me digress a bit here. First you must understand that no matter how deep you dig your well, your water will rise or come up the casing to some height. Lets say you have them drill a 500 ft well and case it. Once this is done they will blow the well. This is done with an air compressor which they will lower into the water level. The water will have already risen into the casing to maybe a level of 30 ft below grade. They will then lower a 1" pipe into the well with an outlet above. They will them turn on the air. This will cause a lot of agitation in the well and form a small cavity or cavern at the bottom of the well. This will act as a resiviour (spelling) for your system.

You then lower your submersible pump into the well. As stated you might have water at 30 ft but you will have to lower the pump to about 75 to 100 ft. Putting it shallower will work however during dry times the water level will change.

The water is pumped up to the pressure tank. What tell the pump to turn on or turn off? Pressure. By the way these pressure tanks can be as small as 10 gallon but I would look for a 40 to 60 gallon tank. If it were my tank, I would opt for the water pump to kick on at 35 PSI and turn off at 65 PSI. Yes you will see the pressure fluctuations. However 35 PSI is now more pressure than most houses here in Udon have. The water tank will only be half full and the rest will be air. You can not compress water. That is the reason for air. This will be most likely the only maintenance you will have to do. Every year or so you need to drain the water level down. as you do this the tank will suck air in. Whalla you have been sucessful.

Most likely if the pump goes out you will just have to replace it. Most have a very reliable life span of 8 to 20 years. Tank gets a leak. It is sitting on a concrete slab. Even a 60 gallon will not be over a welders head, so should be an easy repair. Just guessing but a 60 gallon tank will be 2 ft in diameter and about 4 ft high. Not much of a footprint in ones yard.

The pump feeds the tank. The tank feeds the house via pressure. This will do a three story house with no problems.

This is not your everyday system for a Thai. They do exist here. It is just not that difficult. Do the Thai have a driller that can do a deep well? Most likely but will be more expensive. Will it pay for itself? Sure if you can get drinkable water. Does a deep well guarantee good water? NO. But the odds are in your favor. Does a shallow well work? Sure. Will the water be drinkable? I doubt it. Will it work for showers and household use? I am sure. At that point you will have to decide the economics oneself.

[quote="
How does one decide where to drill and how far down to drill? [/quote]

The driller walked around the property with a divining rod (really) and decided where to drill from what the divining rod told him.