Anyone dug their own well...?
Discussion
When we built our extension ~4 years ago, we discovered that the water table is quite close to the surface - ie within 6ft(all the footings, etc filled with water within 24 hours, despite there being no rain...).
We have had a rainwater harvesting system installed for the toilets / outside tap / washing machine, but of course this runs out every so often and we need to use mains water to top-up.
Knowing what we know about the depth(ish) of the water table, is sinking our own well to provide a back-up water supply to the rainwater tank feasible? Is it legal to extract your own groundwater or do you need licenses (Environment Agency??)? Has anyone done it?
Ta!
We have had a rainwater harvesting system installed for the toilets / outside tap / washing machine, but of course this runs out every so often and we need to use mains water to top-up.
Knowing what we know about the depth(ish) of the water table, is sinking our own well to provide a back-up water supply to the rainwater tank feasible? Is it legal to extract your own groundwater or do you need licenses (Environment Agency??)? Has anyone done it?
Ta!
Have not done it myself, but a friend has and raves about it. I think his primary driver was to water a large garden and associated vegetable plots etc etc, but is so impressed he is going to use it for drinking water soon. He intends to run the system for a year or so to ensure the quality remains consistent before subjecting his family to its 'benefits'. No idea if this delay is required, and I suspect he is just being cautious. As I recall, it was not a trivial set up though and required a good deal of investment for the plant he has had put in. Sorry I can't be more specific.
I don't think there are any regulations as such, you could probably build a well by digging down to say 10ft, concreting/reinforcing the sides, and placing an electric pump and blue pipe in the bottom, then pop a cover on it, you'd want to get the water tested just in case and have some kind of treatment either UV or chlorine. A fully setup professional borehole ( which we have ) is about £6k to get setup.
I don't think I'll be using 20,000 litres a day - the tank is only ~ 3,500 litres and normally lasts for a good few weeks!!
I have found all sorts about DIY well digging and how to do it, but the sites are mostly American and therefore worth less than F all in terms of the legal aspect.
I have found all sorts about DIY well digging and how to do it, but the sites are mostly American and therefore worth less than F all in terms of the legal aspect.
PoshTwit said:
I don't think I'll be using 20,000 litres a day - the tank is only ~ 3,500 litres and normally lasts for a good few weeks!!
I have found all sorts about DIY well digging and how to do it, but the sites are mostly American and therefore worth less than F all in terms of the legal aspect.
At my Dads farm there's a well just outside the farmhouse, it's just a big 10ft deep square whole they lined with concrete and put a cover on. Our borehole is a bit more fancy pants, but then it's our main supply of water to our house. For your project I can't see any reason not to just do it. Good idea btw OP. Come the end of civilisation water will be a key commodity, you can also conceal weapons, and supplies in suitably water tight containers. No one ever searches underwater. I have found all sorts about DIY well digging and how to do it, but the sites are mostly American and therefore worth less than F all in terms of the legal aspect.
( Ok maybe the last bit was taking it a bit too far with self reliance ).
I've already got a well in the garden, not got around to doing anything with it yet
A few houses in the village still use wells as their primary water source - pumps in the well push the water into the tank in the roof and from then onwards its a normal domestic supply - not sure what they do for filtration / bug killing, but I don't think anyone has had a problem related to it
When they dug up the small yard of the local pub to put new flagstones down, they found a 20 foot deep well underneath the tarmac that we had all been walking over for years !
A few houses in the village still use wells as their primary water source - pumps in the well push the water into the tank in the roof and from then onwards its a normal domestic supply - not sure what they do for filtration / bug killing, but I don't think anyone has had a problem related to it
When they dug up the small yard of the local pub to put new flagstones down, they found a 20 foot deep well underneath the tarmac that we had all been walking over for years !
If you've already got a well, why not drop a submersible pump down into it and have it feeding your toilet cisterns on a pressure sensor?
That's basically how our rainwater system works - flush toilet (start washing machine / open outside tap...) pressure falls below 3.5BAR as valve opens to refill, pump kicks in to maintain pressure until valve closed again. System maintains 3.5BAR, pump shouts down.
There is no water treatment / disinfection as we're not washing ourselves in it or drinking it, also there is no real aerosol risk and the stored water is a cool-enough temperature (11 degrees max even in the heatwave) to keep bacterial nastiness at bay. There is a simple gauze filter where the rainwater enters the tank, and again a simple gauze filter on the pump inlet.
If there is already a well - theoretically you could do away with the tank. Sounds ideal to me!
That's basically how our rainwater system works - flush toilet (start washing machine / open outside tap...) pressure falls below 3.5BAR as valve opens to refill, pump kicks in to maintain pressure until valve closed again. System maintains 3.5BAR, pump shouts down.
There is no water treatment / disinfection as we're not washing ourselves in it or drinking it, also there is no real aerosol risk and the stored water is a cool-enough temperature (11 degrees max even in the heatwave) to keep bacterial nastiness at bay. There is a simple gauze filter where the rainwater enters the tank, and again a simple gauze filter on the pump inlet.
If there is already a well - theoretically you could do away with the tank. Sounds ideal to me!
PoshTwit said:
If you've already got a well, why not drop a submersible pump down into it and have it feeding your toilet cisterns on a pressure sensor?
That's basically how our rainwater system works - flush toilet (start washing machine / open outside tap...) pressure falls below 3.5BAR as valve opens to refill, pump kicks in to maintain pressure until valve closed again. System maintains 3.5BAR, pump shouts down.
There is no water treatment / disinfection as we're not washing ourselves in it or drinking it, also there is no real aerosol risk and the stored water is a cool-enough temperature (11 degrees max even in the heatwave) to keep bacterial nastiness at bay. There is a simple gauze filter where the rainwater enters the tank, and again a simple gauze filter on the pump inlet.
If there is already a well - theoretically you could do away with the tank. Sounds ideal to me!
Sounds interesting, but we have just gone to a Combi Boiler and done away with the tank in the roofThat's basically how our rainwater system works - flush toilet (start washing machine / open outside tap...) pressure falls below 3.5BAR as valve opens to refill, pump kicks in to maintain pressure until valve closed again. System maintains 3.5BAR, pump shouts down.
There is no water treatment / disinfection as we're not washing ourselves in it or drinking it, also there is no real aerosol risk and the stored water is a cool-enough temperature (11 degrees max even in the heatwave) to keep bacterial nastiness at bay. There is a simple gauze filter where the rainwater enters the tank, and again a simple gauze filter on the pump inlet.
If there is already a well - theoretically you could do away with the tank. Sounds ideal to me!
How do you have a separate circuit from the well for the system above? (fact that we have a well already will give you a clue as to the age of the house
)I live in a hamlet of 10 houses(france) and each house has a well. The depth of mine is 7 metres. I use it rarely. But neighbours use thiers alot.
My next door neighbour aged 84 excavated his own by lowering himself on a pulley and sending the soil up to his Mrs. 9 metres depth and for the last 40 years the well has supplied all his needs.
I seem to remember in the UK there were various pregnant women that over a period of years drinking well water gave birth to babys with some kind of problem(blue babies ?).
To drink it i think is risky but for household and garden use they are fantastic.
My next door neighbour aged 84 excavated his own by lowering himself on a pulley and sending the soil up to his Mrs. 9 metres depth and for the last 40 years the well has supplied all his needs.
I seem to remember in the UK there were various pregnant women that over a period of years drinking well water gave birth to babys with some kind of problem(blue babies ?).
To drink it i think is risky but for household and garden use they are fantastic.
Burrow01 said:
Sounds interesting, but we have just gone to a Combi Boiler and done away with the tank in the roof
How do you have a separate circuit from the well for the system above? (fact that we have a well already will give you a clue as to the age of the house )
Pipe from well pump to pressure switch mounted inside somewhere. You will need to run seperate pipework from this to the toilets, but in an old house this is often easier as floorboards are easier to lift than big slabs of chipboard!!How do you have a separate circuit from the well for the system above? (fact that we have a well already will give you a clue as to the age of the house
)I was considering rainwater and greywater harvesting on my new build, but it just didnt really seem to make any sense. 1000 litres of water costs £3.00 (including sewerage). These harvesting tanks seem to only hold a few thousand litres; i.e about a tenners worth of water. The tanks were a few grand to buy.
We are a family of four, washing machine and dishwasher - all of my utilities are fully integrated into the home automation systems, average daily consumption is around 300Litres. Shower is about 80L, small flush 5L, large flush 9L.
so for a house I cant see the point , but for watering the garden which really does chew the water I can see why.
We are a family of four, washing machine and dishwasher - all of my utilities are fully integrated into the home automation systems, average daily consumption is around 300Litres. Shower is about 80L, small flush 5L, large flush 9L.
so for a house I cant see the point , but for watering the garden which really does chew the water I can see why.
Eliot, had we not been digging big holes and running pipes we probably wouldn't have done it. That said, our water bills are now tiddly as the biggest useage is toilets, garden watering and car washing - all of which comes from the rainwater tank!
Off you're looking at it in terms of payback period, then it would take years I'm sure, but if your installation costs are tied into an extension or larger project, I feel its worthwhile.
Off you're looking at it in terms of payback period, then it would take years I'm sure, but if your installation costs are tied into an extension or larger project, I feel its worthwhile.
There is an old hand pump on the wall of my garden that has no innards any more which must have fed the property itself (an old school)many years ago. I've recently been thinking about seeing if there's water down there still but don't know how to go about it. I started by shoving my arm down the middle to retrieve all sorts of rubbish from stones to a pre war car radiator cap! Then I dropped the vacuum cleaner hose down to pull out what I couldn't reach but I'm still not even down to ground level yet. Does anyone know what to expect next? Is this just a tube that could be 5, 10, 30ft long?
bernhund said:
Is this just a tube that could be 5, 1 0, 30ft long?
It's entirely possible. Can't see it being very deep though if it was able to be operated by and antiquated hand pump!UPDATE: I have found something that might have been an old well in the garden, but chatting with neighbours it's more likely to be the old sceptic tank...
Note to self - choose drilling point away from this in case of "remains"...
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