# New Well Pad



## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

Over the last 5 years or so the concrete pad around our well has been crumbling so we tore it out and had a new one poured. Here is a pic of the area all cleaned out, formed and ready to be filled.

The second 2 are looking down the well. The water line is 22' down and the bottom of the well is 45'

The last 2 are right after the pour. This weekend I'll pull the forms from around the opening and build a platform to cover it. The hand pump will be mounted on the wooden platform and somewhere down the road I'm going to build a springhouse to cover the entire pad.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Nice! Be a rite fine well when yall done!:2thumb:


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

Nice Joe!

Are you going to cut expansion joints in the concrete?


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## Jimmy24 (Apr 20, 2011)

WoooHooo!! Great job!! :congrat::congrat:

I am jealous.....

Jimmy


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## TheAnt (Jun 7, 2011)

Cool pictures! Cool well! I wish I knew how to dig/build a well like that. Surely there is more to it than just digging a shaft down. Is that a really old well or is it something you built?


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## horseman09 (Mar 2, 2010)

By golly UncleJoe, AuntJoe does good work.  Please tell her Jean & I said so. 

Seriously, it looks like your new well pad will be good for a hundred years or so. As my Granddad would have said, "Ya done good, boy."


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

UncleJoe said:


> The last 2 are right after the pour. This weekend I'll pull the forms from around the opening and build a platform to cover it. The hand pump will be mounted on the wooden platform and somewhere down the road I'm going to build a springhouse to cover the entire pad.


I do not like it. 
As is right now, any critter can fall down it (mice, etc.). Even after the platform is built, there will always be bugs that can squeeze in between and find their way down.... but the biggest threat is water run-off. You DO NOT WANT any level area like that where rainwater can run in from the ground level.

In my humble opinion, I would have made sure the concrete came up to at least 1 foot or two above ground level. The only way to protect a good well is keeping anything and everything out of it.... and the easiest way to do that is get the opening as far above the ground as you can!


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

Expansion joints? Probably not.

As far as I know, this is the original well for the house so it would date back to the late 1800's. I do know a fellow that dug his own well back in the 60's. I'll ask him what was involved

To bring it completely above ground level I would have had to raise the whole thing another 2'. Not happening! Once the concrete has cured a bit I'm going to put a "curb" on the left side to drain runoff around it. It's been used the way it was for over 100 years. I'm sure that over that period of time there has been plenty of runoff into the well but the water is in the form of a spring and is constantly moving down there. We've been using it for 8 years and never had a problem with quality.

BTW, the opening is only exposed to take a few pics. There is a piece of sheet metal over it now to keep out the cats, dogs, goats, chickens and all the wild critters we have around here. Really, I'm not an idiot.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

A stacked rock spring fed well, bein stacked rock the ground water gonna seep in round them anywho. Long as yall keep the big stuff out an it tests good I sure wouldn't sweat it none.

Grandpa had one similar ta that on the farm, it was stacked bout 3 foot high with a pitched roof over it an the old bucket an crank. Last I new it was still a goin strong an tasted great when we last stopped.


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

Hey Uncle Joe, any more pics of this project? I was curious how it looks finished off. :2thumb:


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

Sorry, not yet.  Other things have got in the way. I have the "curb" formed but not poured yet. That's as far as it's gone right now.


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