Spring house worth the risk?

Jimmi · May 6, 2013

I got permission to detect and old 1800's spring house. But..... I checked it out yesterday . Its in a super dense thicket of trees and briars. The trees are literally about 2 foot apart ... It's gonna be a root nightmare ,add to it the briars .. I can deal with that.
It's a two story structure. Underneath it's like a cave with stone walls and nearly 2 foot deep with water. All tbe windows and doors and God knows what else is on the floor u der the water ... There are also frogs everywhere n a perfect place for snakes .
So my question is is it worth the risk putting on waders and trying not to trip or step on glass or snakes to detect under there ? Would there have been alot of activity going on in there ... If it was always filled with water? From what I can see no ledges or anything .. Just a water pit.. Also it's nearly pitch black .. I'll crap myself in there.. But if you all think it's worth the risk , I'll give it a go.

Rawhide · May 6, 2013

Not alone. May borrow a sump pump and small generator. Where you find frogs, you will find snakes, and all sorts of other things. There is a market for old door knobs and fixtures from a house like this. But you want to detect the cellar it sounds like? I think I would just do the outside around the house, trying to imagine the yard and pic nics and such. I would also try under the steps and the walls, under vanitys, and all the floors I felt was safe enough to stand on. Rafters too made good hiding spots. With trees so thick, you may just have to give up on this one. Maybe concentrate on the road into the house, if you can still find it. Good Luck.

Gator Trapper · May 6, 2013

I was in a simple Chicken coup the other day scratching my head as the unit was constantly chirping with all the nails, alum. siding and odds and ends setting it off - can't imagine adding to that the dark Snake pit from heck!!! Proceed with caution...

wvwildman · May 6, 2013

no i wouldnt do it not worth getting hurt hunt around outside and around the building take ya some pruning shears to cut the roots

nsdq · May 6, 2013

i would do it, the spring you will never drain if it is like my spring house flows 24/7 365 at 42 degrees

cudamark · May 6, 2013

Like Casca mentioned, I'd hunt it if you could pump out the water. Otherwise, I'd not bother. The chances of anything good in there are slim at best.

Jimmi · May 6, 2013

Casca , no it's just a spring house. The house it went to sits way back somewhere. The property the spring is on is my brother in law's. his house is only like 60 years old.
Yes being a running spring, it'd never drain fully.. Plus I'd end up killing alot of tadpoles and who knows what else in the process, I couldn't do that.
If I go in , I'm going in with waders . However I just realized .... I'd be sticking my hand down in God knows what to feel around . I know it's gonna be a signal nightmare ... Maybe I'll go in and stick to the few areas that have have a little light peeking through .
But if a freakin 6 foot rat snake comes swimming past me .. It's safe to say I'd come out of their grey.
One on one out in the open I'm creeped but okay with em... In a cave .. Not so much

Actually made friends with Arthur last year , he lived in our wood pile . Found him injured later on

on the road . Put him on heating pad and all, but he died

adaminnh · May 6, 2013

Hell noooo! I wouldnt go in there! I'd deal with the roots outside. Secluded + darkness+wetness=im outta here!

Peyton Manning · May 6, 2013

stick to outside first and see if you find anything

dieselram94 · May 6, 2013

I would drop a strong magnet in the water and fish with that. I would have to check it out, nothing ventured nothing gained...
Just be careful as always and get pictures! LOL!

TerryC · May 6, 2013

Go for it! At least around the house.The harder the situation tries to keep me out.... the harder I try to find something! TTC

Peyton Manning · May 6, 2013

checked my coins the other day, they say ' in TerryC you should trust'

Frankn · May 6, 2013

I have a spring house that I use for my water supply. It is an artesian spring. My floor is concrete. It was re done many years back. The walls are 2' thick stone. My water comes out of an app. 6" dia hole in the rock below. The water is 58 all year long.
I do not think you will find anything in there. Spring houses were water sources and thus kept clean and clear of junk. I have black snakes but no poison types. Just about 1 mile away in PA. it is loaded with copperheads. Be careful if you choose to investigate it. Frank...

Never more!

Jimmi · May 6, 2013

Ya know , good point. Why would you crap up your water source with junk. But around the spring might be a treasure trove... Sure wish I had a pin pointer .

WVPapaw · May 6, 2013

Jimmi said:
I got permission to detect and old 1800's spring house. But..... I checked it out yesterday . Its in a super dense thicket of trees and briars. The trees are literally about 2 foot apart ... It's gonna be a root nightmare ,add to it the briars .. I can deal with that.
It's a two story structure. Underneath it's like a cave with stone walls and nearly 2 foot deep with water. All tbe windows and doors and God knows what else is on the floor u der the water ... There are also frogs everywhere n a perfect place for snakes .
So my question is is it worth the risk putting on waders and trying not to trip or step on glass or snakes to detect under there ? Would there have been alot of activity going on in there ... If it was always filled with water? From what I can see no ledges or anything .. Just a water pit.. Also it's nearly pitch black .. I'll crap myself in there.. But if you all think it's worth the risk , I'll give it a go.

I would recommend that you not go alone. Take your hubby in case you have trouble and need assistance. You don't want to be out there alone and get snake bit or twist an ankle and be unable to get out.

kevin hoffman · May 6, 2013

search around it , people went there everyday before running water

TerryC · May 6, 2013

jeff-gordon said:
checked my coins the other day, they say ' in TerryC you should trust'

God-like idolism will not be tolerated by me... a simple pat on the back will suffice. (tnx) TTC

WVPapaw · May 7, 2013

Jimmi said:
Ya know , good point. Why would you crap up your water source with junk. But around the spring might be a treasure trove... Sure wish I had a pin pointer .

I just got an idea of a great place to go metal detecting. When we lived In Butler county, PA. There was a spring along a road that everyone in area used as drinking water source. People were always filling water jugs from pipe sticking out of hillside. I bet many coins were dropped while doing their daily ritual. I don't think I ever went past it without seeing people getting water there.

nsdq · May 9, 2013

good luck hope it werks out fer ya

DeepseekerADS · May 9, 2013

The water at my farm still comes from a spring house, and every several years I have to replace the pump. The spring house dates back to my families settlement of the land sometime after 1730.

The water is GREAT!!! And it invites the bear, deer, frogs, and COPPERHEADS!

And to replace the pump, I essentially have to crawl into it. Oh, you betcha I spend at least a 1/2 hour looking with a long stick in my hand hitting the leaves and undergrowth before I even approach it

And did I mention the size of the spiders?

I've searched around it, need to search some more....

The key word here is CAUTION!