I'm looking to add a few adjacent acres to my property. On this potential addition is a well which served a now-condemned house there. The place has been empty for about two or three years now. IF I do get this bought, what will I need to do or have done to see if this is a viable well for my needs there? Is it worth pursuing or should I just look into a new well? Is there a big cost difference?
Gary,....there are two different issues here. [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] The WELL, and the PUMP. If the pump is old and worn out, it may not pump much water for you, so it could be difficult to tell if you have a good well/water source or not. USUALLY, it the pump is a submersible, they'll either PUMP, or they won't even fart. If the pump is a jet type, they can pump, but just not very good. If a sub has been sitting for quite a while, they can easily rust up and not turn, whereas a jet doesn't usually have that problem. Look at the setup and if the pump is obviously "down the hole", look over at the control box ....about 6 X 8 inches with wiring going down the well....and it'll say right on it which make and model the sub is. Check and post back and it'll be easier for us to tell what they've got there. [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]
If you live in a place with building codes they will probably not let you use it unless it's new enough to be in the drillers log. An old farmhouse with an unknown well and you rehab the house you will probably be ok but if you plan a new house probably not. If it's a submersible it should be new enough and the cap should say who drilled it and perhaps a phone number or a code # that the county would have records for.
I have no way of knowing right now, but I'm going to guess the well is as old as the concemned house (built circa 1920) though it could have been for "the old house' there (I'd guess that one in the mid 1800's). That also leads me to believe I'll probably find the older type of pump all rusted up.
Since I don't have a clue what to look for at the well site itself I think I'll check with the county folks and see what they might be able to tell me. They might have records by address or something. It'll also give me a chance to find out what the rules are. If they require more than I have I might just be in for a new well, anyhow. [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img]
I was just hoping to save at least a part of the $3,500-$5,000 a new well costs. [img]/forums/images/icons/frown.gif[/img]
Two questions. Why was the house condemned? What are you intending to use the well for?
If the house was condemned for not having a working well, you would have your answer. (I've actually seen this happen, though I have no idea how it can be better to abandon the house rather than replace the well).
On the other hand, if you are intending to use the well for small scale irrigation or watering animals it might be perfectly fine.
Even if the well is 80 years old, if it is still working, it will probably have a jet pump that is relatively new (20-30 yrs perhaps). Pumps don't last forever and it is pretty tough to get parts for the real old ones. Every now and then I'll find someone who still is using one of the old piston jobs, but it's getting increasingly rare.
Gary,
Here in Ohio, the well logs are the responsibilty of The Department of Natural Resources. They have a website you can search on well drillers reports. Thats how I discovered my well is only 60' deep and pumped at a rate of 9 gpm max. Thats not much.
This well was drilled in 1985, but the house was built in 1964. So it's possible the well you have on the property was not the original well.
Here's an update. In my county wells and septic systems fall under the watchful eye of the county health department. Of course, it took a trip to the county building department to find that out. [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
Nonetheless, the health department did, in fact, have records of the property and told me in no uncertain terms that I had better plan on a new septic system there as the one in place wouldn't pass any longer. Apparently the method it uses is no longer considered acceptable.
The well may or may not, I was told (you can imagine how thrilled I was to be told what I already knew). The suggestion was to first get a water sample and bring it in for a bacteria screening. If it passes that bring another sample in and have it tested for whatever other things water might be tested for. Then and only then might I know if this stuff is safe to drink or not.
All in all the folks there were very helpful. What I took to be a poor answer was more likely their attempt not to steer me in the wrong direction on something.
With no power to the house I'll probably have to provide my own electric with a few hundred feet of extension cord from the barn or a generator to power the pump and see if it's functional. They seemed to think I'd be OK on that count.
The idea of going into that house to get a water sample has virtually no appeal to me. If I get this deal done I'll probably just tap into the line right at the well and get it there. I looked inside that house today and it's worse than I imagined, even. I think it could be a practice house for the township's volunteer fire department. [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]
If I were you I would shock that well before i took a sample for the county. But that depends on how fussy the county will be in your area. If it fails the test is that it you can't use it? or are you allowed to shock or chlorinate to fix the problem?
Having set for a long time it would likely fail the bacteria test. I was in a similar situaton with my well.
I had a guy install a pump and then took a sample. Failed bacteria. So I shocked it and added a cholriantor. Great water now. The bateria can come from something as small as a grasshoper falling in and decomposing. How good is the seal at the top of the well? Can bugs and what not crawl in? if so I bet it will fail.
If you shock it and then let it set for a few days the chlorine would likely react with iron or other minerals in the water and the resulting well would be a beter indication of what you will have long term.
Judging from the general condition and level of maintenance on this property as a whole, I wouldn't be surprised if the whole top is open and accessible to creatures of all sizes. You make an excellent point about the 'shocking' of the system.
I think that while my county is known to be tougher than any in terms of building and related codes, they are also very fair and helpful if they are approached properly on things. I'll double check the rules and talk to them first, but I'd think they'd let you shock the well one time if it failed the initial test.
Gary, just another idea for you to think about. Around here most of the well drilling companies can come and find out a couple of things for you fairly cheap. They can pull a pump and give an evaluation of it worth, determine the over all depth of the well, find the static level of the water (how much reserve), check if the casing is in tact and get your water sample to be tested. If using a local company they will most likely be able to give you a good idea if the well is even worth pursuing based on their knowledge of the area and what they see.
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