It is very often impossible to connect a small country estate to a central water supply due to the remoteness of the water supply main. Digging a well or drilling a well is sometimes unaffordable, and to build an autonomous system you need your own source of water.

In such cases, you can equip an Abyssinian well with your own hands - the technology for organizing such a source of water intake is quite simple. Agree, before starting to implement the idea, it is necessary to understand the design and operating principle of the system.

We will tell you how to plan an Abyssinian well, what equipment you will need and how to make an igloo well yourself. Particular attention should be paid to the type of soil on the site.

An Abyssinian well is a simplified version of a well that allows you to obtain water from the first or second aquifer lying on top. Its design is extremely simple. It is a column of interconnected gas-supply steel pipes with a primitive filter and a metal tip at the bottom.

The thin trunk of the excavation looks like an ancient sewing device. Hence the second name: needle well.

The classic method of immersing an Abyssinian well into the ground is done by banal driving - the simplest method, actively used among independent craftsmen. They hammer until the lower pipe with the tip opens the aquifer.

Sometimes the column is partially buried by auger drilling, but renting a manual or mechanical drilling rig significantly increases the work budget.

The Abyssinian well was invented and tested during the war between colonial England and Ethiopia in 1867-68. The design proposed by the American engineer Norton tirelessly provided the British troops with water during their movements across the desert.

Image gallery

There are two main components in the design of an Abyssinian well:

• drill bit, including a tip that cuts the soil and a barrel that is expanded during the process of penetration into the ground. The trunk also serves as a channel for lifting water from the depths. Therefore, it is assembled from pipe sections, and not from a steel circle or rod.
• Koper, consisting of a metal tripod and a heavy woman playing the role of a hammer. At the top of the tripod there are two blocks with ropes stretched through them, to which the woman is tied.

When the ropes are pulled, the woman rises to the top of the installation. When weakened, it rapidly falls onto the headstock, which is rigidly fixed on the section of the trunk being driven in. The latter performs the function of an anvil, thanks to which the trunk is consistently immersed in the ground.

An alternative option for adapting the water intake needle to an unsuitable groundwater level is to construct a pit. Before driving the column into the ground, a hole is dug about a meter deep, the width of which is convenient for working with a shovel in it. Driving the rods then begins from the bottom of the hole. In such situations, the pump is installed in a pit.

For those who decide to make an Abyssinian well with a pit, information is needed about the structure and condition of the soil layers lying at the depth of the pit. If the section is composed of sandy loam, loam or their alternating layers, it is not necessary to strengthen the walls of the pit.

Loose, unstable walls of the pit should be strengthened so that the wellhead of the needle well and pumping equipment are not covered with loose soils

If the pit is dredged in sand, the walls should be reinforced with boards or concrete. Sandy sides are unstable and can collapse and cover the water intake point along with the pumping equipment.

Questions about the upper layers of soil are also necessary for those who plan to go through the upper part of the excavation with an auger. Auger drilling will significantly speed up the process, but may not bring the planned result. For work, use a simple device - purchased or.

With collapsing sand walls, an installation will be required, due to which the economic priorities of the Abyssinian well will be reduced.

Installing and operating an Abyssinian well is the simplest and cheapest method of obtaining water from upper aquifers. To construct a water intake shaft, no equipment is required; all stages of the work can be easily completed with your own hands.

The invested efforts and minor funds will quickly pay off; the Abyssinian well will last no less than traditional water sources. It is important to get excited and implement the idea, armed with the information we present.

Do you have practical skills in constructing a needle well on your site? Please share your accumulated knowledge or ask questions on the topic in the comments below.

The issue of water supply to a suburban area must be resolved, otherwise there is no need to even talk about minimal comfort. If you need water and your budget is limited, it’s time to think about a low-cost technical structure that is accessible to most summer residents. Moreover, the technology with which you can install an Abyssinian well with your own hands is not particularly complicated. This type of well or igloo well, as it is also called, was invented by the Americans back in the 19th century, and received its exotic name after the British began to use it in Abyssinia (Ethiopia).

Initially, an Abyssinian well was a shallow well with a hand pump that pumps water from a sandy aquifer. This differs from an ordinary well in that the water in it is very clean. It is not clogged with dirt, drains, spores and water. First appearing in Russia in the 19th century, this structure is still a success today.

However, before you begin to implement your plan, you need to take an interest in the geology of your area. As a rule, neighbors who have owned plots nearby for a long time are aware of the location of soil layers and the depth of aquifers. They have already made their own choice in favor of a well or a well.

The choice of structure that is used as the optimal source of water on the site largely depends on the geology of the area

You can start constructing an Abyssinian well only if the upper aquifer is located no deeper than 8 m from the ground surface. From greater depths, lifting water using a surface pump can be problematic. If the aquifer lies lower, you should drill a well into sand of a larger diameter or deepen the pump.

The aquifer that the well will target should be medium-grained sand or a mixture of crushed stone and sand. Water can flow freely through such soil, so it will not be difficult to pump it out. The layers located above the aquifer interest us only in terms of their permeability. And the tool that will be used in the work will not be able to penetrate deposits of boulders and pebbles or hard rocky layers. To carry out such drilling operations, special equipment is required.

Material about ways to find water on the site will also be useful:

Advantages of this type of water supply

The likelihood that an Abyssinian well can be built on your property is very high if your dacha neighbors already have similar wells.

One of the significant advantages of the Abyssinian well is that it can be built both on the site and in the house

The advantages of such a structure can hardly be overestimated:

• the design is simple and inexpensive;
• to arrange this well you do not need a lot of space: the construction does not violate the integrity of the landscape;
• no equipment or access roads are needed for its arrival;
• the pump can be mounted both on site and indoors;
• the entire work will take no more than 10 hours: it all depends on the depth of the water carrier and the hardness of the soil;
• a high-quality filter prevents silting, which allows the structure to operate for a long time;
• no pollution from the surface of the earth gets into the well;
• The quality of water from such a well is comparable to that of a spring;
• the needle well provides a continuous supply of a volume of water, which is enough for both irrigation of the site and for household needs: the flow rate of an average well is approximately 0.5-3 cubic meters per hour;
• The device can be easily dismantled and installed in another location.

Abyssinian wells are not as deep as traditional sand wells, so they are less likely to contain dissolved iron. This means that there is no need for expensive filters when using them.

The Abyssinian well lifts water from an aquifer, which is deep enough to ensure the normal operation of any plumbing and watering of the area

How to carry out work without special equipment?

An Abyssinian well can be easily made using special equipment. But buying such mechanisms specifically for a single well is unprofitable, and inviting specialists is expensive. The construction of a needle well can be done with your own hands and using only a tool that is already available or can be purchased inexpensively.

Preparing the necessary tools and material

The Abyssinian well kit includes:

• drill and grinder;
• hammer and sledgehammer;
• a pair of gas keys;
• to hammer the pipe you need 20-40 kg barbell weights;
• welding machine;
• garden auger 15 cm in diameter;
• pipes: ½ inch 3-10 meters long, ¾ inch – 1 meter;
• 1-inch pipe for the well, which should be cut into pieces of 1-1.5 m and have a short thread on each side;
• nuts and bolts 10;
• stainless steel galloon mesh P48, 16 cm wide and 1 m long;
• car clamps 32 sizes;
• couplings: 3-4 cast iron couplings for driving pipes, as well as steel couplings for connecting pipes;
• two meters of wire 0.2-0.3 mm in diameter;
• check valve, HDPE pipes and couplings, .

In any city there is a market or hardware store where you can cut threads and purchase all these materials and tools.

Making your own filter

The filter requires an inch pipe approximately 110 cm long, to which a cone-shaped tip is welded. This tip is called the Abyssinian well needle. If there is none, you can simply flatten the end of the pipe with a sledgehammer. Using a grinder, we cut slots on both sides of the pipe over 80 cm, 1.5-2 cm long, about 2-2.5 cm long. It is important that the overall strength of the pipe is not compromised. We wind the wire onto the pipe, after which we put a mesh on it and fix it with clamps after about 8-10 cm. The mesh can also be soldered if you have certain skills.

In America, for example, a filter for an Abyssinian well is made with an internal mesh and wire, which is located above and below the mesh

It is important to know that solders with lead should not be used to prevent toxic substances from entering the water. Only special flux and tin solder are used for the work.

Drilling technology

We drill the soil using a garden auger, building it up with a pipe structure. To do this, ½-inch meter pipes are connected with couplings made of ¾-inch diameter pipes and 10-point bolts. Holes must be pre-drilled at the fastening points. The drilling process continues until wet sand appears, which will flow into the surface of the drill. That's it, further drilling is pointless, because the wet sand will go back into the well.

We plug the pipe with the filter

We connect the pipe sections with the filter using couplings, not forgetting to screw the FUM tape onto the threads. The resulting structure of pipes with a filter is lowered to the sand, and a cast iron coupling is screwed onto it. Pancakes from the bar are placed on the cast iron coupling. An axis is passed through their center, along which the pancakes will slide, clogging the pipe. The axle consists of a 5-foot piece of ½-inch diameter pipe with a bolt at the end.

The finished well needle does not take up much space and does not spoil the appearance of the site: if desired, it can be decorated with a canopy; it is very advisable to build a concrete platform around it

With each blow of the pancake, the pipe should sink a few centimeters. When half a meter from the sand level has been passed, you can try pouring some water into the pipe. If the water disappears, it means the sand has accepted it. The sand aquifer is capable of absorbing water at the same rate as it releases it.

Pumping a finished well

We install a check valve, then a pumping station. We use HDPE pipes and make sure that the entire structure is airtight. We fill the pumping station with water and connect a piece of hose to the outlet. The pump can be started. Do not be alarmed when air comes out of the well, and then muddy water. That's how it should be. Clean water will soon appear, the quality of which can be verified by doing an analysis or simply boiling it.

This is what an Abyssinian well looks like if it was installed in the garden and equipped with a hand pump: the summer resident no longer depends on the watering time set by SNT

There should be no drainage ditches or manure pits near the site of active water intake. A small concrete platform, which is built around the well and located just above the soil surface, will ensure the drainage of rainwater.

general information

Today, water supply is a significant problem in summer cottage construction. This is explained by the fact that supplying water from the central pipeline is a complex and expensive process. An alternative option is to dig a well, which requires significant labor costs and special permission. Some time ago, drilling of Abyssinian wells began to be widely used in the Russian Federation. This is a simple and effective solution to the problem of water supply in the house.

Origin story

So what is an Abyssinian well? During the colonial wars, British troops carried out the Abyssinian operation. Military operations in the desert were difficult due to problems with water supply. Then the British began to use the Norton drill, which is a drilling device for extracting water. The colonialists were able to advance into the desert regions and completed the tasks they had set for themselves. After this, rumors about Abyssinian wells spread throughout all countries, and the original name “Norton” was forgotten.

Two decades later, drilling an Abyssinian well was tested in Russia. The work was carried out by unskilled workers who made five wells. Drinking water was obtained in only three of them, and the average filling rate was approximately one and a half buckets per minute. As a rule, the aquifer was located at a depth of 4 to 10 meters. Sometimes the drill would get stuck in the limestone layer, which would take another 30 minutes to remove.

Famous scientists have studied Abyssinian wells, which, according to them, are an excellent water supply option to this day. After analyzing all the data, it became clear that digging a well is justified only if, due to geological conditions, drilling an Abyssinian well is impossible.

The main advantages of use

Drilling an Abyssinian well with your own hands has so many advantages that it is not enough to just list them. Let's explain the main pros and cons.

Low cash costs for the device

The maximum cost of a turnkey installation is rarely higher than 25 thousand rubles. The average price is 14 thousand rubles, and equipment can be purchased for 5 thousand. Compared to constructing a well, this is a very economical option.

A do-it-yourself Abyssinian well, together with all materials and mechanisms, will cost approximately 10 thousand rubles. It does not require the use of high quality materials. All work can be done with your own hands from scrap materials.

Fast and easy development

To perform this procedure, you do not need to use a drilling derrick or tripod. There is no need for driving a hole, an electric drive or drilling fluid. According to statistics, fluctuations in the depth of aquifers can range from 2 to 15 meters. No professional knowledge required. In almost a hundred percent of cases, two healthy men are enough - the water is ready within a day, and sometimes in a few hours.

Environmental Safety

If you do not deviate from the technological process and correctly drive the well into the sand, then the possibility of groundwater penetrating to the water intake is completely eliminated. A driven Abyssinian well in urban areas can produce water that is not much different from artesian water.

Full compliance with sanitary standards

There are no strict sanitary requirements. You can plug the well directly from the basement. With this embodiment, the work is easier, and their cost becomes less. The well does not freeze in winter, so there is no need to construct a pit - artificially burying it in the ground.

Long service life

The wells, clogged many years ago by the British, still provide water uninterruptedly and do not require special care. The thirty-year service life indicated in many sources is not the maximum. In fact, the well will function until the water runs out.

Does not require registration or special permits

For an Abyssinian well, you do not need to obtain permits. This is a significant plus. According to the law of the Russian Federation, the owner of the land has the right to extract minerals in an open pit to a depth of five meters and to develop water wells down to the very first layer that contains water. That is, it is no longer possible to extract artesian water. Those who are not too trusting can double-check this information themselves.

Norton projectile structure

An Abyssinian well means an igloo well. Immersion occurs using the percussion drilling method. Professionals rarely use this method of extracting water due to the fact that at shallow depths it is almost impossible to reach the rod. The maximum development depth is a couple of tens of meters.

If the main goal is to drive to the first aquifer, a needle well is the best option due to ease of installation, economic benefits and efficiency. A water well has an additional name – “tube well”.

Installation under an Abyssinian well at the dacha consists of the following elements:

Drilling technology

Drilling technology can be exploratory or confident in nature. In the first case, you should think about purchasing special factory equipment, which costs approximately 7 thousand rubles. The tubular drill and string can be used many times. For example, if the first well is unsuitable, you can dismantle it and drill a second one.

When there is a well made within 50 meters, the equipment can be made with your own hands from scrap materials. The process of drilling using the percussion-rope method requires a certain physical strength, but the technology is simple:

1. The projectile is being installed into the pit. It can also be suspended on a tripod or driven into the ground.
2. The first rod is installed, onto which the headstock, headstock and upper clamp are put on. The latter must be securely tightened.
3. The ropes are threaded into pulleys, pulling the woman until she reaches the very top. Then the ropes are released and the action is repeated.
4. Depending on the recess, the clamps are rearranged, and the column is built up with other rods.

What mechanism should you use to drill?

A set of equipment for drilling an Abyssinian well with your own hands can be made from scrap materials. The main thing is to find pipes, the length of which should be one and a half dozen meters, and the diameter should be 80 millimeters. This will be needed if the scheme involves the use of submersible pumps.

Standard submersible pumps cannot be smaller than three inches. If there is a need to raise water to a height of more than 7 meters, you need to use top vacuum pumps (one is enough). Then the use of any pipes that should not bend during development is allowed.

Since the rules for installing a drilling rig were discussed above, let us clarify how to select the correct drill string and rods. The outer diameter of the pipe is always indicated here. However, when caliber is mentioned, the internal diameter is meant. Devices lowered into a pipe are always counted according to the outside.

When professional drilling of Abyssinian wells is carried out, the rods are joined with couplings at the factory. In the future they can be removed and dismember the column. But for a one-time development, you can replace the couplings with welded tubular scraps of a larger caliber. The rods are assembled with their skirts up, as there is a possibility of the needle getting caught or getting into the ground.

When the equipment breaks down during the drilling process and the column becomes disconnected, you should leave everything in the soil and make a new drill with rods. Consequently, drilling an Abyssinian water well with homemade equipment is carried out only if there is one hundred percent confidence in the availability of water.

Where is there water?

How to choose the right drilling site? The main indicator is the presence of vegetation. You need to know the list of moisture-loving plants and look for them in your area. These include:

• Nettle.
• Burdock.
• Hop.
• Cane.

The most optimal indicator of the presence of moisture is already existing natural springs and wells in neighboring areas. If they are nearby, you are more likely to find what you are looking for.

Drilling depth

How to make an Abyssinian well and guess the depth of the first aquifer? This parameter is determined by a special device - an aneroid barometer.

As altitude changes, atmospheric pressure changes. The device works on this principle. Based on the pressure shown, you can determine the depth of the water. In most cases, the height of the water rise is rarely more than 7 meters.

Prohibited places

The construction of an Abyssinian well is prohibited in ravines, cliffs and steep slopes. This is due to the possibility of disruption of natural drainage, which can lead to landslides. In addition, it is prohibited to drill:

1. at a distance closer than 15 meters from the place where pets are kept;
2. within 300 meters of a cemetery or farm;
3. at a distance of closer than 3.5 kilometers from chemical production, secret facilities and sewerage basins.

The properties of the soil are not disturbed when drilling an Abyssinian well.

Well made of other materials

In addition to the standard design, you can make an Abyssinian well with your own hands from plastic pipes. It is in no way inferior to the iron version, and in some respects even surpasses it.

The Abyssinian well made of plastic pipes has the following advantages:

1. ease of installation (the whole process takes only a few hours);
2. the possibility of installing a needle in the basement, garage or other utility room;
3. high performance parameters;
4. source of high quality water;
5. long service life;
6. economically beneficial.

Pump selection

In some cases, a pump may be necessary. So how to choose the right one? The pumps are lightweight and do not make unnecessary noise. One of the main conditions for selection is power, which should provide the necessary pressure. The price for them ranges from 4 to 15 thousand rubles. The pump for the Abyssinian well must be from a trusted manufacturer (sometimes called a pump).

Conclusion

Drinking water is the most important resource on the planet. In this article we looked at what an Abyssinian well is and what the technology for its construction is. It should be noted that in other countries such drilling is prohibited. Do-it-yourself needle well is gaining popularity, which will lead to government regulation of this issue. Therefore, while it is allowed, it is better not to waste the moment.

FORUMHOUSE users know that a comfortable life outside the city is unthinkable without a reliable source of water supply. The first thing that comes to mind is to dig a well or drill an artesian well, but both of these methods have their drawbacks. Drilling is expensive and requires the use of special equipment, and not everyone can dig a well on their own. However, there is a third, more affordable option - the Abyssinian well, or as it is also called, “needle”.

Abyssinian well: what kind of device is it?

An Abyssinian well is a water intake metal or plastic pipe with a diameter of 2.5–4 cm, installed in an aquifer up to 10-15 m deep. At the bottom of the pipe there is a filter and a well tip, the so-called “needle”. A hand pump or a pumping station powered by electricity is installed on top of the pipe.

Nedrabur member FORUMHOUSE

Abyssinka attracts country residents with the opportunity to solve the problem of water supply for their plot, bathhouse, and even their country house of permanent residence without the arrival of heavy equipment.

The productivity of the Abyssinian, depending on the “thickness” of the aquifer, can reach 3–5 m3 per hour.

Advantages of the Abyssinian well

Among the advantages of the Abyssinian well are:

How to make a filter for an Abyssinian well

The longevity of the “needle” largely depends on the chemical characteristics of the aquifer and the efficiency of its filter.

Alextr61

I recommend making a good filter like this: buy a galvanized thick-walled pipe 1.5 m long. Cut threads on both sides. We screw a pointed “needle” tip onto the base of the pipe (it pushes the soil apart) with a diameter 20 mm larger than the diameter of the pipe (the junction of the tip with the pipe can be welded for strength).

You need to retreat 0.5 m from the base of the pipe. We leave this distance for the sump under the sand. Then, every 50 mm, we drill holes with a diameter of 10 mm in a checkerboard pattern. We wrap the section of pipe with holes with stainless wire with a diameter of 1.5 mm. After this, we additionally wind two layers of stainless steel mesh with small-diameter holes.

We do not boil the mesh on top, but secure it with stainless steel clamps. For better filtration, the pipe can be wrapped in geotextile and secured with steel clamps.

If the aquifer contains a large amount of impurities, and the filter of the Abyssinian well is made with technological violations, then it will become silted, which will lead to a decrease in water quality and rapid failure.

Disadvantages of the Abyssinian well

For all its advantages, this type of water supply has several disadvantages. The Abyssinian well cannot be installed everywhere - there are areas where it is better not to even mess with the “needle”.

• The Abyssinian well is installed “on sand”. If there are thick layers of clay, limestone and large stones on the site, constructing such a well is impossible or economically infeasible;
• To lift water from it, it is necessary to use a pumping station (it is impossible to install a submersible pump in a small-diameter well). The distance from the top point of the well to the water surface in the pipe should not exceed 8 m, and the “needle” itself can be clogged to 10-15 meters. If the distance to the water surface is more than 8 meters, then you will have to install a pumping station lower, dig a pit in the underground or install a caisson on the street. If the aquifer is located lower (20 meters or more), then the pumping station simply will not be able to lift water from such a depth.

Abyssinian well: necessary conditions

Before you get to work constructing a “needle”, you need to understand whether it is suitable for your area. Therefore, first of all, we find out the depth of the aquifer (even in different areas in the vicinity of Moscow, the depth of the aquifer can vary up to 250 meters) and the type of soil.

When choosing a source of water supply, you should focus on existing water intake wells of a similar design located in close proximity to your site. And in their absence - for exploratory drilling and other reliable geophysical survey methods.

To search for water, different methods are used: from dowsing to geodetic maps, which display soils and aquifers.

Abyssinian wells and site features

Much depends on the individual characteristics of the site. So that your efforts and money are not wasted, and the Abyssian well does not remain a useless monument to your carelessness, a number of points should be clarified before constructing it yourself:

• The depth of the aquifer. To do this, you can ask your neighbors about the water level in their wells, and also measure the distance to the water surface. If the depth of the wells does not exceed 12-15 m, and the distance to the water surface is no more than 5-10 meters, then there is a high probability that the “needle” will be able to provide the house with water;
• Estimated water quality. The Abyssinian is a shallow well, and this aquifer may be susceptible to bacterial and chemical contamination. Therefore, it is necessary to find out in advance where septic tanks and sewage pits are located, and whether there are sources of chemical pollution nearby. Sometimes, already at this stage, it is necessary to abandon the construction of a well;
• Proposed location for the “needle” device. It can be installed right in the house, in the technical room, then the pumping station and other equipment will be protected from adverse weather conditions, and the well itself from freezing in winter (if the house has permanent residence). If the well is supposed to be installed on the site, then it is better to locate it close to the house. In this case, to bring water into the house, you will have to manually dig a trench under the main line, installing a caisson or an insulated shelter, which leads to additional expenses;
• Estimated needle debit. It largely depends on the saturation of the aquifer. An indirect sign can be the water level in neighboring wells. You should also find out whether they dry out in the summer.

A good water-bearing formation under the “igloo” is located in a vein with coarse (river) sand.

Nedrabur member FORUMHOUSE

The most advanced design of an Abyssinian well will not save you if the aquifer has poor water yield and low thickness.

If the water yield of the Abyssinian is low, you will have to purchase and install a storage tank for water of 500-1000 liters.

The water yield of an already installed well can be found out this way: we note the time of filling the measuring container and see how long it takes to fill a 10-liter bucket. Without stopping pumping, we repeat the procedure 2-3 more times in 10-15 minutes, and we get the average value - the specific flow rate of the well.

How to make an Abyssinian well yourself: manual methods

There are two main ways to construct an Abyssinian well:

• Plugging a well with a steel "woman".

• Drilling using a small-sized auger.

Auger drilling requires the presence of special and not always accessible equipment, so we will dwell in more detail on manual methods of drilling a well.

Abyssinian well: driving with a steel “woman”

When driving a well with a “woman,” a special metal pig weighing 40-50 kg is put on the pipe, with a hole in the center and two handles on the sides. A “headstock” is attached to the pipe - a special clamp tightened with bolts. The “grandmother”, being a stop for the “woman”, upon impact transfers all the energy to the pipe and the “needle”, which gradually enters the ground. As the pipe moves deeper into the rock, additional elbows are screwed onto the pipe, one after another, through couplings until the “needle” reaches the specified depth.

You can also screw a special nozzle onto the head of the pipe, which will be used to deliver blows. This method of constructing an Abyssinian well is demanding on the quality of the thread, because a lot of pressure falls on her.

Fludik member FORUMHOUSE

I assembled the “igloo” using steel couplings and tow (flax) with paste, because... Cast iron fittings may burst due to impacts. While driving, I constantly tightened the column clockwise with a wrench.

To control the immersion depth of the column and facilitate the passage of soil, water is poured into the pipe.

When the water reaches the aquifer, it leaves the pipe with a characteristic noise. After this, you can add another meter to the column (so that the entire filter is in the water layer) and try to pump the “needle”.

Yuri member of FORUMHOUSE

When water is poured into a pipe, it can go either into the space between the pipe and the clay/dry sand, or into the aquifer. We rock the column with a hand piston pump. And only then we connect the electric one.

Alextr61 member FORUMHOUSE

After driving the Abyssinian, at first I had muddy water with fine sand and suspended matter.

After pumping about 500 liters, the water came out clean. Somewhere after 1000 liters, the water began to be used for drinking.

Abyssinian well: driving with a rod

There is another way to drive a well - from inside the pipe, using a metal rod - a thick reinforcing bar.

BCCH member FORUMHOUSE

I think that it is better to plug the well not with a “woman”, but with rods.

In this case, the fittings hit the back side of the “needle” located in the head of the pipe of the first section in front of the filter. The tip must be well welded to the pipe.

Alextr61 member FORUMHOUSE

I drove the fittings like this: I dug a hole about half a meter deep and installed the first pipe with a tip in it.

Arrangement of autonomous water supply is one of the most important issues on the agenda of land owners. Often it is impossible to connect to a centralized water supply due to its absence, so you have to find other ways. The most cost-effective, but nevertheless very effective option is the Abyssinian well; it is not so difficult to equip such a system with your own hands.

This is what an Abyssinian well not connected to a pump looks like

The Abyssinian type well has quite a lot of advantages over other similar systems:

• Extreme simplicity of design.
• Low cost.
• The pump can be installed both indoors and on site.
• Simple and quick installation without the use of special equipment.
• Long service life without silting.
• There is no need for frequent cleaning of the system, since contaminants from the surface cannot enter the well.
• If necessary, the equipment is dismantled and installed in any other location.
• The well does not require expensive filters, since due to the relatively shallow depth, dissolved iron does not enter the water.

Where can you make an Abyssinian well?

The main difference between the Abyssinian well and other systems is its shallow depth.

Initially, it was a shallow well equipped with a hand pump that pumped water from an aquiferous sand layer. The modern version is equipped with automatic equipment, but otherwise there is practically no difference. The geological conditions necessary for the development of the system have also not changed. An Abyssinian well can only be constructed where the upper aquifer passes no deeper than 8 m from the soil surface.

This is due to the fact that a surface pump simply cannot lift water from great depths through a small-diameter pipe.

If the aquifer lies a little deeper, you can try to build an Abyssinian well, but you will have to deepen the pump. In this case, the aquifer must be a mixture of sand or crushed stone; one medium-grained sand is also allowed.

This is important, since such soil does not pose a big obstacle to water, and it can be easily pumped out.

The layers located above the aquifer are also of interest. Since drilling an Abyssinian well is usually carried out without the use of special equipment, it is important to know their permeability.

It must be understood that “hand-held” drilling devices will not be able to penetrate hard rocky layers or deposits of pebbles and boulders. In this case, you will most likely have to call specialists.

Abyssinian well drilling diagram

How to prepare the necessary equipment

To make an Abyssinian well with your own hands, you must first prepare everything you need.

Let's start with the pipes. You can use plastic or metal parts with a diameter of an inch or one and a half. We cut them into pieces 1 or 2 m long. As the system elements are immersed in the well, we will increase them to the required length using threaded connections. It is important to ensure complete tightness of the connections, so we will prepare materials to seal them. It can be silicone, plumbing linen, oil paint, etc.

In addition, we use special couplings.

It is important to ensure maximum reliability of the connections, otherwise the integrity of the structure will be at risk. The lower edge of the pipe must be equipped with a so-called filter needle, which performs several functions at once:

• facilitates the penetration of the tool into the ground;
• prevents pipe silting;
• purifies the water supplied to the top.

The part is quite easy to make yourself.

It is better to use the same material from which the main pipe is made.

Abyssinian well - make a miracle well at your dacha!

This will prevent electrochemical corrosion.

This is what a metal filter needle looks like at different stages of manufacturing.

Ferrule

Having prepared the material, let's get to work:

1. We take a piece of galvanized metal pipe and drill holes with a diameter of 5-8 mm at its end.

   We arrange them in a checkerboard pattern.

2. We make a filter. This can be a stainless steel mesh, which we solder over the perforated section of the pipe, or wire wound there.

   The latter also needs to be soldered. Experts recommend using only tin as solder; other metals can reduce the quality of water.

3. We make a metal spear-shaped tip, the diameter of which is larger than the size of the main pipe. We weld it to the filter.

PVC filter needle

The part is manufactured almost similarly to a metal element, but with some nuances:

1. We perforate the pipe.

   Using a hacksaw, we make small slits on its surface.

2. We insert the filter mesh inside the part and secure it using the fusion method.
3. We attach the spear-shaped tip.

The sharp tip pushes the soil apart to allow the pipe to pass through

Abyssinian well construction technology

Before you start drilling, you should read the instructions on how to make an Abyssinian well yourself.

We carry out the work in stages:

1. We determine the location for the well and mark it.
2. We dig a hole, the volume of which will be about 1 cubic meter.
3. We go through the top layer of soil with a garden auger and remove part of the soil.
4. We install the pipe in the center of the hole and begin drilling. As the part deepens, we screw additional pieces onto it. Gradually add soil to the pipe and compact it well.
5. Having reached the water carrier, rinse the filter with water under pressure.
6. We install a temporary hand pump and use it to pump out the muddy water.
7. We concrete the area around the well so that pollution or runoff does not penetrate inside.
8. We are installing a pumping station.

When independently constructing an Abyssinian well, not only drilling can be used, but also pipe clogging.

This option involves the use of a so-called hammer, which drives the structure into the ground. During the hammering process, water is constantly added to the pipe. Despite its simplicity, the method is used infrequently, since if it gets on a stone, the filter needle will be irreparably damaged. In addition, there is a possibility of going past the aquifer.

Video: driving a well

The Abyssinian well is a practical and low-cost way to provide your area with clean water.

Many developers install such systems themselves. However, you should not think that setting up an Abyssinian well is a simple undertaking.

There are nuances that only professionals are familiar with. If you have no experience in such work, it is better to immediately contact them for help.

Owning a country house is the dream of many residents of megalopolises and large cities. Take a weekend break from the hustle and bustle and enjoy the peace and nature. Sunbathe on a sun lounger without doing anything, and then take a summer shower... But here the rosy picture ends; for many summer residents the pressing question is: where to get water.

Drilling an artesian well is very expensive; you don’t want to run 2 kilometers to the well. There is an exit. This is a needle filter for a well.

Abyssinian well

The name of such a well came to us from present-day Ethiopia, which was Abyssinia before colonization by the British.

In conditions of constant water shortage and having adopted the experience of the local population, the British improved the developments of local residents in extracting water from sand. This is how the Abyssinian well appeared in the 19th century.

Using such a well, you can extract water from a sandy aquifer. It is effective at a depth of up to 8 meters. Therefore, you first need to study the features of the landscape, the developer’s drawings, and invite a specialist.

The easiest way is to ask your neighbors, because if someone already has such a well, then you can most likely make one.

Plugging a well

What is better, a regular well or an Abyssinian one, can be read in this article, but now we will look at the igloo filter itself for the well, which ensures an uninterrupted supply of clean and high-quality water.

Do-it-yourself needle filter for a well

Having driven a pipe into the soil to the aquifer mechanically or using technology, it is important that the water always flows clean, without impurities of silt and sand.

Therefore, the entire process of drilling a well takes place with a cone-shaped needle, to which pieces of ordinary pipe are screwed as it progresses.

The procedure for making a needle filter with your own hands and its varieties:

1. We weld a cone-shaped tip to an inch pipe 100-110 cm long. You can also do it in a homemade way using a sledgehammer.
2. Along the entire length of the pipe, we drill 10-12 mm holes in a checkerboard pattern at a distance of 5-10 cm, or use a grinder to cut longitudinal slots of 2.5-3 cm on both sides in increments of two centimeters.
3. We wrap the pipe with stainless wire in increments of about 1 cm, and solder a mesh with as little weaving as possible on top of it with tin.

This is what the Needle filter looks like

If done correctly and from high-quality materials, we will get a filter that will last 10 years or more.

It should be noted that if you know that the aquifer is predominantly gravel in composition, then it is better to drill holes on the needle. If the soil is sandy-clayey, then cut the cracks with a grinder.

Price

For those who do not want to spend the time and effort to make the main part of the Abyssinian well structure themselves, there are many companies that have set up production.

The price range varies depending on the region, pipe diameter, materials used, workmanship, so it’s up to you to decide who to turn to.

Average price in Moscow for a filter needle- from 2500 to 5000 rubles.

More information in this video.

Abyssinian well with your own hands or get water in 1 day

How wells and wells are drilled

When drilling to the first aquifer (geologists and miners say “well for sand”), a needle well (well for sand, also known as an Abyssinian well) breaks all records for simplicity, cheapness and efficiency. Therefore, in professional speech, the needle well and the Abyssinian well have become synonymous. You can also find the expressions “tube well”, “driving well”; this is still the same Abyssinian well for sand, or more precisely, for first water.

How does an Abyssinian well work?

Designations:

1. upper clamp with axles for pulleys;
2. pulley;
3. rope;
4. reinforced concrete frame;
5. lower headstock clamp;
6. drill string;
7. Norton drill rig.

How to drill an Abyssinian well (well)

Sand drilling is possible both exploratory and confident.

In the first case, it makes sense to purchase a factory-made set of equipment. Meaning drill string The point is that the drill and string can be removed from the well and used repeatedly. The well turned out to be empty - we are trying in another place.

If, for example, there is already an existing well in a neighboring area 20-50 meters away, then for a one-time sinking the equipment can be made yourself from available materials.

Actually, percussion-rope drilling with a Norton drill is a bit difficult, but it’s quite simple:

• The projectile is placed in a pit, or hung on a tripod, or simply driven into the ground with a sledgehammer.
• Insert the first rod, put the headstock, woman and upper clamp on it in turn. The clamps on the rod are tightened tightly.
• They thread the ropes into the pulleys, pull the woman to the top, let go of the ropes, and so on over and over again.
• As the column deepens, the clamps are rearranged and the column is extended with further rods.

What to drill with?

As already indicated, you can make a set of equipment for drilling a needle well yourself, as long as the farm has one and a half dozen meters of pipes with a caliber of at least 80 mm, if you plan to use a submersible pump.

The caliber of domestic submersible pumps is never less than 76 mm (3 inches).

If you are sure that the water needs to be raised no more than 7 m (see below), you can install a top vacuum pump. Then you can get by with any pipes, as long as they don’t bend during excavation.

Diagram of the entire drilling vertical:

The structure of the drilling rig is also discussed above, so let’s focus on the drill string and its constituent drill rods.

But for devices lowered into the pipe, the caliber will be their outer diameter.

In professional drilling and in factory kits, the rods are connected with special couplings that allow assembly and disassembly of the column. For one-time penetrations, larger-caliber pipe scraps welded to the rods with a skirt can be used as couplings.

The rods must be assembled into a column with their SKIRT UP, as in the picture. Otherwise, the skirt may get caught on something, or soil will get into the gap. Then the penetration will be slower and more difficult, and the column may also be disconnected. In this case, you will have to leave it in the ground and make a new drill with rods.

Therefore, drilling an Abyssinian well with homemade equipment can only be recommended if you are completely sure that there is water.

Where to drill an Abyssinian well

How can you gain such confidence?

Shouldn’t you walk around with a vine or a “magic frame”? Dowsing, by the way, is not a myth, although it has not yet received a complete scientific explanation. A power cable at a depth of 0.7 m in an open field is found by 8 out of 10 people who pick up the frame for the first time. The author of these lines twice found with a frame the location of an electrical breakdown in the wall.

But searching for water requires a special natural gift and a lot of experience, so let’s turn to more accessible methods.

Where does water happen?

The best indicator of the availability of water is its known sources: wells, springs, springs or key ponds, barrels. If there are such people for half a kilometer in the area, then you will be 80% with water. But the river is not an indicator; its channel in this section may be transit.

A less reliable indicator is vegetation.

Good indicators of the presence of subsoil moisture are moisture-loving plants with deep roots: reed, nettle, burdock, hops, coltsfoot. You need to look for them in the hollows in the dry season; preferably lower along the general slope of the area.

The depth of the aquifer in a given location is determined by an aneroid barometer.

Its length is 760 mm. rt. Art. or 1.05 MPa corresponds to 10.3 m of water column. Let's explain with an example.

Let's say there is a well with water nearby at a depth of 5 m. The aneroid near it near the ground showed 755 mm, and in your yard - 753 mm. Atmospheric pressure changes nonlinearly with altitude, but when it changes within small limits, it can be considered 1 mm.

rt. Art. equal to 1 m of water. Art. Then you rose 2 m from the well to yourself, and to the water you are 7 m from the ground level. This is in excess of depth, since aquifers generally follow the folds of the terrain.

If there are 2-3 gas pipes lying around in the backyard, then you can try to drill to the water yourself: there are no completely free-flowing aquifers, plus there is a reserve in the level of occurrence, so the lift height is unlikely to exceed 7 m. This means that you can also get by with a cheap top pump .

Where you can't drill wells (wells)

Drilling, driving wells into sand, or simply making wells is prohibited on the slopes of ravines, cliffs, and steep hillsides.

Here, even a small withdrawal of soil water can disrupt natural drainage, creating the risk of landslides.

Also, you cannot plug a well closer than 15 m from a barn, poultry house, powder closet or compost heap, closer than 30 meters from a cesspool or manure heap, closer than 300 m from a cemetery, barnyard, or poultry farm.

If in the vicinity there is a city landfill (landfill), industrial dumps, sewerage basins, chemical or sensitive (secret) production, then they should be no closer than 3.5 km.

Often, owners of suburban areas are faced with the acute question of where to get water for household and household needs. There is no centralized water supply system, it is expensive to drill an artesian well, or there is no normal access to the site for special drilling equipment.

But there is still a way out. You can make a well with your own hands, without the help of specialists or expensive equipment. Its name is Abyssinian well.

Abyssinian well: pros and cons

Before starting any business, of course, it is wise to weigh all the pros and cons of the future project.

Before starting construction of the Abyssinian well, you need to study the topography of the area. If you don’t have drawings from the developer at hand, then just remember some knowledge from school textbooks.

The occurrence of different rocks on our planet can be compared to a layer cake.

The topmost fertile layer is up to 1 meter. Beneath it are layers of sedimentary rocks: sand, clay, loam, peat, gravel, coal. This entire “vinaigrette” is unevenly distributed geographically on Earth. Up to approximately 100 meters deep. Even lower are the rocky foundations.

Water can end up in any part of this pie. Rocks store “ancient” water, artesian water. We cannot get it on our own, so we will look for clean water closer to the surface.

Rock occurrence

Surface water will be clean in the sandy and loamy layers, besides, we cannot break through harder rocks with the power of our muscles.

Sand acts as a natural filter. Ideal burial depth for an Abyssinian well 4-8 meters.

Read the topic: How deep can a well be drilled?

If your country house is located on a hill, then, unfortunately, this may be a big disadvantage, because you will not be able to reach the aquifer mechanically. We will have to look for other technological solutions.

All the advantages:

• You can do it yourself.

  Only one assistant is needed.

• Economical. Minimal costs compared to other methods.
• Clean water all year round in a volume of 0.5 to 3 cubic meters per hour.
• Speed.

  How to make an Abyssinian well yourself: learning the technology

  All work is completed in one day.

• Durability. The service life of an Abyssinian well is from 10 to 30 years.
• Possibility of mechanical and automatic water supply.

There are also disadvantages:

• the method is useless in the mountains and at heights;
• certain conditions for the occurrence of the aquifer;
• restrictions on the volume of produced water;
• the need to analyze water samples.

The latter, of course, can not be considered a disadvantage, but it is basic safety.

In conditions of ecological collapse, it is no longer uncommon for dangerous elements from the periodic table to seep even into artesian waters. Therefore, it is necessary to know the chemical composition of the extracted water.

DIY Abyssinian well

Abyssinian well on the site

The principle is very simple.

It is necessary to clog the pipe with the filter element to the aquifer and use physical force to pump the water to the surface.

In modern realities, manual force can be replaced and an automatic pump installed.

Tools you will need:

1. welding machine;
2. drill;
3. Bulgarian;
4. sledgehammer, hammer;
5. garden drill

Necessary materials and components: pipe with a diameter of 1-1.5 inches, filter needle, pancakes from a rod up to 40 kg or “headstock”, couplings, car clamps, wire, fine metal mesh, check valve, pumping station (mechanical or automatic) .

The most important thing is to make the filter needle correctly.

He will not only be subsequently responsible for supplying clean water to the surface, but will also act as a pioneer when the pipe is clogged.

We take a piece of pipe 1 meter long, drill 10 mm holes at a distance of up to 10 cm from each other. We follow the chess order.

We weld the cone-shaped tip. If there is no such tip, it can be made using a sledgehammer and a piece of pipe, flattening one edge into a cone.

Drilling the Abyssinian well "Igla"

Use a grinder to cut the pipe into 1.5-2 meter pieces.

As we go deeper, we will add pieces, connecting them using threads and couplings.

We go through the top layer with a garden drill.

Read: features of the drill for the Abyssinian well.

We build a simple “old-fashioned” mechanism for driving in a pipe.

The first one went. We connect the needle to a piece of pipe, and fix an improvised “grandmother” on it.

Using clamps, rope, blocks, or just together with a partner, throwing pancakes from a barbell at him, we drive the pipe into the ground. In one blow the process moves approximately 5 cm.

When we have presumably reached the desired depth, pour water into the pipe. If she left quickly, then the goal was achieved. We continue the work another 0.5 meters to ensure that we are not at the extreme boundary of the aquifer.

The next step is pumping the well.

We install a check valve and pump. The first water will be rusty in color, which is quite natural. Pump until clean, fresh water comes out, obtained with your own hands.

The Abyssinian well is ready.

Cleaning the Abyssinian well

Over time, during operation, if productivity suddenly begins to drop, the power of the water supply pressure is a signal that the filter element is clogged. We recommend pumping the well. You can use water, but it is better to use air under a pressure of 10-12 atmospheres using a compressor.

Insulation of the Abyssinian well

In winter, there is no need to worry that the well will freeze.

The water in the pipe is below the freezing level. It can freeze at the exit of the neck. If you made a well in the house, then no additional measures are required. Outside in winter, it is better to mothball the well until spring, when no one uses it.

Just drain the water from the pipes.

We hope this information was useful to you, now you can make an Abyssinian well with your own hands.

How to do this is shown in this video.