Well at my house.

[pieman]

I have only recently moved into my house. Whilst tackling the overgrown garden I have found a well, or rainwater catchment, it was covered by a heavy slab of stone.
I have checked the dept and it is about 3 feet deep, the well is constructed in brick.
Does anyone have any knowledge of wells or the likes. There usual depth, construction, potential uses etc.

 

[Moo]

Is it a well, or a soakaway?

 

[Schoolmarm]

Is it a well, or a soakaway?

or to do with toilet arrangements?

 

[essexbearhunter]

Might not be relevant but
the house that my grandfather lived in on Central Estate in West Hartlepool had a sump to collect rainwater.
Built in 1928 as part of an estate, the underground sump was shared with the next house and in the kitchens - alongside the normal tap - was a hand pump to bring the soft rainwater up for clothes washing.

West Hartlepool is a hard water area - so this addressed a particular local need. Although much deeper than yours (8ft) this may be due to the confined nature of the site and the need for it to hold a decent quantity of water without overflowing.

 

[Penners]

3 feet doesn't sound very deep for a well, unless your water table is particularly shallow. Or unless it's been partially filled in.

What shape is it, and what material is constructed from? Is there any water in it?

 

[Kittycat]

What an excellent opportunity to enhance with a working plastic wishing well, complete with grinning gnome turning the handle to raise the water bucket and milkmaid gnomette carrying two buckets of water from a yoke towards your house.

(Hope you don't mind my sense of humour)

 

[worms]

If we are in bizarre lateral-thinking mode on wells...

What would happen if (instead of digging out all my clogged soakaways) I channelled it all into the well?

There is about 2,500 litres of air in the well above normal water level.

Presumably all the additional water would disappear into the water table?

 

[pieman]

The well is made of brick and is round in shape. On closer inspection there are several drains coming into the well from the direction of the house, I am nowing thinking it is a rainwater catch. Ummmm could come in handy. Maybe excavate some of the silt out, sink in a pump I could use that for the allotment.

I had a good think about the plastic well cover and the gnome, but have decided to pass.

 

[harkerhill]

I've got a huge water collection unit in my dining room, found it when I recently put a new floor in:

http://picasaweb.google.com/dean.benson/WorkOnLoungeAndDiningRoom/photo#4980129066978639890

Mine is about 8 foot deep, and about 5 foot by 8 foot inside.

It's also fed by pipes bringing in rain water... also got an overflow so that it doesnt spill into the room.

I've had a bracket made, and placed a piece of glass on the top so that I can walk over it.. here is the bracket;
http://picasaweb.google.com/dean.benson/SlateFlooringStarted/photo#5008886141718209970

I'm getting fibre optics put inside it so that you will be able to see the depth and water.

I'm chuffed to bits with the find, and finally making a feature of it rather than just bury it.

 

[Nemesis]

And indeed there was a past thread about it...

 

[Penners]

I'm getting fibre optics put inside it so that you will be able to see the depth and water.

How wonderfully high-tech. Haven't you got a long stick?

 

[harkerhill]

I'm getting fibre optics put inside it so that you will be able to see the depth and water.

How wonderfully high-tech. Haven't you got a long stick?

not one that can penetrate through 30mm of glass!

 

[Aidan]

If we are in bizarre lateral-thinking mode on wells...

What would happen if (instead of digging out all my clogged soakaways) I channelled it all into the well?

There is about 2,500 litres of air in the well above normal water level.

Presumably all the additional water would disappear into the water table?

It would block up. The water will drain away, the silt won't.

The well water permeates through porous strata which act as a filter. The well water should be very clean. The well liner is supposed to be sealed, usually with clay, to prevent the contamination of the well water or the aquifer with ground water, which will contain organic contamination.

If you put ground water into the well, the silt in the ground water will remain in the hole as the water drains away and it will rapidly silt up. You may also contaminate the aquifer.

 

[worms]

Aidan,

Thanks for the comments.

Around here, since we are on soil of glacial origin (technically it is probably a kame), wells are only tapping into the groundwater rather than a rock-based aquifer so contamination from any other local drainage (including the soakaways) may already be present.

The well shows no signs of ever being lined - the stones are laid dry, without mortar. However the water is clean and clear, having had a reasonable sand filtration.

As you point out, soakaways clog quite quickly and I guess the same would happen to the well, although removing the silt from the bottom of the well every so often would be quicker than digging new soakaways!

However, I think the arrangement of water butts and pipes that would be necessary to divert all the run-off from roof to well would look a bit odd and put off future buyers.

 

[Penners]

would look a bit odd and put off future buyers.

I wouldn't worry. Who the hell is going to buy a house at the north pole anyway?

 

[worms]

Penners,

Who the hell is going to buy a house at the north pole anyway?

But a house at the North Pole with a well!!!

While ultima Thule was, of course, the mythical edge of the world, beyond proxima Thule, the known furthest point in the world (cf the Aussie equivalent "beyond the black stump"), the concept also includes the absolute limits and capabilities of humankind..."Infinity and beyond!" as my ten year-old son would say!

 

[Penners]

That's easy. All you need is a saw.

 

[worms]

All you need is a saw

But not if you want to drink it! And with global warming even the saw is redundant!

 

[Penners]

with global warming even the saw is redundant!

Unfortunately, on that basis, so is the house.