An autonomous water supply system on a personal plot has many advantageous features, however, for its functionality it is important not only to drill a source, but also to choose the right one and install a casing. It is necessary for reliable strengthening of the walls of the mine, which increases the life of the well, and also improves the quality of the extracted water resource.
What are casing pipes?
Before acquiring casing pipes and proceeding with their installation, it is necessary to understand what functions are assigned to them.
The casing is equipped with a reinforced casing. Its main task is to strengthen the internal structure of a well or well. As a rule, to strengthen artesian wells, it is required to install several functional elements that form a single casing. At the construction stage, it is important to create the tightness of all connections, otherwise the soil and sewage will penetrate into the well water from the outside.
The wall thickness of the casing depends on the materials used, such as the hydraulic structure in which it is mounted.
Casing pipes are designed to perform the following functions:
- Prevent possible contaminants from entering the column, which can render the water unusable and disable pumping equipment.
- Ensure the integrity of the entire structure over the entire life cycle. Casing pipes are made from materials of increased strength. They are able to withstand high pressure of soil layers at a depth, inert to deformations, soil shifts and damage.
- They protect the hydraulic structure from high pressure, especially at great depths (the aquifer in artesian springs can be at a depth of more than 50 meters).
- Keep usable water within the casing.
In order to reliably seal all joints, a threaded connection method must be preferred.
Selection of casing pipes
The performance of the system will depend on how correctly the diameter of the casing has been selected. To calculate the parameter, it is necessary to take into account the depth and productivity of the source, as well as the necessary daily volume of water, which will be enough for cooking, watering the garden and other household needs.
Do not rely solely on performance. The durability and reliability of the entire structure and system depends not only on the length and diameter of the casing pipes, but also on the material of its manufacture.
For installation in water wells, pipes are made from the following materials:
- metal and alloys;
- asbestos cement;
- plastics and polymers;
- wood.
It is difficult to answer unequivocally which material will be most suitable in a particular case. It depends on climatic and operational conditions, the diameter and performance of the water source, the technical characteristics of the pumping equipment.
Metal Casing
Metal products designed to create a casing string in a well can be:
- galvanized;
- cast iron;
- from stainless steel;
- steel;
- enameled.
Metal products are considered the most popular and reliable for equipping a well or well. This is due to full compliance with the technical requirements that are presented to the materials by regulatory legal acts of GOSTs, SanPiN, etc.Most often they are used to equip artesian wells when work is carried out in sandy and / or limestone soil.
The main advantages of building material include:
- high strength and resistance to mechanical stress and deformation;
- continuous and uninterrupted supply of high-quality water throughout the entire operational period;
- for tight connection of structural parts, a threaded connection is used (the most reliable of all existing);
- the ability to silt the bottom using a special drilling tool to clean the source;
- the operational life of a metal pipe with a wall thickness of 6 mm reaches half a century.
There are also many disadvantages:
- lack of corrosion resistance - after a while, a rusty precipitate appears in the water;
- high cost of consumables;
- difficulties in self-installation due to the impressive weight of thick-walled metal structures.
In addition to steel pipes, stainless steel, galvanized and enamelled models can also be preferred. Pipes with an enamelled protective surface are also susceptible to rust, which occurs when the layer is damaged or deformed.
Galvanized steel structures are not afraid of corrosion, however, they pollute the intake point with zinc oxide. They have a long service life.
Asbestos cement material
Due to its high resistance to aggressive environmental factors (salts and other chemical elements) and mechanical stress, as well as reasonable cost, asbestos cement products are in great demand in the construction and construction of hydraulic structures.
The main advantages of the material are:
- long service life (with proper use and maintenance) - up to 65-70 years;
- practicality and complete safety of operation;
- affordable price;
- absolute corrosion resistance.
Despite a rather extensive list of advantages, there is a rather big list of significant disadvantages:
- Difficulties in installation work. Without the help of expensive lifting equipment can not do.
- Difficulties also arise during the maintenance process. This is due to the high porosity of the surface where contaminants accumulate. To thoroughly clean the casing, you will need to completely empty the source.
- There is no threaded connection. Fixation of structures is carried out joint by joint, which cannot guarantee proper sealing of joints.
- A characteristic feature of asbestos cement is increased fragility.
Building materials made from asbestos cement are not used for arranging artesian sources in limestone soil.
Plastic building materials
Plastic pipes for arranging water intake sources are in great demand every year, due to this large number of advantages in comparison with the two previous analogues. They are made of polyethylene, polypropylene and PVC. Material Advantages:
- long operational period;
- affordable cost of consumables;
- high resistance to the damaging effects of chemical elements, including salts;
- low weight of structures;
- resistance to rust formation;
- threaded connection provides a high degree of tightness of the components of the structure;
- affordable and easy installation, which even a beginner can afford.
Even with prolonged use of a plastic pipeline, the chemical composition of water does not change, pathogenic, pathogenic microorganisms do not develop in it.
Plastic is most often used for arranging sources in sandy soil with an aquifer depth of not more than 55 meters. Also, such building structures are used for the construction of filter columns.
Rules for installing casing pipes for wells
Carrying out drilling and installation of casing pipes is a laborious process, the durability of the source, as well as the quality of the produced water, will depend on the quality of the work done.
If the depth of the aquifer is no more than 1-15 meters, you can design, drill and equip the source yourself. During the work, you must strictly observe the rules of personal safety, carefully approach the choice of building materials and tightness, accuracy of assembly.
You need to do work with a partner, one person can’t cope with the task or will simply overtake. Before starting work, you need to make sure that all work equipment and tools are prepared. Required:
- spanners and wrenches of various sizes, as well as sledge hammers and hammers;
- a drill having the form of a choke equipped with a thread for connecting pipes;
- a tripod that greatly simplifies the process of performing work;
- a collar that allows the pipe to rotate in the ground for more accurate installation of casing strings.
If all the inventory is prepared, you should familiarize yourself with the technology of drilling and installing the casing with your own hands:
- Using a drill, which is securely connected to the pipe, a recess is made in the ground. With a gradual immersion in the soil layers, the tool must be removed regularly to clean from adhering rocks. As soon as the depth of immersion reaches a mark of 2 meters, the brought casing pipe is inserted.
- As soon as the aquifer has been reached, the casing is fixed, a polymer pipe is connected through the formed shaft connected to the submersible (deep) water pump.
The technology is not difficult, but be patient. Sometimes the work lasts several years, because it is impossible to reliably say at the design stage, at what depth the aquifer is.
When choosing materials for casing construction, one should be guided by the classic combination of quality and cost, which will help determine the durability of the hydrological structure. Sources of great depth are best designed with metal structures equipped with external and internal threads. If the depth of the aquifer does not exceed 55 meters, it is recommended to give preference to plastic products, also equipped with threads for reliable sealing.
