At Home In The Woods

[CurlyDave]

CurlyDave,
What is a "clay seal" and how can it be fixed? Raising the pump 20' will cost us approximately $150.
Obed

The top of the well casing is "sealed" to the earth with bentonite clay.

In my part of the world, when the well is "finished" about a 75' length of steel well casing is dropped into the hole around the PVC casing that goes all the way to the bottom. A slurry of bentonite clay is then forced into the gap between the steel casing and the earth in order to seal this gap and prevent ground water from falling down the well.

My neighbor had to have his seal replaced about a year ago and the cost was either $1200 or $1800. Not cheap, but water is hard to live without.

 

[tony Cecil]

Curly Dave Does the seal go all the way down, or is it just a foot or so around the casing? Tony

 

[jdonovan]

Every law/reg I've seen on well casings, required grouting to bedrock, or some specified depth, usually 50-60' range.

 

[tony Cecil]

Is there any reason for that?? Here in S C they just pour a sack of concrete around the casing and call it sealed.....Tony

 

[jdonovan]

helps prevent surface water from contaminating the well

 

[Obed]

helps prevent surface water from contaminating the well

Yes. But will a sack of concrete poured around the well casing toward the top do the same thing?
Obed

 

[Obed]

Rick, I was wondering how you fared with the ice. You didn't mention anything in your "Log House Project begins" thread.

We were iced in Friday. I didn't attempt to go anywhere. I worked from home that day.

A couple years ago I left my neighborhood with ice on the roads and ended up in the ditch. I didn't damage the car; I just felt stupid.

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Two days later I got to fix my neighbor's mailbox.

Obed

We haven't had any more sand/silt show up in our well filter in the past two weeks. We'll just watch it.

 

[Obed]

A friend offered to help me cut some firewood. Yesterday was a beautiful day so we had a fine time with our chainsaws cutting wood from the log pile.



Two people working together cutting firewood gets more done than two people working separately. While my saw was sharp, I could keep my buddy pretty busy loading the trailer. By the end of the day, my chain was dull and my cutting slowed down noticeably. Some of the logs were sitting on the ground and were dirty. I cleaned the wood the best I could before cutting but it still took a toll on my chain. I have a second chain and probably should have put it on the saw but didn't.

We bucked up wood to fill four trailer loads. That will make about 2 1/2 cords. We tossed the cut wood from the trailer into a pile beside the round stack.



I'll work on splitting it and stacking it onto the round stack as time allows. The days are getting longer. I'm hoping that there will be enough light after work that soon I will be able to split and stack the wood after work.

 

[dstig1]

It is worth the time to keep the chain sharp, even though it feels like you are wasting time doing it. Since you have a pretty regular setup, get a vise on the trailer rail (I think we've bantered this back and forth before..). With some practice, you can get to the point of being able to take a quick 1-3 strokes on the chain in no time. There are a few good reasons why.
1. It's safer. Sharp chains require less pressure
2. it's more productive as they cut faster
3. Your chains will stretch a lot if you cut with them dull due to the extra pressure (after a while they won't fit anymore even though they will have tooth left)
4. Your bar will wear out faster from the excess pressure and heat

Ask me how I know all these things... In your case, you have very good access and a regular place to work, so it is a lot easier to be ready to go than what I was always fighting with (out in the middle of the woods). That's my excuse, lame as it is... You don't have my excuse!

 

[jdonovan]

Yes. But will a sack of concrete poured around the well casing toward the top do the same thing?
Obed

Not really. you get water movement at all levels of the soil column, and you want to keep all of that out.