Anyone who builds a house within the city or close to the central water supply has no problems - he connects to the water supply and everything is fine. But if your home is far from civilization, or you simply want to have environmentally friendly water for drinking and cooking, then you cannot do without a well. Before you start digging a well, you should collect information about the waters underground in the area where the water source will be dug.
The easiest way is to ask your neighbors at what depth their water is and what its quality is. If they have groundwater, dig boldly - there will be water for you too! Having minimal construction skills, you can build a well from concrete rings with your own hands.
Characteristic features of well construction
Before you build, it is important to know its structure. There are two elements in a well: an underground element and an above-ground element. Before starting work, the location of the well is determined. They begin to dig the earth to a depth that allows for the installation of water filtration, which is required to purify the water from clay, dust and other contaminants. The hydraulic structure must be protected against the penetration of wastewater, precipitation and sewage.
The construction of a well structure consists of 3 parts:
- Installation of the head of a hydraulic structure, which is the upper part in wells located above the ground. The above-ground structural element serves as protection against the penetration of wastewater and sediments that can contaminate drinking water. Consists of a roofing part, a canopy and a lifting mechanism. The head is decorated with wood, stone, plaster or other facing materials. It is important to provide an element for draining rainwater, which is installed outside the head.
- Arrangement of shafts of hydraulic structures. This is a place located underground in the space between the top and the bottom. Water is lifted up the trunk using a bucket and rope or other lifting device. The shaft of the mine has a casing, the function of which is to protect the concrete well from destruction and penetration of groundwater into the middle of the structure.
- Construction of a water intake part, which is intended for storing water, filtering and settling it.
Well construction diagram. The water intake part includes a casing, a filter and comes in 3 types:
- Incomplete - this concrete structure does not have any difficulties in execution, in it the casing column does not reach the layer of impenetrable rocks and water comes from below. The imperfect design has a small water capacity and is suitable for small families.
- The complete water intake part is complex in design and has a casing that rests on a layer of waterproof rocks. The volume of part of the water accumulation is average, and the liquid is supplied through the walls of the well.
- Perfect water intake part with sump. The depth reaches one and a half meters of water reserves. Used in cases of large amounts of water consumption.
Selection of materials
The construction of drinking concrete wells requires the selection of high quality materials, namely heavy grade concrete composition. To build a concrete structure, you will need environmentally friendly, dense, high-strength materials that will not allow any contamination to pass through. Wells are made of logs, stone, brick or concrete. You can do it yourself, however, it is important to maintain the correct proportions when making the solution and adhere to the technological process when working with rings. When choosing wall rings made according to the state standard, pay attention to the product labeling, the letters of which indicate the abbreviation of the word, and the numbers indicate the diameter and height of the ring.
Technology and stages of construction
When working with concrete wells, in order to make the structure correctly, installation begins with determining a convenient location for the future well and digging a round hole. The well is dug to a depth of one and a half meters and with the same diameter. The bottom of the well is leveled and the soil is removed. A stand on three legs with a hanging lifting device is placed above the pit. The concrete ring is delivered to the edge of the well and attached to a hook, after which it is lifted up and lowered to the bottom of the well pit.
Adjust the ring to the correct level and fill it with concrete, after which the second ring is lowered. Next, you need to dig up the soil under the lower ring and put it in a container, then develop the soil with a crowbar, pick or pick. After the level of the rings has become below the ground, install the following.
Excess water is pumped out and the well continues to be dug until its depth reaches one and a half meters. Next, add waterproof clay, compact it thoroughly and begin sealing the joints with a concrete mixture with the addition of a sealing agent.
The rings are secured with staples and coated with anti-corrosion paint. As soon as the seams have hardened, they begin to dig out the clay and lay a porous wooden board on the bottom, which is subsequently sprinkled with sand and gravel. After completing the work with the well, they install the canopy and head with their own hands, and install the mechanism that raises the water.
To purify drinking water, a bottom filter is installed in the well. Installation of which involves constantly digging a well and not stopping work even when liquid appears. They dig to a depth of twenty centimeters, level and clean the bottom. Then pour out a thirty-centimeter layer of purified sand and a layer of fine crushed stone. After filling the filter, water is pumped out several times. At first, wells are used only for irrigating flowers and vegetable gardens; they are allowed to drink and cook with well liquid only after checking the quality.
Construction with alternate installation of rings
Construction of a well using the method of alternate installation of rings. You dig a well shaft with your own hands using a shovel with a short handle, which simplifies work in a small space. They dig until the depth of the well reaches one and a half meters, after which they level the bottom and fix the first ring. It is important to install the first ring exactly in the middle. Next, they continue to remove the soil from inside the concrete structure. In the process of digging the ground, the ring lowers down under its own weight; as soon as it is level with the ground, staples are attached to the next ring.
It happens that during the process of digging a well, the rings stand still and do not lower, then this indicates their incorrect location from the vertical axis. To level the position of the rings, they are covered with a heavy slab or stones, under the weight of which the rings begin to sag.
The deepening of the well continues downwards until the liquid begins to appear through the bottom of the well, while the incoming water is pumped out with a pump. They dig a hole until they reach soil saturated with water. It is easy to notice; the liquid will flow at high speed. But pumping is not stopped, since the bottom filter still needs to be laid and leveled.
The overwhelming majority of owners of a private house give preference when arranging their own well on the site. Unlike wood, iron or plastic, concrete products are relatively easy to install, reliable and durable. They serve as excellent protection of drinking water from external contamination.
Types and characteristics of well rings that you should pay attention to when choosing
1. Shortened concrete ring (shoe). The product is installed first and greatly facilitates the penetration of a column of well rings into the soil thanks to the cutter in the lower edge of the ring. 
2. Recently, the range of concrete rings has expanded thanks to a new type of ring with a locking design. Products of the new type have a tongue-and-groove design at the ends, which improves the fastening of concrete elements to each other and simplifies installation in a well shaft. Increases protection against penetration of foreign impurities through the joints of the rings.
3. Wall rings are mounted in the well shaft and form the neck. It is necessary to focus on the diameter of the ring, it should correspond to 1 m or more (for more convenient work with the soil inside the ring), height - 0.9 m. The optimal wall thickness is 12 cm.
Installation tools
Let's consider the construction of a well from concrete rings manually, as well as the tools necessary for its construction. This method, in addition to significant cost savings, is easy to use. There are also times when construction equipment is not able to get to the site due to trees growing around or for another reason; in such cases, the well also has to be developed with your own hands. 
To simplify excavation work, you will need a metal tripod with a cable block on top. A device installed above the well shaft is used to lift the earth to the surface. The use of a tripod will significantly speed up excavation work when excavating soil from a well shaft.
You will also need staples made of a metal rod with a diameter of 14-16 mm to fasten the rings together during immersion. Staples are especially relevant for sandy soils. When going deeper, there is a possibility that the upper rings will be jammed with sand, and the starting ring will fall further. The gap between the rings that forms in this case is difficult to eliminate (earth or sand is poured into the groove of the lower ring, resulting in a loose fit of the rings at the joints, etc.). When immersed with such staples, the rings are fastened together in 3-4 places. You can use a metal strip.
Pumps for pumping water from the lower aquifer when installing rings are a necessary tool when building a well. Depending on the depth of the well's aquifer, the passage of the final meters will involve constant pumping of water from the mine.
Prepare a sealant for the tongue-and-groove joint of the wall rings.
The required number of rings for arrangement is purchased based on the calculation of the height of the well shaft closest to the well site.
The construction of a well made of concrete rings is divided into several stages
1. We mark the future shaft according to the diameter of the selected rings with a slight upward tolerance. Dimensional tolerances are made to simplify the work when laying the rings.
Marking is done using a peg driven into the center of the future well and a rope tied to it, the length of which corresponds to the outer radius of the well ring. The boundaries of the circle are covered with sand.
2. We dig a pit along the outline of the circle, up to 60 cm deep and slightly larger than the diameter of the rings. This is done to simplify the work when installing the starting ring (shoe).
3. After installing the shoe, check with a level along the horizontal top edge. If there is an error, it must be eliminated. Checking the horizontal plane with a level is necessary so that there is no distortion when immersing the remaining rings, and the well shaft is as vertical as possible.
4. Under the shoe, we make indentations evenly in three places to a height of 20-30 cm and install wooden scraps as supports under the ring. Then you should select the rest of the soil up to the base of the supports. After clearing the ground, the supports should be knocked out and the ring should be immersed evenly, while simultaneously checking the level to avoid distortions. Shrink the rings to a depth of 80 cm from the top edge of the ring to the ground level.
5. Place the seal in the groove of the first ring and install the next one on top. Fasten the products together with staples. Compact to the height of the aquifer, taking into account possible spring floods (it will be enough to lay the seal between 3-5 rings).
Continue the work algorithm for shrinking the rings and passing through the well shaft until the aquifer.
6. In a water-saturated soil layer, continue diving to the depth of your neighbor’s well. When excavating land at the final stages, constantly pump out water with a pump.
7. At the bottom of the finished shaft, a layer-by-layer filter is made from
Reinforced concrete wells in suburban areas have become very popular. They can perform different functions and have different ways of being made.
Types of wells in a suburban area
Today, in a suburban area, they can be of two types:
- Water collection.
There are different designs and materials for manufacturing. Their functions also differ.
Materials used in this type of construction:
- Concrete products for wells.
- Plastic products for similar purposes.
Water well made of reinforced concrete elements
Water supply in the house can be done using wells or boreholes. The wells are tube wells that require finishing with plastic pipes. Mine wells are more practical and do not require large expenses for their construction.
They are characterized by the following functions:
- Ease of installation of the structure.
- Shallow depth, which can reach 10 m.
- Strength with proper installation of each structural element.
It will be mandatory to install on them:
- Filtration stations.
Mine wells are dug using:
- Tools at hand: shovels. The earth is raked out with buckets or other large containers.
- Special equipment: machines with buckets.
Forms can be different:
- Square.
- Round.
- Rectangular.
This does not prevent the design from using reinforced concrete elements of wells that have a round shape.
Advice. When constructing a reinforced concrete well for water, only special taps should be used to install the rings, since the weight of each such element is quite large.
Precast concrete rings for the construction of a water well structure
Precast concrete wells for water have always been very popular.
This is due to:
- High strength rings.
- Various sizes of structural elements.
- Possibility of deepening and mounting other elements.
Precast concrete rings are manufactured using:
- Concrete mortar.
- Special strengthening agents.
- Reinforcing mesh of different sizes, which help make the rings stronger and more durable.
- Crushed stone or gravel. Only such material should be small in size to ensure a reliable connection of all elements of the solution.
The price of rings depends on their type and the functions they perform. There are several types of rings that are used in the construction of the structure.
This:
- Wall rings (support). Their purpose is to organize the walls of the structure, and they subsequently serve to support the floor slab.
- Rings with locks. At the moment, they are used most often in construction, since they have special locks on their walls at the end, which make the structure durable due to the reliable fastening of each element to each other.
- Rings with bottom. They are used to organize the bottom.
- Rings with a floor slab that complete the structure.
- Neck rings. They are installed on support rings and serve as support for the floor slab.
Advice. As soon as the reinforced concrete rings are already installed in the pit for the well, it is necessary to treat their joints with concrete mortar.
What is it for?
The concrete solution allows:
- Securely fasten each structural element.
- Protect against soil displacement, which can cause deformation of the structure and, as a result, water pollution.
- Seal the seams against the ingress of metal impurities, groundwater and melt water.
You can make a concrete solution for such work with your own hands.
For this you will need:
- Cement grade 400.
- Water.
- Sand (cleaned).
Note. You can also use hardeners that will increase the rate of hardening of the solution on the surface.
The sizes of reinforced concrete rings for a well can be different.
There are the following ring parameters:
- Inner diameter starts from 70 cm and ends at 1 m.
- External diameter starts from 110 cm and ends at 126 cm.
- Height rings are 10-70 cm.
- Thickness walls reaches 10 cm.
Dimensions of reinforced concrete rings and other structural elements
Other reinforced concrete elements for construction
A reinforced concrete well can be made not only using standard rings. There are also plates for arranging the structure.
They are used in the following cases:
- The design has a square or rectangular shape.
- The soil does not allow the use of round plastic or reinforced concrete rings due to very frequent displacement.
The following structural elements are installed using:
- Concrete mortar used to process sheet joints.
- Special equipment, since it will not be possible to install the structure manually due to the large weight of the material itself.
Slab sizes can be:
- 1x1 m.
- 1.25x1.50 m.
- 1.25x1.25 m.
Advantages of a reinforced concrete well
The main advantage will be that it can be built on any type of soil.
Advice. But there are certain limitations. If the soil is constantly flooded and the layers of earth are displaced inside, then it is recommended to use other types of well construction.
Concrete wells:
- Durable and reliable.
- They serve for a long time.
- Concrete is not capable of releasing harmful substances that could affect the quality of well water.
- If the walls of the structure become clogged, they can be cleaned with their own hands using any special means.
Sewage wells
This type of structure is also necessary on a suburban area to improve living conditions on it. See photo.
For the construction of such structures the following can be used:
- Concrete rings.
- Plastic rings.
- Ready-made containers for waste water.
- Septic tanks with various types of chambers.
The size of reinforced concrete rings can be different.
Their diameter is:
- 50 cm.
- 60 cm.
- 70 cm.
- 80 cm.
- 90 cm.
- 100 cm.
Advice. Above are examples of inner diameter sizes. The external one is different from it and this should be taken into account during the construction process when digging a ditch.
The height of the rings can be:
- 30 cm.
- 40 cm.
- 60 cm.
- 80 cm.
This allows:
- Build a structure of any depth.
- Give it the required size.
Note. You can make rings or slabs for a sewer well or water well yourself, and there are specific instructions for this.
For work you will need:
- Special vibrating tables that can be rented if necessary, but you can do without them.
- Concrete solution, which is prepared independently. Only during the mixing process is a certain amount of gravel or crushed stone, the granules of which are small in size, added to it.
- Forms for pouring solution, which can be cylindrical or rectangular. They are constructed from wooden planks and boards according to the principle of formwork construction.
Advice. Homemade wooden molds must have removable sides so that the finished cast element can be freely removed from the mold.
How to make your own well from reinforced concrete on a suburban area
Initially, you need to choose the right place to build the structure.
There are the following requirements:
- A well with water or for waste water must be located at a certain distance from the buildings on the site. This will protect the house from flooding as a result of structural failure.
- In the case of sewer construction, there should be no vegetation on the ground surface within a 10 m perimeter.
Advice. If you use not simple sewer wells, which consist of one chamber, but septic tanks with a large number of chambers, then the planting area should be located at a greater distance from the structure.
Then the form is selected. The method of arranging the structure will depend on it.
You can dig using:
- Shovels.
- Special machines with buckets.
Advice. If special equipment will be working on the site, then the site must allow it to maneuver.
May be different. After the recess is ready, they begin to install the well rings.
Advice. If the rings are made of reinforced concrete, then it is best to use the services of special equipment, since the weight of the rings reaches 50 kg.
Also defined:
- Will the structure have a bottom?
- What material will the walls be made of?
- Materials to protect the structure from foreign objects.
Advice. If the structure does not have a bottom, then it is imperative to make natural filters at the bottom from sand, gravel and crushed stone. You can use each of these materials separately, but together they improve the quality of water filtration.
Pipe connection
Supply into the pipeline is carried out using a pump. A central pipe with a check valve is connected to its outlet pipe, through which water can flow to the surface.
So:
- This is convenient if you need water outside. Don’t run after her into the house if you need to water the beds or wash the car. A side branch of the pipeline cuts into this pipe, which will supply the house. You can, of course, do without a pipe supplying water to the top, but make a connection as in the picture below.
- Here it is very important to properly seal the point where the water pipe passes through the wall, since untreated water can enter the well through this hole. Some people think that this issue can be solved using polyurethane foam.
- But that's not true! Foam undergoes gradual destruction in water, and is simply unable to provide a seal for a long time. The best option would be to create a crimp connection. An elongated bend made of brass or bronze is first inserted into the wall hole intended for the pipe entrance.
- The circumference of the hole in the concrete and the middle part of the squeegee are coated with any waterproof sealant, of which there are a great many on sale. Fiber rubber and silicone are ideal for this purpose. Then, a rubber seal should be pulled over the squeegee, which can be cut out yourself, for example, from a bicycle inner tube.
- Then the squeegee is clamped with special plates or washers and tightened tightly with nuts. Well, then, fittings are screwed onto the fittings, and the threaded connection of the pipes is made. All other sealing methods are imperfect, and sooner or later they will leak.
- If the well is not very deep, and its installation is carried out in a pre-dug pit, the ideal option for reducing the external pressure of groundwater on the walls of the well is to install a drainage sleeve.
- In this case, the cavity formed between the well and earthen walls is filled with alternating layers of sand and crushed stone. Instead of sand, you can also use clay for the layer.
- Such drainage will not only remove water from the walls of the well, but will also significantly reduce soil heaving associated with freezing and thawing. And yet, drainage will allow you to do not only without a clay castle, but also without creating a blind area around the well head.
- If the well is located close to the house and the pipeline runs in a straight line, you will need to build additional inspection wells, depending on its length. The distance between them should not exceed 15 m.
- For example, from the foundation of a house to a well is 50 meters - then at least three inspection wells must be installed along the pipeline route. If it is necessary to lay pipes at different levels, such a well can be combined with a drop well.
- Auxiliary wells differ from drinking wells not only in depth, but also in that they are a sealed container with a concrete bottom. All other work is carried out similarly. The only thing is that in inspection and rotary wells, internal waterproofing of the walls can be done over the entire surface.
The video in this article shows how you can build a well on your property yourself.
The diameter of the hole should exceed the diameter of the ring by 20 cm. Firstly, this should be done in order to cover the outside of the rings with sand (with gravel or crushed stone), and secondly, it is more convenient to lower the rings into the hole.
Do not forget that it is better to place the well about 10 m from the house, so as not to disturb its stability.
A hole for a water well can be dug in two ways:
- All at once;
- With gradual lowering of the rings.
If you are digging the entire hole at once, take care of the safety measures for the digger by tying him with a thick rope (in case the earth collapses). You need to dig a hole in the dry summer so as not to confuse melt or rain water with the aquifer. On average, the depth of aquifer sand is 5-10 m. Now let’s move on to the option of installing reinforced concrete rings.
Installation of concrete rings in the pit of a water intake well
If the hole has already been dug, then the rings sink to the bottom after pumping out the sand and water. When the first ring is installed, two or three H-shaped connecting brackets are placed on it so that the rings do not move during installation. The joints of the rings are lubricated with cement-sand mortar or liquid waterproofing before they are connected. The installation of the rings is carried out in such a way that the upper (last) ring protrudes above the ground level by 20-30 cm.
The second method of immersing rings is performed in conjunction with digging a hole. First, a hole is dug for the first ring, not to its full height, so that the ring protrudes slightly above the ground after immersion. Then digging the hole continues along the inner perimeter of the ring to the depth of the next ring. When the inner perimeter is dug, the soil begins to be removed from under the walls of the first ring so that it sinks.
When the first ring has sunk a little into the ground, you can install the second one on it, first placing connecting brackets on the first one. Next, the digging of the hole continues, removing the soil from under the first ring to immerse the structure. Installation of reinforced concrete rings can be carried out either with a lift or manually, rolling the rings to the pit and turning them over into the installation position. The work continues until the digging person encounters an intense flow of water into the hole.
Depending on the depth of soil freezing, in the second or third ring from the surface, you need to make a hole for the water pipe into the house. The diameter of the hole must be larger than the diameter of the pipe so as not to damage it. In the future, the excess space will be sealed with waterproofing or mortar.
Installation and use of the tripod
You can’t do without a tripod, since it becomes very difficult to remove soil at a depth of more than 3 meters. When a digging person begins to dive into a hole to a depth greater than his height, you can begin to build a tripod.
The tripod is installed above the pit. A shaft with a pulley is installed between the two “legs” of the tripod. A strong rope, cable or chain of sufficient length (up to 10 m) is attached to the shaft. Next, the soil is lifted through a tripod by a person on the surface.
When lifting a bucket, the person in the pit must watch it so that in case of a fall, he can cover his head with his hands.
Filter device at the bottom of a water well
When you have reached the depth of water seeping through the soil at the bottom of the hole, do not rush to stop digging. If the water flows weakly, continue digging until the water flows intensively into the hole. After this, it is necessary to pump out the arriving water with sand to check how many aquifers it comes from.
It is desirable that the number of veins be at least 3, otherwise water in the future may not keep up with consumption. Therefore, if there is one or two veins, go deeper by 30-50 cm. The water does not need to be pumped out all (otherwise you may lose the aquifer), but only until the moment when you can distinguish the aquifer veins.
If, under the influence of quicksand, the lower ring deepened, and after it all the others, do not be alarmed. You'll just have to put another ring on top.
When you have seen at least 3 water-bearing veins that normally supply water to the well, work on installing the water well can be stopped for that day. The next day, you need to pump out all the arriving water and the washed sand from the well in order to lay a filter of crushed stone, gravel and coarse stones (as well as geotextile pads) at the bottom.
The total height of the filter will be 30-40 cm: the first 15-20 cm are stones to retain the bulk of the sand, the second 15-20 cm are gravel or small crushed stone for more detailed water purification.
Be sure to lay a layer of geotextile between stones and gravel, cut slightly larger than the diameter of the ring. Geotextiles will be able to retain 90% of sand, making the water much cleaner.
If, after installing the above-mentioned filter heights, water flows much slower, you need to remove the filter layer a little. When the work of filling the filter is completed, you need to wait until the well is filled with water again (the average water level is 130-150 cm). At this time, you can start digging a trench for a water pipe from the well. But we will talk about this in the next article.
It is advisable to fill the free space outside the concrete rings with sand and gravel or crushed stone.
In conclusion, we add that after constructing a water well, you need to close it with a removable cover so that no one accidentally falls through, and also make vent - a kind of ventilation so that the well is ventilated. In the future, you can build a kind of roof and a small fence over the well.
To protect against seepage of precipitation through the soil next to the rings, you need to dig up soil around the perimeter of the well to a width of 0.5-1 m and a depth of 0.5 m and fill it with clay. This is called a “clay castle” - a layer that does not allow rain and melt water to penetrate into the ground next to the rings, thereby not destroying them. You can make a blind area on the surface around the well using clay.
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