Have a private well which is consistantly overflowing. Maybe there's a spring or something? Anyway I want to block it completely but so that if in the future I wanted to use the well again I could unblock it. Has anyone any experience of this or know what/how to do?
Overflowing well
- Thread starter Vanilla
- Start date
Z
z109
Guest
You may need to think of where the water will go if you do block the top of the well; if it is a spring, it will find the next weakest point of egress to escape through.
Could you not turn it into a water feature? A sort of stream running through the garden?
Could you not turn it into a water feature? A sort of stream running through the garden?
Vanilla, just a few thoughts/questions.
Is it a modern deep bored well? Or perhaps it is an older style shallow dug well? You could contact one of the well borers in your area (youll find them in the golden pages).What is the quality of the water like? (chemical and biological). Many farmers have their water metered and may have to pay for it. Have you considered selling your clearly abundant supply to a neighbour?
aj
Is it a modern deep bored well? Or perhaps it is an older style shallow dug well? You could contact one of the well borers in your area (youll find them in the golden pages).What is the quality of the water like? (chemical and biological). Many farmers have their water metered and may have to pay for it. Have you considered selling your clearly abundant supply to a neighbour?
aj
O
owenm
Guest
You really need some professional advice here, an amateur job to block it might divert the water somewhere you really really don't want it to go... what if it started flooding a neighbours house?
That's an interesting point. It is unlikely though as my nearest neighbour is uphill and there is just the sea downhill. And I have a fairly large ( relatively) site and the well is not near any boundaries. So in the circumstances I was thinking it is not very risky? Still though, what professional would I call? Another well borer?
R
rugbyjackol
Guest
Don't attempt to block it. It has more power that it might seem. It is quite normal to pipe it away from your area and allow it run naturally to a stream Suggest using WAVIN piping set in to a trench 2-3ft deep with gravel. What some people wouldn't do for a well!
Yes, good suggestion. Unfortunately I have already done this and there is still overflow. My well must be enough to supply all of kerry! I was thinking that some kind of very heavy vehicle may have come in my driveway and crushed the pipes as it did work for a while. But then it might be just that it was drier when the drainage was installed- about a year ago. I think it is becoming clear the consensus is not to attempt to block it. I had the drainage installed to divert the flow into a pond but that hasnt worked anyway. As the over flow goes over my driveway I can't make it into a stream. I suppose more drainage is the only answer?
I have a mad notion that you have a leak on the supply pipe in the well (could be a poor joint if it is jointed in well) or at the motor that is pumping out water when pressure vessel runs pump. Check your pressure vessel gauge to see if it is dropping when no taps on.
I would have thought it very usually to have a well turn into a spring unless of course there was a spring there before.
I would have thought it very usually to have a well turn into a spring unless of course there was a spring there before.
Hi Vanilla,
Try a google search for "water well sealing" and you will get plenty of hits especially in North America. Contaminated wells over there are often sealed by public order.
However in North Kerry you could contact TJ Cross, Lenihans, Munster Drilling or several more well drillers listed in the golden pages. Further afield Briody Drilling in Leinster might be worth a call.
[broken link removed] Category: Well Drilling Contractors & Testers Kinnard Glin Co. Limerick
[broken link removed] Category: Well Drilling Contractors & Testers Abbeyfeale Co Limerick Co. Limerick
http://www.briodydrilling.com/
and finally you could contact geological survey ireland.
aj
Try a google search for "water well sealing" and you will get plenty of hits especially in North America. Contaminated wells over there are often sealed by public order.
However in North Kerry you could contact TJ Cross, Lenihans, Munster Drilling or several more well drillers listed in the golden pages. Further afield Briody Drilling in Leinster might be worth a call.
[broken link removed] Category: Well Drilling Contractors & Testers Kinnard Glin Co. Limerick
[broken link removed] Category: Well Drilling Contractors & Testers Abbeyfeale Co Limerick Co. Limerick
http://www.briodydrilling.com/
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Decommissioning Redundant Boreholes (Detailed Analysis)[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Unsupervised abandoned boreholes and wells may act as the path of least resistance leading to the contamination of groundwater or contributing to the loss of aquifer yield.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Boreholes and wells that are no longer required therefore need to be made safe, structurally stable and backfilled or sealed to prevent groundwater pollution and flow of groundwater between aquifer units.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]For best results to decommission redundant boreholes, it is important to employ a proficient Well Drilling Contractor with a good knowledge of the local geology and well abandonment procedures.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]1)[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] Remove headworks and where appropriate remove casing. Ensure removal of well casing does not result in the collapse of borehole walls.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]2)[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] Backfilling the hole. For the most purposes the ground should be restored as closely as possible to its pre-drilled condition. The borehole or well should be backfilled with clean (washed), uncontaminated, excavated materials such that the permeability of the selected materials are similar to the properties of the geological strata against which they are placed. The backfilled borehole will then mimic the surrounding natural strata and groundwater flow and quality will be protected.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]3) [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Restoration will require a variety of materials to be used so that permeable aggregates (eg. pea gravel, sand) are positioned adjacent to aquifer horizons, whilst low permeability materials (eg. clay bentonite or cement grout, concrete) are positioned adjacent to low permeability horizons.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]SEALING THE TOP OF THE BOREHOLE. In order to prevent potentially contaminated surface run-off or other liquids entering the backfilled borehole, it is necessary to complete the backfilling of all boreholes with an impermeable plug and cap. The final two metres (from ground level down) should be filled with cement, concrete or bentonite grout and a concrete or cement cap of suitable strength should then be installed over the top of the borehole and surrounding ground, such that its diameter is at least one metre wider than the diameter of the backfilled borehole.The grout should have a minimum density of 10lbs / gal.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Note: Artesian Boreholes. (i.e: Boreholes where groundwater under hydraulic pressure continuously overflows at or above ground level) For artesian boreholes, the decommissioning process should aim to confine the groundwater to the aquifer from which it came in order to prevent loss of confining pressure, and the loss of water resources to the surface or other formations.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]There are a number of ways to accomplish control of an artesian flow depending, in part, on the water pressure in the confined aquifer and the depth to which the water level must be lowered for instance;[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]a) Pumping the borehole to produce the necessary drawdown.
b) Pumping nearby boreholes.
c) Extending the casing above ground level beyond the potentiometric surface.
d) Introduce a pre-cast plug at an appropriate level within the hole.
e) Using an inflatable packer, pressure grout the void space below the packer. [/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Decommissioning of artesian boreholes is likely to be easiest in late summer, when groundwater levels and artesian flows are at their lowest. Decommissioning artesian boreholes is a specialist job and requires expert advice.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Recording details of well decomissioning procedure. Complete and accurate records should be kept of the abandonment procedures for possible future reference.[/FONT]
and finally you could contact geological survey ireland.
aj
Thanks AJ for all the information. Naturally I was hoping for a cheap and quick solution- I should have known better! 
I contacted one of the well borers near me and he confirmed it would be a very bad idea to try to block it up as the pressure would mean it would come out somewhere else. His suggestion was to make a water feature out of it as yoganmahew originally said. Isn't there a part of the road on the Slea Head drive where you have to drive over a stream? I suppose I could do similar...
I contacted one of the well borers near me and he confirmed it would be a very bad idea to try to block it up as the pressure would mean it would come out somewhere else. His suggestion was to make a water feature out of it as yoganmahew originally said. Isn't there a part of the road on the Slea Head drive where you have to drive over a stream? I suppose I could do similar...