• Some tools for digging wells have been in use for thousands of years.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  Digging a well serves a number of functions in a number of locations. In developing nations throughout the world, access to clean water is a major roadblock on the path to industrialization. Wells provide water for drinking, cleaning and farming in such places. In developed nations for those living in rural areas not connected to municipal pipelines, wells provide an important source of running water. Tools used for digging wells vary depending on the type of well being dug.
  
  

Hand Dug Wells

• Civilizations throughout the ancient world, including the Egyptians, dug wells with basic, even primitive tools. Shallow hand-dug wells require no more complicated tools than a shovel for digging and brick to line the well so it won't collapse. Large hand-dug wells are created using a hand-powered percussion drill. Percussion drills use powerful impact to hack holes in the earth. A percussion drill consists of a large stone or metal weight tied to the end of a long pole of wood or rope, which is in turn attached to a frame. The rope or pool is pulled above the earth by human hands and dropped, compacting the soil.
  
  

Shallow Wells

• Shallow wells are those dug with machine tools that are 150 to 200 feet deep. The primary tool required to dig such a well is a small drilling rig, which is a tool that uses principles similar to that of the percussion drill but uses machine power rather than gravity and manpower to dig. Most small drilling rigs are hydraulic tools. Hydraulic tools use power generated by water or other liquids to drive machine parts. Hydraulic drilling rigs come with drill bits of various sizes, each suited to create a hole for a different gauge of pipe. Materials needed in shallow well drilling include concrete, piping and a pump. Small tools like wrenches and handheld drills are required to join pipe segments and assemble the pump.
  
  

Deep Wells

• Deep wells are those deeper than 200 feet. Some deep wells reach nearly 1000 feet into the earth. The most important tool for deep well digging is a large drilling rig. Large water well drilling rigs are big enough that they can only be transported on the back of a tractor trailer. Such rigs are sold along with a truck and weigh tens of thousand of pounds. They work much in the same manner as small drilling rigs but exert tremendous power. Digging a deep well requires countless other tools, such as shovels for marking the basic area, wrenches for assembling pipe and wheelbarrows or small trucks for removing dirt and debris.