Cleaning an old stone well of sediment

CamperMan · 30-05-2012 10:41am #1

how can I do this?

we have an old stone well that has not been used for decades, we want to start using it for watering the garden, but it's full of thick black sludge and I want to get all this sludge out to give us some water..

Thanks

bbam · 30-05-2012 11:09am

How deep is it?
Lots if these were only two/three feet deep. You could scoop out most of it by hand with a small container. If you use anything too aggressive you could damage the structure.

Degsy · 30-05-2012 1:54pm

CamperMan wrote: »

how can I do this?

we have an old stone well that has not been used for decades, we want to start using it for watering the garden, but it's full of thick black sludge and I want to get all this sludge out to give us some water..

Thanks

I'd love to see some pics!

CamperMan · 30-05-2012 7:16pm

Degsy wrote: »

I'd love to see some pics!

OK, let me find one

CamperMan · 30-05-2012 7:27pm

bbam wrote: »

How deep is it?
Lots if these were only two/three feet deep. You could scoop out most of it by hand with a small container. If you use anything too aggressive you could damage the structure.

the water table is at about 2.2 metres down, so, if I shove a very long stick done there, the water is at 2.2 metres, but a couple of inches below the water surface, there is a thick layer of black stinky sludge, if I shove the stick in further, it will go into the sludge with ease for another metre...

Degsy · 31-05-2012 11:13am

CamperMan wrote: »

the water table is at about 2.2 metres down, so, if I shove a very long stick done there, the water is at 2.2 metres, but a couple of inches below the water surface, there is a thick layer of black stinky sludge, if I shove the stick in further, it will go into the sludge with ease for another metre...

Hmm..you might need a pump of some sort but first it might be better to pump water down the well to liquify the sludge and gunge so the pump can suck it out better.

CamperMan · 31-05-2012 1:14pm

Degsy wrote: »

Hmm..you might need a pump of some sort but first it might be better to pump water down the well to liquify the sludge and gunge so the pump can suck it out better.

the sludge is already liquified as it's below the water, it's just slop... you pull some up with a bucket and it looks like someone had a bad curry the night before

ponddigger · 31-05-2012 6:46pm

hi cm is this well in ireland or germany:Dponddigger:D any photos of the well

CamperMan · 31-05-2012 10:58pm

ponddigger wrote: »

hi cm is this well in ireland or germany:Dponddigger:D any photos of the well

It's in Germany.. no pics yet, will have one up by the weekend, not much to see..

it's an old stone built one about a metre wide and no idea how deep it goes.. it's located in the garage.. ye, weird, but the well would have been built many many years ago, the house is from 1840, and they built the garage over it in the 50's or 60's

Thunderbird2 · 04-06-2012 10:51am

Try a wet dry vacuum . They suck all the nasty out of the pond

CamperMan · 09-06-2012 11:37pm

a pic here of the old well.

this photo was taken after a very heavy thunderstorm

ponddigger · 10-06-2012 12:38pm

hi cm .bucket and rope job:Dponddigger:D

CamperMan · 10-06-2012 12:54pm

no way am I climbing down there

kollegeknight · 10-06-2012 4:08pm

from my limited experience. when I was a kid my father would clean out a surface well from inside. He used a bucket on a rope, and a saucepan when it got too shallow for the bucket. Always worked a treat.

If you won;t go into the well, maybe a neighbour will.
best of luck with it.

Cleaning an old stone well of sediment

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