Overflowing well

V

Vanilla

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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?
 
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?
 
I could but I don't want to. Already live by the sea, have a stream and a pond. Plenty water already. Just want to block it. Anyone any ideas?
 
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
 
It's a modern deep bored well. The man who drilled it is dead now sadly.

The water is fine but no one will want it, there is plenty around here. My neighbour who is a farmer has her own well.

So I was thinking some kind of foam filler?
 
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?
 
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.
 
Thanks for replying David. I have checked the pressure gauge and it is not that. I thought there could be a spring as there are other ( at least one other) springs on the site. Alternatively it could be just pressure from the well itself.
 
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
 
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...
 
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