Questions about unused dug well

charged · #1 11/27/12, 06:49 PM

I have a wellhouse with an old dug well in it and it is old and is not used anymore. I also have a more modern bored well. Today I pointed a flashlight down the hole of the dug well and it is lined with what looks to be 3 foot concrete culvert. Each section looked to be 4 or 5 foot in length and I counted about 10 sections (fifty feet deep?). I could see clear water at the bottom. My question is - could I attach a manual hand pump to the top to pump water as a back up in case the electricity goes out? What type of hose or pipe would I use to get down to the water? garden hose? Are there manual hand pumps that use garden hose to pump the water?

rambler · #2 11/27/12, 07:00 PM

Once you get over 20 feet or so it becomes difficult and any deepr becomes impossible to suck water up a hose.

To pump it, you would need a pipe with an internal rod with a pump at the bottom, and a handle on top connected to the pump below by the rod.

Most are metal pipe setups, tho I believe some are now mostly all plastic setups, with rigid plastic pipe. Pumps are real good at pushing water, not good at sucking water.

In no way will 50 feet of garden hose dropped down the well get you water up 50 feet to the surface.

--->Paul

OkieDavid · #3 11/27/12, 07:20 PM

As Paul said, go beyond one atmosphere (approx 33 ft) and suction pumps won't work. The short answer is "yes" you can rig it up as a backup water supply with a well rope/bucket or a modern pump set in the bottom of the well. Myself, I would pump it dry a time or two then shock it with bleach and have at it. A weight attached to a piece of rope will tell you depth. Drop the weight down slowly until it hits the bottom then pull it back up and measure the "wet" rope to determine depth of water. Distance from the end of the wet to the top of the well will give you the depth to water.

charged · #4 11/27/12, 07:38 PM

Do ya'all think a 50 foot Flojak pump would work?

Bearfootfarm · #5 11/27/12, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Do ya'all think a 50 foot Flojak pump would work?

Until you know the depth of the water and the distance from th ewater to the top of the well, it can't be answered, but if it's more than about 40 ft , that pump won't work

Bearfootfarm · #6 11/27/12, 08:30 PM

Oops!!

wogglebug · #7 11/27/12, 09:47 PM

Pumping it dry does sound like a good idea, or at least putting an underwater camera and light down there. You never know what's down there, either thrown or fallen, until you look.
Of course, you may just elect to test the water.
If you wanted to go low-tech, you could use a windlass, bucket and rope. There are "buckets" available that look like a thick cylinder, and have a one-way valve in the bottom so water can flow in the bottom, but has to be poured out the top (or run out of a tap recessed into the bucket at the bottom of the side).

frankva · #8 11/28/12, 06:15 AM

Pumping it out will also help keep the water vein open flowing and happy.

jwal10 · #9 11/28/12, 07:06 AM

If using for drinking water make sure the well is sealed good. Many old wells have mice and rats (dead or alive) they are drawn to the water during dry spells. My folks had a dairy and the water was tested every year. One year it did not pass, dead rats in the water. A well got dig quickly....James

geo in mi · #10 11/28/12, 07:54 AM

I would use a windlass and a bucket for a test. If the water proves good and tests good, then you could build a base on top and install this for about $500. Deep Well Hand Water Pumps @- Survival Unlimited .com

Safety first, though, and don't fall in ......

geo

frankva · #11 11/28/12, 11:26 AM

I threw a trout in mine years back. Had a frog look back at me when I looked in this Spring.

Piggy back question. If I got fired up to rehab this old surface rocked well, what sort of mortar do I need to use on the inside? Potable water safe.

greg_n_ga · #12 11/28/12, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankva

Pumping it out will also help keep the water vein open flowing and happy.

A few crawfish will work the veins out too !!

charged · #13 11/28/12, 03:40 PM

I tied a washer to fishing line and let it down the well until it splashed the water. Took it out and measured it - 47 feet from surface of water to top of culvert. Pretty good huh?

So the consensus here is that a 50 foot flojak kit would only work on a well 40 feet and shallower?

Ozarks Tom · #14 11/28/12, 05:35 PM

You need to know how deep the well is overall. I agree, pump it dry a couple times and shock it. Pump it again, and have the water tested. If it's good water, seal it up, and put a pump on it able to raise water from 15 - 20 feet below the surface. Good Luck!

haunted · #15 12/02/12, 11:50 AM

If you only want to use the well occasionally, you might try what we did. We made a length of PVC pipe the depth of the well, attached a foot valve at the bottom and a faucet at the top, like the faucets people use outside. When you churn it up and down inside the well, the pipe fills with water and pumps water out the top. You can attach a garden hose if you want. The faucet has to be open when you are churning. When you finish, turn the faucet to the off position. Water will stay in the pipe for quite a long time and you don't have to churn as much when you use it again. We did that for years and it worked well for us on a 26 foot water well. We left the pipe in the well, tying it to the pipe system for the well pump. It's a lot cheaper than the other options, and it by chance it doesn't work for your situation you probably already needed the pipe and foot valve for another install anyway.