dslreports logo
 
    All Forums Hot Topics Gallery
spc
uniqs
28
TheSMJ
join:2009-08-19
Farmington, MI

TheSMJ

Member

Re: Is this well pit worth restoring?

The yard is pretty big at 1.3 acres, and almost entirely lawn. The city does allow you to use a separate meter for outdoor plumbing to avoid the charge for sewer, but because of water shortages in the area during the summer months it can still be pricy to water a lawn even a quarter of the size of this one.

After I pump the water out of the pit and man up enough to actually climb in there, I'll check for a well head. If it's there and looks to be in working order to the untrained eye, I'll call a local well company to find out the legality of using it before paying someone to inspect it.

I figure if it's in working order or cost effective to repair I'd look into restoring it. If it's totally FUBAR, full of sand, etc I'll break in the concrete cover over the pit with a sledgehammer, fill the pit in with sand and topsoil and call it a day. I'm not planning to bring the well water into the house for any reason - it would be strictly outdoor use only running on plumbing separate from the house. Its fine if it freezes in the winter because I'd only be interested in using it during the late Spring/Summer/early Fall months.

tp0d
yabbazooie
Premium Member
join:2001-02-13
Bulger, PA

tp0d

Premium Member

Could be an artesian well.. Open the cover and watch the water for a while and see if the water is lightly flowing.. Possibly throw a leaf on top of the water to assist..

Very possible they had a submersible pump sitting on that flagstone at the base, and its no deeper than that. Wouldnt surprise me for an old well.

good luck

-j
HarryH3
Premium Member
join:2005-02-21

2 recommendations

HarryH3 to TheSMJ

Premium Member

to TheSMJ
said by TheSMJ:

After I pump the water out of the pit and man up enough to actually climb in there, I'll check for a well head.

Make certain that you have a helper when you enter the pit. You should never enter a confined space like that without someone available to pull you out. You never know what the quality of the "air" is down in the pit. A safety rope and a helper that's physically able to drag you back out, if required, could save your life.
TheSMJ
join:2009-08-19
Farmington, MI

TheSMJ

Member

said by HarryH3:

said by TheSMJ:

After I pump the water out of the pit and man up enough to actually climb in there, I'll check for a well head.

Make certain that you have a helper when you enter the pit. You should never enter a confined space like that without someone available to pull you out. You never know what the quality of the "air" is down in the pit. A safety rope and a helper that's physically able to drag you back out, if required, could save your life.

The pit is only 3-4 feet deep and about 4x5 feet around. I'm not too concerned with getting incapacitated especially if I leave the trap door open. There's no lock or even a latch on the door to keep it shut so if the door did somehow shut behind me I could just reach up and throw it open.

But then again, that sure would be a crappy place to die...

cdru
Go Colts
MVM
join:2003-05-14
Fort Wayne, IN

cdru

MVM

said by TheSMJ:

But then again, that sure would be a crappy place to die...

...but not nearly as bad as a septic tank.

nunya
LXI 483
MVM
join:2000-12-23
O Fallon, MO

nunya to TheSMJ

MVM

to TheSMJ
3-4 feet deep? I'll bet it's just the pump pit, and it's filled with rain water. Pump it out, and there might be a well pipe in there. Who knows what condition it will be in though.
TheSMJ
join:2009-08-19
Farmington, MI

TheSMJ to cdru

Member

to cdru
said by cdru:

said by TheSMJ:

But then again, that sure would be a crappy place to die...

...but not nearly as bad as a septic tank.

Oh, that reminds me...

The seller also mentioned where the septic system was and of course has no idea if it was ever removed/abandoned properly or if I have a empty 1000+ gallon tank burred a few feet under the front lawn. I have absolutely no interest in ever using the septic system again (if it's even still there). I'm only interested in what state the tank is in if it's still on the property, and whether it's in danger of collapsing. I might be able to use a metal detector to find the leech field hardware, and then follow the plumbing to the tank's exact location.

There's also a dry well somewhere on the property that the basement floor drains used to empty into up until just a few years ago. I have a feeling it has something to do with a sinkhole that formed on the side of the front lawn close to where the septic system is/was. I'll dig into the pit a couple of feet and see what's in there.
Bob4
Account deleted
join:2012-07-22
New Jersey

Bob4

Member

With all this unknown stuff... Be sure to also ask about any oil tanks!

cdru
Go Colts
MVM
join:2003-05-14
Fort Wayne, IN

cdru to TheSMJ

MVM

to TheSMJ
said by TheSMJ:

There's also a dry well somewhere on the property that the basement floor drains used to empty into up until just a few years ago. I have a feeling it has something to do with a sinkhole that formed on the side of the front lawn close to where the septic system is/was. I'll dig into the pit a couple of feet and see what's in there.

You might want to watch this movie sometime. Not quite there yet, but with all this stuff you keep encountering...
TheSMJ
join:2009-08-19
Farmington, MI

TheSMJ to Bob4

Member

to Bob4
said by Bob4:

With all this unknown stuff... Be sure to also ask about any oil tanks!

The home inspector, myself and my dad couldn't find any sign of one having existed on the property and I'd bet good money the seller wouldn't have a clue.

Personally, I think I'm better off not knowing.

cowboyro
Premium Member
join:2000-10-11
CT

cowboyro

Premium Member

said by TheSMJ:

Personally, I think I'm better off not knowing.

If you have one and it ends up leaking you are liable for the soil remediation - and that can easily run in the $10-20k range. Removing a tank may only cost $1500-2000.
TheSMJ
join:2009-08-19
Farmington, MI

TheSMJ

Member

said by cowboyro:

If you have one and it ends up leaking you are liable for the soil remediation - and that can easily run in the $10-20k range. Removing a tank may only cost $1500-2000.

The gas furnace is from the late 80s (if I recall correctly) and so any oil tank that would have existed on the property would have to be older than that, so if there was a leak it would have happened many years ago.

When did they ban buried oil tanks anyways?

I doubt the furnace installer would have let them leave the oil tank in the ground if one existed without cleaning it and filling it with sand if they didn't remove it.

The seller of the house (she and her husband built the place) had clearly taken good care of the property. I'd be shocked if they let something like a buried oil tank rot in the ground.

EDIT: I should mention that the house mentioned in this thread is the same house I'm talking about: »Structural Question, Floor Joist Holes

That copper pipe in those photos was for natural gas. It terminates outside next to what's left of an old grill.
Bob4
Account deleted
join:2012-07-22
New Jersey

Bob4

Member

Click for full size
There would be a vent pipe like the one in this photo I randomly picked from the 'Net. Note that the pipe could be some distance from the tank and located next to the building.
TheSMJ
join:2009-08-19
Farmington, MI

TheSMJ

Member

Yep that's what we looked for, along with a fill port. Found nothing of the sort anywhere on the property. It's always possible they just pulled the vent and port out of the ground and left the tank but that would be unlikely.
said by Mr Matt:

Check with your municipal building department to determine if you can fill a septic tank with sand rather than removing it. Cost is much lower than digging out the tank and you do not have to deal with filling in the hole.

That's what I intend to do if I find a tank that wasn't already filled.
Bob4
Account deleted
join:2012-07-22
New Jersey

Bob4

Member

Sounds like you're OK then.

nunya
LXI 483
MVM
join:2000-12-23
O Fallon, MO
·Charter

nunya to TheSMJ

MVM

to TheSMJ
Oil heat is a rarity here in the Midwest. It's much more popular on the East coast.
Of the few rare Midwestern exceptions that do use oil heat, most of the tanks are above ground or in the basement.
Almost everyone in this region uses NG, propane, or electric.
Tig
join:2006-06-29
Carrying Place, ON

2 edits

Tig to TheSMJ

Member

to TheSMJ
said by TheSMJ:

Oh, that reminds me...

The seller also mentioned where the septic system was and of course has no idea if it was ever removed/abandoned properly or if I have a empty 1000+ gallon tank burred a few feet under the front lawn. I have absolutely no interest in ever using the septic system again (if it's even still there). I'm only interested in what state the tank is in if it's still on the property, and whether it's in danger of collapsing. I might be able to use a metal detector to find the leech field hardware, and then follow the plumbing to the tank's exact location.

There's also a dry well somewhere on the property that the basement floor drains used to empty into up until just a few years ago. I have a feeling it has something to do with a sinkhole that formed on the side of the front lawn close to where the septic system is/was. I'll dig into the pit a couple of feet and see what's in there.

Before plastics, clay pipe was used for septic. I doubt you'll find any sort of metal hardware to detect, other than perhaps the pipe that feeds the tank. You should be able to spot where this pipe exits the home through the basement wall. Then, take a guess about 10' straight out from the home and drive a piece of rebar down into the ground a couple feet to see if you can hit the lid. Although, my old septic was covered with a corrugated steel panel. It was a noticeable sink hole and rebar would have just poked a hole.
I'm curious, how does the well pit, water level compare to the basement level?
TheSMJ
join:2009-08-19
Farmington, MI

TheSMJ

Member

said by Tig:

I'm curious, how does the well pit, water level compare to the basement level?

The bottom of the pit is ~4 feet above the basement floor. However, the basement is dry.

Subaru
1-3-2-4
Premium Member
join:2001-05-31
Greenwich, CT

Subaru to cdru

Premium Member

to cdru
said by cdru:

said by TheSMJ:

But then again, that sure would be a crappy place to die...

...but not nearly as bad as a septic tank.

Agree! My aunt used to have a septic tank that just had a wooden roof cover over it in the yard and one day they had to pump to clean it out and I got a look down in it..

Not a place you want to fall down into, I'd say it was maybe 10X10' square and no clue how deep.

They since changed to a covered unit which is smaller and filled up the old location..

Speaking of that I don't know why they downsized and not only that the tank is much closer to the house, like 20 Ft vs 50 Ft.

Never seen the new one opened but it's under ground with grass over it so not sure how it's cleaned out.