What to do with an old well

[Neil McManus]

My brother recently moved into an old farm cottage in the Scottish Borders, and when he came to dig a hole for a pond in the garden, he found large concrete slabs covering an old well. The well is at least 5 metres deep, with plenty of water at the bottom. With all the rain in the last few weeks the water level has risen a couple of metres and is within 3m of the top. The garden is not very big so there is not the option of having the pond elsewhere. So what are the options? Is it a good idea just to fill it in? It would certainly be a useful place to dispose of the spoil from digging a pond. If this is not to be recommended, how about a toughened glass cover at ground level with a light at the bottom of the well?

Any suggestions and advice would be welcome,

Thanks,

Neil

[Grunff]

Yes, it's just a hole in the ground; fill it in. We filled in a well in our yard when we moved here.

Erm, whatever does it for you ;-)

[Phil Nettleton]

[Gordon Henderson]

Given a recent thread on the incompetence of a local water board, get it tested, fit a pump and shove 2 fingers at the water company's next bill..

There is supposed to be a well in the common property I have right of way over where I live, but no-ones found it yet. Time to get the dowing rods out I suspect.

Gordon

[OldScrawn]

When a builder bought the property next door to my last house he found something similar, though rather smelly. Further investigation revealed that when the Victorians updated my Georgian house they ran my foul waste into the well (the two properties were then common). So the builder not only had to organise his foul drains, but mine as well....

[Mark]

I get 90% of my water from a well, My mains water is metered and annual bill is about £40. Pity producing electricity is not as simple.

[paul]

As a civil engineer, I cannot recommend your brother filling in the old well. Where else is he going to put the mother-in-law?

Paul

[the q]

brave get it tested and use it for drinking. save yourself a fortune in water bills. I do the first too but unfortunately my (two) wells are only ten feet from the septic tank....

The Q

>

[Dave Liquorice]

I'd get the water tested and see how much making it potable would cost. Even if thats prohibative you have a good water supply for the garden or pond...

[jacob]

Keep it in good order - buy a hand pump -there's one in the Northern Tools catalogue. Water your garden etc and if it's clean enough drink it and save on water bills. Easy enough to fit an electric pump and an extra tank in the lost or somewhere.

cheers

jacob

[Owain]

"Neil McManus" wrote | Any suggestions and advice would be welcome,

If you can find a devout but gullible telegenic nun who can be persuaded that looking down the well she saw an image of Jesus reflected in the water, then you could have yourself a nice little earner.

Owain

[raden]

In message , Neil McManus writes

Disposing of the bodies of double glazing salesmen and the like

[raden]

In message , Owain writes

What, and end up with popes and such like continually knocking at the door ?

[Owain]

"raden" wrote | >If you can find a devout but gullible telegenic nun who can be | >persuaded that looking down the well she saw an image of Jesus | >reflected in the water, then you could have yourself a nice | >little earner. | What, and end up with popes and such like continually knocking | at the door ?

There's only /one/ pope, he's not like Santa Claus (as far as I know).

Anyway, it'd keep the JWs away :-)

Owain

[N. Thornton]

theres also the option of using it for all non potable uses, ie toilet, bath, garden, which dramatically cuts metered water use. That is if the water output is sufficient, still there in hot summers, and adequately clean.

Theres lots of variations on the theme too.

Regards, NT

[Dave Liquorice]

Not sure I'd want to bath in water that wasn't drinkable. OK I don't make a habit of drinking my bath water but you are bound to get some in your mouth at some point. It doesn't take many of some bugs to make you rather ill...

But the loo, garden etc certainly.

[Gordon Henderson]

A fair portion of the population bath & shower in tanked water from the loft thats technically not drinkable... I don't think it's hard to get water analysed though, then maybe all thats needed is a particulate filter is the bacteria count is low enough.

Gordon

[Broadback]

As Gordon wrote most systems have a header tank for hot water, this is often open and full of horribles, even dead mice, drink water from this source at your peril. Personally I never drink water from hotels rooms, for example, unless the tap is marked "Potable" or some such.

[Dave Liquorice]

Until I cleaned out the storage tanks here there was a good layer of brick dust, cement, lime mortar in the bottoms together with many dead wood lice, one large centipeed and a mouse.

All water here goes through those storage tanks, historical reasons as mains water only arrived here about 15 years ago. Previously it was, unreliably, pumped from the farm 100' lower down the hill.

We have never suffered anything that can be attributed to poor water quality. The amount of chlorine in the mains water means that nothing can grow in the water, that is why it's there to keep the supply clean. Under normal use the entire capacity of our tanks is changed each day.

Mildly parnoid for the UK IMHO. Abroad in less developed or hot climates is another matter. I avoid salads and fruit I don't peel, drink sealed bottled water/soft drinks without ice or bottled beer.

[raden]

I always have done (eat salads, drink fruit drinks from "roach coaches", ice cubes of unknown origin etc,) never had any problems in the 3 years I lived in S E Asia, you just have to be sensible about these things