We've uncovered a well in the foundations of our new extension. We plan to put a glass cover on the top to have as a feature in the new kitchen floor, but whilst we can access it, I'd also like to put in the capability to pump the water to use to irrigate the garden. I'd prefer not to use a submersible pump as it will be very difficult to lift up the glass cover once its in place (as this will be a walk on cover), so I'm thinking what would be good would be to install some kind of permanent (copper??) pipe down the inside of the well, into the water (which is about 7m down), and coming out of a hole in the side of the well near the top, and out into the garden, where we can attach a pump (either petrol or electric) to use when we need to. I'm struggling to find much info about the best way to do this, the diameter of the pipe to use, or even whether this is actually likely to work. Wondering if anyone could advise?
Pump for well
- Thread starter Flipjango
- Start date
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Yes it will work provided you use the right type of pump. It will need to be a positive displacement pump in order to create enough vacuum to suck water up the pipe from the well. The maximum height that a suction pump can lift is in theory 10 metres ( atmospheric pressure on the water in the well and a total vacuum in the pipe) but in practise the maximum height is less as a total vacuum on a dry pump is very difficult to achieve.
A foot valve ( one way valve ) at the bottom of the pipe enables the pump to be primed with water ( from a bucket ) before starting so the pump does not run dry.
A foot valve ( one way valve ) at the bottom of the pipe enables the pump to be primed with water ( from a bucket ) before starting so the pump does not run dry.
Is this in Peckham?
Andy
Andy
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Contact the Water Board, you will require a licence to extract the water also you will need the water tested for quality purposes
Close to the bottom of the well but not at the bottom where there is likely to be sediment which should not be sucked up.
A licence is not required if the abstraction is from a source within your owned property and will be less than 20,000 litres per day. ( from memory so the limit quantity may be lower ). Advice about quality testing is sensible even if it is never going to be used for drinking or cooking.
The regulations were changed 1 January this year if one abstracts more than 200 cubic metres over 28 days one has to have a full licence. A temporary licence can be issued for smaller quantities .
The first problem is to ascertain where the water is coming from into the well .
The first problem is to ascertain where the water is coming from into the well .
The well is victorian. Its on greenbelt/farmland. The water is simply coming from the water table - easy enough to see as we reached the same water level when digging for the extension foundations. As it'll only be used to water the grass and top up the pond etc, not for drinking or bathing I can't say I'm overly concerned about testing. We won't use enough to need a licence.
Andy, that reference totally went over my head! Very funny. Plenty of posh Surrey types we could con in the local farm shops I'm sure!
Andy, that reference totally went over my head! Very funny. Plenty of posh Surrey types we could con in the local farm shops I'm sure!
Please some pictures, as you are very lucky to have that. It will make a fantastic talking point.
Also think about having some sort of light in it pointing down.
Andy
Also think about having some sort of light in it pointing down.
Andy
Here you go - this is the well as it is at the moment. The first two pics show what we uncovered, which was a manhole cover buried in the garden. The third pic is the top restored to a circle with new bricks so we can put a circular cover in the kitchen floor. https://photos.app.goo.gl/kq4F5huPMbvAvT9b6
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/water-management-abstract-or-impound-water said:
WOW!
I had to do a drain survey for a large house in Harpenden, I worked out which way the drains run and said to the new householder that there is a manhole in the centre of their parking area which seems strange. I stood over the manhole and lifted up the cover and found a very large well, it was approx 2.5 meters in diameter, and there was me standing over it. I quickly put the cover back on and moved my van as I was parked next to it.
Andy
I had to do a drain survey for a large house in Harpenden, I worked out which way the drains run and said to the new householder that there is a manhole in the centre of their parking area which seems strange. I stood over the manhole and lifted up the cover and found a very large well, it was approx 2.5 meters in diameter, and there was me standing over it. I quickly put the cover back on and moved my van as I was parked next to it.
Andy
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