An old well on my property is useless because they put the septic leach field right next to it. So I thought of filling it in or capping, burying it and planting grass over it. Which is better? They sell round concrete lids. Either way I'm getting rid of this lawn obstacle.
you could still use the well for watering the lawn.
FILL IT IN!! FILL IT IN PROPERLY!!
Because any sort of cap could collapse some day! this has happened around here, people have fallen thru the cap and died, from drownding, the fall or hypothermia and being unable to get out.
dont fill with rocks and dirt, they settle a lot, and again become a hazard.
far better to fill with gravel, then let it sit a year or two add a cap, and cover with dirt and grass
Depends on the well. If it's large diameter and not very deep, they may allow filling it with sand then capping it off. If possible you can first break/cut/remove the upper foot or so and drop that stuff inside then fill with sand and cap. Then you can add soil and plant grass without making a mound. If it's sunny there, don't plan on any less than 12" of soil to keep the grass alive.
snipped-for-privacy@aol.com wrote: ...
...
I knew it!!!! haller's got a neighbor that happened to as well... :)
--
Check w/ local reg's -- many areas have specific rules/reqm'ts and often there are assistance programs for closing abandoned wells (particularly in rural/formerly rural areas).
--
Yeah capping it off is dangerous down the road as the caps will fail in
50 or so years and kill somebody long after your gone.... I had to get a new well drilled and I had the new trailings put in the old well to fill it right up as the new well was being drilled....it sunk down for a few years so threw a few more wheel barrow loads full of top soil as it settled down, but after two years you can't tell where it had been.... DONT FREAKING DO WHAT MY BROTHER IN LAW DID!!! he had an old well on the farm and filled it in with fieldstone...worst infestation of snakes I have ever seen!!! So whatever you fill it with make sure it's not porous!... Jim
It happened somewhere south of pittsburgh, no one knew the well was there someone doing yard work fell 90 feet or so, and got badly hurt, and a big job getting them out........ lucky a neighbor heard the scream
it made pittsburgh news........
A now dead realtive had a outhouse floor colapse and they fell in. Sadly I am the last living realtive that heard about that:(
if the well is just a 4 inch hole just fill with dirt since no one can ever fall in, even a kid.
but if its a old hand dug well, fill in properly with sand or gravel so it can never collapse
A now dead realtive had a outhouse floor colapse and they fell in. Sadly I am the last living realtive that heard about that:(
That remark is right up there with picking your nose and your head caves in......please...PLEASE give dates and location of this said relative that fell through the shithouse floor to prove this story....Jim
.
e and your head caves
yeah ruth died many years later of a heart attack.
the outhouse floor was just a funny family story
A bigger concern is bacteria from the leach field getting tino the well or gravel pack and contaminating the water table aquifer and deeper aquifers. If you have other nearby wells used for potable water, that'd be a HUGE risk. Have it plugged and abandoned by a professional. That's my $0.02 worth.
-Zz
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.