How Does a Driven Point Well Work?

What is a Driven Well?

The reason for this is that, in order to make a driven well, the pipes which carry the well water up to ground level aren’t placed by drilling so much as they are pounded into the earth. They are unsophisticated and take little effort to make, though because they do not use any sort of drill they are limited to being in areas with loose soil and water close to ground level.

What is a Driven Well Point?

A Driven Well Point is a large head which looks much like an over-sized nail. They are about 2 feet long and 6 inches in diameter. The narrow head is solidly built, with sturdy steel sides, though the interior is hollow. The rear half of the head has many holes cut into the sides which are blocked with a fine steel mesh. The sides along the very back inch of the head have a ring of indentations were pipes can be screwed into place.

How Does a Driven Point Well Work?

The Driven Well Point is pounded into the ground where the well is to be by hand, usually with a sledgehammer. Once it’s firmly planted, a motorized pipe driver is set up. It’s a large metal tripod with a vertical piston suspended in the middle, the piston pointing straight down. A section of well pipe is connected securely to the back of the Driven Well Point so that its back end is standing below the pipe driver. The pipe driver is engaged. It hammers the pipe into the ground until it’s time for another length of pipe to be connected and the process repeated. Once the head has reached a sufficient depth, a hand pump is connected to the back end of the pipe and water is pumped up to the surface until it runs clean, with no sand or sediment discoloring the water. The last length of pipe is pounded so that it’s just above ground level. With the well dug, a motorized well pump is connected to it, the outlet of the pump running to a spigot or to fulfill the needs of a household.