Hand Dug Well Erosion

1,851 Views | 3 Replies | Last: 5 yr ago by Satellite of Love
Maximus_Meridius
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I'm not really sure if this is or Outdoors is the better place for this, but I'm gonna start here.

I live in PA, and in the back of my yard there is an old, hand dug water well. Nobody's really sure how old it is, though the local historical society believes it could be from around the Revolutionary period. Not really sure how you prove something like that, but definitely a cool thing if true.


I apologize about the hideous grate on top, that was the previous owner's attempt to put a covering over it so his grandkids wouldn't fall down the well. I'm gonna fix it one of these days...

Unfortunately, it seems that the soil is beginning to move around and wash away. You can see in the foreground that there is (I think) an old tree root system starting to come up from underground.



Even more disturbing is that the soil around one area of the well is starting to erode away



If you look closely near the wall of the well, you can see that there is a separation between the surrounding soil and the well wall developing. I suspect that it might have something to do with a small hole in the side of the well wall (you can see the daylight below)


But I'm not sure that's enough to really cause the damage I'm seeing. My concern is that this is going to destabilize the well and cause it to collapse. Not only would that potentially be a loss of some history, it would also leave a colossal hole in my yard that I'd have to deal with. Furthermore, the well is actually dug on top of a spring that feeds two ponds adjacent to a state park. There is a LOT of wildlife that visit these ponds; ducks, geese, blacktail deer, foxes, and even a bear or two. So I don't wanna screw that up.

So I need some ideas on how to stabilize the situation. I am thinking a silicone construction adhesive will seal the hole in the rock, to that closes that off. But I'm not really sure what to do about the separation between the soil and the well. I'm worried that pouring a bag of cement there would be too much weight (then again, these stones are friggin' heavy), but I don't want to just pour topsoil down the hole because it'll probably just wash out again.

Any ideas? Has anyone dealt with stuff similar to this before?
will.mcg
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Maybe try Ask This Old House??
AgCWby90CS
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Given the historical significance, I would think you would want to have it repointed and thereby enable the structure to last a lot longer. An experienced stone mason or even the Stone House Revival host Jeff Devlin in Buck County, PA
CWby '90
sts7049
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
will.mcg said:

Maybe try Ask This Old House??


i think this is a good idea.

Satellite of Love
How long do you want to ignore this user?
sts7049 said:

will.mcg said:

Maybe try Ask This Old House??


i think this is a good idea.



Ditto
bad_teammate said on 2/10/21:
Just imagine how 1/6 would've played out if DC hadn't had such strict gun laws.

Two people starred his post as of the time of this signature. Those 3 people are allowed to vote in the US.
Refresh
Page 1 of 1
 
×
subscribe Verify your student status
See Subscription Benefits
Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial.