Vacuuming a hole in the ground

[foggy]

The other day I had to put up a post in our yard for a volleyball net. I remembered my old trick with a shop vac.....from when I drove the well on my deer land. (I made a starter hole with a shop vac that was 4' deep.)

Got out my 18 volt DeWalt Cordless drill with a "soil bit" (3" diameter auger on a 30" shaft).....and got my shop vac hooked up. Used the drill to start the hole thru the clay and black dirt.....then used the vac to make a 30" deep hole in the sand / gravel. A half bag of sack crete mix......poured around the ground sleeve.....and VIOLA. :D

This vaccuum "trick" still works pretty slick. Beats a hand-held post hole digger. (But my neighbors may think I'm nuts ;) )

 

[biglakeba$$]

Wow.... just when i think I have heard it all. Haaaaa.

 

[j-bird]

I can't say I have ever seen or even heard of such a trick, but if you have loose enough soil I don't see why it wouldn't work. How did you ever come up with this idea? The mind of the do-it-yourselfer never fails to amaze at times. Maybe that what causes the sink holes in other parts of the country!

 

[foggy]

I can't say I have ever seen or even heard of such a trick, but if you have loose enough soil I don't see why it wouldn't work. How did you ever come up with this idea? The mind of the do-it-yourselfer never fails to amaze at times. Maybe that what causes the sink holes in other parts of the country!

I read about this somewhere on the internet. It was odd enough that I had to try it. ;)

It takes pretty sandy soil to pull it off. On my first try I had a big shop vac with a 2.5 rigid suction pipe. I cut notches in the end making a saw-like tip. That really worked slick.

It was nice to have a straight, small diameter, "starter" hole to start my well point when driving a well.

I also use a shop vac to clean out my seed spreader when I'm done. Works good for seed or fertilizer.

 

[Deer Kar]

Brilliant !!!

 

[tooln]

Just goes to show you all the red neck engenyouite isn't from down south.

 

[dipper]

Sounds like a good way to ruin a shop vac.

 

[foggy]

Sounds like a good way to ruin a shop vac.

Not sure why you think that? My vac's work just fine.

 

[dipper]

Not sure why you think that? My vac's work just fine.

Seems Like alot of work for that little Shop Vac motor that is probably made in China. I hate digging holes too, that's why I'm buying a 3 pt post hole digger. Just like a wood splitter, I can't believe I've lived so long without one.

 

[Steve Bartylla]

Dipper, you are going to LOVE the 3 pt fence post hole digger! Just remember to pump it (dig a couple feet, lift it up to help get rid of the dirt, dig a couple more feet and lift). Trust me when I say, it REALLY sucks when you get the auger stuck 3 feet deep in the ground. Of course, it will ONLY happen when it's somewhere over 90 out, the dirt is hard as a rock and you absolutely must get it out right away.

 

[foggy]

Seems Like alot of work for that little Shop Vac motor that is probably made in China. I hate digging holes too, that's why I'm buying a 3 pt post hole digger. Just like a wood splitter, I can't believe I've lived so long without one.

I do own a 3 Point post hole digger....and have a 9" bit, a 12" bit and a deep hole extension for them. Got mine at auction a few years ago. Wudda been overkill for a little hole like I needed in the yard tho. :) I wish I had my PH digger when I was doing apple tree plantings.

 

[gstrom99]

I've used a shop vac to clean up under my bird feeder at home. Sunflower seed husks KILL the grass. I wonder what the neighbors thought when they saw me vacuuming my lawn...

 

[sandbur]

My neighbor used to "jet down" a shallow well point in the sand. I can't remember exactly how he did it and he is gone now. Somehow he used water to flush out a hole.

He used to work construction for utilities and he learned this at work.

 

[wiscwhip]

My neighbor used to "jet down" a shallow well point in the sand. I can't remember exactly how he did it and he is gone now. Somehow he used water to flush out a hole.

He used to work construction for utilities and he learned this at work.

sandbur, I am very familiar with the method you speak of, I mentioned it in a sand point thread on the other forum a year or so back. I had a buddy who's dad owned a well drilling business when I was a kid and I helped him and his dad put in many sand points like this. It is the easiest method I have ever seen, but I cannot find any information on it online. We called it "blowing a sand point". What we did was used 4" or 6" PVC as a "well casing" and then inserted the sand point to the bottom of the PVC after it was at the proper depth. Basically you need a water supply like a portable stock tank with a pump and some garden hose and a large industrial pull behind air compressor with a bunch of hose, like the ones construction crews rent for job sites. Dig(or vacuum) a starter hole about 3' to 4' deep with a post hole digger, run the water hose and the compressor hose into the full length of PVC, stand the 20' length of PVC and hoses up in the hole. At that point fill the PVC up with a bunch of water(you have to be watchful, as at a certain point it just starts to overflow the starter hole), once the pipe is as full as possible with water, you just turn on the valve on the compressor and through some combination of hydraulic/pneumatic forces that I still do not understand, it quite literally sucks the PVC right into the ground, all you have to do is wiggle it a bit as it is going in and guide it so it stays perpendicular to the ground. Once you get the first length of PVC into the ground with about 2' to spare, pull the hoses and glue on your PVC connector to the pipe in the ground, while it is setting, run the hoses into the next section of PVC, just insert the new section of PVC into the coupler and glue it in place. Then just start the whole "blowing" process over again for the second section of pipe. The farthest we ever "blew" in a point was 47', 2 - 20' sections and a 10' piece that we couldn't get to go in any farther than 7'. Buddies dad had a way to know when we hit water, but I can't remember what it was? He would then insert the well point and piping into the PVC "casing" and backfill the bottom 6' or 8' of the PVC with pea gravel to help keep it from clogging with smaller, loose particulate. Then just cap the top of the "casing" and run the point up to the above grade piping. I really wish I could find some info on it, maybe with video. I thought it was BS too until I helped them the first time. It actually takes longer to dink around with the equipment than to get the point into the ground. Also, as a side note, the guys "helping" the pipe into the ground get extremely wet and a bit muddy, the water and sand come out the top of the pipe like a geyser, it has to go somewhere. Great job in the July heat for some high school kids looking to make a buck.

 

[Jim Timber]

But what do you do if you hit a rock? :p

 

[wiscwhip]

But what do you do if you hit a rock? :p

When you work for a real well driller, there is always this option...................................................................

 

[Jim Timber]

Or I could borrow a 50BMG from a buddy. :D

 

[sandbur]

Or I could borrow a 50BMG from a buddy. :D

We have tried shooting a 30.06 down a well casing to try and clear plugged screens. I have never seen success, but my Dad kept trying it.

 

[Jim Timber]

50bmg uses 600 grain bullets. My buddy is down shooting the national match this weekend using solid brass bullets. It'd be easy enough to make some custom loads with a tungsten core using old end mills. :) Doesn't matter how they fly at 1000yds.

 

[foggy]

We have tried shooting a 30.06 down a well casing to try and clear plugged screens. I have never seen success, but my Dad kept trying it.

Your always shooting something Art. Last winter you were promoting that I blast my (frozen down) fish house to free it from the ice. :oops::rolleyes:o_O Not to sure about you shooting everything. :):rolleyes: Must be a jack-pine savage thing.