Well

Tomjim

Water frozen last few days, so to give cows a dring I started taking buckets of water (with a rope attached) out of an old well on the farm.

The well is circa 18 ft deep and about 6 to 7 feet of water in the bottom.

Problem today I let bucket and rope slip in to the well. How can I get the bucket and rope out.

It appears that there is a mud bottom in the well as I put in a long stick and it appears muddy when I put it to the bottom

Muckit

Are you handy with a welder?

If you were, you could make a capsule like they used for the chilian miners out of a 45gallon drum. Assemble a tripod from a few old girders and using a pulley block you could lower yourself down....

oh and make sure to have your moblile phone in your pocket in case something goes wrong

Muckit

Or ......you could firstly start by shining a good light down there!:D

A halogen or flourescent work light would be ideal, failing that a good torch!

I'd then be thinking along the lines of a fashioned hook on the end of a long rope or 2 lengths of 2"x1" screwed together to try and 'hook' the bucket by the handle.

Fingers crossed it didn't turn sideways and is floating on top of the water:rolleyes:

Happy fishing

Mrmoe

If you can get your hands on a strong neodymium magnet or else make a grapling hook and start aiming.

leg wax

a long ladder or are you bigger than the opening.

Tomjim

I have a double ladder which would be long enough, but would the base of the well be solid enough to hold the weight of the ladder and a person on it. It appears to be muddy at the bottom

BeeDI

Tomjim wrote: »

I have a double ladder which would be long enough, but would the base of the well be solid enough to hold the weight of the ladder and a person on it. It appears to be muddy at the bottom

You could secure the ladder at the top with a rope. That way if any thing goes pear shaped at the bottom, the ladder will not go down.

bbam

Length of rebar with a hook bent on it at the bottom, you'll need someone else there to help, hold a good torch or just for safety.... I wouldn't recommend any much hanging in or going down unless there is someone there standing by.. Don't become another farming statistic.

This reeks of a "Farmer found in bottom of well" headline.

blue5000

I'd say forget about it, just get another bucket and rope for the next freeze which is due next weekend.:D

snowman707

bbam wrote: »

Length of rebar with a hook bent on it at the bottom, you'll need someone else there to help, hold a good torch or just for safety.... I wouldn't recommend any much hanging in or going down unless there is someone there standing by.. Don't become another farming statistic.

This reeks of a "Farmer found in bottom of well" headline.

would have been my suggestion also have used same to recover the suction hose from the bottom of the slatted tank when someone let it fall in

pakalasa

Sewage rods! Though you might want to buy a few new ones for the top, so as to not contaiminate the water. Are you drinking it?

I was cleaning a chimney there a while back for a relative, when the brush came off the tip. Normally not a problem but this had a stove so was all sealed up at the bottom. I managed to thread it back back on the rods. Dont ask me how!

bbam

pakalasa wrote: »

I managed to thread it back back on the rods. Dont ask me how!

I hope ya did the lotto that day

mikemac

pakalasa wrote: »

I was cleaning a chimney there a while back for a relative, when the brush came off the tip. Normally not a problem but this had a stove so was all sealed up at the bottom. I managed to thread it back back on the rods. Dont ask me how!

That is seriously impressive :cool:

20silkcut

Local water scheme have upped our bill by 900% so that's it I'm biting the bullet now and sinking a well.
Anyone here do it recently??
I suppose all the grants have dried up.
What other pitfalls are there to watch out for when sinking a well.
What are the costs involved?
From my own research it will pay for itself in two years going by what the water scheme are looking for.

whelan2

20silkcut wrote: »

Local water scheme have upped our bill by 900% so that's it I'm biting the bullet now and sinking a well.
Anyone here do it recently??
I suppose all the grants have dried up.
What other pitfalls are there to watch out for when sinking a well.
What are the costs involved?
From my own research it will pay for itself in two years going by what the water scheme are looking for.

you wont get a grant for a well if the mains is going by your gate

pedigree 6

20silkcut wrote: »

Local water scheme have upped our bill by 900% so that's it I'm biting the bullet now and sinking a well.
Anyone here do it recently??
I suppose all the grants have dried up.
What other pitfalls are there to watch out for when sinking a well.
What are the costs involved?
From my own research it will pay for itself in two years going by what the water scheme are looking for.

Grants were only available if you had no access to mains water.
So none for you unfortunately.
Mine cost roughly 2 thousand something all in, pump put in after as well ( if I remember correctly).
Could cost more depending on bedrock. Shale here so easy enough.
When drilling and they say is that far enough get them to go another 20ft.
Also put in 2 20ft steel pipes at the top of well - future proof it against contamination. Used 1 on mine and if doing again i'd use another one to be double sure.

Get a diviner to find a spot. People laugh but it does work. Guy doing drilling might be able to do it or will know someone.

When drilling here they got water at 80ft and drilled to 140ft.
Keep the connection to the group scheme if you can as a backup, electricity gone, pump breakdown, etc. Presume they're metering now so cost won't be too bad might be a small standing charge.

Only other thing is usual uphill away from septic tanks and farmyard.

longgonesilver

Why is there a local water scheme? Is there difficulty finding water in the locality?

Did you sign up to Irish Water? And are all charges not suspended at the moment?

J.O. Farmer

longgonesilver wrote: »

Why is there a local water scheme? Is there difficulty finding water in the locality?

Did you sign up to Irish Water? And are all charges not suspended at the moment?

I assume there was a local scheme because the government couldn't be bothered providing rural folk with water and the locals did it themselves.

If it's a local water scheme it might have nothing to do with irish water.

Water John

Pedigree, you got it done for €2K? I would say budget about €5K.

Are the GWS X there prices by 9 because of water charges and they getting less subsidy?

Could never make out why some farmers pay high money to GWS if there is an aquifer or spring on their own land.

longgonesilver

Group water schemes tend to be in areas where it was impossible or very hard/expensive to find a reliable source of good water. Sometimes it is piped quite a distance, other places use it to share the only watersource in the locality.

Water John

Silver, depends on the part of the country. Some areas have aquifers and have GWS's. Don't know why.
Also it depended on how proactive the LA was in piping water.
GWS handy for a domestic house, madness for a commercial use, unless there is no local source.

pedigree 6

Water John wrote: »

Pedigree, you got it done for €2K? I would say budget about €5K.

Are the GWS X there prices by 9 because of water charges and they getting less subsidy?

Could never make out why some farmers pay high money to GWS if there is an aquifer or spring on their own land.

Yea it was 2 something didn't cost 3 anyway. Wasn't that dear. But like everything it depends on ground and site and how deep you go and who puts in your pump.
Guys when they were drilling told me of a geothermal job they done 200ft and no water. Not sure how deep they can go to.

Group schemes were put in the 60's to provide water to everyone same as council jobs just that they were organized into co-ops and if they had to wait on the council theyd still be waiting.Was a draw well situation and public hand pumps before that.

Cavanjack

Bored a well last year. €3500 to go down 280ft. The well is lined most of the way down with plastic pipe with a couple of steel liners on top. Another €1800 for a submersible pump and pressure vessel.

Water John

Yeah, may be I was being too cautious with €5K cost. Just all in, distance etc can add up.
€10/12 per foot. Can't remember steel lining cost, I think the pump installed was about €1,200.

I know because of distance, couple of hundred metres etc it came to nearly €8K in my case.
€1K for underground wire alone and that was wholesale. Pipe and digger added.

Every job is different.