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Even if the house has a centralized water supply, a well will not be superfluous: it is too expensive to water the garden or flower beds with tap water, and in case of a shutdown, it will be very useful. In the country, this is generally the main and only source of life-giving moisture. So its value is difficult to overestimate. Building a well with your own hands is not easy, but it is possible. Even if you decide to hire a crew (it’s hard physically), you will need to control them. Not everyone does the right thing. More often, as easier and faster. That’s what you need to know how it should be.
How to choose a place
The most reliable way is to order hydrogeological surveys. You will get the exact spot where you need to dig with an analysis of the water that will be there. But this service is not cheap and justifies itself if you plan to use the water as drinking water, that is, near the house of permanent residence. In the country, you need it mostly for technical needs, and before drinking it will be possible to clean only the part that goes into the house.
If you will not order research, be guided by several signs at once:
- the position of wells in neighboring areas;
- analysis of growing plants;
- observation of insects and animals;
- folk methods.
All these methods are only ways to approximate the location where aquifers can occur. None of them gives guarantees, but if as a result of several methods you get a more or less specific place, it makes sense to try to dig a well here.
Wells in neighboring areas
You probably know that rock layers lie quite unevenly, as well as aquifers. If the neighbors have water at a distance of 6 meters, this does not mean that you will have it exactly in the same place. It can be higher or lower, or it can go sharply somewhere to the side. So this is only an approximate “shooting” on the ground.
Plants
This method is suitable if the site has not yet been plowed. Examine the “local” vegetation, identifying islets of characteristic grass. Not single plants (may be accidentally introduced), namely islets, clearings, etc.
Observations of animals and nature
The best predictors are small midges. In the warm season, in calm weather, in the evening, before sunset, look at the site. If there are places where midges “hang” in columns, most likely in this place, and quite close, there is water.
To verify this, you can watch this place in the morning. If the water is really close, fog will swirl here.
Folk methods
We find a pottery. Preferably unglazed. But it is difficult to find one now, so any jug or pot will do. Isn’t this also? You can also use a regular pan, only with a wide one.
Silica gel dried in the oven is poured into the dishes. Don’t have it, don’t know where to get it? Take ceramic bricks, break them into small crumbs (not flour, but crumbs), dry them in the oven for a couple of hours. Fall asleep in a bowl to the top, tie with a dry cotton rag. Just so it doesn’t get loose. Weigh and record the result.
In the intended location / locations of water, dig a hole 1-1,5 meters deep, put a pan in it and sprinkle it with earth. Leave for a day. Then dig out and weigh again. The more the mass has changed, the more water is in a given place (or closer to the surface it is).
Best time
There are two periods when it is best to dig a well: this is the second half of August and the middle of winter – after two weeks of frost. At this time, the groundwater level is the lowest, there is almost no perched water. So it will be easy to work and you will not miss the definition of the flow rate – at this time it is minimal and you will not have to suffer from a lack of water in the most detailed way.
If a team works, they can do it in a few days: two or three, occasionally more. If you plan to work alone, there may not be enough time in August. This is the “border” zone – before the rains. Then you have to start early. Maybe from the beginning of August. At this time, there is already little perched water, and by the middle of the month (even if you work alone in the evenings) you will already be near the aquifer. In general, try to calculate so that the exit to the aquifer occurs at the most “waterless” time. It is also desirable to finish the waterproofing of the walls.
Type and structure
If you have decided on a place, it remains to choose which one you will make your mine. You can only dig a shaft well, and the Abyssinian can be drilled. The technique here is completely different, so further we will talk about the mine well.
Type of well shaft
The most common today is a well made of concrete rings. Common – because it’s the easiest way. But it has serious drawbacks: the joints are not airtight at all and through them rain, melt water enters the water, and with it what is dissolved in it, and what is drowned.
Of course, they try to seal the joints of the rings, but those methods that will be effective cannot be applied: the water must be at least suitable for irrigation. And just covering the joints with a solution is very short and inefficient. The cracks are constantly growing, and then not only rain or melt water enters through them, but also animals, insects, worms, etc.
There are lock rings. Between them, they say, you can lay rubber gaskets that will ensure tightness. There are rings with locks, but they are more expensive. But gaskets are practically not found, like wells with them.
The log shaft suffers from the same “disease”, only there are even more cracks. Yes, that’s what our grandfathers did. But they, firstly, had no other way, and secondly, they did not use so much chemistry in the fields.
From this point of view, a monolithic concrete shaft is better. It is cast right on the spot, putting a removable formwork. They poured out the ring, buried it, put the formwork again, stuck the reinforcement, poured another one. We waited until the concrete “grabbed”, again removed the formwork, digging.
The process is very slow. This is the main drawback. Otherwise, only pluses. First, it turns out very cheap. The cost is only for two galvanized sheets, and then for cement, sand, water (proportions 1: 3: 0,6). It is much cheaper than rings. Second, it’s sealed. No seams. Filling goes about once a day and because of the uneven upper edge, it turns out to be almost a monolith. Just before pouring the next ring, scrape off the risen and almost set cement laitance (gray dense film) from the surface.
How to identify an aquifer
According to the technology, the soil is taken out inside the ring and under it. As a result, under its weight, it settles. Here is the soil that you take out and will serve as a guide.
As a rule, water lies between two water-resistant layers. Most often it is clay or limestone. The aquifer is usually sand. It can be small, like a sea, or large interspersed with small pebbles. Often there are several such layers. As the sand has gone, it means that water will soon appear. As it appeared at the bottom, it is necessary to dig for some more time, taking out the already wet soil. If the water comes actively, you can stop there. The aquifer may not be too large, so there is a risk of passing through it. Then you have to dig until the next one. Deeper water will be cleaner, but how much deeper is unknown.
Next, the well is pumped – a submersible pump is thrown in and water is pumped out. This cleans it, deepening it a little, and also determines its debit. If the speed of the arrival of water suits you, you can stop there. If not enough, you need to quickly pass this layer. With the pump running, they continue to take out the soil until they pass this layer. Then they dig to the next water carrier.
Bottom filter in the well
If you are satisfied with the speed of the arriving water and its quality, you can make a bottom filter. These are three layers of cameos of different fractions, which are laid at the bottom. They are needed so that as little silt and sand as possible get into the water. In order for the bottom filter for the well to work, it is necessary to lay out the stones correctly:
- Large stones are placed at the very bottom. These should be fairly large boulders. But in order not to take much of the height of the water column, use a flatter shape. Spread at least in two rows, and do not try to keep them close, but with gaps.
- The middle fraction is poured in a layer of 10-20 cm. The dimensions are such that stones or pebbles do not fall into the gaps between the bottom layer.
- The top, smallest layer. Pebbles or stones of small size with a layer of 10-15 cm. Sand will settle in them.
With this arrangement of fractions, the water will be cleaner: first, the largest inclusions settle on large stones, then, as you move up, smaller ones.
Digging methods
There are two technologies for digging a well. Both methods are used, just at different depths. And both have flaws.
Alternate installation of rings
The first ring is placed on the ground, which is gradually removed from the inside and under the side. Gradually the ring descends. Here is a very important point: it is necessary to ensure that it falls straight down, without distortions. Otherwise, the mine will turn out to be inclined and, sooner or later, the sedimentation of the rings will stop.
To avoid distortion, it is necessary to control the verticality of the walls. They do this by tying a plumb line to the bar and laying it on the ring. Additionally, you can control the top level.
When the upper edge of the ring is level with the ground, the next one is rolled. It is placed strictly on top. The work continues. If on the first ring the soil can be thrown over the side with a shovel with a shortened handle, then on the next one you have to take it out with the help of a gate or a tripod and a block. Thus, at least two people must work, and at least three, or even four, are needed to turn the rings. So it is impossible to dig a well on your own, in one hand. Unless to adapt the winch.
So, gradually, the depth of the well increases. When the ring drops to the level with the ground, a new one is placed on it. For descent use hammered brackets or ladders (more correctly – brackets).
The advantages of this method of digging a well:
- You can control how tight and even the ring has become.
- You can lay the same rubber gaskets that will ensure tightness or put them on the solution.
- The walls do not crumble.
These are all pluses. Now for the cons. Working inside the ring is inconvenient and difficult physically. Therefore, according to this method, they dig mainly to a shallow depth – 7-8 meters. And in the mine they work in turn.
Another point: when digging a deck with rings, you can speed up the process of settling and facilitate the passage of soil, you can use a knife. It is made of concrete, it is poured into the ground at the very beginning. To form it, they dig a groove in a circle. In cross section, it has a triangular shape (see figure). Its inner diameter coincides with the inner diameter of the rings used, the outer one is slightly larger. After the concrete has gained strength, a “regular” ring is placed on this ring and work begins.
Installation of rings after reaching the aquifer
First, a mine is dug without rings. At the same time, keep an eye on the walls. At the first sign of shedding, they put the rings inside and continue to deepen according to the first method.
If the soil does not crumble throughout the entire length, having reached the aquifer, they stop. Using a crane or manipulator, rings are placed in the shaft. Then, they deepen another couple of rings according to the first method, increasing the debit.
The excavation technique is the same here: as long as the depth allows, it is simply thrown out with a shovel. Then they put a tripod and a gate and raise it in buckets. After installing the rings, the gap between the walls of the shaft and the ring is filled and rammed. In this case, the upper several rings can be sealed from the outside (with bituminous impregnation, for example, or with other coating waterproofing).
When working, it is also necessary to control the verticality of the walls, but it can be adjusted within certain limits. The control method is similar – a plumb line tied to a bar and lowered into the mine.
Advantages of this method:
- The shaft is wider, it is more convenient to work in it, which allows you to make deeper wells.
- It is possible to make external sealing of several upper rings, which minimizes the possibility of ingress of the most polluted waters.
More disadvantages:
- It is difficult to control the tightness of the junction of the rings: it is forbidden to be in the shaft during installation. It is impossible to move an already installed ring in it. It weighs hundreds of kilograms.
- You can miss the moment, and the mine will crumble.
- The backfill density of the gap between the shaft wall and the rings remains less than the “native” soil. As a result, melt and rain water will seep inward, where it will get inside through the cracks. To avoid this, a protective circle of waterproof material (waterproofing membrane) is made around the well with a slope from the walls of the well.
Commissioning
If you think you dug a well and ended up with it, not at all. You still have a series of daily exercises to do. Here they can be done with your own hands, without the involvement of help. First you need to waterproof the walls from the outside, then – clean and wash the walls from the inside and pump out water – clean the well.
After the well is dug, the rings settle for a couple of days, take their places. At this time, nothing needs to be done inside, but you can do external waterproofing.
Water proofing
If the well was made according to the second method – first they dug a mine, then they put rings – this stage is a little easier. You will need to widen the gap slightly to make the waterproofing. If the rings were installed immediately, you will have to dig a decent ditch around. At least – to the middle of the second ring. When the soil was removed, proceed to the waterproofing.
It is best to use a coating. You can – bituminous mastic, you can – other compounds. In principle, it is possible to fuse or stick rolled waterproofing, in the most extreme case, wrap it with a film. The film is the cheapest, but it will serve no more than two years, and then on the condition of buying an expensive and reinforced.
Since you still dug a well, insulate it. Let while you do not appear at the dacha in winter, but maybe later you will come and the cold. So take care of the availability of water in advance.
Wall cleaning and internal sealing of seams
A couple of days after the well was dug and the “glass sat down”, you go down inside with a broom, sweep the walls. Then you wash the walls: pour them over, sweep with a clean broom. Pour again, then – with a broom. The water was pumped out, drained away. The next day the procedure was repeated. So – five-seven-ten days. Until the inside and the water are clear.
One more moment. Not all teams immediately coat the joints of the rings. Then, after the first cleaning, you need to coat the joints with a solution (cement:sand in a ratio of 1:3). To improve the effect, you can add PVA or liquid glass (instead of some part of the water, or dilute the PVA with water). It is also desirable to insure against horizontal shifts of the rings. Especially if they don’t have locks. To do this, adjacent rings are fastened with metal plates that are attached to the anchor. This measure is strictly necessary on unstable loose or heavily heaving soils.
After the walls are washed, the water is pumped several times, you can use the water. But in order for nothing to attack inside, it is necessary to close it. To learn how to make a house for a well, read here.
For some features of digging wells and cleaning it, see the video.
Work safety
Digging a well (with your own hands or with a team) is hard and dangerous work, especially after the first three rings have been dug in. Buckets have to be pulled out with a winch, a winch or with a block, and it is heavy. It may break – or the rope or the handle may not hold. Therefore, it is necessary to follow the safety rules:
- The worker below must wear a helmet.
- Buckets should have a powerful handle, preferably welded, made of thick wire in several layers.
- Tie buckets to a strong rope, at the end of which a powerful carabiner with a reliable locking system is fixed.
- Periodically check the condition of the rope, bucket handle and carabiner.
- When lifting the buckets, the worker below must be on the opposite side.
- Work at the bottom in turn.
The main thing is to observe safety precautions
Believe me, precautions are not superfluous. Better to be safe.
How the well was dug: photo report
They dug according to the first method – they immediately put rings. Three people worked, changing in turn: no one stayed inside longer than “one ring”. This is all the details in a nutshell. The rest is on the way.
First, the rings were brought in and laid out on the site. A knife was assembled from specially shaped wooden planks.
It turned out a ring, according to the size of which they began to dig in the chosen place.
The first concrete ring was laid on this ring. At first, the soil was only discarded – as long as the depth allowed.
We put the second, missed the seams inside and out, went on to dig further.
When the second went to the level with the ground, We put a tripod with a winch and a block. So they raised and lowered the digger and buckets of rock.
Now: one digs, the second “turns” on the winch, the third one rolls off the soil. On the same winch, they lowered the well into the shaft.
They buried the sixth ring and after that water appeared. If you look at the ground, it turned out like this: black soil, sand, clay, water-bearing sand. This means that the layer where the water flows is separated by clay that does not conduct water very well. This is very good – the water should be good, as it turned out later.
After that, three more rings are installed. One is left for the end of August, when the water is lower, we will lower the well by another meter. then the standard procedure is to wash the walls, pump out the water. So six or seven times. After that, they saddled the head on the well and installed all the stuffing – the gate, pulled the cable out of the house, put the outlet. The plan is to bring water into the house.