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Q&A on Hand Dug Water Wells #2
FAQs: how to dig, install, maintain & use hand excavated water wells
- POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about hand dug water wells, construction, inspection, safety, sanitation, and well collapses
Hand dug wells Q&A-2.
This article series offers advice for hand dug water wells and the sanitation and maintenance concerns with this water supply type. We provide advice about what to do when things go wrong, how to inspect hand dug wells for safety, safe practices for actually digging a well, and how to address hand dug well sanitation
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Hand dug well FAQs set #2
These questions & answers about constructing, repairing, using hand dug wells were posted originally
at DUG WELLS, by HAND How to dig, install, maintain & use hand excavated drinking water wells - be sure to see that article series.
On 2019-01-14 by (mod) - we put in a filter but our well water is yellow and smells like sulfur
Beth you need water tests to find out what's in the watet - that can tell you if drilling a new well is likely to cure your complaints.
See also our sulfur odor cures at
ODORS IN WATER
On 2019-01-14 by Beth
We have an old well 40' deep with a new wood lid over it. Water is about 12' deep and pump sits in a slotted well casing.
We put in a fairly expensive filtration system in the house and still have yellowish water with a sulfur smell. We are to the point of filling in the old well and just drilling a new one.
However, we have been considering putting limestone rock in the old well (maybe 10' of 1" rock, 18' of 1/4" rock, a 2' layer of bentonite, then soil above.
This would force surface water to go thru 10' of dirt before reaching the well. We believe there is a spring that is also feeding the well, but not exactly sure at what level.
Does this sound like a good plan? We were avoiding using sand so it wouldn't get into the well casing.
On 2018-12-13 by Subbarao
We maintain a Hand dug well of 30feet and it also gets water from terrace through Rain water harvesting.
Neighbor built a house closer to the well and leave their kitchen waste water closer to the well. With the recent rain the water mixed with their Kitchen waste water and mixed with well water. i can advice my neighbor to stop but however that is not going to help in the long run.
Please advice me how to protect the well water from getting mixed with such kitchen waste.
On 2018-10-03 by (mod) -
Just about at the ARTICLE INDEX if you click on that link you find an article in this series on how to shock a well that might give you some relief
On 2018-10-03 1 by Melissa
We have a hand dug well we did for our cows and the water runs down to tank for cows. The problem were having is algae will plug the line and stop the water flow and we have to plow the line out, Wondering if there's any way to get rid of the algae
On 2018-10-01 by (mod) -
Ngua
Forgive my confusion but this is a dug well, right? What do you mean "lacks air" ? And what problem is occurring?
On 2018-10-01 by ngua
solution if a well lacks air
On 2018-07-15 by william campbell
Our dug well top tile is seriously deteriorated. I would like it replaced or repaired. What can be done?
On 2018-05-27 1 by (mod) - keeping surface water out of the dug well
Leo
In our article on spring box repair
we discuss fixing leaks and the concern with avoiding toxic leak sealants. Please check out that discussion and don't hesitate to ask further questions.
I would add that as your say your dug well liner crack is due to settlement, it's likely that NO crack sealant repair is going to be durable unless the cause of the settlement is found and addressed.
On 2018-05-27 by Leo
My well is 15' deep, with a cement-wall surround of about 3' x 10'. There is a large crack in one corner which is settling. Can you recomment a non-toxic cement to repair the crack please.
On 2018-02-06 by (mod) - repairing a well when the ground is frozen
Jean
With the ground frozen I'm not sure that there is an easy approach to well repair - since excavation around the well could be required.
I would instead ask for help from a plumber who might install a whole house water filter system to serve at least until the well can be repaired.
Keep in mind that a 12 ft. deep dug well is also not protected against other contaminants so water testing is in order, and other treatment or disinfection could be needed.
On 2018-02-06 13:04:45.963418 by Jean
My dug well has plenty of water is 12 feet deep and constructed with concrete rings. We have and are still in the winter in northern Ontario. We have had some warm weather. I suspect one of the rings lifted and dirt in coming in and now my water is brown. Ground is frozen don’t know what to do
On 2018-02-06 by (mod) - - fixing damaged dug well in freezing weather?
Jean
With the ground frozen I'm not sure that there is a reasonable nor easy approach to well repair - since excavation around the well could be required. I would instead ask for help from a plumber who might install a whole house water filter system to serve at least until the well can be repaired.
Keep in mind that a 12 ft. deep dug well is also not protected against other contaminants so water testing is in order, and other treatment or disinfection could be needed.
On 2018-02-06 by Jean
My dug well has plenty of water is 12 feet deep and constructed with concrete rings. We have and are still in the winter in northern Ontario. We have had some warm weather. I suspect one of the rings lifted and dirt in coming in and now my water is brown. Ground is frozen don’t know what to do
On 2018-01-05 1 by (mod) - putting a pipe down and filling in the dug well?
Nick, youll be giving up most of the well capacity.
On 2018-01-05 by Nick
I have an old hand dug well 3' in dia. 75' in depth. is it possible to place a 6" PVC pipe in the middle and then fill the outside with washed rock?
I would like to make this a normal 6" diameter well with a cap. The well maintains at least 50~60' of water and the lowest is about 20' in the summer. The water test is ok, but we filter the water to drink.
On 2017-12-19 by (mod) - old well is small and shallow
Allister
What you describe is not normal for a well, but might be normal for a cistern. If the sides of the well are plastered with concrete and the bottom is concrete it is perhaps a cistern.
With a 1 M opening I make the whole diameter of the structure too small to have been the base of a silo, right?
Is this in the UK?
On 2017-12-18 by Allister haynes
We are looking at buying land, an old well has been left on the site, it's only small, the hole being about 4 meters deep and the opening about 1mt by 800, the odd thing is it has concrete in the bottom. I'm trying to find out if this is normal?
Why would there be a concrete base? Any ideas. We are not sure what to do with it, the developers knocked an old shack down and cleared everything but left this !
On 2017-12-14 by Dan
Thank you
On 2017-12-14 by (mod) - Where the well can't be accessed by a simple ladder
Where the well can't be accessed by a simple ladder, I often see workers in a team (NEVER WORK ALONE) using a tripod, winch, and harness.
On 2017-12-13 by Dan
I have to get down inside my hand dug well to reconnect the pipes to the the solid pipes coming out the wall. What's the cheapest way to get in and out of the shaft safely
On 2017-10-16 by Paola
Hi there!
I recently bought a piece of land that has a dug well and because the lot is small im wondering if building on top of the well can be considered an option?
On 2017-09-08 by (mod) - if someone falls into a well or into a hole next to a well the result can be fatal.
Sandy
I'm glad you're looking at this problem since obviously if someone falls into a well or into a hole next to a well the result can be fatal.
You need to start with understanding the cause of the collapse: is the dug well itself collapsing? Is soil washing into the well? If so then the well structure will need to be repaired and the well may require cleaning-out of any infill.
There could be other causes for subsidence - knowing nothing about the site, country, city, province, well design, depth, soil conditions, usage, local weather conditions, water table, etc. nobody can guess usefully in more details.
I would not just add backfill before having an understanding of what's happening.
I would mark off the area and keep people away to avoid an injury.
On 2017-09-08 Sandy
I have an open well that has an area around it that has fallen in; is there any thing i can do to stop the collapsing?
On 2017-07-18 by (mod) - I can't find the well
Sure Ralph
See HOW TO FIND THE WELL
Found using the search box above to search for that phrase
On 2017-07-17 by Ralph DeAngelis
My house was built before city water was installed. Im sure there there was a well but i cant find it. Are there any signs i should look for? No luck at the county departments. Nikes ohio trumbull county ralphd1@gmail.com
On 2017-03-05 by (mod) - water is running back into the well
Look for a leak in the well piping.
Watch out: groundwater or surface water leaking into the well carry contaminants and may make the water unsafe to drink.
On 2017-03-04 by Robert
Water running back into the well, around the water pipe
On 2016-12-01 by Anonymous
How to repair a wall that has given way on two sides of hand dug well used for livestock
...
Continue reading at HAND DUG WELL PROCEDURE - how to construct a hand dug well or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.
Or see these
Recommended Articles
The links below provide the details of how to dig and construct a hand dug water well.
- HAND DUG WELLS - home
- HAND DUG WELL PROCEDURE
- SAFETY WARNINGS for WELL DIGGERS
- BUILD A HAND DUG WELL
- DECIDING TO DIG a WELL: QUESTIONS
- CHOOSE WELL LOCATION & DIGGING METHOD
- BEGIN DIGGING THE WELL
- SUSPEND DIGGING THE WELL: WET SEASON
- WELL RINGS: WHEN TO USE or OMIT
- DUG WELL DEPTH: HOW DEEP IS ENOUGH?
- DUG WELL WATER QUANTITY: HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH?
- WELL ARCH: BUILDING
- WELL SAFETY WALL & COVER
- DUG WELL POTABILITY TEST
- DUG WELL SANITATION PROTECTION
- HAND DUG WELL WATER in PHUKET
- WELL CAPS & COVERS safety and sealing requirements
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INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to WATER SUPPLY, PUMPS TANKS WELLS & SPRINGS
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Citations & References
In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.
- [1] "Depth of Hand Dug Wells and Water Chemistry: Example from Ibadan Northeast Local Government Area (L.G.A.), Oyo-State, Nigeria",
I. P. Ifabiyi, Department of Geography, Faculty of Business and Social Sciences, P.M.B 1515, Ilorin, Nigeria E-mail: tokunifabiyi @yahoo.com, J. Soc. Sci., 17(3): 261-266 (2008), Web search 4/13/12, original source http://www.krepublishers.com/02-Journals/JSS/JSS-17-0-000-000-2008-Web/
JSS-17-3-185-08-Abst-Text/JSS-17-3-261-08-015-Ifabiyi
-I-P/JSS-17-3-261-08-015-Ifabiyi-I-P-Tt.pdf; Quoting:
ABSTRACT The paper attempts an examination of the relationships between water chemistry and depth of handdug wells in a densely populated (16,679-people/km2) part of Ibadan, Nigeria. Multivariate procedures of multiple and stepwise regression analyses were adopted. Results of the multiple regression and correlation shoed that Coliform count., pH , total hardness (TH), calcium (Ca+),magnesium (Mg+ ), iron (Fe+) and chloride (Cl- )increase with increasing depth while nitrate (NO3 - )and bicarbonate (CO3 -)2 reduce with depth. All the examined parameters were significant at 0.05. Further, the result of R2 showed that the relationship explains 68.88% of the variance; while, the stepwise regression suggest chloride to be the most important chemical parameter (R2 of 38.11%). That is related to well’s depth. The paper calls for further research. - [2] ST 1.5 The Hand Dug Well [instruction manual], Henk Holtslag & John deWolf, Foundation Connect International, 2009, web wearch 4/13/12, original source: http://www.connectinternational.nl/files/ST%201.5%20-%20Hand%20dug%20well.pdf, contact information: Foundation Connect International
Jan van Houtkade 50
2311 PE LEIDEN
The Netherlands
Tel./Fax +31 71 514 1111
Website www.connectinternational.nl
Email info@connectinternational.nl
Connect International supports and strengthens local partner organizations in developing countries to facilitate rural communities to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and make an End of Poverty. - Mark Cramer Inspection Services Mark Cramer, Tampa Florida, Mr. Cramer is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors and is a Florida home inspector and home inspection educator. Mr. Cramer serves on the ASHI Home Inspection Standards. Contact Mark Cramer at: 727-595-4211 mark@BestTampaInspector.com
- John Cranor [Website: /www.house-whisperer.com ] is an ASHI member and a home inspector (The House Whisperer) is located in Glen Allen, VA 23060. He is also a contributor to InspectApedia.com in several technical areas such as plumbing and appliances (dryer vents). Contact Mr. Cranor at 804-873-8534 or by Email: johncranor@verizon.net
- "Comparison of large and small diameter wells", Natural Resources Management & Environment Department, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO Corporate Document Repository - Self-Help Wells - see http://www.fao.org/docrep/X5567E/x5567e04.htm
- Hand pumps for wells, product sources:
- Dempster Industries is a contemporary manufacturer of hand pumps for shallow wells or hand dug wells. At http://www.dempsterinc.com/html/Handpump.html you can find Dempster Industries who can tell you exactly how to repair mechanical problems with your well pump. Here is the Dempster installation manual for a typical hand pump used on shallow wells or dug wells: http://www.dempsterinc.com/PDF%20FIles/Typical%20Hand%20Pump%20Installation.pdf
- Access Water Energy, PO Box 2061, Moorabbin, VIC 3189, Australia, Tel: 1300 797 758, email: sales@accesswater.com.au Moorabbin Office: Kingston Trade Centre, 100 Cochranes Rd, Moorabbin, VIC 3189
Australian supplier of: Greywater systems, Solar power to grid packages, Edwards solar systems, Vulcan compact solar systems, water & solar system pumps & controls, and a wide rage of above ground & under ground water storage tanks: concrete, steel, plastic, modular, and bladder storage tanks. wners - Smart Tank, Installation Instructions, Flexcon Industries, 300 Pond St., Randolph MA 02368, www.flexconind.com, Tel: 800-527-0030 - web search 07/24/2010, original source: http://www.flexconind.com/pdf/st_install.pdf [Copy on file as /water/Smart_Tank_Flexcon.pdf ] -
- Typical Shallow Well One Line Jet Pump Installation, Grove Electric, G&G Electric & Plumbing, 1900 NE 78th St., Suite 101, Vancouver WA 98665 www.grovelectric.com - web search -7/15/2010 original source: http://www.groverelectric.com/howto/38_Typical%20Jet%20Pump%20Installation.pdf, [Copy on file as /water/Jet_Pump_Grove_Elect_Jet_Pumps.pdf ] -
- Typical Deep Well Two Line Jet Pump Installation, Grove Electric, G&G Electric & Plumbing, 1900 NE 78th St., Suite 101, Vancouver WA 98665 www.grovelectric.com - web search -7/15/2010 original source: http://www.groverelectric.com/howto/38_Typical%20Jet%20Pump%20Installation.pdf, [Copy on file as /water/Jet_Pump_Grove_Elect.pdf ] - Cooperative Extension, School of Forest Resources, web search 07/24/2010, original source: http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/pdfs/XH0002.pdf
- Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.
- In addition to citations & references found in this article, see the research citations given at the end of the related articles found at our suggested
CONTINUE READING or RECOMMENDED ARTICLES.
- Crystal Clear Supply provides portable ceramic water filter purifiers and portable reverse osmosis water treatment equipment - see http://www.crystalclearsupply.com/category_s/7.htm
- Handbook of Disinfectants and Antiseptics, Joseph M. Ascenzi (Editor), CRC, 1995, ISBN-10: 0824795245 ISBN-13: 978-0824795245 "The evaluation of chemical germicides predates the golden age of microbiology..." -
This well-focused, up-to-date reference details the current medical uses of antiseptics and disinfectants -- particularly in the control of hospital-acquired infections -- presenting methods for evaluating products to obtain regulatory approval and examining chemical, physical, and microbiological properties as well as the toxicology of the most widely used commercial chemicals. - Principles and Practice of Disinfection, Preservation and Sterilization (Hardcover)
by A. D. Russell (Editor), W. B. Hugo (Editor), G. A. J. Ayliffe (Editor), Blackwell Science, 2004. ISBN-10: 1405101997, ISBN-13: 978-1405101998.
"This superb book is the best of its kind available and one that will undoubtedly be useful, if not essential, to workers in a variety of industries. Thirty-one distinguished specialists deal comprehensively with the subject matter indicated by the title ... The book is produced with care, is very readable with useful selected references at the end of each chapter and an excellent index. It is an essential source book for everyone interested in this field. For pharmacy undergraduates, it will complement the excellent text on pharmaceutical microbiology by two of the present editors."
The Pharmaceutical Journal: "This is an excellent book. It deals comprehensively and authoritatively with its subject with contributions from 31 distinguished specialists. There is a great deal to interest all those involved in hospital infection ... This book is exceptionally well laid out. There are well chosen references for each chapter and an excellent index. It is highly recommended." The Journal of Hospital Infection.: "The editors and authors must be congratulated for this excellent treatise on nonantibiotic antimicrobial measures in hospitals and industry ... The publication is highly recommended to hospital and research personnel, especially to clinical microbiologists, infection-control and environmental-safety specialists, pharmacists, and dieticians."
New England Journal of Medicine: City Hospital, Birmingham, UK. Covers the many methods of the elimination or prevention of microbial growth. Provides an historical overview, descriptions of the types of antimicrobial agents, factors affecting efficacy, evaluation methods, and types of resistance. Features sterilization methods, and more. Previous edition: c1999. DNLM: Sterilization--methods. - When Technology Fails, Matthew Stein, Chelsea Green Publisher, 2008,493 pages. ISBN-10: 1933392452 ISBN-13: 978-1933392455, "... how to find and sterilize water in the face of utility failure, as well as practical information for dealing with water-quality issues even when the public tap water is still flowing". Mr. Stein's website is www.whentechfails.com/
- In addition to citations & references found in this article, see the research citations given at the end of the related articles found at our suggested
CONTINUE READING or RECOMMENDED ARTICLES.
- Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., 120 Carlton Street Suite 407, Toronto ON M5A 4K2. Tel: (416) 964-9415 1-800-268-7070 Email: info@carsondunlop.com. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.
Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, for permission for InspectAPedia to use text excerpts from The HOME REFERENCE BOOK - the Encyclopedia of Homes and to use illustrations from The ILLUSTRATED HOME .
Carson Dunlop Associates provides extensive home inspection education and report writing material. In gratitude we provide links to tsome Carson Dunlop Associates products and services.
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