Do-it-yourself cleaning and minor repairs of the well

When is a well cleaned?

A cloudy color, an unpleasant smell and taste are all signs of contamination of the water in the well. When they appear, the well must immediately be cleaned, and before that, water should be used only for household needs.

Water pollution in a well can often be determined even visually.

Before you start cleaning, you need to find out the causes of cloudy water and the appearance of a smell. It could be:

• depressurization of the seams between the rings. A top water with parts of rock (clay and sand) enters the well and the water becomes cloudy;
• neglect of the well shaft. If you leave it open, then debris and insects will fall into the water.Also, under the influence of sunlight, microorganisms actively develop and the walls of the mine turn green, and with them the water;
• ingress of sewage into the water - the water becomes unpleasant in taste and smell.

In the first two cases, manual cleaning of the well will help. In the third - it is necessary to look for the root cause - sewage, cesspools in the immediate vicinity of the well.

Causes of pollution

One of the main causes of water pollution in the well is the irregular use of the structure, as a result of which it simply silts up.

Silting often occurs if no one lives on a suburban area, and the well is used only from time to time

For the same reason, during a break in the use of a structure, it is recommended to remove filters and submersible pumping equipment from it so that they do not fail ahead of time.

It is especially important to perform these actions in winter.

A number of other problems can also be the cause of deteriorating water quality. Let's look at each in detail.

Structural Ring Offset

The shift of structural elements is possible for various reasons, among them - improper installation and natural factors.

Ring offset options:

1. In the lower part of the trunk - occurs due to the impact of quicksand. We'll have to cover the separation points with cement mortar
2. Pushing out the upper rings - occurs due to freezing of the soil. It is necessary to tighten the sheared rings with pins with thick wire.

To seal large joints, it is better to use "tension" cement of the brand NTs-80 or 87. A material characterized by increased elasticity is used in the construction of subways and underground tunnels.

In order to unconditionally get rid of pollution and eliminate design defects, it is necessary to decide in advance how best to clean the well and, if necessary, repair the tank.

• Truly clean, tasty and safe to drink well water can only be in a clean well.
• If the flow rate of the water source exactly matches the needs of the owners, the water in the structure will not stagnate and bloom.
• Water that has not been drawn out in a timely manner, stagnant in country wells, is one of the main reasons for the appearance of fungus and mold on the walls.
• Periodically, every water intake structure is required to be cleaned of pollution, regardless of its wear and the material of the mine.

Poorly closing building cover

The well should be opened only at the moment when water is extracted from it. The rest of the time, its neck should be tightly covered with a lid. Otherwise, dust and dirt in the air will certainly fall into the mine and "do their dirty work."

A tightly closed lid protects the contents of the tank from direct sunlight, because ultraviolet promotes the rapid growth of algae.

Incorrectly made shutter from melt water

It should be a permanent waterproof "layer" around the upper casing ring. The thickness of the clay castle should be at least 50-100 cm.

If this condition is not met, perched water will penetrate into the tank, which, along with it, carries garbage, waste products and eroded pieces of soil.

Rupture of seams

No matter how well the seams in the well are sealed, with the annual freezing of the soil, cracks can form in them.

Through poorly sealed seams, surface groundwater seeps into the mine, which contains fertilizers and domestic sewage. You can correct the situation by closing the cracks with mortar with the addition of liquid glass.

How to clean a well

To do this, there are 2 methods: manual method and drainage. The first type of cleaning is used if there is no electricity on the site. In the second case, a drainage pump is used, which leads to a good result in removing dirt from the filter and the bottom of the well.

By hand

When doing work with your own hands, you must take into account its danger and laboriousness. Therefore, it is better to carry out the event on your own with a small depth of the well. If this parameter exceeds 8-10 m, then it is recommended to call specialists.

On the left - a brush with a metallic bristle for cleaning the walls of the well, on the right - a grapple for removing silt and sand.

Work is done in the following order:

1. First, water is pumped out, and the operation is carried out in stages, removing liquid by 0.3-0.5 m and cleaning the walls of the well. Dirt is removed with a soft brush or sponge. If you use a metal brush for work, then additional repairs to the shaft may be required.
2. When the well shaft is completely washed out and the worker reaches the bottom, then you need to completely pump out the remaining liquid from the column, and then proceed to remove the dirt from the bottom. It is necessary to inspect the bottom filter and, if necessary, replace it.
3. At the next stage, all cracks and crevices between the concrete rings are sealed using liquid glass, cement and sand. If the holes are large, then hydraulic seals are used to seal them. It should be noted that these compositions are relatively expensive.
4. After cleaning and minor repairs, the well is disinfected. It is treated with bleach (10% solution). The remains of the reagent are poured onto the bottom of the mine.
5. Leave the well for two days. Before using the source, it is recommended to pump water out of it 3-4 times.

After that, the liquid in the well will again become clean and transparent. Hydrologists recommend that before descending into the shaft of the structure, make sure that there are no toxic fumes or gases in the column. To do this, a bucket with a lit candle is lowered into the shaft on a rope. If the fire does not go out, then there is no danger of poisoning, you can safely get to work.

Drain pump cleaning

This method allows you to well clean the bottom filter from silt, which becomes clogged with dirt during the operation of the source. For the procedure, a pump of the required power is selected. It is immersed to the bottom, turned on. Silt rises from the bottom, and the water is gradually cleared.

Periodically, the apparatus is taken out of the mine to clean its filters. The procedure is carried out until the complete disappearance of deposits on the parts of the pump. If water is pumped out of the barrel, then the device is installed directly on the bottom. In this case, the worker must change his place from time to time, otherwise his feet may be sucked into the sand.

No water source can work normally without periodic cleaning. To obtain a clear, drinkable liquid, it is recommended to take preventive measures in time.

Well safety

Working at depth is very dangerous, so it is unacceptable to neglect the rules of personal safety.Experts recommend enclosing the mine with boards placed on edge for the period of repair work.

In addition, the area around the well mouth should be cleared of foreign objects so that nothing could accidentally fall into the well. Especially if there is a working person there.

All tools and equipment must be in good working order and safe. Be sure to check for breaking the strength of the rope that will be used to lift the container with silt or soil.

If work is to be done at a depth of more than 6 meters, another safety rope must be tied to the bucket. Lifting gear, if used, must function flawlessly.

Before the first descent into the shaft, as well as after breaks and every morning, it is necessary to check the quality of the air in the well. This can be done by lowering a burning candle down, if it goes out, it is necessary to take measures to ventilate the trunk.

Then check the air quality again. If the influx of harmful gases in the well is strong and constant, it is necessary to carry out continuous ventilation.

For these purposes, a fan or a burning stove installed on the surface is used, the blower of which is connected to the bottom of the mine through a pipe. When lowering or raising any objects, you should always notify those who work below. In the process of immersion, the depth of the barrel wall unprotected by fastening should not exceed one meter.

To clean the walls of the well from deposits, you can use a high-pressure washer. It will make the process go much faster.

When do you need to carry out repairs?

The first "bell", indicating that something is wrong with the well, is the deterioration of water quality.It acquires an unpleasant aftertaste, smell, becomes cloudy. Drinking this water is not recommended. And it is also unsuitable for household appliances and sanitary equipment: filter cartridges quickly “fly”, appliances deteriorate.

The reasons for the appearance of pollution in the well can be very different:

• A large number of silty natural deposits on the walls and bottom of the mine, which are a mixture of organic microparticles, bacteria and unicellular algae. The organic mixture decomposes, giving the water an unpleasant taste and odor.
• Large contamination accidentally found in the mine. This may be an animal that has fallen into a well, or leaves, debris, etc. that have fallen into the water.
• Organics and soil particles entering the mine through the lining that has lost its tightness.

To prevent clouding of water and other troubles, the owner of the well needs to carry out all repairs in a timely and competent manner.

Through the joints of concrete rings that have lost their sealing, groundwater and sewage seep into the well, which significantly worsens the quality of well water

Well shaft repair activities are of two types:

• scheduled maintenance;
• unscheduled repairs.

The first are held regularly, after a certain period of time. Their goal is to maintain proper cleanliness in the well shaft and timely detection of minor damage that must be repaired immediately.

It must be understood that any major breakdown or accident is always preceded by many minor malfunctions. If they are not dealt with, serious problems will arise.

During scheduled repairs, the filter is usually replaced or completely cleaned, deposits and growths are removed from the shaft walls, disinfection, minor defects and damage are eliminated, and water is pumped, which is necessary after repair or long downtime.

Unscheduled repairs are carried out to eliminate major defects that have appeared due to extraneous mechanical influences, improper operation, etc.

Working at great depths is very dangerous, so you must strictly follow the safety rules

Reasons for the repair

In principle, as such, repairs should be divided into several groups, because the real owner follows any structure on his site competently. As for wells, they must be cleaned periodically so that the water inside it is always clean and safe.

Moss-covered well

Therefore, at least once a year, the well should simply be cleaned. The thing is that inside the well shaft is humid, so this is a good place for the reproduction of microorganisms and bacteria. And if the sun's rays sometimes fall inside the well shaft, then this improves the reproduction process, increasing the colonies at a tremendous rate. The walls of the well are covered with a greenish or dark coating. Over time, the growths become large and, under the weight of their weight, peel off pieces from the main colony and fall down into the water, turning it into a cloudy liquid that becomes impossible to drink.

Crack in a well shaft

Often the causes of water pollution are gaps in the seams or defects in the walls that form the shaft of the mine. The soil penetrates through these flaws and falls into the water, settling on the bottom in the form of silt.Thus, the filtration layer through which water enters the structure's catchment area is reduced. If the well trunk is trimmed with logs or beams, then over time the wood begins to rot and crumble, falling down. Pizzas and small animals can fall inside, causing bacteriological contamination.

Another reason for the failure of the well is drying out or damage to the water. The deterioration in quality may be associated with the commissioning of various facilities - baths, toilets and other outbuildings. Drying up may be due to the depletion of the vein or an increase in water use. In all of these cases, it is necessary to deepen the well. This procedure can be performed independently or use the services of specialists. In any case, strict adherence to safety requirements is necessary.

All these reasons are quite serious, and therefore it is recommended to periodically clean the well. How can you do it on your own without outside help?

How to properly clean a well

All work on cleaning the well can be divided into successive steps: Step 1. Pump out all the water from the well using a pump. Step 2. Before proceeding directly to cleaning the well, you need to think about how the descent into the structure will be carried out in order to prepare the necessary devices . A ladder, support rods, a safety rope, a wooden platform attached to cables - all this will help to carry out a safe descent. In some cases, you can clean the well without going down into it. Step 3.Clean the bottom, and for this you should remove the silt manually or seek help from specialists who have devices for removing silt deposits.

Step 4 Using compounds or special solutions, treat the surface of the walls, cleaning them from contamination. The well-known, traditional, affordable composition for cleansing is a manganese solution. It is made in a rich, dark color. Some prefer to buy a ready-made solution. A good option for a country well is a disinfectant, chlorine-based stabilizing compound. Step 5. Install a filter. A layer of crushed stone is used as a bottom filter. It prevents water cloudiness. Not bad cope with this role and pebbles or other types of minerals. By the way, they can be found at any summer cottage: stones often remain after the construction of the foundation, the arrangement of paths. The bottom filter is laid with a layer of at least 10 cm, and if the bottom structure is mobile, viscous - all 50. This will provide you with clear, clean, harmless water for a long time.

By the way, the filter will help to avoid frequent equipment breakdowns when water is taken from the well using a pump. So, grains of sand, silt particles not only clog the water, but also clog the elements of the pump, putting it out of action.

Disinfection of the well in the country

Disinfection measures are inevitable if animal remains were found in the well or it has not been cleaned for a long time. The easiest, most affordable way is to use a chlorine solution.

To do this, it is necessary to carry out the following activities: - fill the well with water; - pour a sufficient amount of chlorine solution; - cover the structure with a dense, thick cloth, such as a tarpaulin, and leave it like that for a day; - after a day, pump out all the water; - rinse well all surfaces of the well; - to remove all traces of chlorine, its smell, the water should be changed several times.

Such disinfection will make the well usable and the water clean and safe.

Do-it-yourself cleaning of a well in a country house is a mandatory event during the repair and improvement of a suburban area.

Safety measures when cleaning a well

If you decide to clean the well in the country, but have never encountered this before, take note of the useful recommendations, thanks to which you can protect yourself from various troubles. In particular, we are talking about such moments:

• cleaning the well should be carried out by at least three people, because in case of danger one person will not be able to pull the other out of the mine;
• a safety cable must be tied to the belt;
• Before starting work, make sure that there are no harmful gases in the well. To do this, you need to lower a bucket with a lit candle into the mine: if it burns at the bottom, then there are no harmful gases there;
• if tools fall from above, it is necessary to press against the walls of the well;
• the use of wading boots and a construction helmet will not be superfluous;
• at the bottom of the well, you can not stand in one place for too long - your legs can suck.

If the well is deep (more than three meters) and the person suffers from heart disease, it is better to entrust cleaning to someone else, because there is little oxygen at such a depth.

And what tools and fixtures for cleaning wells need to be purchased?

• Firstly, you need a rope or ordinary ladder, a safety belt.
• Secondly, if the depth of the well is large and one ladder is not enough, you can use a strong rope to which a piece of board is tied (you get a kind of swing).
• Thirdly, we must not forget about the bucket and the tool for cleaning the walls of the well.
• Plus, in a specialized store you can buy holding slings, a device for lowering and blocking, a drum for raising water, a block, a winch.

Tips

If a source of water is required, for example, in a country house, then installing a well will be a simpler solution, since there is much less work with it, and the well requires more serious technological research. At the same time, the water from the well will be significantly cleaner, and the risk of jamming the inflow of water will be less due to the greater depth and remoteness of water from various infrastructure that can cause pollution.

At the same time, the water level in the well does not fluctuate from season to season, as is the case with a well. Also, the well, despite its durability, requires constant care and maintenance. At the same time, the well does not require such serious maintenance and frequent maintenance.

From a financial point of view, a well is a more affordable option than a well. Moreover, sometimes the cost of a well exceeds the cost of a well. But the reason here is simple - the complexity of drilling and the need to attract specialized drilling equipment.

You can make sure that repairing wells and wells with your own hands is quite realistic.Before carrying out work, you should clearly understand the algorithm of the necessary actions and know what exactly you have to deal with, as well as what result you want to get. But even a person who has not previously encountered such work without any special difficulty can do the repair of a well or a well with his own hands.

From the video below you can learn how to clean the well from sand.

Sanitization and disinfection of water

In addition to washing the well itself, water is also subject to cleaning and disinfection. To do this, you do not need to contact specialists, you can do the cleaning yourself.

Standard sanitary water treatment is as follows:

1. In a large bucket (about 12 liters), it is necessary to dissolve one teaspoon of potassium permanganate (common potassium permanganate) or one Aquatabs tablet.
2. Pour the contents of the bucket into the well.
3. Wait about 30 minutes for the substance to work.
4. Dirty water must be pumped out and filled with clean water.

Particular attention should be paid to the pumping process: do not pump out all the water, you need to leave a 50-60 cm layer in order to avoid raising silt and the need for repeated cleaning. This method is suitable for preventive cleaning.

However, if an animal carcass falls into the well, a completely different level of cleaning and disinfection is required. For this, chlorine powder is used.

Before cleaning the well, you should study the recommendations of specialists

Disinfection with chlorine powder:

1. Prepare a solution at the rate of 20 mg per 1 liter of water.
2. Treat the walls with this solution.
3. Prepare another, more concentrated solution: 200 mg of powder per 1 liter.
4. After filling the well, pour in the solution.
5. Repeat the procedure after 10 hours.
6. Wait a while and pump out all the water.

After such disinfection, it is worth refraining from using water for a week so that the chlorine vapor disappears. All work with the use of chlorine must be carried out in a respirator to avoid inhalation of toxic fumes.

Capital cleaning with repair of seams

It is carried out when organic debris enters the water, with the growth of algae, depressurization of the seams. In this case, you will have to manually clean the well in the country, descending into it. To do this, you will need at least 2 assistants and the following devices:

1. A long wooden (metal) ladder, a rope ladder or a swing from a board tied to two ropes, on which the cleaner will have to stand with his feet - the most suitable device in this case is selected from this list.
2. A device for lowering and blocking if a swing is to be made.
3. Brush or sponge for cleaning the walls of the well. Usually, a soft metal brush is used for this purpose.
4. Bucket.
5. Safety rope, rubber boots and helmet for the cleaner. The latter is necessary in order to protect the head from a tool that accidentally fell from above.
6. Pump for pumping water.
7. Cement mortar with the addition of liquid glass for the repair of seams.
8. 10% (10-20 mg per 1 liter of water) bleach solution for mine disinfection.

Not only do you need to know how to clean the well yourselfbut also to carry out each stage of work carefully and carefully. You need to work with at least three people: one person is in the mine, the second one insures him, and the third one accepts and releases buckets of silt, supplies and accepts the tool.

It should be borne in mind that people with diseases of the heart and blood vessels are contraindicated in working in the well shaft, because everything deeper than 3 m is associated with a lack of oxygen. In addition, there may be an accumulation of gases in the mine. To make sure that they are absent, you need to lower a bucket with a burning candle to the bottom. Only oxygen supports combustion, so if the candle goes out, you need to pump out the gas before manually cleaning the well.

Pumping can be done using a home vacuum cleaner or an ordinary potbelly stove located near the well. You need a long pipe, one end of which is attached to the blower, and the other goes down almost to the water. The potbelly stove is melted, and with the help of stove draft, the gas is brought out.

Do-it-yourself capital cleaning of wells is carried out according to the following algorithm:

1. Water is being pumped out. This is done immediately or in stages, and as it is pumped out (for example, 1 well ring), the cleaner descends and washes the walls of the mine.
2. Complete cleaning of the walls of the mine from dirt and formations.
3. Washing the walls of the mine with running water from a hose, after which you will need to turn on the pump for cleaning and pump out this liquid from the bottom.
4. Cleaning the bottom of silt until the bottom filter appears.
5. Cleaning of the existing bottom filter or complete replacement. To clean the filter, its components will have to be lifted and rinsed well, and then put back in place.
6. Covering cracks.
7. Disinfection of walls and water with bleach. You can also purchase a special tool.
8. Removal after disinfection of water from the well. This water cannot be drained into the garden, you need to bring the hose into the cesspool. This action is performed several times until the odors of the disinfectant disappear.After that, it is recommended to boil the water used for drinking for 1-2 weeks.

Safety measures must be followed. Bottom filter - device unreliable. If you stand on its surface for a long time, your legs can tighten, so you need to do the work faster and switch from foot to foot more often, checking your own stability.

Own well makes it possible to be independent from city services and receive water around the clock in the right quantity and good quality. Cleaning and repairing wells are mandatory activities that must be carried out regularly to maintain the source in working condition and maintain the quality of drinking water.

Each house, to ensure normal living conditions and comfort, has a water supply and sewerage system, each of these systems has its own wells and periodically needs maintenance and cleaning. Repair and cleaning of the well are carried out at certain intervals, which are set depending on the type of soil, the intensity of use of the building.

A lot depends on the material used in the construction, as well as on compliance with the construction rules themselves and the quality of the work performed. If during the construction low-quality material was used, the type of soil was not taken into account and the technology was not observed, then the source shaft will constantly fail and require repair work.

Solutions

Enthusiasts and engineers have developed many tools with which you can clean almost any well from mechanical dirt. The simplest option is to use a scraper. It removes blockages that have appeared on the walls of the mine.But before you scrape these walls, it is worth trying to clean the well with pumps. This is much more productive than trying to solve the problem manually.

The drainage pump, raising the water up, will simultaneously pull out the dirty particles that have accumulated in it. The pressure pump, mounted next to the head, will also play its role. This is such a high-tech "scraper" that creates a strong, intense flow of liquid.

Importantly, pumps as a device for narrow and wide wells are equally suitable. To avoid the failure of the drainage unit in the sludge will help placing it on a special stand

The pressure hose is placed in a tank of about 300 liters. When it is not possible to use pumps, a bucket (or shovel) often comes to the rescue. This tool is easy to make even with your own hands, as long as you have sheet steel and a few simple tools for working with it.

Those who tried to actually clean the well with a bucket were not disappointed in it. True, such work is very tedious and time consuming, but at least financially it is easy. The scoop must be thrown into the well shaft with the tip down, making sure that it pierces the accumulated silt. When working, they try to capture the dirt as much as possible (in one step, it is removed from 2 to 3 kg).

In appearance, the grab is such “jaws”, which, when closed, capture sediments at the bottom. After lifting, they open, releasing the collected dirt. Like a scoop, a grapple is best done by hand. But the point is not so much in simplicity, but in the fact that almost no one offers such a tool in free sale.

When cleaning sewer wells, along with the listed tools, you can use a suction pump.This is the so-called sewage truck, equipped with a vacuum pump and a special tank. Contrary to the name, such equipment is suitable for removing more than just sludge. It copes well with sand and grease, with various particles of hard rocks. Only abrasives pose a danger to the relatively soft hose that carries the dirt into the tank. The disadvantage of this method is that you have to pay, specially call assistants.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

One example of how to clean a mine well on your own using a drainage pump:

When planning to clean the system manually, in order to simplify their task, the masters recommend using a grader. With this small bucket, equipped with two interlocking blades, you can quickly and effectively clean the bottom of the tank.

How to work with the tool is clearly described in the video:

Regular implementation of simple procedures for cleaning the well shaft will improve the flow of water and increase its quality characteristics.

Do you have personal experience cleaning a well? Want to share actionable methods or ask questions about a topic? Please leave and participate in discussions - the feedback form is located below.