The well is the oldest water intake structure discovered by archaeologists in the most ancient human settlements. This source of water has not lost its relevance today. Despite the fact that anyone can order drilling, many stop their choice on the well.
In this article, we will talk about wells, or rather, about the common misconceptions of those who want to have a well at their site.
Dig a well deep, the water will stand high (proverb)
The well (as opposed to the well) often has a lower depth. It is intended for the extraction of groundwater located in the upper soil horizons. Perhaps the first misconception is to assume that the water level in the well depends on its depth.
Despite the wisdom inherent in folk Proverbs, the depth of the well does not affect the water level in it. Because that mark, which is the water level in the well — is the level of groundwater. Unlike artesian (pressure) wells, after the well is filled, the water will stop exactly where in the area is the level of groundwater. In spring and autumn this level is higher, in the middle of summer and winter — lower.
The depth of the well depends on the volume of accumulated water. It is the volume, not to be confused with the flow rate of the well. The volume is the amount of water that has accumulated in the well, and the flow rate is the amount of water given by the well for a certain period of time. Usually for wells for this period take a day.
In other words, the depth of the well increases its capacity: if you have two barrels of the same diameter, but one height of 500 mm, and the other 1000 mm, it is obvious in which you can pour more water. The value of the flow rate characterizes the rate of filling: if the flow rate is large, the well after scooping is filled quickly, and if it is small, the water oozes barely.
You can not” make an order ” for a certain debit — it does not depend on the skill of the diggers of the well, their knowledge and experience. They can not guarantee you the exact amount of water, can only, based on experience, choose a place where the dug well will be abundant. Again, not abstract, but based on the information about the water horizon drainage in a given place.
What depth should be the well
How deep to dig a well? This question is very much concerned about the future owner. And how, from this information directly depends on the cost of the well. First, the number of rings that need to be purchased. And secondly, the cost of the work itself: after all, the deeper the well, the more expensive its builders will take.
If your water consumption exceeds the speed of water flow, you should think about a deeper well, so that the total amount of accumulated water deliberately exceeds your needs. Then even with a low flow rate the well will have time to be filled. Just note that the cost of work will increase: to dig, have to pump water.
Wells are arranged in the event that the groundwater is relatively shallow. They are rarely made deeper than 30-40 meters: it is difficult to build deeper ones, because they dig a well most often by hand.
The same factor — manual work — is due to the diameter of the well. Its size should accommodate a person taking out the soil from the inside. Most often, the well has a diameter of 1-1.5 meters. Although there may be more and less.
The choice of the depth of the well, by and large, does not depend on either the builders or the customer. This factor is entirely given to nature, and in different places the depth of wells will be different. If your brother, a matchmaker or even a direct neighbor has the depth of a well, for example, seven rings, it does not mean that you can safely go to the construction base and buy seven concrete products.
“Dry” well
There is an opinion that underground water is everywhere. This is true, it is important to understand that it is not always at an adequate depth. If you listen to the stories of experienced diggers wells, they always remember (from their experience or at least from the experience of colleagues and older comrades), which is rare, but there are “dry” wells. That is, when digging that water has not appeared. This can happen if you are “lucky” to get, for example, in an underground water divide — a hill that separates the two pools of groundwater. Outwardly, on the surface, such a watershed can not give itself anything.
So, in the photo above, the builders dug 33 meters, and the customer did not wait for water. But in the new well, dug only ten meters from what is in the photo, the water in a decent amount appeared less than a third of this depth.
And those who professionally dig wells, and Hydrogeologists in one voice claim that the method allowing to give an absolute guarantee of existence of water and indicating precisely depth of a well, doesn’t exist today. Therefore, when you are going to dig a well, get ready for the fact that you start playing the lottery.