How to deepen a well of concrete rings

A well is considered to be a more durable and reliable source of water supply compared to a well. But over time, the water level in the well falls, its flow rate decreases, often this may be due to poorly performed work during the construction of the well or improper operation (excessive water intake). To resume the flow of a well, sometimes it is enough to clean it, during which bottom sediments are removed, but sometimes this is not enough, and then the well must be deepened. Modern wells are usually built from concrete rings with a diameter of 1000 mm, so in this article we will discuss how to deepen a well from concrete rings.

When to deepen

Before proceeding to the deepening of the well, you need to be sure that this will bring the desired result, since the well deepening with your own hands is a very laborious process and is associated with some danger to life and health. If there is water in the well, you should not immediately try to deepen it, as this may be due to seasonal fluctuations in the groundwater level (due to severe drought or frost), and the level will soon be restored. Also, it is not necessary to deepen the well, in which there is water, because after deepening it may completely disappear. The fact is that the water enters the well only from the bottom part, and therefore, if the aquifer has little power, deepening the well, we can shut it off and generally remain without water. Often deepen the well, not only because of a decrease in flow rate, but to increase the useful volume. Work on the deepening of the well need to start in the period of the lowest level of groundwater, it is often the middle of autumn.

Undermining method

The most common method, but at the same time the most time consuming and dangerous, if the work is performed at great depths - this is the deepening of the well by the method of undermining.

Before starting the deepening of the well, you need to pump out water, for this you can use the vibration pump “Kid” or similar, but you need to be careful, you should not lower it to the very bottom, otherwise it will be pulled into the sand and it will be difficult to get it. If the water flow in the well is too large, you can use multiple pumps. After pumping water to the bottom of the well, a man descends the rope ladder. As soon as he is at the bottom, the ladder is removed so that it does not interfere. The deepening is carried out with the help of a shovel with a shortened handle for convenience. The soil is lifted up with the help of a bucket and a winch. Before starting work, you need to firmly tie the bucket so that it does not come off during lifting and does not fall on the digger’s head. Undermining should be evenly along the entire perimeter of the well, so there will be a uniform settlement of the rings.

Work on deepening stop if the flow of water begins to increase sharply. There are cases that the soil clamps the concrete rings and it turns out that the lower ring drops and the upper ones hang. To remedy the situation, you need to additionally load the upper ring, this can be done with the help of two people who stand against each other and slightly bounce. If this does not work, you need to try to dig around the upper rings, shed water on the contour and load it again. After the rings sit down, you need to add repair rings of the appropriate diameter from above.

With smaller diameter concrete rings

This method of deepening is in many ways similar to the previous one, the difference is that the soil is not chosen along the contour of the well, but in the middle with the trunk strengthened by concrete rings of smaller diameter. For these purposes, as a rule, concrete rings with a diameter of 80 cm are used, if the well shaft has a curvature, then rings of a smaller diameter are used - 70 cm. This method of deepening is preferable in wells with dense soil, since the rings are installed after work is completed. Repair rings of smaller diameter need to be overlapped with existing ones, the gap between the rings can be filled with pebbles. It is enough to deepen the well by 2–3 rings.

Deepening in quicksand

When deepening the well in the quicksand, you need to be extremely careful, and at least 3 people should take part in the work. The worker who is in the well must be on insurance. It is practically unreal to pass the quicksand with the help of a bucket due to a large influx. In such difficult geological conditions, it is necessary to use accelerated penetration, increasing the load from above on the entire wellbore so that the rings quickly descend. This can be done with the help of 4 rings mounted on top.

For quicksands, it is necessary to use rings with a comb, so that quicksand cannot displace them, or to install metal brackets, tying the rings together.

After deepening the well, it is necessary to pump out the dirty water, if necessary, clean and disinfect it with bleach with a concentration of 10–15%. Be sure to figure out how to properly carry out work to deepen it in your case, it depends on the performance of the well.

If your well is the main source of water supply at home, then in order not to be left without water in winter, it is recommended to warm it.

Video

Watch a video on the operation, maintenance and well deepening: