Meet Our Big & Bold Bucket Rig
You need a water well drilled for a home or business, but you have been told that it is hard to get water in your area. You may have even had a water well driller try and end up with holes in the yard that are dry—no water found.
At C&J Well Co., we take pride in using the best equipment to deliver the best results. One of our favorite pieces in the fleet is our big and bold bucket rig. This isn’t just any drill. It’s a specialized, heavy-duty rig designed to help in the hardest-to-find water situations.
What is a Bucket Rig?
Our big and bold bucket rig is also known as a bucket auger drill rig. This machine uses a steel bucket with a rotating cutting edge and teeth mounted on a hinged bottom to repeatedly cut and lift up soil, clay, or loose rock from the hole. Once full, it’s brought up to the surface and emptied. This process is repeated until the desired depth is reached.
This can drill:
- down to 120 ft,
- with a hole up to 10 ft in diameter,
- and uses up to 50,000 ft-lbs of torque.
Why Would a Bucket Drill Be Needed?
The average water flow needed by a household varies by size and water use. Understanding the gallons per minute (GPM) helps gauge how well your water system handles daily demand:
- Small Homes (1–2 people) may need only 6–8 GPM to handle a kitchen faucet (2–3 GPM), bathroom faucet (1–2 GPM), and occasional shower (1.5–2.5 GPM)
- A home with 3–4 people may need 8–12 GPM to support multiple simultaneous uses like showers, laundry, and dishwasher
- Where a larger household of 5+ people or multiple fixtures at once may need 12–15 GPM or more to ensure no pressure drops during peak times with appliances running together.
Why This Matters
A well with a 5 GPM yield may meet everyday needs, but can fall short during peak usage periods. If your well or pump can’t maintain 8–12 GPM during busy times, you may experience pressure drops or run out of water.
Why Is It Hard to Find Water Sometimes?
Wells work by accessing groundwater that has flowed into underground openings, known as aquifers, over many years. Several things can influence aquifer levels. Just a few are:
- The amount of rainfall and snowmelt. A drought can put a heavier strain on groundwater stores.
- Surface conditions like vegetation cover or paved areas. The more pavement there is, the less area there is for water to soak into the ground naturally.
- The type of soil, rock, or sediment is a big factor. Sand and gravel aquifers recharge faster and hold more water than, say, clay or bedrock.
- Water usage for agriculture, industry, or community population growth.
Take a look at this image of generalized groundwater availability from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. In Marion County, there may be spots that produce as much as 50 gallons per minute (GPM) to as high as 400. Whereas in Johnson, Hendricks, or Morgan counties, the situation could be much more challenging, with some areas producing 10-50 GPM.
That is why a bucket well is often recommended in these areas. While they aren’t usually as deep as conventional water wells, the borehole diameter is so large that greater water access and storage are available. This storage creates enough supply for the average family’s needs.
What if Water Is Still Scarce?
While no method is guaranteed every time, C&J has had excellent success using our bucket rig to access reliable groundwater. We’re able to locate and deliver an adequate water supply in the vast majority of cases.
Even when we have to dig deep wells producing as little as 1–3 GPM, we can still make it work for the customer. By pairing a larger storage tank with a high-powered pump, we ensure the system meets the household’s water needs—without interruption.
If you are in an area where groundwater is scarce and have access to the municipal water supply, this might be a better option than drilling a new well. C&J City Water Connect offers competitive pricing, as well as financing for hook-up costs. C&J City Water Connect is licensed, bonded, and insured with Indianapolis, Fishers, Brownsburg, Carmel, and other municipalities to ensure you get professional service.
