How Would I do This??

[acedigger]

We recently found an old hand dug well on my grandfathers place. It is near a church that was built in the mid 1800's. I am curious as to what is in there.
I am wanting to know if there is a simple homemade contraption that I could use to get the mud out of the well.

Here are a some of the issues regarding this project.
1. No power
2. Diameter of hole is around 24"
3. Approx. 20' deep
4. No water, just mud
5. ATV or walking access only, so contraption must be lightweight

Has anyone on here ever clean one of these out? If it was a little bigger I would put an extension ladder down and go myself but its not big enough.

Is it even worth messing with?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

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[reed88]

If it was me id leave it alone due to saftey reasons a 24 inch diamenter is not enough room to get down in there with a shovel , plus taking into account of the walls collasping if yu even do get down there , again i strongley suggest that yu cover up that well with something and sealing it off ! just my two cents !
reed

 

[acedigger]

I am thinking of some sort of hand dredge made out of a bucket and rope.

 

[Diggerbarns]

How the heck did they construct that so narrow?I personally could not leave it alone.Although I would not enter due to danger,I would build some sort of tripod and devise a bucket that can remove dirt.I,ll bet there are goodies down there!!

 

[IndianaSmith]

I have no experience with this sort of thing, however....I have wheels that never stop turning

I would take a "small" diameter (say 6") steel pipe, and cut about a 24" long section, I'd guess this would weigh 10-15 pounds? Cap one end, and weld a loop to the center of the cap. Tie a good piece of 1/2" rope to it & lower it down the well, once your a few feet above the bottom, drop it & let it sink into the mud. The reason for a smaller diameter pipe (6") is to hopefully let the mud stay inside the pipe while it's retrieved. Might take some experimenting on your part. Move it around each time you drop it to try to capture the mud from a different area of the bottom.

You could also get a 21' section of black (iron) pipe, and use it as a handle to assert more pressure & "pack" the mud tighter into the pipe on the bottom.

As mentioned, I'd certainly cover the well with something while you're away from it. I also would take care around it's edge, and don't work it alone. Once you're done with it, permenantly seal it so it holds no possibillity of becomming a tomb for some unsuspecting person.

Smitty

 

[JOE(USA)]

acedigger,

Get an old post hole digger in a tag sale. Cut off the handles, and rig a bridle, one from each of the top of the blades (lowering rope). rig a lift rope from the center hinged mechanism to lift it from the well. Lower it to the bottom,then raise it 4 or 5' and drop it. The weight will drive it into the muck at the bottom which is peppered with gold rings and valuable coins. Joe

 

[ZoSo71]

Get an old post hole digger

Agree...

Good Luck

ZoSo71

 

[Dirt Fishin Dale]

Huh, lose a bunch of weight and dive in?
Ya post hole digger thing sounds better.

 

[acedigger]

Heres what I came up with. I will attach a picture tomorrow. I bought a small metal bucket and poured about 2" of concrete in it. I placed an Eye bolt coming out of the bottom. This will be where I tie a rope to lower it down.
Next I have tied another rope to the handle to bring it back up.
Hopefully the weight and gravity will allow the bucket to sink a little and using the other rope I can sorta scoop the mud into the bucket.

I am going to try this on Sunday and see if it works. Who knows whats in there. Our family has owned the place since 1950 and nobody in the family ever knew it was there. You would almost have to be lost to find the thing.

 

[JOE(USA)]

acedigger,

I don't really think that will work,but by all means try it. I don't think your bucket will be heavy enough to "dig" into the mud. Remember if it lands completely upside down it will not dig in unless you provide some air holes so the air comes out when the mud tries to go in. Joe

 

[acedigger]

acedigger,

I don't really think that will work,but by all means try it. I don't think your bucket will be heavy enough to "dig" into the mud. Remember if it lands completely upside down it will not dig in unless you provide some air holes so the air comes out when the mud tries to go in. Joe

Thats an interesting point. Maybe I should drill some air holes along the side so the forced air can escape. I think its gonna be a trial and error type of deal but it will be fun.

Thanks for the input.

 

[thompy]

i would make a clam bucket, lower it with one rope, and pull it up with the other that closses the jaws

 

[Montana Jim]

Ice fishing auger

 

[kdfritton]

OK !! Here it is..Take and make a device like a small umbrella only out of silk and stainless steel rods . when open it should be about 18 inches around and have a point and same shape as an umbrella. anyway this umbrella is attached to pvc pipe. it is then placed into the hole,pushed through the mud, when you pull it back it opens and scoops out the mudd. so you only have to ram this sucker into thge hole about 200 times pulling it up and dumping it to clear the hole of mudd. Then you only have to figure out how to md the very bottom of the hole...Good luck..I actually laid in bed awake for 2 hours last nite trying to figure out this one...Dan

 

[boogeyman]

small generator
shop vac
long hose & a piece of PVC pipe
flour sifter or deep fryer basket

Buy or rent a generator if you don't have one. Get a shop vac add a hose extension with a piece of PVC pipe slightly smaller than the ID of the hose (to prevent plug ups). Suck out mud until tank fills up, dump through sifter to catch small goodies (if any) Repeat as needed.

 

[acedigger]

small generator
shop vac
long hose & a piece of PVC pipe
flour sifter or deep fryer basket

Buy or rent a generator if you don't have one. Get a shop vac add a hose extension with a piece of PVC pipe slightly smaller than the ID of the hose (to prevent plug ups). Suck out mud until tank fills up, dump through sifter to catch small goodies (if any) Repeat as needed.

This sounds like a good idea. I wonder if a regular shop vac would actually have enough suction to pull the material up that far?

I went out to the well today and unfortunately the well was dry so no mud to sift through. I tried the bucket and I think it will work but I am gonna have to wait till it rains to get some mud.

Thanks for everyones ideas and have a Merry Christmas.

 

[boogeyman]

How deep are you talking about? I've pulled "funk" out of a 10' deep abandoned pool with a Ridgid shop vac.

Second question how far is it away from a water source? close enough to maybe run a garden hose or two or three or four?

 

[EDDE]

lower one of those fishing cameras with a monitor on it
slowly as to not to stir up the goo on the bottom see if it even worth it(unless you know something we dont ? )
put a good light source on it 8)

 

[acedigger]

lower one of those fishing cameras with a monitor on it
slowly as to not to stir up the goo on the bottom see if it even worth it(unless you know something we dont ? )
put a good light source on it 8)

I have thought about sending my camcorder down with a flashlight taped to it just to see if there is anything down there. For all I know it could be filled with wire and trash. I am gonna try this sometime this week. I am off till the 2nd plus the weather is nice so hopefully it will be successful.

I wish I knew more about this well. If it was full of coins I would have already hired a small person to go down.
Hopefully the old church people got scared by Indians and threw all their gold down there. HAHA

Well have a Merry Christmas and happy hunting.

 

[TooManyHobbies]

Expect a bunch of bones. It's a great spot for small animals to crawl into to get a drink, but then get stuck and die.
I would go with the generator, shop vac route. Hope it's worth your time.