water well found under 1895 house

[senorjackson]

Hello there

we recently purchased a victorian house with damp in interior walls. since moving in, we have discovered a water well (or perhaps a toilet?) which sits under the house. I've not managed to check how big it is but was wondering what we might do with it. Is it a problem or a potential benefit?

Any advice gratefully received!

Thanks

senor

 

[JoceAndChris]

What's over the top of it and around it? How did you discover it?

We have a well in the floor of our basement, and that's our drinking water as we aren't on mains. I'd say it was a definite perk, and may not be connected to yoru damp problem.

There are a few wells in floors in properties round here, people have perspex lids made for them and light them as a feature.

 

[AMc]

The level of water in the well may help you to work out how close your foundations are to the water table.
When we discovered ours it was 3m between the finished floor and the top of the water so I was pleased.
I've since had a stainless steel inverted 'hat' made and bought a disc of 30mm laminated, toughened glass to go over the top. I just need some latex cutting to the right size to cushion the glass.
I was advised to add a vent to the outside so the glass wouldn't mist with condensation.

I doubt the well will be having mush impact on your damp walls, but it would depend on how close the water is to the top.

It could also be a rainwater cistern - if that doesn't overflow correctly then it could be saturating the foundations?

Pictures are good, I got some good ones shoving a camera phone into places I couldn't get my head. Put a plastic bag around it to stop muck getting in the works.

 

[wolfpaw]

Wells scare me

 

[senorjackson]

thanks for the messages- upon further inspection today:-

Half the well protudes from the front of the house under a heavy slab, whereas the other half is under the front of the house. Looking at the depth of the water, I would suggest that the well seems pretty deep and the level of the water is about 4ft below the brickwork of the bottom of the house. The inside of the well is brick for 6-8 ft then stone below that. Looks like it has been there for a long time!

Thanks

Senor

 

[mm289]

Rainwater cistern gets my vote, we have one on our C18 farmhouse. It fills from the gutters and overflows into the cess pit. Allegedly it was also used as a "cold store" back in the day to keep meat fresh etc.

Easy enough to check, if you can get access, next time it rains listen to see if you can hear water running into it. I would say trace the downpipes, but on ours it isn't exactly obvious as a downpipe goes down into a thumping great stone slab and then feeds into the cistern,

We installed an electric pump and it is fantastic for watering the garden when a hosepipe ban is on (pretty much every year down here in the south 8) )

Cheers

Paul.

 

[senorjackson]

Thanks for the advice so far. Unfortunately it's not rained much recently so we will have to wait and see whether it is a rainwater cistern. Ive had a look on Victorian OS map and it appears that it might be a pump and not a well. If you know I'd like to know what the difference between the two is.

What sort of pump do you use to extract the water?

Many Thanks again

Senor

 

[biffvernon]

Having a well in your house is posh. We have to go outside to get to ours.

 

[Lime]

it might be a pump and not a well. If you know I'd like to know what the difference between the two is

No difference except one has a mechanical pump on top of it the other doesn't.

What sort of pump do you use to extract the water?

http://antiques.lovetoknow.com/Antique_Well_Pumps


There is a difference between a well and a rainwater cistern namely the well draws water from the soil/rock while the cistern stores rain water directly.

spelling corrected 22.46

 

[JoceAndChris]

Here's the hand pump for our well; retired in the early 80s. You'd turn the handle by hand, and (Ithink) the water was pumped into the tank in the roof.

There's something a little more modern to take the well-water up to the tank in the roof these days!

 

[senorjackson]

Thanks for all the info and photo.

I had a good look at it yesterday and i reckon it was originally just a well and now is a combined well/rainwater cistern.

Might it be worthwhile rerouting the drainpipe so it goes into waterboard drains rather than our well?

Cheers

Senor

 

[d49xc]

My observations.....

IF it is a well then the rest water level will be at the water table in your area and it will remain at a constant level only varying with the seasons - lower in summer ,higher in winter.
So if the water in the "well" is x feet below ground level that is the water table and you will discover water if you dig down almost anywhere nearby at this level. Ask around the neighbourhood - if there are more old houses there should be more wells all with water at much the same depth: provided the houses are at the same level.
Without knowing the underlying geology of the area one cannot say whether it is likely that water bearing strata is below your house. Limestone and sandstone formations would be examples of water bearing strata.
If you were to tell me you were on clay then it is not likely to be a well - as clay although a water holding strata will not easily "give up" its water: Wells dug in clay only yield a very poor flow.

I have to say it is unusual to have a water table this close to the surface unless you are on the side of a hill which has a perched aquifier (water bearing strata sandstone maybe over an impervious clay layer) where the water table emerges - over the top of the impervious clay strata and where you get the source of streams.

I think it is more likely to be a drain/rain tank. The construction of bricks followed by stone is a bit unusual for an old well as is its depth below the observed water level. All suggests a tank of some form. Usually the house wells were only dug a few feet below the water table. So for example a 30 ft deep well would have maybe 5ft of water in the bottom when not being extracted: its difficult digging while the water is flowing in! (The dynamics of wells once the water is being pumped out are not dissimilar to those of oil wells - ie complex to model, depend on the strata, the rate of pumping, the lining - brick/stone of the well shaft etc etc etc)

IF it is a well then surface water from gutters etc really should not be directed into it. You are introducing possible contaminated water which has not soaked through the ground direct into the water table. When wells are constructed the sealing of the top is most important to avoid this issue which is/was a major cause of polluted wells.
(That said shallow wells only a few feet deep were always been regarded as unsafe for drinking!)

regards

 

[Pford75]

Might it be worthwhile rerouting the drainpipe so it goes into waterboard drains

As i understand it, this is not permitted unless you contact the water authority in advance. Surface water should not be directed into foul drains and most new drainage installations are encouraged to use soakaways for surface water.

 

[Flyfisher]

And even if you do get permission, you'll be charged for the privilege. All our foul water goes into a septic tank/cess pit (I keep forgetting the difference) and all our drainage water goes into a pond. Consequently, we don't pay any sewerage charges to the water company.