ATTRACTIVE NUISANCE

[sriddle1]

Clearing heavy brush, discovered old stone well, 14'+ depth. For comfort and safety, need to cover this Attractive Nuisance (by legal terms). A 4 round diameter grate would fit nicely overlapping the stone perimeter. I'd like to be able to see down into the well so a solid concrete or wood plank cap wouldn't work for me. The well is located in a remote area so I'm not looking to re-create a roof top frame with a hand crank with bucket that you normally see as lawn ornaments, just need something secure that will last. I have a hammer drill to add securing eye bolts into the mortar joints with epoxy. Trying to identify the least expensive route to go?.THANKS

 

[davesl708]

I found three hand dug wells on our property. I put fence post and barbed wire around them to keep the cattle from stepping in them.
Did not want to cover them as they still provided water but were not used.

 

[Sprinklerman]

Go to a pre cast concrete manufacturer and get a concrete lid . They are heavy ,

 

[oosik]

Perhaps a "grate" made out of 3/4" or 1" diameter rebar would work. I would form it up with 3" holes and a bend round piece for the exterior. Weld it all up and hold it down with epoxied in "J" bolts.

 

[s219]

You may want to check into local laws -- around here abandoned wells need to be capped with something that closes the opening. If left open, contaminants have an easy path into the ground water, etc. I can't think of a reason you'd need/want to see down the well that would trump the other hazards.

 

[JSanders10]

At one time, in the past, and I don't know how long ago, there was a program to cap open and abandoned wells. May have been been through the Conservation Service or something of the sort.

 

[Cord]

I'd throw a piece of bar grating over it and not bother with the anchors.

 

[k0ua]

I know what I would be doing with it. I would be taking bucket load after bucket load of local rock and dirt, and putting it in it. Starting with the rocks and concrete up around the edge. It wouldn't take long for that hazard to go away.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

I had something similar with an old septic tank. What I did was cut a sheet of 3/4" plywood slightly bigger than the inside diameter of the hole, so it overlapped about an inch on all sides. Then I mixed up bags of concrete and put about 4" on top, which I reinforced with rebar. I cut the rebar long enough so that it went past the edge of the plywood and overlapped the lip. I thought I would need a form for the edge but I just mixed it somewhat stiff and hand formed an edge that stood up.

The plywood is just to hold the concrete until it hardens. It will rot away in time but the concrete should be plenty strong to hold itself up. The reason the plywood only overlaps a little on the lip is so that most of the lip is available to hold the cap. Space the rebar with the thought that even if the concrete weren't there it would keep someone from falling in.

This should be permanent and durable, but also reversible if you ever need to get into it.

 

[Ed of all trades]

Someone caped a well with planks and over the years honeysuckle grew over it. My dad was walking in the woods and he walked out on the lid and it just crumbled. He threw himself forward and caught the other side of the well and we were able to pull him out. If he had been by himself he would have ended up in the bottom of a well.
I say that to say do something that will last, even treated lumber will give up one day and you won't always be there to tell people that it is there, and it might be someone you love. Ed

 

[Wagtail]

I'm pretty sure that you can leave it un-capped as long as there is a collie-dog living in or around the property.

I've seen documentaries in the past... they're very good at alerting you if someone's fallen down a well.

 

[k0ua]

I'm pretty sure that you can leave it un-capped as long as there is a collie-dog living in or around the property.

I've seen documentaries in the past... they're very good at alerting you if someone's fallen down a well.

Especially if your name is Tim, and the collie dog is named Lassie?

 

[dadster4]

Maybe a few lengths of angle iron to span across the opening and a few pieces of cattle fencing criss-crossed on top of that. Using wood just would not hold up over time...even Lassie takes long naps and might not save the day should someone fall in

 

[Gary Fowler]

If you never plan to use the well for water, then I would fill it in just as others have stated. Bust up the stone rings and push them in then just use what ever you have on hand to fill it in. When you get above the water line, you can just use dirt to finish it up. Below water line needs to be something that is impermeable to water i.e. steel scrap, old concrete, gravel etc.

 

[bamboozled]

Fill it in as mentioned.

I just did this a month or so ago. I was clearing a brush pile at a property my mom owns and came across a piece of steel in the middle. I moved the steel out of the way and and lo and behold a hand dug well that was apparently forgotten about. I was not happy as I had been driving very near, if not over it with my tractor and I immediately smashed in the rest of the top cap and put bucket after bucket of rocks into it until it was a heaping pile of rocks. This way I still know where its at and I can keep an eye on it in case it settles and needs more fill.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

We still get our water from a well dug about 150yrs ago. The water has a certain moose-poop aftertaste.

 

[fishheadbob]

It is pretty far from any electricity you would need to pump and use it, and you don't have any plans for it. I would fill it in with rocks, dirt, whatever is hard and available before Timmy goes for another swim.
Who knows ? Lucca Brazzi might already be down there.

 

[k0ua]

It is pretty far from any electricity you would need to pump and use it, and you don't have any plans for it. I would fill it in with rocks, dirt, whatever is hard and available before Timmy goes for another swim.
Who knows ? Lucca Brazzi might already be down there.

Or Jimmy Hoffa. I can't imagine any reason to keep that thing intact. I would not rest after discovery without filling that thing in. Different strokes for different folks I guess.:confused3:

 

[MH8675309]

They make a type of cement (not concrete) that will harden in water to seal the bottom of the well since as others have mentioned there is a potential for groundwater contamination. Once this has set up gravel can be used to fill up the cavity. A large rock sat on top of this will remind you where it was and also cover the gravel as in time it will settle some.

 

[sriddle1]

Maybe a few lengths of angle iron to span across the opening and a few pieces of cattle fencing criss-crossed on top of that. Using wood just would not hold up over time

WOW.. I want to thank everyone for their thoughts, I was at a local AG Store a couple of weeks ago and saw the Cattle Fencing you described, big sheets 6' X 12" I believe. I'll have to go back down and look at them to see how easy to cut. Another person also said to check the Codes and see if it indeed has to be capped solid, I will do that today.