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Building an Arch Over a dug well (C) D Friedman A Starkman Hand Dug Water Well Arch Top Construction

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How to construct the arch for a hand dug water well:

This article gives advice for arch top type & other Hand Dug Water Wells and the sanitation and maintenance concerns with hand dug water wells.

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- Daniel Friedman, Publisher/Editor/Author - See WHO ARE WE?

How to Build a Masonry Arch Over the Dug Well

Building an Arch Over a dug well (C) D Friedman A Starkman Alvin Starkman M.A., LL.B., Casa Machaya, Oaxaca Bed and Breakfast.

This article describes the process of digging a well to provide usable water and the steps taken to make the well safe and sanitary. We include both technical advice and a description of the practical problems that one must encounter and overcome in providing usable water in an area where public water supply is absent or limited.

The article author, Alan Starkman is a retired Toronto attorney who operates the Casa Machaya bed and breakfast in Oaxaca Mexico. Mr. Starkman has written more than 90 articles about life and cultural traditions in Oaxaca, Mexico, and writes here about well digging from a lay person's perspective.

Take a look at the sagging, temporary lift used by the workers to remove stone and soil as the well was being dug (below left) and you will appreciate why expert well builders like to finish the job with a more functional arch over the Dug well opening

. Our masons built a temporary support scaffold over the well opening, then constructed a plywood arch against which a brick arch would be constructed.

Building an Arch Over a dug well (C) D Friedman A Starkman Building an Arch Over a dug well (C) D Friedman A Starkman

Our photos below show the brick arch being completed over the Dug well. Once bricklayer has completed the arch (a couple of days), then he will wait a week or so take off his mold for the arc.

Next we will clean it as best we can, and then proceed. The masonry arc, being secure, will permit me to lower myself into the Dug (really "chiseled") well for an inspection. It will be the first time for me descending 12 meters into the ground

Watch out: never enter a confined space such as a dug well without proper safety precautions, including:

Building an Arch Over a dug well (C) D Friedman A Starkman Building an Arch Over a dug well (C) D Friedman A Starkman

Dug Well Safety: Providing a Ground-Level Wall & Well Cover

The brick wall we show constructed around our dug well (photo below left) serves two purposes.

  1. Prevent surface run-off from entering the well, improving its sanitation.

    This function is particularly important in this example because the well is located on a steep hillside that transports a high volume of runoff during the rainy season.

    See details at DUG WELL SANITATION PROTECTION
  2. Prevent a child or animal from falling into the well. This safety function would be incomplete without also installing a secure cover on the well (photo, below right).

    See details at DUG WELL SAFETY WALLS & COVERS for dug well and well pit safety
Brick safety wall surrounds dug well (C) D Friedman A Starkman Safety cover on a dug well (C) D Friedman A Starkman

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Continue reading at DUG WELL POTABILITY TEST or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see this

Hand Dug Well Construction Procedure

The links below provide the step by step details of how to dig and construct a hand dug water well.

Suggested citation for this web page

WELL ARCH: BUILDING at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.


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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.

  • Alvin Starkman, Casa Machaya, Oaxaca Bed and Breakfast [Facebook page as of 2026/05/02] , Sierra Nevada 164, Col. Loma Linda, Oaxaca, Oaxaca 68024, Mexico, cel: 0449515057793, casa: (951) 1328203, For inquiries, rates and reservations, email Casa Machaya at oaxacadream@hotmail.com

    Mr. Starkman is a retired Toronto attorney who operates the Casa Machaya bed and breakfast in Oaxaca Mexico. Mr. Starkman has written more than 90 articles about life and cultural traditions in Oaxaca, Mexico, and writes here about well digging from a lay person's perspective. This hand dug well procedure article describes the process of digging a well to provide usable water and the steps taken to make the well safe and sanitary. We include both technical advice and a description of the practical problems that one must encounter and overcome in providing usable water in an area where public water supply is absent or limited. |

    Quoting:

    Our Oaxaca bed and breakfast provides a spacious full level of our hillside home, with panoramic vistas, complete privacy, and all amenities. We’re both child and senior friendly. In fact if traveling with infants or young children, we’re pleased to offer the use of a quality crib with all accessories, high chair, car seat and stroller. Contact us for further details including babysitting.

    Your Canadian hosts spent four years building their home using a Oaxacan architect so you’re assured of classic Mexican flare, color and design, yet with all the conveniences of home without any cultural surprises. Our traditional adobe-stone-brick construction, and our breezy location just above the city’s downtown area ensure moderate temperatures year-round. Awake to the sounds of rooster calls and typical music echoing across the valley, yet you’re only minutes from the zócalo, the heart of downtown Oaxaca with its art galleries, museums, colonial churches and restaurants. Our accommodations combine the service and comfort of a modern Oaxaca hotel, with the personal touch of a quaint country inn.
  • Carlos Soberman, San Miguel de Allendex, Mexico kindly contributed the photograph (shown at the top of this page) of flooding during the rainy season in Mexico. Februray 2010.
  • "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:

Water Supply & Drain Piping, Wells, Pumps, Water Supply Equipment

  • Access Water Energy, PO Box 2061, Moorabbin, VIC 3189, Australia, Tel: 1300 797 758, email: sales@accesswater.com.au Website: http://www.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.
  • Grove Electric, Typical Shallow Well One Line Jet Pump Installation [PDF], 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
  • Grove Electric, Typical Deep Well Two Line Jet Pump Installation [PDF], 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
  • 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.

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