The word "well" evokes many associations. This is an old cracked "crane" in the middle of the village, and a sip of burning cold transparent water right from the bucket on a hot day, and a beautiful little house-tower in the center of the summer cottage. Once upon a time, the only rural well was a meeting place: here you could not only stock up on water, but also find out all the village news. Times are changing, there are more wells - almost every yard has its own water sources. They are actively used for water supply of houses, watering gardens and gardens, sometimes clogging or shifting - that is why timely repair of wells is required. That is what we are going to talk about today.
Well cleaning and disinfection
Quite often, in the well, it is simply necessary to thoroughly clean the walls and bottom so that the water becomes transparent and safe again. The appearance of biological deposits on concrete or wooden walls is a natural process that occurs in non-flowing places. Debris falling through the upper opening begins to decompose, forming foci of bacteria. They, in turn, settle on the side walls in the form of a thick layer of mucus. Heavy particles fall to the bottom and accumulate there, forming sludge and reducing usable area.
Sometimes the damage to the structure becomes a cause of pollution - rupture of seams, displacement of rings, rotting of wood. To eliminate the consequences of major breakdowns, the wells are cleaned and repaired at the same time.
Well cleaning steps:
- pumping water with a pump;
- removal of sludge from the bottom;
- filter installation;
- cleaning walls with special compounds.
If the remains of dead animals are found at the bottom, the well must be disinfected. The simplest and most affordable option is a “treatment” with chlorine. Water is pumped in, a sufficient amount of a chlorine solution is poured, covered with a dense cloth (for example, tarpaulin), left for a day. Then the chlorine water is pumped out, the well is completely washed. To completely remove the signs of disinfection, you will need to change the water several times until the specific smell disappears, but as a result it will become absolutely safe.
Before cleaning the well, it is necessary to prepare devices for lowering: a ladder, support rods, safety ropes or belts, wooden platforms on cables
One of the traditional compositions for cleaning well walls is the familiar solution of potassium permanganate. It should be saturated, dark in color.
To clean the well in the country, you can buy a ready-made composition, for example, a disinfecting stabilizing solution of chlorine for Chemoclor pools
Repair work
Under a comprehensive well repair is meant a series of measures related to sealing joints, replacing parts, and strengthening them. Also, this is any work to deepen the bottom. Some structural defects are easy to detect by cleaning. Let us consider in more detail the cases in which urgent repair is needed.
If the old well is preserved in the country, do not rush to erect a new structure in its place - perhaps a little repair will be enough, and it will begin to function normally again
Joint sealing
A slight displacement of concrete rings can be triggered by spring snow melting, especially when low-quality concrete was used during construction. Significant cracks appear between the rings, through which soil penetrates into the structure. In the future, in addition to constant contamination, a complete ring collapse can occur - and then more serious repairs will be required.
To get rid of small damages, crevices and potholes, use waterproof sealant. The most elementary type of putty is concrete mortar, with which all cracks are carefully lubricated. Before this, it is necessary to clean the working surface by removing crumbling material.
One of the options for sealing joints and cracks: filling with Peneplag, applying Penetron with a brush, finishing with Penecrit
Note! There are many modern compositions for the repair of wells with their own hands. One of them is Fasi RM concrete surface restoration mortar. It is applied, like a normal cement mortar, with a spatula or spatula. So 15 kg of mixture is enough for high-quality processing of a square meter of concrete, if applied with a layer about 20 mm thick.
Large cracks require outside intervention. In this case, they dig a trench around the rings to the depth of the damage, process the seam, allow it to dry and bury it back.
Reinforcement of concrete rings
It happens that the rings are constantly shifting to the side - how to repair a concrete well in order to increase their strength and obtain the desired stability?
This requires serious intervention. To begin with, you should dig out the well from all sides and disassemble the place of damage. Then it is necessary to install the displaced element in place and strengthen all joints with metal brackets, then close the seams and seal with Hydrofin or Penetron. If there is no professional sealant at hand, you can use a mixture of cement and PVA glue. Seams should be processed on both sides.
Not all concrete rings have special holes for brackets. If they are missing, you must use a drill and drill holes at a distance of 10-15 cm from the edge of the ring
Clay castle will help to give stability to the construction. It is done in the following way:
- A trench 1.5-2 m deep and 1.5-1 m wide digs around the well.
- All empty space is filled with clay, rammed.
- The top layer is decorated (turf, boards, sand).
So that the clay filling could really be considered a “castle”, it should be laid in layers of 10-15 cm and carefully tamped with each layer
A powerful clay layer serves as a barrier against surface water, as well as a mechanical fastening element for concrete rings.
Water level rise
The only way to restore the former water level or even increase it will be to deepen the well. Depending on how old the structure is, the following actions are taken:
- The well is relatively young - built no more than six months ago. In this case, it is enough to remove the soil from under the lower ring so that the entire structure slowly settles below (as happened during the construction process). When the structure descends to the final mark, additional rings are mounted on top.
- The well is old. It is "built up" in the lower part, in depth, but with the help of rings of a smaller diameter (or a thick plastic pipe). At the bottom of the well, they dig a hole to the depth of a new aquifer and harvested rings are placed in it. The junction of old and new elements is carefully sealed.
Before starting work on deepening the well shaft, it is necessary to repair the existing structure: it should not have displaced rings and weak points
Repair of wooden structures
Over time, one or more logs of a wooden well decay and become unusable. To replace damaged bars, the upper segment, which cannot be repaired, is lifted with a goat, and at the end of work, lowered into place.
Sometimes damaged logs are under water. In this case, to free the crowns and insert new parts, water must be pumped out
Often, the condition of the well can be judged by the water: clean, clear and odorless water indicates that the structure is in perfect order
Rotten logs are replaced with new ones, and sometimes reinforced concreting is used instead of wood: they install a reinforcement mesh, mount the formwork and pour it with concrete mortar. Work is being carried out from a specially prepared site, lowered into the well on strong cables. If the wooden well is not repaired on time, the water will become cloudy and an unpleasant, musty smell will appear, and the structure will eventually fall apart.
Installing bottom filters
To prevent clouding of water, crushed stone is placed at the bottom of the well - this is the bottom filter. Silicon or another mineral has a strong structure, therefore it does not dissolve in water and does not create suspensions. A filter is especially useful if the water from the well is pumped. Particles of sludge or sand can damage the equipment, and they also clog water entering the house.
Stones, pebbles or crushed stone for the device of the bottom filter can often be found right on the summer cottage: they remain after the construction of foundations, paths and pools
The thickness of the mineral layer should be at least 10 cm. If the bottom has a movable or viscous structure, then it increases to 50 cm - in this case, even with quicksand, the water will remain transparent.
So that damage to the well structure does not become an unpleasant surprise, about once every six months it is necessary to do a routine inspection and regularly check the quality of the water.
