Gutter to well

farmmom · #1 03/26/09, 04:38 PM

Has anyone run your gutters into a well. I have a well under my house that is completely dry. It is also empty of anything other than a couple rocks. I was considering putting gutters on and running them to rain barrels, and then I thought, why do that when I have a well I could run it into. I thought I could do this then use and above ground pump to water my garden and fruit trees. I just want to get some input from someone else that has done this before I do it.

ihedrick · #2 03/26/09, 04:43 PM

Is this for watering plants only? Not sure where the info came from, but when I was planning my rainwater storage system it was recommended to NOT put it in the well. I think it was something to do with contaminents coming off the roof surfaces and other stuff. Its been so long ago. But if it is just for plants; shouldn't be a problem.

rambler · #3 03/26/09, 04:49 PM

Do you know the difference between a cistern and a well?

If this is a _well_ then it is illegal and a real bad idea to put surface water into the well. You would be introducing bacteria & so on into the water viens under you, and possibly contaminate your well - if you have another - or your neighbor's well.

If what you have is a cistern, then it likely was designed for storing rain water, and if it is still good and doesn't leak, you will be good to go with a little planning & work.

But - don't put water into a _well_. Bad.

--->Paul

DMD Farms · #4 03/26/09, 04:58 PM

Just thought I'd have to agree about rain water in a well, bad idea. Also be sure about the law and rain/surface water, some states have laws against it!!!!

Danaus29 · #5 03/26/09, 07:39 PM

Running surface water, or any water, into a well is illegal in most areas of the US. You can run rain water into a cistern, provided that isn't illegal where you live. It is illegal where I live, and in some western states.

farmmom · #6 03/27/09, 07:17 AM

I was told this was a well, but it has been dry for a very long time. All that is in it is dust. It's a deep (not sure how deep) cylidrical hole underneath my house. If I can't put water in it, I guess the next best thing would be to fill it in with rock and dirt? It is currently sealed so my children can't explore and fall down it, but I don't see any use in having and unusable hole under there.

ceresone · #7 03/27/09, 07:44 AM

It sounds to me like it's a cistern-and not a well.

Sammy · #8 03/27/09, 07:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by farmmom

.......... but I don't see any use in having and unusable hole under there.

A good place to keep your gold so the Yankies can't find it.

big rockpile · #9 03/27/09, 08:23 AM

Its probably a cistern.If it is I wouldn't go through the trouble unless I was using it for Household Use.

big rockpile

Windy in Kansas · #10 03/27/09, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by farmmom

I was told this was a well, but it has been dry for a very long time. I don't see any use in having and unusable hole under there.

The problem of putting water into an old well, even if dry, is that it is ultimately connected to other underground water sources and what you put into it may migrate down to other water wells. Whatever falls onto your rooftop and anything that leaches out of the shingles, etc. are potential contaminants.

I would think putting such water into a well would be illegal in all areas but of course don't have a clue, just an opinion, which is that it should be illegal. Please don't do it.

rambler · #11 03/27/09, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by farmmom

I was told this was a well, but it has been dry for a very long time. All that is in it is dust. It's a deep (not sure how deep) cylidrical hole underneath my house. If I can't put water in it, I guess the next best thing would be to fill it in with rock and dirt? It is currently sealed so my children can't explore and fall down it, but I don't see any use in having and unusable hole under there.

In my state, and others, a well needs to be properly sealed by qualified people. Needs the right kind of clay to seal it so surface water can't get down it. Filling with rocks, for example, is a bad idea - again it will allow dirty water to get down to the water table very quickly.

Now, a well gathers water from cracks in the soil. If it is dry, then the water has disappeared. Obviously, if you try to use it for water storage, the water will seep away through those same dry cracks, so it does not work to store water in a dry well. You are using a pit with holes in it.

A well is sorta like an open wound on your skin. It allows stuff to pass in & out of the ground. You don't want bacteria & such to pass through your skin on an open wound? You don't want stuff passing down a well into the water supplies either. Be careful how you deal with this.

Not too long ago there was a thread here about a large cattle feedlot coming in near someone, and the horrors this manure would cause for their shallow water supply.

An open well, or one filled with rock, or with surface water pumped directly into it, is the same sort of horror. It can really mess others up in the future.

Think of it as an open wound into Mother Earth, and act accordingly.

--->Paul

BRYAN · #12 03/27/09, 04:02 PM

Two problems have already been outlined above. because of the possibility of contaminating the ground water it is illegal in my state to use a setup like that. Another would be my concern that inumerable possums and cats have fallen in and decayed in your cistern or well over the years. Of course in a true survival mode all bets are off, for that reason I would explore it for future possibilities, like you are.

Common Tator · #13 03/27/09, 04:14 PM

What you have there sounds more like a cistern. If it has been dry for years, it most likely is a cistern. You can water plants with that water, flush toilets, other non food uses. I found this informative piece from Florida about cisterns http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/AE029 And it talks about sealing the cistern to make it water tight. That way there wouldn't be a risk of contaminating your watershed.

Common Tator · #14 03/27/09, 04:46 PM

If your cistern is uneven and rocky, the way I picture it, you could buy a commercial pond liner to line it and make it water tight. It should be relatively inexpensive considering the size, and without being exposed to UV rays, should last a lifetime! This would alleviate the contamination concerns others have mentioned.

farmmom · #15 03/27/09, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Common Tator

If your cistern is uneven and rocky, the way I picture it, you could buy a commercial pond liner to line it and make it water tight. It should be relatively inexpensive considering the size, and without being exposed to UV rays, should last a lifetime! This would alleviate the contamination concerns others have mentioned.

It's not rocky. The sides are very straight and very deep. It has a couple of rocks in the bottom that I dropped to see if there was water after I couldn't see any.

No rain can get to it as it is in my crawl space, so there is no possibility of contaminated water getting in it unless my hilltop floods over 12". I don't know if I could get down in it to seal it as I am a pretty big girl, and the hole isn't very big around.

Common Tator · #16 03/27/09, 07:38 PM

I was wondering just how much contamination could come off your roof, unless you lived between a nuclear plant and a pesticide factory.

It really sounds like you have a cistern, and it has remained dry because you haven't known to fill it.

Do you know how old your house is? I think cisterns were popular in the victorian era.

farmmom · #17 03/27/09, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Common Tator

I was wondering just how much contamination could come off your roof, unless you lived between a nuclear plant and a pesticide factory.

It really sounds like you have a cistern, and it has remained dry because you haven't known to fill it.

Do you know how old your house is? I think cisterns were popular in the victorian era.

I'm wondering too about contamination. Shingle roofs were mentioned, but I have a metal roof.

My house was built n 1954, or at least part of it was, then it was added on to later. The added on part is over the hole in question, but I can walk under there, and store alot of stuff in there too.

Danaus29 · #18 03/27/09, 08:13 PM

Contaminants don't come from the rain water. Contaminants come from the material that settles on your roof; dust, exhaust particulates, ash, and sparrow crap. Yes a metal roof has fewer contaminants because you don't have the asphalt leeching and gravel specks, but you still have the atmospheric debris.

Common Tator · #19 03/27/09, 08:15 PM

I saw a bottling plant on TV once that bottled "soft rain water", and the guy was in full compliance with the law. He had a huge warehouse, with a metal roof. Whenever it rained the water went down the gutters for a few minutes to rinse off the roof. Then the water was diverted to his cisterns. There may have been some other cleansing or purification process after that, and there probably is because birdies could care less about our health laws, but he was making a decent living doing this!

I just did a search to see if I could find him, I couldn't because this guy was in the US. But I did find others, including this guy. http://www.finewaters.com/Bottled_Wa...loud_Juice.asp

navygirl · #20 03/27/09, 08:20 PM

Contaminants come from particles in the air too... doesn't have to be just off the roof. If it's a cistern, go ahead and fill it and use for non-drinking purposes. Every bit of water that is captured and channeled is less water available for run-off into streams and rivers. Run-off water is typically contaminated with pesticides, etc. A good use for captured water is a rain garden. Properly channeled, it can be used to recharge aquifers through the natural filtering process. Research rain gardens on the 'net. Great stuff!