How to Dig a Well
Digging a well probably sounds like hard labor, and you undoubtedly will break a sweat if you attempt the enterprise. But if you follow these steps, you'll get that well dug in short order and soon be resting in that nearby hammock.
- Difficulty:
- Challenging
Instructions
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1
Find a good place for the well. There must be a water source, such as an open body of water or a running stream. The well should be at least 100 feet from the source, so that the ground can act as a natural filter for the water. The well will also need to be at least 100 feet from any source of contaminations, such as a dump, animal area or toilet.
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2
Begin digging the well. It should be about five feet across in a circular shape. The digging of the well can be very dangerous and takes at least two people. One person will need to be at the bottom of the well digging with a pick and shovel. The digger will then fill a bucket with rock and dirt to be pulled up by the second person. The digging should continue until the water in the well is about 6 feet deep.
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3
Cover the bottom of the well with about four or five inches of small rocks. This will act as a filter and will help keep insects and wildlife from entering the well from the dirt below.
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4
Starting at the bottom, reinforce the edges of the well with brick. Use brick only for the first 5 or 6 layers. After that, use mortar also. It may be wise to reinforce the edges with two layers of brick.
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5
Continue with the brick and mortar to the very top. Once reaching ground level, continue building the bricks up until about two feet above ground level.
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6
Cover the top of the well with a stone or concrete slab, leaving a hole for the pump. Once the pump is installed, the well is ready for use.
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Comments
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consaka
Jun 30, 2009
That there is the problem. the water itself. You have to pump it out once it starts seeping in faster then the bucket will get rid of it. using a tile on the ground and digging away the lower edge to make it settle in is how my grandfather dug his wells. I dunno how or where he got those huge tiles but thats what he did. -
abbadbabba
Feb 28, 2009
This is how I've done it: At about six feet of depth, we lowered a wooden (strong-framed) open-ended box into the well to protect the sides. We added sections of boxes to this as we went deeper - the stack of boxes settled as we dug. (Am not sure whether such would be necessary in hard clay, but I would take no chances.) We dug as much as practical when we hit water, but it was only be few feet at most. Seems that the well eventually became more full of water as the various seepage from the sides contributed to its level. We never dug through rock, nor did we brick it in. We used shovels and each bucket of earth was raised by pulley. I really don't see how one could use a pick in a well, considering a well's usual width is no more than four feet. Simply raising the pick would cause it to bang against the wall in front of you.
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abbadbabba
Feb 28, 2009
This is how I've done it: At about six feet of depth, we lowered a wooden (strong-framed) open-ended box into the well to protect the sides. We added sections of boxes to this as we went deeper - the stack of boxes settled as we dug. (Am not sure whether such would be necessary in hard clay, but I would take no chances.) We dug as much as practical when we hit water, but it was only be few feet at most. Seems that the well eventually became more full of water as the various seepage from the sides contributed to its level. We never dug through rock, nor did we brick it in. We used shovels and each bucket of earth was raised by pulley. I really don't see how one could use a pick in a well, considering a well's usual width is no more than four feet. Simply raising the pick would cause it to bang against the wall in front of you.
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BrerRabbit
Apr 25, 2008
"The digging should continue until the water in the well is about 6 feet deep." How do you do that?!!! Also, How do you keep it from caving in on you
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BrerRabbit
Apr 25, 2008
"The digging should continue until the water in the well is about 6 feet deep." How do you do that?!!! Also, How do you keep it from caving in on you
