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TheSMJ
join:2009-08-19
Farmington, MI

TheSMJ to Bob4

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Re: Is this well pit worth restoring?

said by Bob4:

Unless there's a false bottom and it collapses.

...into an ancient Mayan temple I could use to hide from the apocalypse which set to begin in less than 18 days!

Seriously though, unless I spring for a harness and a crane I don't really know what other option I have other than risk it. Of course having someone else keep an eye on me for the few minutes I'd be exploring in there wouldn't be an issue. I could drop a bowling ball in first and see if that causes a cave-in or something.

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

nunya

MVM

I don't think they "get" what type of well pit you are talking about. That's why everyone is getting overly excited.
Can you post a picture so everyone can see?
TheSMJ
join:2009-08-19
Farmington, MI

TheSMJ

Member

I'll post a pic once I get to the house this weekend.
kherr
Premium Member
join:2000-09-04
Collinsville, IL

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said by TheSMJ:

said by Bob4:

Unless there's a false bottom and it collapses.

...into an ancient Mayan temple I could use to hide from the apocalypse which set to begin in less than 18 days!

... No longer relevant, They have since found calenders in caves that extend for millions of years ...
TheSMJ
join:2009-08-19
Farmington, MI

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Click for full size
Door to well
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Door open
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Left side
Click for full size
Right side
Visited the house yesterday and took a few photos of the well pit. Now that I look at it again, I can't figure out where a well head could be hiding. I didn't get a very good picture of it (glare from the sun blocks most of it) but in the second pic, just to the right of the bricks on the bottom left you can see the top of what appears to be a pump base, with part of the hose sticking out. Maybe that isn't part of the pump and it's part of the well head?

In the "Right side" pic you can see what looks like a power outlet for the pump just above that rusty pipe under about 6" of water. That makes be believe this pit wasn't supposed to have water in it at all.

robbin
Mod
join:2000-09-21
Leander, TX

robbin

Mod

The round thing partially visible next to the glare appears to me to be a well cap. It would be attached to the well casing. This well may have (or have had) a submersible pump down inside the casing instead of a pump inside the pit as you were thinking.
kilovolt
join:2011-01-11
Sacramento, CA

1 recommendation

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This will be kinda long winded. I lived in Novi for 20 years. Here's some background you should know about.

That is definitely an unused well pit. As someone posted before, they typically put them underground so that they don’t freeze in the winter. In SE lower MI there were a lot of these. But here’s a couple of good (and not so good) things to be aware of since you’re looking at buying this house.

The water table in Novi is VERY high. Flooded basements are not uncommon and most houses have a sump pump. A lot of the wells are/were shallow wells when they were drilled since you didn’t have to go far to get water. However that was before we had a lot of water testing and who knows what people drank in their water.

Orchard Hills Elementary used to be on well water – I know, I went there. I drank it. The water was downright awful. There were days where it was yellow, brown or gray. All that land around there behind the school was apple orchards, and they ran up to about Novi road and 10 Mile – and I’m sure you can guess what was sprayed at some time there. The school is on city water now, but man it was gross.

There used to be a landfill on Meadowbrook back behind Holy Family. If you do some googleing, there were issues back in the early 80’s with seepage of waste that oozing out of the ground during high rains. I have no idea where this stands but just be aware. Found this that might be of interest to you.

»www.cityofnovi.org/resou ··· ions.pdf

Also – there used to be an Amoco station at the NE corner of Grand River and Novi road that had some big issues with leaking gas storage tanks in the 80’s/90’s. They did remediation, but again just be aware. Water table around there had problems too. The soil is alkaline around there so add high water, and you get all sorts of corrosion on underground storage tanks

So if you’re going to use it to water your lawn that should be fine. But regardless of that I would pay special attention to all the fine print on your FEMA flood impact statement, as well as the environmental impact report when you go to buy the house. Remember, Novi was NOTHING until the early 1970’s when 275 was built and the mall went in. In the early 70’s Grand River, Haggerty, and Novi Road were the only paved roads. Most people off the main roads heated with oil or coal until Consumers power ran gas out there, so you might have an underground tank somewhere.
TheSMJ
join:2009-08-19
Farmington, MI

TheSMJ

Member

Robbin: You could very well be correct. I thought I had taken a better photo of it than that, but that's the only one I have where it's visible at all. I'll try and get a better photo of it the next time I'm out there.

Kilovolt: The house is in Farmington Hills (off of Farmington Rd between 10 and 11 mile). The Rouge River is the closest natural source of water to the house and that's about a mile away. The house is outside of the 100-year flood plane and on a hill about 15-20 feet above the street, so I'm not too worried about flooding in the area.

Since the house is now on city water and I have no interest in dealing with water softeners and filtration equipment, I have no plans to drink the water out of the well - it would be outdoor-use only. I might get it tested for potability just to satisfy my curiosity, but I'd only ever use it to water the lawn.

Raphion
join:2000-10-14
Samsara

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I believe, as someone else pointed out, that the wellhead is in the "door open" pic, on the floor under water, partially hidden by the reflection of the opening.

The pump would have sat on those blocks in your "left side" pic, and it's outlet connected to the pipe against the wall just above the blocks.

Not sure about other piping in there.