Tammy and the well

Sunday Tammy helped me with the corral well. Yes... I'm still working on it.   Time is slipping by.  Winter is coming.  Our weather now and for the foreseeable future is wet and well below normal temperatures with snow predicted.  *sigh*  I really would like some global warming.  Why are we missing out?

I have dug the well down to a level where I need help.  Standing in the well I can no longer reach up to get the ladder in and out.

Since I am down to the water level I have been trying to pump the water out to make further digging easier.

Challenges:

I have two sump pumps.  I got both working individually.  Each lowered the water level but after a few inches the water began to come in as fast as I pumped it out.  When I tried to use both pumps simultaneously they acted up.  They either wouldn't pump, or pumped at half strength.  Then one pump sucked up a small rock and froze.  To make matters worse one of the bolts holding the pump together had its head broken off.  Most likely from over tightening.  The rest of the bolt holds the pump together and I can't get the pump apart.  The potential fix of drilling the bolt out will have to wait as it will take time.

My neighbor brazed the cracks in the new used pump I got.  I tried to use the pump but discovered a leak in the brazing.  Apparently a new crack formed when the pump cooled down after the last brazing.   The other challenge of the pump is I need a seal/gasket between the pump and the water chamber as I had water leaking when I primed the pump with water.  So far I haven't found a seal/gasket.  Using silicone to seal the area is possible but I need to take a second look at how to do this and where.

So I am down to one pump.

A test run on Saturday with larger pipes didn't work.  Going back to a garden hose now didn't work.  I am going backwards and backwards.

Finally the pump took off and began pumping water.  And at full strength.  Why?  ...don't look a gift horse in its mouth.

The water level dropped quite a bit and quickly.  But not completely.  Once the water level dropped I could see fresh water rush in from three areas (sides).  The water came in quicker than I expected.

Then a small rock got sucked into the pump stopping it.

This time I was able to take the pump apart and remove the rock.

Within minutes the water level went back up.   That was quick!

My effort to find and buy a screened end fitting failed.  Then in the evening my neighbor Bob told me he had a useless/broken fitting from his well.   The screen was still good and I removed the inner broken stop whose purpose was to stop the water (prime) from flowing out of the pipe.  That is the silver object in the second photo.

This screened fitting is 2 inches in diameter.  Multiple reducer fittings from my dad's pipe bone-yard treasure pile and I was able to attach my garden hose to the screened fitting.

This screen fitting worked perfectly.  No more rocks sucked into the pump.  And I was able to work on digging (which stirred up the sand) as I pumped water.  Every so often I had to clean off the sand that clogged the screen.

While I dropped the water level a number of inches soon the inflow and outflow were equal.  Using a post hole digger was frustrating as most of the rocks and sand slipped out as I lifted it to the bucket.  So I switched to digging with my hands in the water.  It was much easier and quicker than using the post hole digger.

While it was in the lows 40s F and chilly on top where Tammy stood, it was warm in the well and the water was lukewarm too.  I quickly stripped off the layers of coats and extra shirt I wore.

Tammy and I removed many buckets of rocks and sand.  We worked until her arm about fell off.  The wet part of the pile in the center of the photo is what Tammy and I removed.  But evening Tammy fell sound asleep on the couch for two hours.

I was digging down a decent distance but then some of the sides calved into dug area.  *argh*    More to remove.

Having more to remove was annoying, falling rocks and sand while I was down in the well was a little unnerving.  I was thinking back to my uncle Curt telling me that he didn't want to put a marker "Here lies my beloved nephew" near the "Larry Light" on the power pole.

When Tammy and I quit for the day the area dug under the water is 13 inches at the deepest.  Almost a foot left to did.

I do have the calving problem.  The metal sheets I had down there helped slow the problem but did not prevent it.   I plan to replace the metal sheets and have another idea on what I can do to temporarily shore up the area as I dig deeper.