Some more well questions and a whatisit

[1930]

Ive scoured the internet and cant find a direct answers.

Went back out to the property yesterday and measured my neighbors ( vacant property ) abandoned well. The well casing ( steel ) is just covered by a pot.

62 feet down with a heavy object tied to a string and I am in water which appears to be the water table depth for my area. I understand it rises and falls, last week it was 67 feet but they just recently had quite a bit of rain.

The well is 135 feet deep which means there is a 73 foot water column in that casing.

I do not understand how the water gets in the casing, they are using metal pipe and Im sure that it is not perforated at the bottom few feet so how does it get in the casing? Im guessing that its like placing a straw in a glass of water.....that the water level will rise within the straw thru the bottom of the straw to become even with surrounding water level outside of straw but this casing is not buried in a lake, its buried in water bearing sand and am I to assume that this sand is so saturated with water that it will replenish itself very quickly?

I did not know this and have been wondering for a long time. ( assuming my assumptions are correct )

I do not know why the well was abandoned, there is a second well right near it that is supposedly used maybe once a year just to keep it alive from what I have been told.


Ok and what is the thing just above this well with the bicycle wheel?

Thanks

 

[Richard]

Given my modest understanding, I'd say your basic presumptions are pretty good....I like the straw comment.

The way I understand it, they drill down and find an area where water is. Place the pipe down and the water will rise into a bit raising the level (because of it being under pressure?? I don't know)

In my case, they drilled down something like 300' and my pump is something like 90' off the bottom so I have around 200' of water above the pump. My well flows over 100 gallons/minute so this "reserve" water over the pump is going to be a bit unnecessary because I have great flow (I think they hit into or near a known underground spring)

No idea why it might have been abandoned.... I would think it would not be strong enough but I wonder if they used the 'bicycle' as a pulley to hoist up the pump? My understanding is they can be heavy and that doesn't look very substantial. Then again, maybe there's an underwater cavern there and they used the wheel to drop a fishing line down trying to catch a minnow?!!

I wonder what they mean by keeping the other well alive? I'd guess that it either has water and the pump works or is dry (and the pump works) or it is dry and the pump is irrelevant. Maybe they're just working the pump & valves as contrasted to worrying about the well itself?

 

[1930]

Given my modest understanding, I'd say your basic presumptions are pretty good....I like the straw comment.

The way I understand it, they drill down and find an area where water is. Place the pipe down and the water will rise into a bit raising the level (because of it being under pressure?? I don't know)

In my case, they drilled down something like 300' and my pump is something like 90' off the bottom so I have around 200' of water above the pump. My well flows over 100 gallons/minute so this "reserve" water over the pump is going to be a bit unnecessary because I have great flow (I think they hit into or near a known underground spring)

No idea why it might have been abandoned.... I would think it would not be strong enough but I wonder if they used the 'bicycle' as a pulley to hoist up the pump? My understanding is they can be heavy and that doesn't look very substantial. Then again, maybe there's an underwater cavern there and they used the wheel to drop a fishing line down trying to catch a minnow?!!

I wonder what they mean by keeping the other well alive? I'd guess that it either has water and the pump works or is dry (and the pump works) or it is dry and the pump is irrelevant. Maybe they're just working the pump & valves as contrasted to worrying about the well itself?

I may be wrong but I believe from what I think I have read that a well cannot sit unused or sediment will eventually get so compacted at the base that it plugs the pipe.

I havent yet made a career out of it but I have spent some time driving around to vacant properties looking for abandoned wells and dropping my string, so far I have found 2 very local to me that were dry.

The bicycle gizmo has a sticker on the framework but it gives no clues on its use and I cant make out the manufacturer.

 

[52wej]

First as you correctly assumes the water does rise in the casing from the bottom. The surrounding water level will determine how high it gets in the casing. Usually the casings are installed down to a layer of bedrock and then water enters the bottom from cracks or fissures in the bedrock. If there is sand all the way to the bottom of the casing then most likely there is a screen to hold the sand but let the water enter.

Now if the well is abandoned there may be some issue that is allowing too much sand to enter or is restricting the flow to a point that a pump will empty the casing and start sucking air or sand in a couple of minutes. Hard to say. W. Jones

 

[the old grind]

Water will seek its level within the casing regardless of where along it the water can enter.

Pressure/depth dynamics within the casing are the same as they are above ground.

Looks like a DIY well wheel propped above the well.

 

[1930]

First as you correctly assumes the water does rise in the casing from the bottom. The surrounding water level will determine how high it gets in the casing. Usually the casings are installed down to a layer of bedrock and then water enters the bottom from cracks or fissures in the bedrock. If there is sand all the way to the bottom of the casing then most likely there is a screen to hold the sand but let the water enter.

Now if the well is abandoned there may be some issue that is allowing too much sand to enter or is restricting the flow to a point that a pump will empty the casing and start sucking air or sand in a couple of minutes. Hard to say. W. Jones

Ok if there is a screen at the bottom of the casing than Im wondering how and when it was placed?

According to some very useful info I was given on this forum from Chris Lowe the casing is a long as the well is deep, there is no rock formation in this area to bury the casing.

 

[1930]

First as you correctly assumes the water does rise in the casing from the bottom. The surrounding water level will determine how high it gets in the casing. Usually the casings are installed down to a layer of bedrock and then water enters the bottom from cracks or fissures in the bedrock. If there is sand all the way to the bottom of the casing then most likely there is a screen to hold the sand but let the water enter.

Now if the well is abandoned there may be some issue that is allowing too much sand to enter or is restricting the flow to a point that a pump will empty the casing and start sucking air or sand in a couple of minutes. Hard to say. W. Jones

Ok if there is a screen at the bottom of the casing than Im wondering how and when it was placed?

According to some very useful info I was given on this forum from Chris Lowe the casing is a long as the well is deep, there is no rock formation in this area to bury the casing.

EDIT: I did get ahold of the property owners just now and the bicycle wheel is for lowering a bucket and retrieving water, evidently the well was not a good producer and so they moved over a few feet and drilled the second well.

That does it, I am gonna buy a well drilling rig, no way can I afford the cost of multiple well drilling from an outside source.

 

[Jstpssng]

I could be mistaken; but believe that if rain affects the level of the water you have a problem.

 

[WranglerX]

Water will seek its own level as surrounding aquifer is able to supply... A well going dry is in a aquifer going dry... A well going artisan means water pressure from underground water source is supplying water for aquifer the originates above level of well head....

Wheel at top of well may been part of "bucket" lift for manually bring up water or home made "pump" system or for lifting sucker rod on old manual pump... Only original builder will have correct answer for you....

There is some really good information sources on internet if you really have to have some answers...

Ground Water and the Rural Homeowner

Dale

 

[MossRoad]

I could be mistaken; but believe that if rain affects the level of the water you have a problem.

Probably not. It just means the soil is highly porous. Where we live in this part of northern Indiana, we have all sand. All sand. People that live near lakes around here can show you that if the lake goes down, the water level in the well goes down. If it rains, the lake level rises and so does the water level in the well. On my property, I can dig down 8' and hit water. It's pretty much all flat from the middle of northern Indiana to well into Illinois over a hundred miles away. Something like only an 11' drop in elevation in a hundred miles. This area used to be called the everglades of the north. Very similar to parts of Florida as far as soils go.