dave21478 Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 Hello,I have a well in my garden - not for drinking water, but I use it for watering the plants, washing the cars etc etc etc...I have lowered a submersible pump and set up the piping and wiring permanantly, so all I have to do is connect the hose up and switch on the pump. It has worked really well up till now. Ok, every now and then, the water would go cloudy for a few minutes due, I assume, to silt being disturbed in the well or something similar, but normally it is sparklingly clear. The well is covered by a little stone built shelter with a wooden door to stop stuff falling in.However, for the last few weeks, it stinks. It smells rotten, somehow. The water ranges from black at worst, to cloudy at best. Peering down, its hard to see anything as it is very deep indeed and even the best torch fails to clearly illuminate the water, but there appears to be some kind of scum with larger lumps floating on the top. There are hand-holds in the wall, but you are sadly mistaken if you think I will climb down to investigate! I wonder if someing has fallen in and died? The door and roof are not a completely perfect fit and I suppose a determined cat or smaller animal could get though and fall in. [:(]Im considering just running the pump all day in an effort to empty the well - is this a good idea, do we think? any other suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 Bucket on a rope get a sample of whats down there and have it examined ....Anybody near also got a well check theirs ...just in case the ground water is contaminated over a large area Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave21478 Posted May 16, 2009 Author Share Posted May 16, 2009 Gah, why didnt I think of that?So - bucket on a rope and some fishing brought up this....[IMG]http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc297/dave21478/short/DSCF0001.jpg[/IMG]It smells so bad, I almost brought up my lunch.The white stuff floating in it is squishy, and there are traces of hair/ fur. It would seem some kind of animal has met its watery doom.... Thing is - there seems to be quite a lot of whaetver it is. I dont remember murdering any Gite guests and dumping them down there lately, so am at a loss to figure out what animal it might have been. A close inspection of the door gap shows that a small to medium sized cat might fit through if it were determined. Pehaps a load of mice / rats?Now what? Ideally I want rid of this stuff, but how? due to the depth of the well, fishing it out with the bucket on a rope would be very hard indeed. Only thing I can think of is back to emptying the well as best I can with the pump - it should refill naturally and dilute this soup. It might take more than one session? How long is it likely to take for whatever this is to decompose and dissipate naturally? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave&Olive Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 Ding Dong Dell..............[:'(] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 Hi ......... If you have an animal carcase down there try and get it out ASAP some sort of grapple hooks made up and lowered down to the bottom may help if the main part of the "Body" is floating ..thats how I might tackle it ..As it decomposes remember the water will be a risk to your health .. nasty bacteria .....hand washing... rubber gloves.....dont get any splashed in or near your eyes ....Good luck ...nasty job.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just john Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 Just a thought, what sort of smell? . . . how far away from your fosse pipes / filter bed etc, anything heavy driven over the ground over your pipes? like a conservatory lorry or something . . . ?a bottle full to the pharmacy for analysis might tell you what it is[+o(] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weedon Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 I'd forget the idea of emptying the well. It will take you ages to empty and the moment you stop the pump it will start to fill up again. On no account go down the well yourself as dangerous gases can lie down there which can render you unconscious in minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave21478 Posted May 16, 2009 Author Share Posted May 16, 2009 John, I had considered that, but the well is "uphill" from the fosse and its associated epandage and quite far away from it too, so I doubt if its contaminated with that. Besides, there has been nothing that may have caused any damage.I have absolutely no intention of going down there at all, of that I can assure you! I will try the hook idea, but due to the depth of the well and the depth of the water, I have a doubt about whether it will work. I will pump it as dry as I can with the pump, and let it refill, then repeat as necessary. This should dilute the mess to less stinky levels at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gluestick Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 What an 'orrible situation!However, looking on the bright side, used for watering plants, it will be excellent fertiliser!Not the veggies however................[:-))] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG MAC Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 Hi, If there are wells near you being used for drinking water you will need to let Mairie know as groundwater may be contaminated, if no possibility of this then a lot more fishing with a metal bucket with quite a few holes in it should see a lot of the organic matter raised. I would absolutely ahem...not...ever drop some swimming pool tablets in there...that's naughty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 Whats down there Dave ? Is p.u.s.s.y. in the well ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave21478 Posted July 31, 2009 Author Share Posted July 31, 2009 All for nowt, it would seem - the well has gone dry!Granted, it hasnt rained much for a couple of weeks, but I havent been drawing much water either. Also, the old residents here told me it was a good well that had never gone dry even in the longest summers.I hope I havent burnt out the pump - it doesnt have a cut-off switch and it would have ran dry for a while. It wasnt exactly a cheap one either [:@] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave&Olive Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 [6]hi ok now might be a good time to have a look see......insulting question .... how fat is the wife ???? then send her in... dave [;-)] [6] [6] [6] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sid Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 DaveOur well pump is suspended about 18" above the bottom of the well; this avoids silt and "stuff" being sucked into it. Also it has a float which prevents the pump from running if the water level drops below the pump. I mention it so that you could at least do the suspension bit when water next appears in the well. Are you sure you have no cut-out? Expensive pumps usually do.Can you see to the bottom of the well? Ours is 13 metres, but when it's dry (not this year) I can see the earth at the bottom using a good torch or an inspection lamp lowered down there, and I can see that there is no rubbish, just clean earth and walls. If you see something at the bottom you'll need to clean it out. BUT I wouldn't go down for a gold clock! It makes me wonder what sort of person had that job, digging wells!!Sid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave21478 Posted August 1, 2009 Author Share Posted August 1, 2009 I lowered an inspection lamp down for a look - the bottom is rocky. There is what appears to be an old plastic bucket down there too, but I cant manage to get a hook onto it to bring it up. There is a small amount of water in amongst the rocks, which still smells quite bad, but I would say that assuming the dry spell continues, this will dry out too and whatever caused the stink will dry out or rot away. Even if it doesnt, when (if?) the well refills, the remaining stuff will be diluted to nothing.No, I will not be going down there, and I doubt anyone else will either, although I will take the oppertunity to re-do the pump pipework so that it is suspended off the bottom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.