Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Chatting => Design and Construction => Topic started by: Lollyrecords on March 05, 2012, 19:44

Title: Need help repairing a well
Post by: Lollyrecords on March 05, 2012, 19:44: I've inherited a plot with a well.
It's 2m/6ft deep and was originally lined with metal oil drums. Over time the drums have corroded and now have large holes in the sides. I've been advised that oil drums only last around 5 years and would like to find something else suitable to line it with.
As the sides have fallen in the bottom has become silted up and it needs cleaning out. The water depth is only around 50 cm/2 ft. I am not sure how to tackle this.
I would greatly receive any advice and would love to know where to buy any supplies from.
Thanks in advance.
Title: Re: Need help repairing a well
Post by: richyrich7 on March 05, 2012, 19:58: Suppose you could replace them with those blue plastic barrels just cut the bottoms off and your about there.
I suspect you could purchase proper well linings but depends on how much you want to spend. What ever you do please keep it covered.
Title: Re: Need help repairing a well
Post by: grendel on March 05, 2012, 19:59: I would suggest a couple of precast manhole sections eg - http://www.miltonpipes.co.uk/products/manhole.asp
or maybe a trip to a local building site/ construction project to sweet talk the workmen and see if they have spare large bore plastic piping?
or where do the council get those concrete pipe sections they use for planters?
Grendel
Title: Re: Need help repairing a well
Post by: Lollyrecords on March 05, 2012, 20:24: Thanks.
It's got a brand new concrete section and cover with a padlocked grill above ground, so it's defiantly safe for wildlife and little ones.
Title: Re: Need help repairing a well
Post by: richyrich7 on March 05, 2012, 20:30: Thats good :)

I suppose it depends on how much your able or want to spend, if you can slide something down the inside of the old barrels it'll probably be a bit easier, even tho' it means narrowing the diameter a little
Title: Re: Need help repairing a well
Post by: Goldfinger on March 05, 2012, 20:45: If it's had metal drums as liners, I would go for the blue barrel option.

At least you know the current diameter, and so if you can, carefully slide out the old barrels, then if the sides don't fall in, slide the blue barrels in.

And if possible, if you can find the 'bottom' of the well, with the first new barrel that goes in, don't totally cut off the base, only drill very large holes in, with one of those 'core cutter' types.

Then you know where the base is for, if / when you need to clean out the silt/rubbish again, and you won't be digging down any deeper and maybe causing 'slippage' or a cave-in.
Title: Re: Need help repairing a well
Post by: jrko on March 06, 2012, 10:26: A well?!?!?!?!

That sorts your water needs for the summer. Grab a bilge pump from fleabay for about £10 (use a filer) connect to a 12v car battery and you have a powered hose :lol:

In all seriousness whats the well like at refilling if you take a large amount of water from it?
Title: Re: Need help repairing a well
Post by: Lollyrecords on March 06, 2012, 21:02: Water level was very low last summer so not sure how it would supply a hose pipe, but it was very dry last year!