Going down a well

[bearbqd]

So I saw a similar post on here about someone else asking questions about going down a cistern. On the property I grew up on , there is still a hand pump well that I've always wanted to go down and investigate. I used to throw stuff down there as a kid and my dad replaced the rotten boards covering it several times. It's about 20 feet deep with about 3 feet of water at the bottom. The water has cleared up over the years and I really want to go down it soon. What precautions should I take as far as potential pathogens? Would the previous suggestion of bleach suffice or would it just wash away since it's tied into a natural aquifer ? Any suggestions?

 

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[NOLA_Ken]

the first thing you want to do is probe the bottom, there might be 3 feet of water, but there might also be 10 feet of silt under it to sink into. Get a sample of the water and one of any silt in the bottom and see if there's a lab near you that can check them out. Then if you're happy with the results get a buddy, tie a rope around you and get a ladder. I've dug a cistern once at my grandparents house a long time ago, we just put all the mud in buckets and hauled it up with a rope and ran it through a screen.

Be careful though to check the wall of the well and make sure it's stable and not likely to collapse on you.

 

[bearbqd]

Good idea on the lab. I think the bottom that I can see is stone though if memory serves correctly. I don't think there's any real silt to worry about.

 

[Brian C.]

Good idea on the lab. I think the bottom that I can see is stone though if memory serves correctly. I don't think there's any real silt to worry about.

It scares the crap out of me, just the thought of going down into the bottom, not for me. I know of some one that almost fell into an old well in a field, there was some there to save him.

 

[lookindown]

Dont do it.

 

[bearbqd]

Oh I'm definitely doing it come spring

 

[FCCDFEd]

I think your biggest risk is the risk of running into an environment that is oxygen depleted which is extremely dangerous without a self contained breathing apparatus. There is also the chance of other toxic gasses that could be life threatening.

 

[baywalker]

Rent A mud pump.

Jonnie

 

[Lowbatts]

I hit a lot of old cisterns and old sewer lines in this town when the casino was being built in 1993-94.

Almost every pit they dug for the parking lot foundation revealed some old brick or stone lined wall. The guys doing the work were good enough to let me climb into any that were punched open enough to get into, and let me knock a few open. At the end of their work day and on weekends of course.

A lot of them had me belly-crawling for a ways in some tight spots but I found junctions and adjoining pits that held a lot of goodies of every sort from the very old days of that part of town.

Did get caught in a situation or two where the tunnels would get pretty shaky if they fired up any of the big cats or equipment overhead but they held up pretty nice as I discovered just how fast I could crawl in reverse during a panic attack.

Since then I only hopped in a couple shallow wells but only after dropping a large rock to test the bedding. A ladder can become your best friend around those old shallow wells. Never been in a deep one, but your well sounds like a fun time, even if you don't get a lot out of it other than the bucket hauling and sifting WORK!

 

[s.c.shooter]

I remember hearing my Grandfather talking about digging wells by hand for 50 cents a day during the depression. Now we're finding all the things they lost back then.