FAQs about hand dug wells: their properties, construction & sanitation.

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.

In our guide to hand dug wells we discuss how a hand dug well is constructed, maintained, and kept sanitary or "safe to drink".

Hand dug well FAQs

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 2018-02-08 - by (mod) -

Sounds reasonable provided we can keep the costs down

On 2018-02-07 by Chip

The well is located in Cynthiana Kentucky . The intended use for it would be as a back up in case the county water ever went dry or had a problem with the water in the rural area. I’ve thought about digging it deeper, thinking it just filled in with dirt over time and seeing if that would work.

On 2018-02-07 - by (mod) -

Chip

If the well has running water at the bottom then you're close to water, but unless you dug the well deeper and installed a water-retaining liner water will just run back out.
I would not spend anything on such a well without knowing the location (country, city, province or state, thus local regulations) and its intended use and required flow rate to make use of it = and thus having an idea what's worth doing.

Use the picture frame icon to include photos of the situation if you can.

On 2018-02-07 by Chip

I have a hand dug well that is proximately 2 1/2 feet wide and 9 feet deep. I’m guessing it was a homestead well at one time because it’s lined with rock. My question is I see you water running through the bottom of it but But it won’t hold water. What can I do stop the water from running through and fill up the well?

On 2017-12-22 by ray@raygraph.com - hand-dug well here in Costa Rica!

Thanks for this info; it helped me put in a hand-dug well here in Costa Rica!

We are down to 11.5 meters and awaiting the lowest water level of the year to see if we need to go a little deeper.

We cased the top 8.5 meters, and .5 meters above the ground, all with anillos. Our soil appears to be pretty solid below the casing. Is there any advantage to casing or reinforcing the lower part of the well with rock, brick, blocks, etc? Could it help with filtration? Should we put some kind of gravel bed on the bottom to help with filtration?

Pura vida,

Ray

On 2017-01-23 by Ronald Falkowski

Do you know of anyone in the Delaware area that works in dug wells. We need help. Thank you

On 2016-09-16 - by (mod) -

Tammy,
I would not recommend delivering water, say from a water truck, INTO a dug well. You're likely to lose all of it to the surrounding soil. Rather you'd need to deliver to a sanitary cistern or plastic water storage tank intended for that purpose.

On 2016-09-15 by Tammy

I have a hand dug well that is 25 ft deep.It measures only 3 ft of water due to a drout we are in.Can I have water dumped into the well?

On 2016-09-15 - by (mod) -

Sky I've posted what information we could find in the article above. If you decide to have your water tested, if you have any information or comment from a water testing service that serves Phuket, or if you decide to and can make use of reverse osmosis or other water treatment, do keep me posted. Daniel

On 2016-09-15 by Sky

Thank you for feedback and info sources regarding Phuket water & studies.(I have homework! Lol)
I will share with neighbors
I guess avoid ingesting is the best solution.
Last question:
Is Phuket well water at least safe to shower/bathe in? And wash dishes?

Thank you.

Question: Our Old Water Well is Collapsing - What Should We Do?

Do you know of a geotechnical engineer near Screven County Georgia that can assist me in determining what to do with my situation? From what I have been told in the past, there was an old well in my front yard; Very old.

In about 1970 my father walked past it, heard rushing water and the dirt that had been used to "fill it in" fell out the bottom. You could see down about 20-30 feet in the earth. So my father filled in this well with a brick chimney and for years it was fine.

In the last 6 months, the earth has begun to fall again in that area. We added some more soil. That soil is falling lower and lower.

I don't know who to contact in this area that has any expertise in this area. Do you know who to contact? - D.L., Georgia

Reply: Put Immediate Safety First where a Collapsing Well is Found

A competent onsite inspection by an expert usually finds additional clues that help accurately diagnose a problem around the well or at your site, including possible subsidence due to a sink hole or other similarly dangerous events.

If there are sinkhole or soil collapse risks the hazards are greater than just a problem with the well or with local groundwater contamination. It wasn't clear if you are asking about a drilled well or a hand dug well.

Watch out: First: rope off or cover or otherwise prevent anyone from walking anywhere close to the present collapsing well. The safety hazards of soil collapse around a dug well are still more worrisome and dangerous as they could result in someone falling into the opening - risking a fatality.

That said, you will want to

• Check with your local building department or cooperative extension to ask about soil formations, subsidences, and well collapses in your neighborhood
• If there is any indication that such problems are found in your area, just as you suggested, you will want to consult with a geotechnical engineer is the most competent way to assess your site and well.
• Although we cannot make an individual recommendation, your county or state officials or even local engineering firms should be able to recommend a qualified person who is closest to your home.

Question: how to abandon a dug well

(June 21, 2015) Theodore said:
We have a 30" ID concrete-lined hand-dug well that is ~ 20' deep. It has become non-productive during the dry season, so we are considering filling it in. Does it matter if it is filled in with gravel or soil? We were thinking about a 4" RC slab six feet below ground and installing a septic tank. Your thoughts please.

Reply:

Gravel and rubble should be used enough that you don't have a later subsidence problem if poorly-compacted soil alone is used to fill in an abandoned well.

Question: cover for dug well

(June 23, 2015) Anonymous said:
does a dug well with a single jet pump need to have a air tight top?

Reply:

No. It's common for there to be an air vent; the top may not need to be air tight but it should not allow surface runoff into the well.

Question:

(Sept 10, 2015) Ronald Falkowski said:
We live in Delaware, where can we go to get help with our dug well

Reply:

Delaware department of public health. http://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/index.html

Question: store rainwater in a dug well?

(Sept 10, 2015) Melissa said:
we have a hand dug well from the 1900s. we live in eastern Tennessee my question isn't about the well itself but the rain water catchment system,

it has a cistern that flows into another small well and into the deeper well. im confused on the system and id like to get it working again but cant find any books on the subject. could you help me find information?

Reply:

Melissa

A rainwater harvesting system needs to store water in a water-tight cistern or container; sending rainwater into a dug well is likely to send that water onwards into soils around the well.

I'd need to understand more about what you're using and what's installed to be able to be more specific. Our CONTACT link at page bottom includes an email to which you can send photos.

Also search InspectApedia.com for RAINWATER HARVESTING and CISTERNS for details.

Question: dug well going dry

(Sept 27, 2015) Anonymous said:
I have a 25 feet dug well new pump new water tank was going good for two years well went dry 7, times we have water now but the problem is getting no water in the house What is wrong I need water please help

Reply:

I need more information as I don't have a clue about symptoms at your well. It sounds as if your pump is not working. Search InspectApedia for WELL PUMP WON'T START or WELL PUMP WON'T STOP RUNNING for help.

Question: we bleached the well and now it smells

(Oct 10, 2015) Anonymous said:
I have a hand dug well that is 20-25 feet deep, we bought the house 5 years ago and have not had a problem. We do laundry and all our household things and have no problem with it running out of water, but my son told me to put bleach in the well and now I have a problem with the water smelling terrible, please tell me what to do?

Reply:

If you over-dosed the well with bleach you will proably have to nearly empty it out and allow it to recover.

See CHLORINE HAZARDS in WATER

Question: the hand dug well ran dry

(Feb 25, 2016) joe Deer Park ,wa said:
I bought this property with a hand dug well, aprox 25' it had water in it for the first 1 years then we had a drought and this year the pond that is close by is real full but the well is dry.. The pond is frozen on top still. Can there be away to clean or blow the water jackets to fill the well again?

Reply:

Possibly, one can sometimes rod the soil around the well sides and bottom to encourage a limited improvement in water entry. My friend Paul Galow's dad used to drop dynamite into their well to restore its water flow. We DO NOT RECOMMEND use of explosives as someone could be killed or the well will collapse.

Question: brownish water from our hand dug well

(May 23, 2016) Henry said:
I have a hand dug well. At times it may be a brownish color. I'd like to know what is suggested for filtering to the point where i can use it to wash dishes and bath. It is not for consumption. I've been told the brownish color is decay from ground leaves etc.

Reply:

Henry

Some brown contaminants are silt that an e filtered but others can be from iron or from such fine particles in the water (or chemicals ) such as the decaying leaf theory that most filters won't do much.

Try a charcoal filter and a chlorinator but first perhaps have the water tested so we know for sure what we're trying to filter.

Clear the leaves and organic debris from the well and from its water source. Have the water tested so that we know its safety.

Question: prevent the dug well from collapsing

July 8, 2016) Anonymous said:
we need to change the waterline going from our pump to our hand dug stone well. Is there something you can put in the well to stop it from collasping?

Reply:

Yes, Anonymous: depending on the well's diameter, if its walls are not already safe and secure, you could insert pre-cast concrete well rings into the well to form safe sides.

At the end of the article series given above you'll see a live link

to WELL RINGS: WHEN TO USE or OMIT

On 2013-02-18 by Anonymous

trulf lutsilili

On 2012-10-19 by wesley strack

i live in western illinois. we have used our brick lined 48" dia well since we purchased our property 12 years ago. we just started having problems, and realized a section approx 5 feet tall complete ring of the brick collapsed. had a drilling company try 2 wells on our property and they could not find water better than 1/2 gal per minute.

Is there anybody that repairs hand dug wells? all the well people around here say they wont repair this. any help is appreciated!

On 2012-10-03 by (mod) -

Michelle Cole,

We don't have a scrap of information about your water system: is it a drilled well, dug well, driven point well, what? Where is the pump? I can't say that there is a relation between a broken pipe a few days ago and having no water right now unless the "broken pipe" repair has come loose again. Also if you were having a filter problem, a clogged filter can stop water flow; and a missing filter can admit enough debris into a pump to damage the pump impeller;

In other words, we'd need to know a lot more about what you've got installed before able to suggest specifics.
Rather it sounds as if you need an exprienced well installer or plumber on the scene.

The article link at upper page left titled WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR takes you to a diagnostic procedure for lost or poor water pressure.

On 2012-10-03 by (mod) - putting water INTO a dug well during dry season pretty much guarantees that much of what you put there will seep backwards into the ground

Mike and Amy G:

Unfortunately, putting water INTO a dug well during dry season pretty much guarantees that much of what you put there will seep backwards into the ground. A better solution for this case is to install a cistern, either in ground or above ground, that you fill from a source (like your fire dept or a water truck) when the well is dry.

If you've not already done so, you probably should be considering water testing and water treatment as it's pretty difficult to keep such a shallow well sanitary, not to mention what happens to water that is delivered from a truck.

Eric:
People sometimes try digging a well deeper to improve water supply, but without knowing the properties of the aquifer in your area we can't guess if that's likley to help or hurt; Also, while there are some very deep dug wells, there are practical and safety limits to their depth.

On 2012-10-03 by Michelle Cole

I don't understand,I had a broken open pipe I had to repair than day go's by than it was the filters on the pump, but a few days later I have no water now....can you help me ???? the Hotel is 100 years old I live in Coalmont BC

On 2012-09-30 by eric

how to get water from a dry well

On 2012-09-19 by amy g

Mike Austin, we are having the same exact issue. Any luck in figuring iut where the water is going?

On 2012-09-07 by Mike Austin

Recently purchased my home. Has a 16' deep dug well with 24" inside diameter concrete sections 4' long 4 high. We have had little to no rain here this summer so I checked the well for the first time. Dropped a tape with a weight down found 2 feet of water. Had local fire dept fill iy with 750 gal of water after an hour it was back down to 2 feet, and we used no water. Water supply seems to keep it at 2 feet havent run out of water yet. My question is where did the 750 gal go?

On 2012-07-20 by (mod) -

Tim since you are making your question on a "hand dug wells" page, I presume your well is also a hand dug well - in which case I don't see much alternative than installing a higher-capacity filtration system that will need filter changeout less often, or a more sophisticated cascade filter approach that combines filtration, disinfection, and a final charcoal filter approach. In general it's just about impossible to assure that a dug well always delivers sanitary potable water in most locales.

On 2012-07-19 by tim

hello my water is comming thru sandy ,and with minerals ,,,i need to change my primary filter much more than usual for about a year now..this is regardless of time of year ,,lots of rain etc....my well is not deep and is used regularly,,,what should i do....thank you

On 2011-09-23 by Anonymous

is it possible to update old hand dug wells that are not in use but still have water? the use would be for livestock and irrigating.

On 2011-09-21 by carl rember

while excavating for a house foundation I noticed some broken ends of posts about 7' below grade. Closer inspection revealeda circle 4' across. The operator hooked one post and pulled up 10' of cedar, 10" in diamiter. There is no sign of a hole but could this have been a well? (17' total depth)

On 2011-08-01 by (mod) -

BGees a bad foot valve in a very shallow well like a dug well (the subject of this web page) should be easy to replace since the total length of pipe to pull to remove and replace the foot valve will be less than 27 feet in length. Just replace the foot valve.

The question of the adequacy of the well to supply water during the next drought is a function of the water flow rate into the well, not the foot valve.

On 2011-08-01 by bgees

the foot valve is slowly wearing away at this time, and as a result there is a low pressure to push the water from the well up..Is it going to supply the area for the next drought?

On 2011-07-06 by (mod) -

"Slime" in drinking water is usually an algae growth; sounds like you need a chlorination system; I'd ask a local water test company to inspect and test the system.

On 2011-07-06 by Ron Saltzman

water contains clear slim which is clogging filter' what is it and what is causeing it and what can be done to get read of it

...

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 HAND DUG WELL FAQs-2 - more-recent questions & answers about digging a well and using a dug well for drinking water.

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

Suggested citation for this web page

HAND DUG WELL FAQs at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to WATER SUPPLY, PUMPS TANKS WELLS & SPRINGS

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