does anyone know how to fill a well?

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Well yet again a new twist to our home repairs.We started the footers for the sun room and guess what we found under the concret slab.. a well! We knew there maybe 1 but was told it was in a different location,the jackhammer tip went right in a little to easy and we pulled away the concret enough to get a flash light in and its there. There appears to be rebar across the opening or something to support the concret from falling in. We are going to try figure out tomorrow what is over the top.Has anyone ran into this before? should the well be filled? or capped? if it is filled will it effect the underground water? Oh boy yet a new challeng!

-- renee oneill{md.} (oneillsr@home.com), November 15, 2000

Answers

Renee, Capping it off should work. Set your footing supports on either side of it.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), November 15, 2000.

Is it a small bored well, or a big hand-dug well? If it's a small well, I would just leave it under the new floor, or dig down a few feet and put a concrete slab over it and backfill. If it's a larger well, then it would have to be checked out to see how solid the walls are.

You might want to quietly ask the county and see what the law requires.

==>paul

-- paul (p@ledgewood-consulting.com), November 15, 2000.


"Quietly" asking the county may be risky. "Anonymously" would probably be a better idea.

I can only relate the rules here in Oregon, but if you want to "abandon" a well here, (and this is for a bored well, such as a six inch cased well), you have to perferate the casing all the way to the bottom of the well, then pump "neat" cement into the well at some very high pressure (500 p.s.i. comes to mind). Basically, it costs more, by far, to abandon a well than to drill it, typically.

For a dug well, I haven't ever heard of anyone having to abandon one, but it seems likely that it could be a real nighmare.

In either case, I'd recommend talking to a well driller (I'd still be a bit leery of giving my name, though), and seeing what he/she says.

JOJ

-- jumpoffjoe (jumpoff@echoweb.net), November 15, 2000.


a few more details... we got out the metal detector and it seems there is something metal about 4ft x4ft , the guy that grew up here stopped by and said he thinks it is around 65ft deep and at least 3 ft wide ,he helped his dad dig it,when he was 10 he is now 85. he also thinks it is lined in brick and may have a type of cap that is metal w/ a hole in the middle for a hand pump,not sure.I know if I call the county I will end up w/ every yahoo out here screaming something different,do not want to go there!. In the morning we are going to try to lift more concret and see what we can see, I am hoping we can pour over it ,the old patio is 8ft wide and the room will be 16ft. We may shift the room over 2 ft so the footer will be no where near the well. Boy aint life grand!

-- renee oneill{md.} (oneillsr@home.com), November 15, 2000.

I remember my dad pouring a concrete slab over the area where the hand dug well is.They still use that well, so he made a concrete cap that fit over the well with a ring in it so the cap could be pulled up & the well could be opened.The rest of the patio was concrete cut with a shallow groove to look like flagstone.It's still there 35+ years later,still looks nice,and enables them to access the well if need be.So,why fill it or cover over it at all? Incorperate it into your slab,as described.Do you have a garden? Why not keep this well for your backup water for watering the garden in a drought?

We have an old rocklined handdug well that I would never cover over or fill up,bc it's our secondary water source.And it's a part of our architectural history.And I just love having it.It is covered to make it safe,but was kept accessible.And we used it in last years drought.

-- sharon wt (wildflower@ekyol.com), November 15, 2000.



Good advice from Jump Off Joe. I wouldn't discuss my private affairs with any county goons. Don't know about your local area, but my brother in NC had to fill a well on his property. He was required by the county to fill it with gravel. It didn't cost him too much, but I'd still be afraid to get the government involved. Use your own common sense and good judgement. Do what will be safe for your family.

If the well is an old bored well (30" diameter) and not too deep, you can fill it with gravel with one dump truck load. It will probably cost you $200.00 if you do the work of shoveling the rocks in. I don't see how this could affect your water table or other nearby wells. Capping this well would seem to be perfectly safe to me. If you were using the well, it would have a cap on it. That would be safe. I see no difference. You can get a concrete cap for 30 bucks. They are extremely heavy, and no child under about about 4 or 5 could lift it off.

-- Jim (catchthesun@yahoo.com), November 15, 2000.


Many extension councils in Kansas gave demonstrations on closing old wells in an attempt to get many of them plugged.

Course sand is the medium for fill, and it is chlorinated with bleach before being put down the well.

-- Notforprint (Not@thekeyboard.com), November 15, 2000.


You might compromise by having a well driller center a casing with the bottom length perferated. Then backfill around the casing with gravel. By using a submersible pump, you would have a well it is unlikely your kids could get into. Since you're not drilling, you might even be able to install a PCS casing yourself.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), November 16, 2000.

Thanks for all the ideas, they are out there now seeing what they can see. We do not want it as a working well because it will be in the middle of a sun room which at some point will become a kitchen w/ a bedroom above. I think they are going to try to see what the walls are made of and try to measure the depth. I have the phone set on speed dial 911{haha}.

-- renee oneill{md.} (oneillsr@home.com), November 16, 2000.

Renee, this is just an additional thought. There is a house north of me that has a well in the kitchen/sunroom area. It has been there all my life. The house was added on to and they just left the well there, put in a brick floor, and left the curb standing there. It is near the east windows and the lady that used to live there set her plants on the curb. It was attractive, and they could use the well if they ever needed to, which they did when the power was off and we had freezing rain. They just lowered the bucket down and got water without having to go outside and draw water from the primary well in the bad weather. It is just a thought. Frankly, I'd consider it to be an asset rather than a liability.

-- (ratdogs10@yahoo.com), November 16, 2000.


Renee--I tried to answer your question last night but kept getting knocked off-line. I think the best advice you have received is to keep quiet about it. You had it sealed and now you have dug up a little underground prize. I had a well sealed last year and it cost about $700.00 dollars. I still mad about it because there was probably only about 100 bucks of manpower and material used and the rest was spent on worthless government paper work. Had to do it however, to sell my mom's house. It also seemed so stupid because the well still worked.

-- Bill (Sticky@2sides.tape), November 16, 2000.

Well I hate to say this but I am going to call the inspector tomorrow and find out our options.We tried to move the footers over and the backhoe ended up hitting the "cover"and the whole thing fell apart.the opening is now 3ft and the well looks to be 4ft across and about 48 ft deep. The walls are a true work of art, all stone dry laid.I am going to see would would be involved in having it work again as a back up. I think I am also going to try to drop a magnet on a rope and see what it picks up. Thanks again.

-- renee oneill{md.} (oneillsr@home.com), November 16, 2000.

Renee:

My math may be off, but I think you would be looking at something like 23 cubic yards of fill material to fill in the well. That's several truckloads and fill isn't cheap.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), November 17, 2000.


Renee, my dream kitchen would have a working hand-pump in it -- if you can arrange your kitchen plan around it, why not leave it?

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), November 17, 2000.

Well we have it all the way open,5ft across. The inspector is coming Mon.Am he said to fill it is almost out of the question because the E.P.A would take over along w/ the dept. of ? ,and the rules are very strick about fill. I am glad,husband keeps looking at it as a problem,but I think he is now seeing the benifit of having it.The next step is measuring the depth and water depth to see what kind of pump would be needed.If worst comes to worst we will but a collar around it to bring it to grade and but a cap on it,and have the water tested. This is turning into a really fun find.

-- renee oneill{md.} (oneillsr@home.com), November 17, 2000.


Renee, everything happens for a reason! What started out to be a problem, will hopefully end up being a good thing. You started with what could be a big problem and have now ended up with what could be a real find. You shouldn't ever have to worry about running out of water! As usual, fellow Countrysiders have saved the day!! Good luck!

Michael in North-West Pennsylvania.

-- Michael W. Smith (kirklbb@penn.com), November 18, 2000.


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