Old Time Well Head Questions

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1victorianfarmhouse

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I have a large (6'x6'), mostly underground concrete enclosure in my backyard. Inside it is some piping and some machinery as the photo shows. I am told it is the original well head for the 120 year old house. There is a newer well elsewhere on the property now.

I am trying to figure out what to do with the enclosure; break it up and fill it in, or repurpose it somehow, if it can be put to good use.

One picture shows the enclosure in the yard, the other shows the piping, etc in the bottom. Nothing seems to be connected to it from the house.

Any info or suggestions are greatly appreciated!

vince

well head corner 5-12-10 021.jpg

Well Head view.jpg
 
Call a local well company and have it capped properly. If not, you could contaminate wells in the area if anything where to ever happen at the opening.
I have seen some strange things happen too, One old old, farmer drove his tractor into a well house, and broke a gas line... thank goodness the well had a sealed cap.
Not expensive at all. Good luck.
 
Would you have any use for an additional well? It could still be serviceable and a source of water for gardening or something. If not get it capped if it hasn’t been already.

You have a nice little bunker there could be used as a root cellar if you have a garden. Also looks like a good solid footing if you have a use for a small outdoor building / shed. I would guess you could build a 10x10 building on top of it.

Or cap it knock the sides in and fill it.
 
No easy access, not good storage; might be a hazard. Fill it to ground level and use it for a greenhouse. Or take the roof off and have a raised herb garden.
 
Interesting comments! Thanks!

It could be an interesting source of water for gardening, though I don't see any electricity running to it. Also a good idea about the root cellar, previous residents used it to keep things cool in the summer. There was a folding ladder attached to the side for easy access.

As for capping the well, I"m curious to see if I can get it working, etc. before I think about capping it.
 
From the picture, I can't tell what kind of system it was. Jet pump, Submersible pump or maybe a working head pump. They were popular before submersibles and jets were invented. If you can take some pictures up closer to the actual well etc, I might be able to tell you more about it.
 
I can't tell for sure from the image but it looks like you would need to extend the casing up if you want use it. It is too low and will allow ground to enter. Here casings are required to be 1 foot above grade. Not sure if that would be bottom of the hole or the actual grade around the hole in this case.
 
JoeD said:
I can't tell for sure from the image but it looks like you would need to extend the casing up if you want use it. It is too low and will allow ground to enter. Here casings are required to be 1 foot above grade. Not sure if that would be bottom of the hole or the actual grade around the hole in this case.
Click to expand...

That would be actual grade above the ground outside of the pit (well house).
 
Again, many thanks for the interesting responses. I will get down there this weekend, tinker a little, and see what more I can find out.

Speedbump, thank you again for the Water Softener system you sold me 3-4 years ago, it has worked perfectly!

Vince
 
Speedbump, thank you again for the Water Softener system you sold me 3-4 years ago, it has worked perfectly!

Vince
Click to expand...
Thanks Vance, it's always great to hear back from customers after the fact. I get very few items returned other than the ones that UPS or FedEx destroyed or lost. I'm glad it's still working for you and that your happy with it.

Get some more pictures in the pit, I'm curious as to what you have there.
 
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