Oil Fracking VS Water Well Hydrofracturing
The term “fracking” has been in the news a lot lately, with people discussing the pros and cons of using hydraulic fracturing when drilling for natural gas. What few people know is that a completely different kind of fracking is being used to improve home water supply flow. If your water pressure has diminished or your well runs out of water, it may be a good candidate for hydrofracking.
Hydrofracking was originally created for the oil industry but has become a useful tool in well repair and drilling. Previous methods included dynamite, which was hard to control and sometimes caused well failure. Hydrofracking is easier to control and has a higher success rate.
The process begins with measuring the depth of the well and the water level. Next, a mechanism called a packer is lowered into the well and down about 40 feet beyond the end of the well pipe. About 1,000 gallons of highly pressurized chlorinated water is blasted into the well in an attempt to break up the rock, opening new access to the water that flows between cracks in the bedrock. The technician knows the procedure is working when there is a pressure change, indicating water is pushing up through the well.
The packer is then lowered about 100 feet deeper for another blast. This procedure can be repeated as needed, but often two blasts are enough. The well is then flushed, the water pump reinstalled and water pumped from the well for a final flush.
We recommend a follow-up water yield test to determine if the process was successful, although not all contractors do this. Because the fracking procedure requires a large amount of water injected into the well, it can take some time for the water to fully flush out and the water pressure to return to normal. If a yield test is done immediately after, the results can be skewed. Skillings & Sons typically does a yield test two days later to ensure an accurate reading.
Sometimes hydrofracking is used when digging a new well, but it can also be useful for establishing new water sources in wells considered to be dried up. If you’d like to look further into hydrofracking, remember that states like New Hampshire often require a licensed professional do the work. Licensed well contractors like Skillings & Sons can help you test your water flow and determine the cause. If your well could benefit from fracking, we can consult you on the best approach to that procedure.
