Wanna be Prepared: Well Water Questions

you sure it aint a dry well?

4 hours of pumping constantly is a pretty long time. It should fill back up so I don't think you need to do much to it. Have the water tested and get some purifying filters.



I live on a well here in MI but mine is about 180 ft deep.

Yeah...could be.

well it had water in it when i got started...but it could be. what exactly makes a well 'dry' ... could I try to excavate deeper? I noticed a lot of sediment on my pump when I pulled it back up. I am so frusterated... I want to get this well working somehow.

thanks for posting, I really appreciate any advice

See if it fills back up. If you haven't used it that could be the reason for all the sediment.

does it look like this?

[link to en.wikipedia.org]

hmm that gives me some kind of hope!!! I didn't realize you can't pump full time. i was thinking to fill up my pond, keep putting fingerling bass, snails, and that kind of stuff in it, and then if the shiznit hits the fan, I can still feed my kids.

I dont know what the hell I am doing in southern arkansas... I'm from minnesota where we have water everywhere. I'm bascially me and kids against world... I want to know we have some kind of security. We live out on 25 acres way from anyone, which is a bonus in my opinion. I have my garden growing, and all that, but if we needed to 'survive' ... well, I want water, I feel like filling the pond back up is top priority right now. I still have about 10 fingerlings in there, and if I can get it up and going, I'm fixing to have them come put crappie and more bass. I noted the water level when I finally gave up a little while ago... we'll see if it rises some by tomorrow.

I'm serios, I'm fixing to harness myself and go down there, clean it out, and get that damn cement block out of there. Maybe even try to dig some deeper... is it just dirt on the bottom of wells?

have the water tested.

If it is not filling back up? Then either the water table has dropped since it was first dug or it is a cistern.

no, it looks like this:

[link to www.google.com]

lmao, that is a long url...sorry :/

but mine is like three feet tall... tall enough for me to lean on without feeling like I'm going to fall in

hmmm... I don't know, and I feel like only way to find out is to drop down with a rope, and see. it is only like 20 feet down I think to bottom. i can see the bottom...there is a cement block down there. I am going to use a hose to spray the inside, and then pump out the nasty stuff as I get to it... I hope i will be able to find where the water actually comes from, unless it is just supposed to seep in or something.. I guess i always imagined a large water area or something, like a lake under the ground. but ... I think the water just seeps in... I could see some water seeping into it as I looked down...it just look so slow... how could that be it? i'll up date you guys in case anyone cares! :)

tested for what? like, bring a sample to the health department or something? I actually have a kit to test the pool for stuff...

yes

Don't do it alone! Have someone stay up top in case you need help.

It's not that expensive to have it dug deeper. I bet you end up going that route.

This is what's at the bottom.

#1 when you suck it dry did you see another line in the middle of the base.. depending on the age there could be a shaft that still runs deeper and thats where it gets to the well common up here in Canada where they would sink 3-8 3' tall rings into the ground for water backup and overspill.. now days most of those old world ways are gone but there is still hope...

#2 if it fills up again and it will it's just a matter of time take a sample and get it tested.. this will tell you what kind of filter you will need to make it drinkable. and trust me muck water can be drinkable. there are simple solutions.

#3 there are a variety of pumps out there... most run on power... if you have no power you have no water keep that in mind... so if your not going to use it full time for your home rather then a big pump get a hand fed sucktion unit this way you will have power all the time... or you can even get a small pump with a solar cell and you can run it as needed durring the day.

#4 try to aviod running it full dry... reason is this will allow the sides to harden and no be as effective in filering and allowing water to run through. as well the muck at the bottom (depending on how long it has been there) could be a cause of bacteria and or further contamination of water... yes you can put a ladder down there and go down but make sure you don't smell any and i mean any kind of foul smell as for a lot of times where there is a well some sort of gas can run through the cracks... but go down use the El Shovel and dig as much of it up as possible ... then take a few buckets of water shoot them down there and wash out the rest.. if the well fills up again keep an eye of the color of the water and or the sediment... if it's redish that means it's iron. i lightish brown it Aluminum.. if the water smells like amonia then do not go down there it could have Methane but any easy way to verify is to lights a match and cover the eye brows...

if you have more questions i can give you a link to a few sites on what to look for and how to do things... and or i can send you my link and show you a few projects that could be similar to what you have there...

ps... if you are going down with a ladder please have a spotter for a number of reasons... main one is if there is a further shaft and or old wiring then it still may be live and when you step down there it could short... i have CSA rated boots and a spotter that runs the trypod this way i know i won't ground out...

[link to www.health.gov.on.ca]

[link to www.health.gov.on.ca]

[link to www.health.gov.on.ca]
cheers

Last Edited by Saintk on 06/10/2012 01:26 AM

If going down, be safe and have preferably 2 other people but one is better than none as you could encounter problems.


It sounds like it was started and not finished or it is a cistern


20 feet is pretty mild



The one I am on now is about 30+ ft and most where I am normally at easily go 50-180 feet



or more


180 is a bit down but the water has a tendency to have been under greater filtration at deeper depths


definitely have water checked...


best get busy...as I C


many ought to be busy instead of wasting time in front of their macine programmers

I suggest that you call a 'water well' company and have it checked out.

Depending on water tables in your area, if I were you, I would have a new well drilled to ++100 ft if possible. Reason being, 100++ feet is a good distance for purity.

Of course, that may all go out the window if they are doing heavy fracking in your area.

You might also call your state water resources board to get more information on wells, water tables, purity, contaminents, in your area.

alright thanks guys for the shared knowledge. I just went and checked, and the well is at the same level as it was last night. Must be dry I guess. I feel less like climbing down there today... prolly just take my submersible back to Home Depot. dont wanna get stuck in there :p

Good luck OP and be careful!

I;m wondering if anyone knows the best way to get water out of a electric powered 180 ft. well with sump pump if the power went out. Can a car battery be hooked up? A potable generator?

I dont think I would contact any one in the state or federal capacity at all even county level if I could avoid it.
imho. :)

no it will not have enough force... thats when mechanics starts to take over same like hand force suction pumps, [link to www.google.ca]

This sounds like it's almost a cistern. It would most likely fill with contaminated ground water so you'd have to worry about bacteria and whatever else was in the air.

Water wells are usually fairly small diameter. You might have a professional well-digging company look at it and give you a quote to dig a deep one.

THIS! ABSOLUTELY DON'T. Study on your own, and keep it to yourself, or some bureaucrat may order you to fill it in and seal it at your own expense. All levels of govt are doing what they can to prevent independence, and water is the prime source of independence. If you have a metal roof, install catchment. Read all you can on getting and keeping your own water. If the top isn't covered, find a way to cover it so you limit your liability - a kid caught in there will be a world of hurt for you. Good luck and stay safe.

I'm up on the Arkansas river near Ft Smith and I've got the same problem. I'm kind of leary about climbing down in the old well. I'm thinking more of sinking a pipe closer to the house and putting in a pump or a lift bucket. There are lots of old concrete wells around the area and none of them seem to be in use. Do you have city water now, or a well? I'd love to get in touch with you. GLPers need to help each other.

I have a book on how to dig your own pump well and there is a guy who used the book to put a water pump in his yard and put the video on YouTube. It is interesting to watch:

You can get well drilling equipment off ebay or the internet for a few hundred to drill a well yourself.

If you dont want to go down there yourself, get a quote from a digging company, they'll let you know most of the answers you're looking for.

And then get your water tested at an independent , E.P.A certified environmental water lab. They can explain all the numbers they get for you so you know how much of metals or any other volatile components.

A routine potability test runs about 90-100$

Your realtor from whom you bought the property from SHOULD have a history on that well... and from your description of the well, it sounds like it was done professionally... so there should be public records somewhere. Do some research... and contact a LOCAL water well driller to get some advice.