Clay from a well under the house. Squeeze water in the well. A well is a water intake structure

A well on a personal plot guarantees uninterrupted water supply. Appetite comes with eating, and water deficiency is discovered during active housekeeping, for example, in the summer a lot of water is spent on watering the garden, or guests arrive and the need for its quantity increases sharply. If there is a problem, then you can find a solution.

The effectiveness of pumping a well depends on the soil in which it is dug and the design of the lower part of the shaft. To ensure a positive result, rocking should begin immediately after completion of construction work or planned repairs. The procedure has two goals: to completely pump out the contaminated water and, as it were, to stimulate an increase in the volume of inflow. Also, when rocking, the smallest particles that can silt up the bottom of the well are removed.

Despite the simplicity of the process, pumping can not only improve, but also worsen the condition of the well, so it must be done wisely.

The less you pump out, the more you get

You shouldn’t rush into the quarry and completely pump out the water from the well. The recommended volume is no more than ¾ of the water level. With complete pumping, the water level will simply recover after a certain time. Due to the intense influx of water, the bottom of the well will begin to erode, but the goal is completely different - you need to increase the volume of water, so water is replaced with small volumes, gradually but often.

The equipment you will need is an inexpensive centrifugal pump and a winch to suspend it at a height of about 1 meter above the level of the well bottom. The pumping process lasts quite a long time, with strict adherence to the amount of water selected. It ends when the owner is satisfied with the flow rate of the well and the quality of the water in it.

Rocking the well does not guarantee success 100% of the time, but it works more than 60% of the time. In fact, pumping and pumping are one process, but in the first case - for a new well, in the second - for an old one

Before upgrading a well, you need to measure the maximum height of the water column. Then pump out a fixed volume (optionally 1 ring) and note the time it takes for the water level to recover. You can also compare the data from your well and your neighbor's to collect statistics.

Well, well, well

The technology for pumping a drinking well in order to achieve maximum water flow depends on the structure of the soil in which it is dug. Typically, wells on sandy quicksand are characterized by low height but high inflow power. For other wells, complete pumping is not recommended, but for sandy quicksand it is simply prohibited. Anyone who has ever seen water flying mixed with sand from quicksand understands that such an experience cannot be repeated. The weight of the water column stabilizes the bottom, preventing it from silting; even the deepening of such wells is carried out when there is water in the mine. When it is completely pumped out, the bottom of the well will be covered with sand in a matter of hours or minutes. Active movement of quicksand can lead to displacement of the lower rings of the structure and permanently damage the well. The maximum volume of water sampled is no more than a quarter of the column height.

Do not pump wells on quicksand on your own if your experience consists of several read articles and communication on thematic forums. In this case, it is better to leave everything as is, because the water will arrive very quickly, or to involve professionals who can prove their competence.

Clay wells

In terms of performing build-up, they are the most promising. Approximately 2/3 of all wells fall on clay. The pumping process lasts a very long time; the maximum level can be achieved several years after digging the well. This is due to the fact that clay releases water very poorly, and it will take time and patience to create well-developed productive water veins.

As with sandy quicksand, complete pumping of a well on clay is not recommended. The exposed surface of the walls and bottom begins to harden and cement, leading to clogging of the pores and a decrease in the flow rate of the well.

The main mistake when pumping wells on clay: the low-hanging pump clogged or even sank into quicksand.

Correct well design

If the small thickness of the aquifer is a feature of the area, then it is necessary to equip a perfect well or a perfect one with a sump.

It happens that when digging a well there is a horizon with tasty water, but it is shallow or weak. This is not a reason to continue digging deeper; you can arrange it so that there will be enough water for all needs. The fact is that sometimes unscrupulous hired diggers or self-taught craftsmen build an imperfect well, the bottom of which goes a little deeper into the thickness of the aquifer. Water is drawn almost from the surface.

A more thoughtful option is the perfect well. Its bottom coincides with the bottom of the aquifer; it will dry out completely only with it. Seasonal fluctuations will affect the amount of water, but not critically.

The joker among the wells is perfect with a sump. Its shaft passes through the entire water carrier and goes down 1-2 rings. This recess creates a buffer tank where water flows. Thus, the height of the bottom of the well is lower, and the column and water supply are greater.

Rocking - real or not?

A really noticeable result comes from pumping wells where water comes from clay. It gradually flushes streams through which water flows from the aquifer. The disadvantage is the slowness of the process; it may take several years to obtain the desired flow rate of the well.

There are professionals who claim that pumping does not produce noticeable results, due to the fact that the depth and thickness of the aquifer does not depend on the personal preferences of the owner of the site or the skills of the construction team, but solely on the hydrogeological features of the area.

It is not recommended to use “Malysh” type vibration pumps for pumping; divergent vibration destroys the soil around the rings, and soil shifts clog the supply keys. It turns out: I wanted the best, but it turned out as always

According to this version, you can only vary the number of rings installed directly in the horizon. If the inflow power is large, one is enough; if it is weak, then at least three are installed.

This version takes place for clearly defined aquifers, the water from which will flow through the bottom of the well. For shafts where water will seep through perforated side walls, rocking will bring results.

How to do without rocking

In order not to have to deal with rocking the well, you can order the services of a specialist geologist who will examine the site and indicate the optimal place for digging a mine, but you will have to pay for exploration in force. On the other hand, the capacity of the well will be more predictable and reassuring.

If there is already a well, but there is not yet enough water in it, you can plan the pumping process. First you need to wait until the water fills the mine as much as possible. Sometimes this takes days or weeks. This happens if digging was done during a dry period.

The well must be deepened to a deep aquifer (read more about deepening a well). Non-professionals often dig to the first puddle and happily report that the well is ready. This is a typical hack; water will collect in the mine. It can be clean and transparent, and even tasty, but it is safe for health only if the site is located in a nature reserve, and there are no highways or fields for kilometers around.

If the water height is small, but the influx is very intense, then special pumping is not needed at all. Simply using water regularly will keep your well healthy.

In the summer I dug a well, four rings. The soil is clay, but it doesn’t seem to be quicksand. Everything seems to be fine, it fills up quickly. The rings were installed with waterproofing, the coating seemed to be fine, although there was a slight slope (5 degrees). After they dug it, he pumped out the water, and the well began to sag (at first they dug 3 rings, but due to subsidence, they installed another one). Under the second ring, the seam came apart and began to leak (and it flows in such small streams). The foreman said that the well must stand for six months for the soil underneath to form. They sealed the seam again, but after a while it came apart again. I pump the water with a pump (not to the bottom, of course). The bottom is clay, and the water, accordingly, also contains clay. The lower ring is almost entirely covered in clay. I'm thinking of doing this next summer:

Cover the seam (the workers covered it with the addition of cement so that the hydraulic seal did not harden quickly; there is a suspicion that because of this the quality of the seal deteriorated)
It’s not clear to me whether the well will continue to sag. It seems that the seam is torn precisely because of the uneven movement of the rings.
There is a radical way: dig around to the second ring and make a clay castle. Is there a possibility that the lock will break due to some kind of ground movement? And in general, how long is such a drawdown possible? Otherwise, you’ll build a house over a well, arrange everything around it, but it will sag and you’ll have to redo it.



• Clean the bottom. This operation is carried out by all neighbors annually. Its insidiousness is that the clay is eroded by the spring, softens, and when it is scooped up, the clay around the well sags. Those. the process is endless.
  The neighbors pour sand as a filter, but the foreman told me that it is best to line the bottom with stones, palm-sized cobblestones, and large crushed stone. Then top with fine crushed stone. I have a theory that if you weight the bottom with stones and rubble, the clay will no longer erode. When water comes out of a clay channel, the water destroys this upper clay layer and you get such a clay porridge at the bottom. If the water comes out not from the clay, but through the stones, there will be no such seething turbulence and the clay will not rise at all. The water will become much cleaner.
  Do you think the theory is correct? Does anyone have experience with clay soil?

www.mastergrad.com

A well is a water intake structure

Often, thoughts about the good construction of wells for their future owners come down to determining the required number of concrete rings, purchasing them, finding the “right” team of diggers and choosing the design of the well house. Meanwhile, a well is a water intake structure, the construction of which is somewhat more complicated than just a hole in the ground.

You can read about well rings in the publication Some misconceptions of those who want to have a well: about well rings. Choosing a team of well masters is generally an intimate question, one might say, almost the same as choosing a marriage partner: everyone has their own views on what an ideal master should be. Therefore, let's turn to that part of the well that is above ground level - to its head.

There should only be water in the well

I won’t go into detail about what kind of well houses there actually are - the purity of the water does not depend on what color you paint this structure. However, it is necessary to ensure that nothing foreign gets inside the well, namely: debris and dust, leaves, small animals and insects.

A living frog, oddly enough, will not spoil the water in the well. They say that our grandmothers and great-grandmothers even deliberately threw a frog into milk so that it would not quickly turn sour. But an amphibian that gets into a well will most likely not be able to get out along the steep walls. A frog dying of hunger will not add purity to the water.

The neck of the well must be securely closed - this will protect against the entry of plant debris, prevent the death of the poor frog and protect your own children from accidents. Even if you do not plan to install a water supply system, it is advisable to install a pump, for example, a manual one, on the well. This way it’s easier to lift the water, and the hole is always closed, and you can’t splash around in the water with an unsterile bucket.

Install a hand pump above the well - it's practical

Well house

A house is often built over a well. In most cases, its function is purely decorative. But the installation of a roof over the well is also more important than just a design element of the site. The canopy should perform the same role as the roof of the house - to protect against precipitation getting inside. Therefore, it is worth making the slopes wider, so that the water flowing along them falls to the ground as far as possible from the well.

This will reduce the amount of water flowing down the walls of the well in the ground. This means that untreated water will not get into it.

About frost

A house above a well can also serve another utilitarian service - to protect it from freezing in winter. Previously, when wood was most often used to strengthen the mine, freezing was less of an issue. Concrete rings conduct the cold inside better.
If you have the desire and opportunity, you can additionally insulate the well trunk in the upper part to the freezing depth. For example, with expanded polystyrene, and before you finally fill the soil around the head or make a clay castle.

Although in most cases, just a tight lid covering the hole in the shaft is enough.

Clay castle: what is it, how to make it and why

One of the final stages of creating a well is backfilling and compacting the soil around the top of the shaft. Often customers demand, and well builders, accordingly, offer the construction of a clay castle.

Clay castle around the well trunk. Photo from the site kolodecgrad.ru

However, this element does not always function correctly and is generally necessary. Often, on the contrary, a clay castle causes harm.

What is a clay castle

Clay castle- this is a waterproofing structure made of clay of a certain quality around foundations, wells, cellars, pools, installed where it is necessary to limit the flow of water. The characteristics of such structures were regulated by Building Codes and Regulations (for example, SNiP II-53-73 “Dams made of soil materials” is no longer valid).

Clay serves as a waterproofing agent because it consists of small particles (less than 0.002 mm in size) that are shaped like flakes, like fish scales or lentils. The pores between the clay particles are also small, their size is about 0.005 mm.

When moistened, clay particles swell and block access to water; more precisely, water passes through the clay, but very slowly. And if it has another path, then the water will choose it instead of the extremely leisurely seepage through the clay.

How does a proper clay castle work?

The structural features of clay (small flat particles-flakes) determine the functioning of a clay castle. SanPiN 2.1.4.1175-02 “Hygienic requirements for the quality of water from non-centralized water supply. Sanitary protection of sources" (instead of SanPiN 2.1.4.544-96) recommends its installation during the construction of wells. In particular, paragraph 3.3.4 of this document states: “A castle should be made around the perimeter of the well head from well-pressed and thoroughly compacted clay or fatty loam 2 meters deep and 1 meter wide.”

Construction of a well and a clay castle. Photo from the site kolodec.ru

If you are planning to build a clay castle, pay attention to these recommendations - depth and width. And the most important thing is that you need to use clay or fatty loam, that is, rocks containing more than half of the clay particles or at least 40% (fatty loam). And not just loam or even sandy loam, where there are no more than 10% clay particles.


The clay for the castle must be well kneaded - only then will it become waterproof. Photo from the site iz-kirpicha.su

It is also important that the clay is well kneaded and then thoroughly compacted. When the clay is crushed, its flat particles occupy a position parallel to each other: the “lentils” are tightly nested into one another. At the same time, the pores of the soil decrease, and the clay stops allowing water to pass through - it becomes a clay castle.

Why does a well need a clay castle and is it needed at all?

Why does a well need a clay castle? In order to prevent water from flowing down the outer wall, seeping through the seams, and, ultimately, moisture that has not been treated enters the well.

As stated above, clay waterproofing will only work if the clay is properly prepared and installed. Therefore, simply some kind of clay mixture, poured and even compacted when laying with feet or hand tools, will not provide a waterproofing effect. But it will be perfectly susceptible to frost heaving - an increase in the volume of soil when water freezes in its pores. This is especially true for clay soils.

How harmful is the “wrong” clay castle. Photo from the site kolodec.ru

In winter, the clay around the rings expands. And since it cannot expand in the horizontal direction, it does so in the vertical direction - along the shaft of the mine, while tearing off the upper rings. Cavities form under the clay layer: the soil around the rings continues to shrink for several years, and the castle has a different density and structure. Water and all kinds of debris, including the corpses of dead small animals, get into the resulting cavities.

An improperly constructed clay lock does not prevent untreated surface water from entering the well, but further aggravates this process. Therefore, if you are not sure that the waterproofing layer of clay will be laid correctly, it is better not to create unnecessary problems for yourself.

Drainage and blind area

To drain water directly from the walls of the well, in addition to installing a wide canopy over the well, you need to make a soft blind area, and, if necessary (if the well is located in a hollow in the relief), drainage drainage.

Then your water source will be fed only by groundwater, and you will be able to avoid problems with regular well repairs: settling rings that have come off after winter, trying to keep them from regular seasonal movements using metal plates and bolts, and other troubles.

7dach.ru

Clay soil

Experts advise first of all, after purchasing a plot, to determine the type of soil. The presence of sandy or chernozem soils greatly facilitates the task of new home builders or avid gardeners. But clay, as mentioned above, is the biggest enemy of plants and foundations of residential buildings, as well as outbuildings.

Water on such soil lingers for a long time, thereby causing the owners of the site a lot of problems, ranging from discomfort (sticky dirt accompanies them literally on every square meter) to serious economic damage. If there is a lawn near the house, it will be the first to suffer - the dried clay becomes covered with a hard crust that is difficult to loosen. Because of this, the grass begins to wither and dry out. And during prolonged rainfall, the root system rots - the lawn turns into a swamp.

The problem is aggravated if it is located close to the surface of groundwater - the clay will be wet virtually all year round, drying out only during the dry periods of hot summer. At the same time, there is rotting of ripening vegetables in the beds and a gradual violation of the waterproofing of the foundation of buildings located on the site. The peculiarities of working on clay must also be taken into account when pumping a water well.

Wet soil is also dangerous in winter - the soil freezes to great depths, destroying wet foundations and destroying gardens and berry fields.

Drainage device

Water drainage is the best solution that owners can take in such a difficult situation. In just one year, the soil will dry out, and the vegetable garden will bring a rich harvest.

The soil permeability test is quite simple. It is necessary to dig a small hole with a diameter of 60 centimeters and fill it with water. If after a day the water is absorbed into the soil, there are no problems with moisture removal - the site does not need to build a drainage system. The remaining water, at least partially, is a sign of poor soil permeability and the need for drainage.

To properly arrange the drainage system, three important points must be taken into account:

• financial opportunities;
• land area;
• the amount of incoming moisture (precipitation, melt and groundwater).

Drainage can be surface - cheaper to install, or buried - difficult to construct and expensive. It is recommended to combine both methods. This will ensure quick and high-quality drainage of clay soil.

Surface drainage consists of shallow trenches or ditches. To construct a buried drainage system, you will need to use geotextile fabric and special pipes. Sand, pipe, geofabric, crushed stone and another layer of sand are placed in the prepared trench. Soil is laid on top.

On clay soils, it is necessary to thoroughly loosen the bottom of the drainage trench before putting it into operation.

This measure will slow down the compaction of the clay and improve the quality of drainage.

Tools and materials

To work you will need:

• bayonet and shovel (for excavating soil);
• garden wheelbarrow for transporting building materials and moving waste soil;
• level for forming a slope;
• hacksaw for cutting plastic pipes;
• plastic pipes and elements for connecting the system;
• geotextiles;
• crushed stone and sand.

To construct open trenches, pipes, geofabric and crushed stone are not needed! But a special protective mesh is required that will cover the ditches, protecting them from foreign objects and animals, as well as trays or tiles.

Work on large areas is preceded by engineering calculations and drawing up a drainage system plan. Small areas can be equipped with drainage without drawing up a plan (but the features of the landscape are taken into account!).

The system is a central main drainage system (canal) or several mains, supplemented by side ditches. Auxiliary ditches are located every ten meters and connect to the main line at an acute angle - the whole system resembles a herringbone shape. A pipe with a diameter of 10 centimeters is laid along the main line, and in the side ditches the pipeline is narrower - its diameter is 5–6.5 centimeters.

Collected water can be discharged:

• along the road, if the terrain allows it, and there are no objecting neighbors;
• into a decorative pond or natural reservoir;
• a special well equipped with a drainage pump.

Carrying out work

The design of a system for drainage water includes several important steps:

A plan is drawn up according to which markings are made on the site. The depth of the trenches is determined by the freezing point of the soil in a particular region. But at the same time, pipes are not laid below the foundation level of nearby buildings. The drainage pipeline is laid 50 centimeters above the lower level of the foundation. According to technical standards, the following construction rules are also adhered to:

• leave at least 50 cm to the fence;
• and one meter to the foundation of buildings.

Excavation is in progress. If the landscape is flat, at this stage the natural slope of the highway and side ditches is developed.

A sand cushion up to 15 centimeters thick is constructed. It must be compacted and covered with crushed stone or expanded clay.

Pipes are being laid. The connection is made using tees or crosses. The best are considered to be perforated polymer pipes already wrapped in geotextile fabric. Asbestos-cement pipes are used less frequently due to possible environmental damage.

Backfilling is in progress. If pipes without geofabric were used, it is laid out on the pipeline. Ready-made polymer pipes do not require additional winding. Crushed stone, a layer of sand and soil are placed on the pipes (use previously dug soil).

Many experts advise not to fill the soil, but to test the system. To do this, you can wait for the next rainstorm or forcefully flood the area with water from a hose. If the water drains quickly, the drainage was completed without errors. Slow outflow requires the installation of additional side ditches.

Backfilling with soil is carried out with the formation of a tubercle in the center - this is a reserve for soil shrinkage. Over time, it will settle and the surface will become smooth.

If it is not possible to drain moisture into a natural reservoir or let it flow by gravity, it is necessary to build a well from concrete rings or a special plastic container. To do this, it will be useful to learn how to make reinforced concrete rings with your own hands.

At the top of the sump there is a signal pipe to remove excess liquid or a drainage pump.

Important points

Geotextile serves as an additional filter that prevents large debris from entering the drainage system. It is believed that its use is not necessary in clay soils.

Lack of slope will lead to stagnation of water and silting of the drainage line. The slope ranges from 1 to 7 centimeters per meter of pipeline.

The backfill layer should not be less than 15 centimeters. This rule is relevant for both crushed stone and sand or soil.

The depth of the main canals is from 40 centimeters to 1.2 meters. A shallower or greater depth will make the system ineffective.

Open drainage is necessary mainly for the warm season. The ditches are lined with special tiles or trays, which accelerate the outflow of storm water into the main (closed) system.

Maintenance includes:

• periodic inspection and cleaning of wells using a drainage pump;
• complete cleaning of the system using a pneumatic installation and cleaning tools (performed
• specialists once every four years);
• manual cleaning of open ditches.

greenologia.ru

How to make a well in clay soils

Any well begins with choosing a location for it and analyzing the composition of the soil. The easiest way is to find out from your closest neighbors at what depth they “dug” to the water, what rocks lie under the soil layer, whether there is quicksand at the bottom, etc. But you should not take the information received as an axiom - in your area everything may be a little different.

Advice. Accurate information can only be obtained through test drilling. If funds allow, it is best to do just that.

How to choose a place

When determining the location of the future water source, you should focus on the following requirements and recommendations:

• The well must be located at a sufficient distance from sources of pollution: outdoor toilets, cesspools, sheds, etc.;
• The closer it is to the house or other water consumer, the cheaper it will cost to install a water supply system (see Water supply from a well: how to do it right);
• It is best to arrange it on a hill, and not in the lowlands where melt and other polluted water flows. In addition, in a well on a hillock there are rarely quicksand at the bottom;
• Of course, there should be a convenient approach to it, and the well itself should not interfere with the movement of people and vehicles.

What to prepare for work

If you are going to dig a well yourself, you will need shovels with shortened handles, buckets with ropes to lift the soil up, as well as a drainage pump and hoses.

As for the arrangement of the walls, they are most often made of concrete rings, the number of which depends on the depth of the aquifer. Since their delivery to the site is a troublesome task, it is advisable to at least approximately know this depth in advance, so as not to buy too much or not to buy more and not transport if there are not enough of them.

You will also need metal staples to fasten the rings together and cement to seal the joints between them. And if there is quicksand at the bottom, you will have to build a bottom filter. You can read more about its structure in previous articles.

Main stage

When using machines and mechanisms, the well shaft is first completely excavated, then concrete rings are lowered into it using a crane.

Digging by hand is done differently:

• A hole is dug in the selected location with a diameter equal to the outer diameter of the ring and a depth of about half a meter;
• The first ring is installed into it;
• Further digging is carried out inside it with digging under the walls;
• The ring lowers under its own weight, but you need to make sure that this happens strictly vertically, tamping it down if necessary;
• When the ring drops to ground level, a second one is installed on it, then a third, etc.;

• Work continues in this manner until the aquifer is reached.

It is important! To prevent the rings from moving relative to each other, they must be fastened with staples.

The thickness of each layer is at least 20 cm. A wooden shield and holes are first installed on the quicksand, and only then the filter is filled in.

If the bottom consists of dense clay, a filter is not needed and is even harmful, as it can block the water veins. However, do not rush to install a filter immediately upon reaching the aquifer. First, remove all the slurry from the bottom and deepen it another 15 centimeters, leveling and compacting the bottom.

Pumping and arrangement

At first, the water entering the well will be dirty and cloudy, mixed with clay, sometimes sand and other particles. It needs to be pumped out until clear liquid flows from the hose.

To do this, the drainage pump is tied with a cable and lowered into the shaft, securing it half a meter from the bottom.

Advice. To drain dirty water, it is advisable to dig a trench or lower a hose into a barrel with a hole in the wall at a distance of 30-40 cm from the bottom. The dirt will settle to the bottom, and purified water will drain out of the hole, which can be used to water the garden.

The pumping time and volume of pumped water depend on the condition of the clay soil at the bottom and the power of the pump. This usually takes at least 12 hours.

To equip a well, the following activities are carried out:

• Waterproofing seams. To do this, prepare a cement mortar with the addition of liquid glass or PVA glue, and use it to cover all the joints between the rings, crevices and cracks.

• Construction of a clay castle. The head of the well is dug around the perimeter to a depth of at least half a meter and a width of about 2 meters, and clay taken from the shaft is poured into the trench. It must be compacted well, sloping outward from the walls. It is advisable to arrange a concrete blind area on top.

• Equipment installation and decoration. To prevent debris, rain, snow, etc. from getting into the shaft, a cover is needed. If the well is equipped with a pump, you can use a concrete one; if the water will be obtained manually, you can use a wooden one. Exterior decor is at your discretion.

During the first few days after completion of construction, it is not advisable to use water from a clay well for drinking. It needs to be pumped out periodically. After 2-3 days it will become suitable for consumption.

You should not immediately count on the high productivity of a clay well: it will reach its maximum capacity in about two years, when the springs wash out their passages in the clay rock. If the situation is exactly the opposite: over time, the flow rate of the well decreases, this may mean that during digging you did not reach a good aquifer or it was depleted due to natural conditions.

Types of clay wells

The construction and operation of the well depend on the characteristics of the clay soil:

• If it consists entirely of dense clay, then digging a well will be easy, and the water in it will be clean, soft and tasty, and its inflow will increase in the first years of operation. It lies at a depth of 5-30 meters; there is no need to equip a bottom filter. That is, it will be the simplest and most convenient structure to operate.
• If the soil consists of clay mixed with sand, water will immediately flow into the well quite quickly, but the bottom will be covered with a slurry made from a mixture of clay, sand and water. Need a filter. The height of the water column in such a well usually does not exceed one and a half meters; pumping out more than a quarter of it at one time is not recommended.
• If the clay soil contains peat, digging a well will be more difficult than in pure clay, but the water in it will be soft and tasty. However, it often smells of hydrogen sulfide, so before using it, it is advisable to let it sit for the smell to dissipate.

Note. The same smell occurs in water from a well built in soil containing blue clay. It is safe to consume, you just need to let the volatile compounds evaporate.

• The most difficult thing to operate is a well on clay quicksand. A filter with a shield at the bottom will not allow suspended particles to enter the water, but it is still advisable to take it from the upper layers, away from the bottom. This should not cause any inconvenience as the water comes in very quickly.
• It is almost impossible to manually dig a well in clay soil with stones; it is better to entrust this work to specialists with special equipment. And be prepared for the fact that the water level in the source will not rise above one meter.

Conclusion

It is believed that a well in clay is one of the simplest structures and at the same time one of the most preferable in terms of operation and water quality. Of course, if the rock does not contain stones, and the aquifer is not covered with quicksand. But even in such cases, its device is quite possible and justified. It’s just better not to take on such work on your own without special knowledge and experience.

moikolodets.ru

The less you pump out, the more you get

You shouldn’t rush into the quarry and completely pump out the water from the well. The recommended volume is no more than ¾ of the water level. With complete pumping, the water level will simply recover after a certain time. Due to the intense influx of water, the bottom of the well will begin to erode, but the goal is completely different - you need to increase the volume of water, so water is replaced with small volumes, gradually but often.

The equipment you will need is an inexpensive centrifugal pump and a winch to suspend it at a height of about 1 meter above the level of the well bottom. The pumping process lasts quite a long time, with strict adherence to the amount of water selected. It ends when the owner is satisfied with the flow rate of the well and the quality of the water in it.

Rocking the well does not guarantee success 100% of the time, but it works more than 60% of the time. In fact, pumping and pumping are one process, but in the first case - for a new well, in the second - for an old one

Before upgrading a well, you need to measure the maximum height of the water column. Then pump out a fixed volume (optionally 1 ring) and note the time it takes for the water level to recover. You can also compare the data from your well and your neighbor's to collect statistics.

Well, well, well

The technology for pumping a drinking well in order to achieve maximum water flow depends on the structure of the soil in which it is dug. Typically, wells on sandy quicksand are characterized by low height but high inflow power. For other wells, complete pumping is not recommended, but for sandy quicksand it is simply prohibited. Anyone who has ever seen water flying mixed with sand from quicksand understands that such an experience cannot be repeated. The weight of the water column stabilizes the bottom, preventing it from silting; even the deepening of such wells is carried out when there is water in the mine. When it is completely pumped out, the bottom of the well will be covered with sand in a matter of hours or minutes. Active movement of quicksand can lead to displacement of the lower rings of the structure and permanently damage the well. The maximum volume of water sampled is no more than a quarter of the column height.

Do not pump wells on quicksand on your own if your experience consists of several read articles and communication on thematic forums. In this case, it is better to leave everything as is, because the water will arrive very quickly, or to involve professionals who can prove their competence.

Clay wells

In terms of performing build-up, they are the most promising. Approximately 2/3 of all wells fall on clay. The pumping process lasts a very long time; the maximum level can be achieved several years after digging the well. This is due to the fact that clay releases water very poorly, and it will take time and patience to create well-developed productive water veins.

As with sandy quicksand, complete pumping of a well on clay is not recommended. The exposed surface of the walls and bottom begins to harden and cement, leading to clogging of the pores and a decrease in the flow rate of the well.

The main mistake when pumping wells on clay: the low-hanging pump clogged or even sank into quicksand.

Correct well design

If the small thickness of the aquifer is a feature of the area, then it is necessary to equip a perfect well or a perfect one with a sump.

It happens that when digging a well there is a horizon with tasty water, but it is shallow or weak. This is not a reason to continue digging deeper; you can arrange it so that there will be enough water for all needs. The fact is that sometimes unscrupulous hired diggers or self-taught craftsmen build an imperfect well, the bottom of which goes a little deeper into the thickness of the aquifer. Water is drawn almost from the surface.

A more thoughtful option is the perfect well. Its bottom coincides with the bottom of the aquifer; it will dry out completely only with it. Seasonal fluctuations will affect the amount of water, but not critically.

The joker among the wells is perfect with a sump. Its shaft passes through the entire water carrier and goes down 1-2 rings. This recess creates a buffer tank where water flows. Thus, the height of the bottom of the well is lower, and the column and water supply are greater.

Rocking - real or not?

A really noticeable result comes from pumping wells where water comes from clay. It gradually flushes streams through which water flows from the aquifer. The disadvantage is the slowness of the process; it may take several years to obtain the desired flow rate of the well.

There are professionals who claim that pumping does not produce noticeable results, due to the fact that the depth and thickness of the aquifer does not depend on the personal preferences of the owner of the site or the skills of the construction team, but solely on the hydrogeological features of the area.

It is not recommended to use “Malysh” type vibration pumps for pumping; divergent vibration destroys the soil around the rings, and soil shifts clog the supply keys. It turns out: I wanted the best, but it turned out as always

According to this version, you can only vary the number of rings installed directly in the horizon. If the inflow power is large, one is enough; if it is weak, then at least three are installed.

This version takes place for clearly defined aquifers, the water from which will flow through the bottom of the well. For shafts where water will seep through perforated side walls, rocking will bring results.

How to do without rocking

In order not to have to deal with rocking the well, you can order the services of a specialist geologist who will examine the site and indicate the optimal place for digging a mine, but you will have to pay for exploration in force. On the other hand, the capacity of the well will be more predictable and reassuring.

If there is already a well, but there is not yet enough water in it, you can plan the pumping process. First you need to wait until the water fills the mine as much as possible. Sometimes this takes days or weeks. This happens if digging was done during a dry period.

The well must be deepened to a deep aquifer (read more about deepening a well here). Non-professionals often dig to the first puddle and happily report that the well is ready. This is a typical hack; water will collect in the mine. It can be clean and transparent, and even tasty, but it is safe for health only if the site is located in a nature reserve, and there are no highways or fields for kilometers around.

If the water height is small, but the influx is very intense, then special pumping is not needed at all. Simply using water regularly will keep your well healthy.

Added: 10/17/2016 19:39:51

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Clay float water

This type of well is difficult to construct, and it is very difficult to get an even shaft. As a rule, the depth of wells located on floating vessels does not exceed ten meters. The ring located at the very bottom is covered with clay float, which causes concern to customers. Cleaning, deepening and pumping, but gives the desired result, so it is very important to know how clay wells are operated. Water must be collected from them carefully, leaving the levels on the lowest rings completely calm. It is categorically unacceptable to pump such wells completely (to the bottom).

Clay well - water from sand

It also requires a professional approach to arrangement. Difficulties arise when ringing a sandy aquifer. A well equipped and functioning well on such soils is not common.

The water in such a well arrives very quickly. It is forbidden to completely pump water out of the well. The amount of water does not exceed 1.5 meters, while one-time intake should not exceed 25%. Only if these operating standards are observed can you have clean water.

Clay well - water from stone

No less difficult to arrange than the previous ones. To lower the rings into rocky ground, it is necessary to use remarkable force. The water column in such wells is at a level of 70-80 cm, since the water in them is considered passable. Construction of wells on such soils can only be done by professionals.

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Types of wells in clay

In order to make a well on a clay plot with your own hands, you need to understand the types of soil and types of wells:

1. A simple clay well, entirely made of clay, is one of the simplest structures. The occurrence of the aquifer is at a depth of 4 to 30 meters. It is important that the well will not produce a good flow in the first year, but as it pumps, the water will rise and wash out the spring. Everything will be fully operational in about 2-3 years. The main thing in clay soil is the correct structure, then the water will be soft, tasty and clean.
2. Clay quicksand. One of the most complex structures. The well shaft is not always straight, but the flow of water comes very quickly. The depth should not exceed 10 rings, and the lower ring will always be covered by quicksand.

Important! The water in the well on quicksand can be mixed with mud, so you need to get it out extremely carefully. It turns out that if the well has 5 rings, the pump is placed no lower than the 2nd ring, and the last three are at constant rest. This is the only way the user will receive clean water.

1. Clay and sand. There is only one rule: never completely pump out the water. Streams fill the well quickly; the lower level is always filled with a mixture of water, clay and sand (quicksand). The level of the liquid column is up to 1.2-1.5 m. Pumping (in extreme cases) is allowed only 15-25% of the size of the entire water column.

Important! If there is a layer or patches of blue clay in the well, there will definitely be a smell of hydrogen sulfide. This should not be a concern, as the smell will go away within a short time after pumping starts.

1. Stone and clay. There is only one solution - to entrust the matter to professionals. It is impossible to dig a clay well on a rock without the use of special drilling equipment. And the water level will not exceed 0.8 meters in any case.
2. Clay with peat is another source, which is quite problematic to make. But the water in such a well is incredibly soft and tasteful, of course, if you let it settle. And in the case when sand gets into the mixture, the naturally filtered source will surprise even the pickiest owner with its taste. There is only one difficulty: peat wells on clay and sand can give the flow a characteristic taste of hydrogen sulfide. The smell disappears quite quickly, so there is no need to give up water.

If you decide to make a well yourself, first look at the soil to understand what exactly you will have to deal with. And then you can start making a well on quicksand, clay or sandy loam.

Clay well: sequence of actions

Any work begins with determining the order of the entire cycle. In the case of a clay well, it looks standard:

1. Soil composition in the proposed penetration area, aquifer depth, flow saturation;
2. Preparation of rings for laying the shaft;
3. Drilling the shaft and installing rings;
4. Installation of brackets, sealing of seams, blind area;
5. Filter equipment at the bottom so that a well on clay soil produces truly clean and tasty water;
6. Aesthetically improve the well, build a shelter to prevent contamination through precipitation.

Now let's look at each stage in more detail. And you should start by determining the location of the proposed well on clay.

Rules for selecting a drilling point

1. The well should not interfere with entry or passage routes in any way;
2. The well cannot be located next to a cesspool, barnyard or other outbuildings from which liquid can drain;
3. There is a hillock or the highest place - you need to make a well here. A well on clay soil will be protected from quicksand (especially if there is a lot of sand in the soil), the water in it will not stagnate and will not smell;
4. It’s a good idea to make your way to the aquifer as close to the house as possible, this will reduce the cost of laying the water supply.

And now that the location has been determined, you can start digging a hole. No one can tell you exactly how many meters to dig except geologists, whose exploration is very expensive. You can focus on neighboring wells, but very approximately, since the depth of the flow may be different.

Well drilling and arrangement

Drilling a well on clay soil is not a difficult task, especially if you have a conventional manual drilling rig. For the installation you will need a casing pipe, a filter, a pump and hoses. There is no need to carry out any special procedures; all stages are completely the same as drilling wells on sand or other soil. The peculiarity with a clay well is the arrangement of a bottom filter. For this, river sand, medium-fraction pebbles and coarse-fraction crushed stone are used. This “pillow” looks like this:

• 1 layer – 20 cm of sand;
• 2nd layer – 20 cm of pebbles;
• 3rd layer – 20-25 cm of gravel.

Each layer must be compacted and all work takes place very quickly, since water will constantly flow. All that remains is to install the pump and pump the shaft.

A well made of rings on clay: how to make

If you decide to make a well with rings, you will have to work a little longer:

1. Dig half a meter, install the ring - under its own weight it will sink lower and lower, while you can slightly tamp the ring;
2. Dig another quarter meter and install a second ring on top of the first;
3. Continue to do the same steps until the upper horizon of the aquifer becomes visible;

The installation of a bottom filter in a well with rings is also necessary, otherwise water from a well on clay will come out with particles and inclusions, where there will be sand, muddy clay suspension and other elements. This is done like this:

1. As soon as you get to the bottom of the aquifer, you need to use a pump to pump out all the water. This must be done very quickly and also first prepare river sand, gravel of medium and coarse fractions;
2. Pump out the dirt from the bottom, dig another 15 cm deep, remove the mixture and level the bottom;
3. Add sand to about 25 cm and tamp down;
4. Compact medium-fraction gravel with a layer of 25-30 cm onto the sand;
5. Top with 20 cm of coarse gravel and press down as well.

The natural filter for the well is ready, the water will come out clean and tasty. Instead of gravel, you can use crushed stone. Tamping is necessary so that the filter structure is not washed away by water during the installation process.

Pumping a well on clay

Technically, the process involves pumping out a mixture from a well, where water comes with suspensions of sand, clay or other impurities. But regular pumping is not enough. You need to do this:

1. Dig a ditch or hole where dirty water will drain (it is better to keep the distance further away);
2. Mount a “sand catcher” from a barrel, where you drill two holes: one above, the other below. In this case, dirty water enters the upper hole and flows out from the opposite one, located below, but not at the bottom level. But sand and particles will settle at the bottom. This design will prevent the site from silting up, and the water can be diverted to the garden, for example. The bottom will have to be cleaned from time to time;
3. Tie the submersible pump firmly with a cable and lower it into the well, about half a meter from the bottom - this way the pump will pump liquid without affecting dense bottom sediments;
4. Turn on the pump and pump the well until the flow is of the required purity. This is done with all mines, but wells built on clay take a little longer. You will have to pump out approximately 50-70 liters.

Important! The duration of the process of pumping up a well on clay soil depends on the condition of the soil layer, the diameter of the casing pipe and the power of the pump. The looseness of the bottom at the edge of the casing also plays an important role. The approximate duration of pumping is up to 16-18 hours.

After all the manipulations, you can remove the submersible pump and equip the well to your liking.

Finishing work for a ring well

After installing the rings and cleaning the bottom, it is necessary to waterproof all the rings. For this, a mixture of cement and PVA glue is used. The composition seals all seams and cracks inside. Externally, the structure is dug into a trench approximately 2 m wide and 0.5 m deep, into which clay is poured and compacted tightly with a slight slope away from the well. Then the trench is concreted and further decorated as desired.

It’s a good idea to make a canopy for the well to protect the water from debris, precipitation and other troubles. If you want it will be a small cover, or if you want it will be a whole gazebo. In any case, the water will remain clean, no sand will get there, and this is what is needed.

Important! The water is unusable for 2-3 days, but it can be used to water gardens. During this time, there will be clay, various suspensions and other inclusions in the well. In three days, the turbidity will completely settle into the filter “cushion” and you can do whatever you want with the water: drink, wash, or run the dishwasher or washing machine.

Finally

Immediately after installing a well or well in clay soil, many users are concerned about the low flow rate. This is not scary, a little later everything will return to normal, and the liquid will arrive at the required speed.

But if a decrease in flow occurs after several years of operation, then the reasons may be as follows:

1. Shallow mine depth. That is, the level of the well has not completely reached the horizon of the aquifer;
2. Natural factors such as: low groundwater recharge due to poor melting;
3. Sand has appeared in the liquid supply pipe (clogging) or the shaft has become deformed.

What to do? Contact a professional or clean the well yourself.

More than half of users dig wells on clay, so it is believed that this design is the simplest and easiest to manufacture. However, building a clay well is not as easy as it might seem. But with some patience, the owners will receive especially soft water, unique purity and saturation with useful substances.

In order to make a well on a clay plot with your own hands, you need to understand the types of soil and types of wells:

1. Simple clay well, entirely consisting of clay, is one of the simplest structures. The occurrence of the aquifer is at a depth of 4 to 30 meters. It is important that the well will not produce a good flow in the first year, but as it pumps, the water will rise and wash out the spring. Everything will be fully operational in about 2-3 years. The main thing in clay soil is the correct structure, then the water will be soft, tasty and clean.
2. Clay quicksand. One of the most complex structures. The well shaft is not always straight, but the flow of water comes very quickly. The depth should not exceed 10 rings, and the lower ring will always be covered by quicksand.

Important! The water in the well on quicksand can be mixed with mud, so you need to get it out extremely carefully. It turns out that if the well has 5 rings, the pump is placed no lower than the 2nd ring, and the last three are at constant rest. This is the only way the user will receive clean water.

1. Clay and sand. There is only one rule: never completely pump out the water. Streams fill the well quickly; the lower level is always filled with a mixture of water, clay and sand (quicksand). The level of the liquid column is up to 1.2-1.5 m. Pumping (in extreme cases) is allowed only 15-25% of the size of the entire water column.

Important! If there is a layer or patches of blue clay in the well, there will definitely be a smell of hydrogen sulfide. This should not be a concern, as the smell will go away within a short time after pumping starts.

1. Stone and clay. There is only one solution - to entrust the matter to professionals. It is impossible to dig a clay well on a rock without the use of special drilling equipment. And the water level will not exceed 0.8 meters in any case.
2. Clay with peat is another source, which is quite problematic to make. But the water in such a well is incredibly soft and tasteful, of course, if you let it settle. And in the case when sand gets into the mixture, the naturally filtered source will surprise even the pickiest owner with its taste. There is only one difficulty: peat wells on clay and sand can give the flow a characteristic taste of hydrogen sulfide. The smell disappears quite quickly, so there is no need to give up water.

If you decide to make a well yourself, first look at the soil to understand what exactly you will have to deal with. And then you can start making a well on quicksand, clay or sandy loam.

Clay well: sequence of actions

Any work begins with determining the order of the entire cycle. In the case of a clay well, it looks standard:

1. Soil composition in the proposed penetration area, aquifer depth, flow saturation;
2. Preparation of rings for laying the shaft;
3. Drilling the shaft and installing rings;
4. Installation of brackets, sealing of seams, blind area;
5. Filter equipment at the bottom so that a well on clay soil produces truly clean and tasty water;
6. Aesthetically improve the well, build a shelter to prevent contamination through precipitation.

Now let's look at each stage in more detail. And you should start by determining the location of the proposed well on clay.

Rules for selecting a drilling point

1. The well should not interfere with entry or passage routes in any way;
2. The well cannot be located next to a cesspool, barnyard or other outbuildings from which liquid can drain;
3. There is a hillock or the highest place - you need to make a well here. A well on clay soil will be protected from quicksand (especially if there is a lot of sand in the soil), the water in it will not stagnate and will not smell;
4. It’s a good idea to make your way to the aquifer as close to the house as possible, this will reduce the cost of laying the water supply.

And now that the location has been determined, you can start digging a hole. No one can tell you exactly how many meters to dig except geologists, whose exploration is very expensive. You can focus on neighboring wells, but very approximately, since the depth of the flow may be different.

Well drilling and arrangement

Drilling a well on clay soil is not a difficult task, especially if you have a conventional manual drilling rig. For the installation you will need a casing pipe, a filter, a pump and hoses. There is no need to carry out any special procedures; all stages are completely the same as drilling wells on sand or other soil. The peculiarity with a clay well is the arrangement of a bottom filter. For this, river sand, medium-fraction pebbles and coarse-fraction crushed stone are used. This “pillow” looks like this:

• 1 layer – 20 cm of sand;
• 2nd layer – 20 cm of pebbles;
• 3rd layer – 20-25 cm of gravel.

Each layer must be compacted and all work takes place very quickly, since water will constantly flow. All that remains is to install the pump and pump the shaft.

A well made of rings on clay: how to make

If you decide to make a well with rings, you will have to work a little longer:

1. Dig half a meter, install the ring - under its own weight it will sink lower and lower, while you can slightly tamp the ring;
2. Dig another quarter meter and install a second ring on top of the first;
3. Continue to do the same steps until the upper horizon of the aquifer becomes visible;

The installation of a bottom filter in a well with rings is also necessary, otherwise water from a well on clay will come out with particles and inclusions, where there will be sand, muddy clay suspension and other elements. This is done like this:

1. As soon as you get to the bottom of the aquifer, you need to use a pump to pump out all the water. This must be done very quickly and also first prepare river sand, gravel of medium and coarse fractions;
2. Pump out the dirt from the bottom, dig another 15 cm deep, remove the mixture and level the bottom;
3. Add sand to about 25 cm and tamp down;
4. Compact medium-fraction gravel with a layer of 25-30 cm onto the sand;
5. Top with 20 cm of coarse gravel and press down as well.

The natural filter for the well is ready, the water will come out clean and tasty. Instead of gravel, you can use crushed stone. Tamping is necessary so that the filter structure is not washed away by water during the installation process.

Pumping a well on clay

Technically, the process involves pumping out a mixture from a well, where water comes with suspensions of sand, clay or other impurities. But regular pumping is not enough. You need to do this:

1. Dig a ditch or hole where dirty water will drain (it is better to keep the distance further away);
2. Mount a “sand catcher” from a barrel, where you drill two holes: one above, the other below. In this case, dirty water enters the upper hole and flows out from the opposite one, located below, but not at the bottom level. But sand and particles will settle at the bottom. This design will prevent the site from silting up, and the water can be diverted to the garden, for example. The bottom will have to be cleaned from time to time;
3. Tie the submersible pump firmly with a cable and lower it into the well, about half a meter from the bottom - this way the pump will pump liquid without affecting dense bottom sediments;
4. Turn on the pump and pump the well until the flow is of the required purity. This is done with all mines, but wells built on clay take a little longer. You will have to pump out approximately 50-70 liters.

Important! The duration of the process of pumping up a well on clay soil depends on the condition of the soil layer, the diameter of the casing pipe and the power of the pump. The looseness of the bottom at the edge of the casing also plays an important role. The approximate duration of pumping is up to 16-18 hours.

After all the manipulations, you can remove the submersible pump and equip the well to your liking.

Finishing work for a ring well

After installing the rings and cleaning the bottom, it is necessary to waterproof all the rings. For this, a mixture of cement and PVA glue is used. The composition seals all seams and cracks inside. Externally, the structure is dug into a trench approximately 2 m wide and 0.5 m deep, into which clay is poured and compacted tightly with a slight slope away from the well. Then the trench is concreted and further decorated as desired.

It’s a good idea to make a canopy for the well to protect the water from debris, precipitation and other troubles. If you want it will be a small cover, or if you want it will be a whole gazebo. In any case, the water will remain clean, no sand will get there, and this is what is needed.

Important! The water is unusable for 2-3 days, but it can be used to water gardens. During this time, there will be clay, various suspensions and other inclusions in the well. In three days, the turbidity will completely settle into the filter “cushion” and you can do whatever you want with the water: drink, wash, or run the dishwasher or washing machine.

Finally

Immediately after installing a well or well in clay soil, many users are concerned about the low flow rate. This is not scary, a little later everything will return to normal, and the liquid will arrive at the required speed.

But if a decrease in flow occurs after several years of operation, then the reasons may be as follows:

1. Shallow mine depth. That is, the level of the well has not completely reached the horizon of the aquifer;
2. Natural factors such as: low groundwater recharge due to poor melting;
3. Sand has appeared in the liquid supply pipe (clogging) or the shaft has become deformed.

What to do? Contact a professional or clean the well yourself.

After drilling in a well or well, muddy, contaminated water rises. This is due to the presence of small soil particles that are not retained by the bottom filter. As a result, they settle on the crushed stone bed and silt up the well. To achieve crystal clear water, the well must be pumped immediately after drilling or during use. We will discuss how to pump a well with a clay bottom, the main problems and mistakes in this article.

When is pumping required?

As already mentioned, rocking is necessary immediately after drilling or if there is contamination at the bottom of the well. Depending on the type of contamination and the depth of the mine, the procedure can take from 12 hours to several weeks, but in any case, it is necessary to carry out it.
A well with a clay bottom can cause a lot of trouble - cleaning sometimes takes months. Before clean water appears, it is sometimes necessary to pump out more than 500 cubic meters of muddy water.

Declaying methods

There are two types of pumping to combat siltation of a well or borehole:

1. Interior.
2. External.

The internal method involves treating the pores of the shaft walls for deep cleansing.
External - removing clay from the inner surface of the well and its bottom.

Technically, rocking can be done mechanically, chemically and hydromechanically. The first two act as a kind of safety net or a useful addition. The main method is hydromechanical using pumping stations. Pumps allow you to generate jets of water to break up the clay crust and wash away the silt at the bottom, and are also used to drain muddy water out. In the case when the water pressure does not allow removing plaque on the walls of the well, a mechanical method is used, namely, knocking it off manually.

Rocking technology

Before pumping a well with a clay bottom, you need to acquire two types of submersible pumps, since future loads can lead to complete wear of the working parts. To do this, it is best to purchase domestically produced units. In some cases, the owners of a newly minted well “kill” more than one such device while pumping.

Rocking a well with a clay bottom using the example of a vibration pump of the “Malysh” type and a centrifugal pump of the “Aquarius” type:

1. The “Baby” vibration pump is lowered into the shaft on a long steel cable, not reaching 60-70 cm to the bottom of the well, almost at the level with the gravel filter. Thus, he will be able to break up, capture and remove silt with large particles out, and not just stir up the water.
2. Periodically, the filter is removed and washed with a large volume of clean water.
3. The end of the outlet hose for muddy water must be placed away from the well so that it does not flow back.
4. After 24-36 hours, if the water still comes with an admixture of sand and clay, it is necessary to replace the “Malysh” pump with the “Aquarius” centrifugal pump.

Important! While pumping the well, you cannot pump out all the water. Complete water intake will lead to solid particles sticking together and clogging the pores of the well walls. Consequently, this will entail a decrease in the flow rate of the well/well.

To calculate the flow rate of a well, it is necessary to multiply the diameter of the shaft by the height of the column and divide the resulting number by the time of arrival of water. Correlate the result with the pump’s performance, and you will be able to accurately calculate the time of one session of the station’s operation without completely withdrawing water.
The well is pumped until crystal clear water comes out of the outlet hose.

Main problems and errors

Before you rock a well in clay, familiarize yourself with the already known technological errors.

1. If you lower the pump too low, it will become clogged with sludge within minutes. It also happens that the unit is completely pulled in by quicksand.
2. If the distance between the bottom and the pump is greater than normal, only the upper aquifer layer of the well will be cleaned, and the sludge will remain in place.
3. A drain hose that is too short or poorly placed near the well will result in dirty water returning to the source.

Preventive measures

Most drinking wells are dug in clay, which is due to the relatively homogeneous composition of the soil in most of our country. And it is in such wells that the cleanest, tastiest water, free of harmful impurities, is usually found.

Their operation in the first year or two is associated with some difficulties: at this time little water flows into the source. But over time it “swings” and the problem goes away on its own.

If you are interested in the features of such wells and the principles of their construction, this article will help you get a general idea.

How to make a well in clay soils

Any well begins with choosing a location for it and analyzing the composition of the soil. The easiest way is to find out from your closest neighbors at what depth they “dug” to the water, what rocks lie under the soil layer, whether there is quicksand at the bottom, etc. But you should not take the information received as an axiom - in your area everything may be a little different.

Advice. Accurate information can only be obtained through test drilling. If funds allow, it is best to do just that.

How to choose a place

When determining the location of the future water source, you should focus on the following requirements and recommendations:

• The well must be located at a sufficient distance from sources of pollution: outdoor toilets, cesspools, sheds, etc.;
• The closer it is to the house or other water consumer, the cheaper it will cost to install a water supply system (see);
• It is best to arrange it on a hill, and not in the lowlands where melt and other polluted water flows. In addition, in a well on a hillock there are rarely quicksand at the bottom;
• Of course, there should be a convenient approach to it, and the well itself should not interfere with the movement of people and vehicles.

What to prepare for work

Digging by hand is done differently:

• A hole is dug in the selected location with a diameter equal to the outer diameter of the ring and a depth of about half a meter;
• The first ring is installed into it;
• Further digging is carried out inside it with digging under the walls;
• The ring lowers under its own weight, but you need to make sure that this happens strictly vertically, tamping it down if necessary;
• When the ring drops to ground level, a second one is installed on it, then a third, etc.;

• Work continues in this manner until the aquifer is reached.

It is important! To prevent the rings from moving relative to each other, they must be fastened with staples.

The thickness of each layer is at least 20 cm. A wooden shield and holes are first installed on the quicksand, and only then the filter is filled in.

If the bottom consists of dense clay, a filter is not needed and is even harmful, as it can block the water veins. However, do not rush to install a filter immediately upon reaching the aquifer. First, remove all the slurry from the bottom and deepen it another 15 centimeters, leveling and compacting the bottom.

Pumping and arrangement

At first, the water entering the well will be dirty and cloudy, mixed with clay, sometimes sand and other particles. It needs to be pumped out until clear liquid flows from the hose.

To do this, the drainage pump is tied with a cable and lowered into the shaft, securing it half a meter from the bottom.

Advice. To drain dirty water, it is advisable to dig a trench or lower a hose into a barrel with a hole in the wall at a distance of 30-40 cm from the bottom. The dirt will settle to the bottom, and purified water will drain out of the hole, which can be used to water the garden.

The pumping time and volume of pumped water depend on the condition of the clay soil at the bottom and the power of the pump. This usually takes at least 12 hours.

To equip a well, the following activities are carried out:

• Waterproofing seams. To do this, prepare a cement mortar with the addition of liquid glass or PVA glue, and use it to cover all the joints between the rings, crevices and cracks.

• Construction of a clay castle. The head of the well is dug around the perimeter to a depth of at least half a meter and a width of about 2 meters, and clay taken from the shaft is poured into the trench. It must be compacted well, sloping outward from the walls. It is advisable to arrange a concrete blind area on top.

• Equipment installation and decoration. To prevent debris, rain, snow, etc. from getting into the shaft, a cover is needed. If the well is equipped with a pump, you can use a concrete one; if the water will be obtained manually, you can use a wooden one. Exterior decor is at your discretion.

During the first few days after completion of construction, it is not advisable to use water from a clay well for drinking. It needs to be pumped out periodically. After 2-3 days it will become suitable for consumption.

You should not immediately count on the high productivity of a clay well: it will reach its maximum capacity in about two years, when the springs wash out their passages in the clay rock. If the situation is exactly the opposite: over time, the flow rate of the well decreases, this may mean that during digging you did not reach a good aquifer or it was depleted due to natural conditions.

Types of clay wells

The construction and operation of the well depend on the characteristics of the clay soil:

• If it consists entirely of dense clay, then digging a well will be easy, and the water in it will be clean, soft and tasty, and its inflow will increase in the first years of operation. It lies at a depth of 5-30 meters; there is no need to equip a bottom filter. That is, it will be the simplest and most convenient structure to operate.
• If the soil consists of clay mixed with sand, water will immediately flow into the well quite quickly, but the bottom will be covered with a slurry made from a mixture of clay, sand and water. Need a filter. The height of the water column in such a well usually does not exceed one and a half meters; pumping out more than a quarter of it at one time is not recommended.
• If the clay soil contains peat, digging a well will be more difficult than in pure clay, but the water in it will be soft and tasty. However, it often smells of hydrogen sulfide, so before using it, it is advisable to let it sit for the smell to dissipate.

Note. The same smell occurs in water from a well built in soil containing blue clay. It is safe to consume, you just need to let the volatile compounds evaporate.

• The most difficult thing to operate is a well on clay quicksand. A filter with a shield at the bottom will not allow suspended particles to enter the water, but it is still advisable to take it from the upper layers, away from the bottom. This should not cause any inconvenience as the water comes in very quickly.
• It is almost impossible to manually dig a well in clay soil with stones; it is better to entrust this work to specialists with special equipment. And be prepared for the fact that the water level in the source will not rise above one meter.

Conclusion

It is believed that a well in clay is one of the simplest structures and at the same time one of the most preferable in terms of operation and water quality. Of course, if the rock does not contain stones, and the aquifer is not covered with quicksand. But even in such cases, its device is quite possible and justified. It’s just better not to take on such work on your own without special knowledge and experience.