Do-it-yourself log house for a well, step-by-step instructions. DIY wooden well

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shovels;
sledgehammer;
saws;
axe;
gas analyzer;
mask;
bucket.

Choosing a place for a well

The correct location of the well will provide good quality water and also preserve nearby buildings.

If it is located too close to the house, then there is a high probability of the foundation subsiding or cracks appearing due to soil washing out. This happens especially often with small wells. Therefore, you need to start building a well at a distance of at least 5 m from any permanent buildings (country house, bathhouse, barn, etc.). And the best option would be 20 m.

The primary importance of determining the location is the presence of a groundwater aquifer with maximum flow rate. In the old days, folk craftsmen determined this using a “vine” or a wire frame, but this did not give one hundred percent certainty. And in the absence of construction experience, this task will become simply impossible for a novice master.

Today, it is enough to contact the nearest hydrological organization, whose specialists will quickly determine the best place for a well on the site. This gives an absolute guarantee that efforts to arrange a water supply using a well will not be in vain.

The best time of year to dig a well with your own hands

The best time for excavation work to construct a well is from June to September. During this period, there is the greatest depth of the aquifer level. If spring is late, you should not start digging in June. It is worth waiting 30 days after the snow melts and the spring flood goes away.

At the right time, the upper water layers will be depleted, which will eliminate difficulties when digging a well shaft. An inexperienced excavator may mistake such layers for groundwater, and when he reaches the first signs of water, he will consider that the whole job is done. After which there will be disappointment, since there will not be a drop in the well. To correct this situation, the mine will have to be deepened.

Necessary materials for cutting a well

The frame of wooden wells is made from logs of various types of wood. The most resistant and durable type of wood is oak, which has only one, but significant drawback: it gives the water bitterness and a brown color. Time rids water of these properties, and it becomes suitable for use.

To eliminate the negative effects of oak on water, it is necessary to stain it before starting to build a well frame. This method has been known since ancient times.

The technology of staining oak logs is a long process that requires a flowing natural source of water, such as a river. The longer the logs remain in water, the better the quality of oak wood becomes. This process can take 100 years or more.

A well log does not require such a long period of staining; 1-2 years will be enough for it. This period will give the wood the effect of leaching out tannins, which cause the water to turn brown and impart a bitter taste. The staining process also gives additional strength. But such a process is not possible for everyone, since it is difficult to find a suitable place to achieve these goals.

The process of staining oak logs:

Selected logs must be cleared of bark, all knots must be cut off without cutting off the log, as in this case the surface layer of the wood will be damaged.
The processed logs must be cut to the required length, which will correspond to the dimensions of the well frame.
On the surface it is necessary to assemble the frame of the well, while numbering each log. If the depth of the future well does not make it possible to make a log house, the assembly is divided into several parts of 2 m each.
Now you need to dismantle the frame, drowning each log in running river water for 1-2 years for staining.
When the staining period has expired, it is necessary to remove the logs from the water, storing them in stacks under a canopy in a place protected from sunlight and drafts.
After the moraine logs have dried, you should begin digging a well and assembling the frame according to the markings.

The approach to choosing wood is based on whether it will come into contact with water or not. It is necessary to take into account the fact that woody nature has different lifespans, which depend on its location. If the crown is constantly in the water, the service life increases, and if the well frame hangs over the water surface, it decreases.

The most easily accessible and common materials for logs:

birch;
willow;
larch;
alder;
aspen;
pine.

The best way to select logs for a log house is considered to be a combined one. For example, for the underwater part - aspen or pine, and for the surface part - larch. With this combination, the service life of the well frame will be about 20 years.

Logs for building a well should:

be cleared of bark, but not trimmed in diameter;
free from rot, dust, places infested with insects, as well as foreign unpleasant odors;
have a diameter from 180 to 200 mm;
not have deviations in diameter exceeding 10 mm per 1 m of log length;
be resistant to moisture and water;
do not color the water in the well or give it an extraneous taste;
not be treated with antiseptics or other chemicals.

How to make a well with your own hands?

Before you start digging a well shaft, you must choose a method for cutting the well frame. The underground part is usually made by connecting a beam or log into a “paw”, into a “bowl without residue” or into a “half-tree”, since the protruding parts of the logs interfere with the insertion of the log into the well shaft and create additional difficulties. The above-ground part of the log house is made using any types of connections that are used when assembling logs or profiled beams.

First, the well shaft and clay castle are marked, which will prevent surface water from penetrating into the well. Next, a shaft is dug to the maximum possible depth, as a rule, this parameter is 1.5-2 m.

To make it easier to excavate the earth, remove accumulated water and raise and lower workers, it is necessary to make a temporary winch or pulley on a tripod.

Step-by-step instructions for further work on building a well with your own hands:

In a separate place, you need to make a log house with the number of crowns, which must correspond to the depth of the dug shaft. Caulking of the log house is not done due to the rapid decay and spoilage of water in the well. The fit of logs must be very careful. The gaps are made so that soil, plant rotting products and other unnecessary substances cannot pass through them. Each crown must be connected to adjacent wooden dowels. Now temporary boards should be nailed to the crowns inside the assembled part of the log house in a vertical position so that the log house cannot be deformed during the process of driving it into the shaft.
The assembled part of the log house must be carefully inserted into the dug shaft, avoiding excessive spillage from the walls of the shaft.
Undermine a niche located under the lower crown of each log, and then lay wooden supports from the remains of the logs into it. To hold the log house firmly on the supports, it should be lowered using a sledgehammer along the upper rim through the wooden beams.
Next, you need to select the soil under the remaining parts of the lower crown and make a hole in the middle with your own hands to remove the soil during the subsequent settling of the log house and removing accumulated water from it.
Now you need to remove the supports from under the crowns so that the frame settles to the bottom of the pit. If it is difficult to lower, you should hit it with a sledgehammer.
Subsequent work consists of repeating points 3 and 5. Depending on the force of subsidence of the log house, a new part of the log house is built up to a depth. This is done until the inclined volume of water makes further undermining of the soil impossible.
If the well frame is stuck so that it does not go lower, assembly is carried out by building up the lower crown in the direction from top to bottom. This is done by undermining the soil and installing new logs in the lower crown.
When a large volume of water has accumulated in the hole at a depth at the level of the ground aquifer, further assembly of the log house with your own hands is stopped. It is necessary to pump out all the water from the pit using a submersible pump or scoop it out with buckets, and then install a new lower crown.
If this method does not help, and the required depth of the well is not achieved, you will have to make the lower crown from elongated logs, which are called pledges. The pledges play the role of supporting elements with the help of which the entire frame is supported, this prevents it from falling down. After this, you need to lower a wooden box made of thick boards inside the log house. Having removed the water and soil from the pit, it is necessary to settle it to the bottom border of the well, taking into account the further filling of a layer of sand and gravel at the bottom. To place collateral for a log house, you need to select a niche for the protruding parts in the shaft.
After installing the wooden box, you should begin pumping water out of it, leveling the bottom and filling in the filter layers: coarse sand, gravel and crushed stone. This is done to prevent the water from becoming cloudy when agitated while using the well.
The last stage of excavation work is digging a pit around the well to a depth of 1 m with a distance of 1 m from the walls of the well. Next, rich clay is poured into it and thoroughly compacted. This will become a barrier against surface water.
It is necessary to build a concrete blind area with a slope towards the well so that precipitation does not leak under the frame.
Subsequent work consists of arranging the above-ground part of the well.
In order to protect the well from precipitation, you need to build a gable canopy that covers the well by 400-500 mm on each side, or build a closed booth.
To allow year-round use of the well, it is necessary to close it with two opening wooden covers. In winter, thermal insulation is installed between them.
A gate for lifting water is installed.

Safety precautions when digging a well with your own hands

When digging a well to great depths, harmful gases accumulate in the mine, which at best lead to loss of consciousness or suffocation, and at worst to death. This occurs due to the rotting of plants and various organic substances, which release methane, which acts not only as an asphyxiant, but also as a flammable and explosive chemical. In addition to methane, it contains gases such as hydrogen sulfide and ether.

To avoid dangerous consequences, you should follow safety precautions:

Before descending, you should check the gas contamination of the mine. This can be done by throwing a bunch of burnt straw, tow or rolled paper into it. If the mine contains a large amount of gases, the beam will flare up strongly or erupt in the entire volume of accumulated gas, which makes this method unsafe. In addition to this method, there is a more optimal and safe one, which occurs using a gas analyzer. This device will determine gas contamination with high accuracy;
If you don’t have a gas analyzer, you will have to work with a burning candle. Visual control of the flame will give a signal to take the necessary safety measures, including evacuation from the mine. A sharp change in the flame intensity towards decreasing or increasing gives a signal to leave the place of work;
checking for gas contamination by throwing burning objects is prohibited. If you nevertheless decide to resort to this method at your own peril and risk, then you should move 1-2 m away from the possible source of fire;
it is possible to descend into the shaft only after harmful gases have been removed, by displacing them upward with fresh air. To do this, you should use an air compressor, fan or vacuum cleaner with air supplied through a hose that goes down to the bottom of the shaft;
if gases are not completely removed, you should work in a gas mask, with a hose connected to it with a fresh air supply from outside, but no more than 10 minutes per lowering. In this case, you need to equip yourself with a belt with a strong rope, which will allow you to quickly climb out;
the soil must be removed with a bucket that rises outward under the action of a pulley or gate. Be sure to keep an eye on the bucket and rope to avoid falling down. It is necessary to ensure the reliability of the load lifting structure in order to avoid the failure of the bucket filled with soil;
the person working below must wear a construction helmet or other similar headgear;
Particular care should be taken to monitor working conditions at depths greater than 5 m. There must be mandatory safety nets. An assistant located outside must monitor the condition of the person working in the mine. At the first signs of suffocation, nausea, dizziness and weakness, immediate evacuation should be carried out;
If a large influx of water prevents you from digging a well, and it cannot be removed, you should stop digging the mine. This problem is a signal that the depth of the well has reached the optimal level, and that its bottom is in the ground aquifer. At the top of the bottom of the mine there is a layer of water of 1-1.5 m.

It cannot be assumed that without experience in the construction of this wooden water source, the process will go without a hitch the first time. It is best to have an assistant who has knowledge and experience in constructing wooden wells. Or take professional advice.

The trunk of a country well can be formed from different materials: brick, stone, reinforced concrete rings or logs. The first three are durable structures that will last as long as water flows into the well from the aquifer. Wooden wells are a tradition, an echo of antiquity, when in Rus' wood was the most accessible and cheapest material. We must pay tribute that wooden well structures are not uncommon. And today there are lovers of antiquity who give their preference to logs rather than concrete. Of course, such wells will not last for many years, but it all depends on the wood from which they are constructed.

Some types of wood have antiseptic properties that prevent the proliferation of microorganisms and harmful bacteria. Such a well will not only last a long time, but will also keep the water fresh and safe for health. Much attention is paid to drying the wood. For the construction of a log house, materials with minimal moisture should be used. This will ensure that the joints between the logs are sealed when the wood gets wet. Therefore, if you decide to use a log house to strengthen the mine, you should take care of the materials before you start.

But the most interesting thing is the design of the well trunk made of logs. In fact, this is an ordinary log house that can be assembled without a single nail. True, inside the well shaft there are their own laws and their own loads, so the connection between the elements of the log house must be not only a connection, but also fasteners. Most often, ordinary metal staples are used for this.

Section of a rectangular wooden well

The structure of the log house itself is a wooden shaft of rectangular cross-section; round wooden wells are rare. We can say that a circle is a polygon. On the one hand, the rectangular shape facilitates the construction process, on the other, it creates certain difficulties. But everything is in order.

Wooden well construction technology

Let's start with the construction technology, because this is the main stage. Without understanding how a well is built from timber or logs, it is impossible to understand the nuances relating to its construction. Therefore, a step-by-step technology of how a well is dug and how a wooden trunk is formed.

Let's not talk about where to dig a well. Let us indicate only the main parameters. It is better to build a well 20 m from the foundation of the house. The distance from sewer wells, septic tanks and cesspools should not be less than 30 m. Most often, wooden wells are built with a square section with a side of 70-150 cm, for which logs with a diameter of 18-22 cm are used.

Location of the well on a summer cottage

Attention! The log house must be assembled in such a way that its corners do not protrude beyond the walls of the structure themselves. This is necessary so that the wooden structure fits freely into the dug shaft without touching the corners of the shaft walls.
The first step is to dig a shaft no more than 2 m deep.
A frame is assembled from logs on the ground. Its height should exceed the depth of the shaft by three crowns. The crown is one row of logs laid in a horizontal plane. To prevent the wooden structure from moving apart, it is necessary to install temporary fasteners from the inside. For example, you can fasten all the crowns with boards, nailing them to the logs.
After which the resulting square-section structure must be lowered into the shaft. To do this, you can use any lifting mechanisms, or you can do everything yourself. It is important that when descending, you must ensure that the log house does not destroy the walls of the well shaft.

Log house in the mine
Now we need to go down and start digging out the soil from inside the well. That is, in this case, the technology of sinking wells is used, when the soil is removed from the bottom of the structure, and at the same time the structure itself, forming the trunk, is independently lowered deeper. As for the well frame, it is necessary to take into account the fact that these are not reinforced concrete rings, so the technology for lowering it here is completely different.
First, soil is excavated over an area free from the walls of the structure. That is, in the middle. The digging depth is 20-30 cm. Then the soil is removed from under the walls in the middle, without touching at the corners. Next, wedges are installed under the walls to keep them hanging. After which you can remove the soil from under the corners of the log house. All that remains is to knock out the wedges. Thus, the log house will drop lower.
At the same time, as necessary, the crowns are built up from above.
And this process continues until the well reaches the aquifer.

Attention! If digging a well using the pull-down technology is carried out in loose soils, then there is always the possibility that the structure may get stuck in the shaft. Therefore, if such a situation occurs, you will have to besiege the wooden structure with a sledgehammer.

It is surprising that, despite modern trends that occur in all areas of human activity, the construction of wooden wells has remained virtually unchanged for many centuries. Even when forming a well trunk from reinforced concrete rings, I mean with your own hands, in loose soils exactly the same technology is used.

Ready frame for a well

How to assemble a log house correctly

When talking about building a wooden well with your own hands, you cannot omit the issue of assembling the log house itself. As mentioned above, the structure should be such that its corners do not protrude beyond the walls. Therefore, a special assembly technology is chosen, which is called “in the paw”. Firstly, in this way the above requirement is met. Secondly, this is the most economical option, because the logs are fitted in the corners of the structure with minimal consumption. But this design also has its drawback - it is the high labor intensity of manufacturing the ends of the logs. Here it is very important to accurately mark so that the elements of the log structure are connected into a single line, both vertically and horizontally.

Pay attention to the photo below, it shows the configuration of the end of the log, which you will need to form with your own hands. Not the simplest form, but if you take into account the marking rules, then this will not be a big problem. In addition, it is important to use a good cutting tool that will allow you to easily cut the wood to any depth.

The end of a log frame “in the paw”

It is very important to understand the fact that the accuracy of marking and the accuracy of cutting are in the future an indicator of the tightness of the entire structure as a whole. Therefore, there are certain sizes shown in the photo, which are related to each other by exact ratios. For example, if logs with a diameter of 180 mm are selected for a log house, then the remaining parameters will be equal: a = 127 mm, b = 95 mm, c = 64 mm, f = 32 mm.

In this case, the final result should be as shown in the figure below. It clearly shows that the logs are connected to each other with a special wooden spike. This is usually done only in log buildings. For wooden wells, this is not necessary, because the crowns of the structure will be fastened together with metal brackets. And this is another plus of the “hands-on” log house. Because making through holes of rectangular cross-section in logs is very difficult.

The assembled log house “in the paw”

As already mentioned, the most difficult thing is to make the markings. Only an experienced craftsman can do this without any problems with his own hands, using a simple measuring tool. Inexperienced craftsmen are recommended to make a template from cardboard, which is applied to the log, and along which cutting lines are drawn.

By the way, the paw profiles shown in the photos above are not standard. There are many configurations that help build the necessary frame for a well. In this case, you need to know that the external section of the paw should be larger than the internal one. As for the tool used to trim the wooden elements of a log structure, previously they used ordinary saws; today, more and more often, you can see electric or gasoline saws in the hands of craftsmen.

How logs are joined into a paw

In principle, there is nothing complicated in this technology if the ends of the logs were cut to the required dimensions. The main thing is to create a tight seal between the crowns. Therefore, the lower planes of the logs must be cut lengthwise, that is, to create a plane that will adjoin the rounded surface of the lower crown log. That is, when assembling the log house, you should get a connection like the one in the photo below.

Connecting logs in a log house

It is believed that an oval groove is the best option for a sealed joint between two elements. And the larger the “S” size, that is, the width of the groove, the tighter the connection. The rules for selecting a groove are quite simple.

An oval size is applied from the end of the log, which determines the width and depth of the cut.
Next, parallel lines are drawn along the log, defining the future cut.
A cut-in is made along the marked lines using a gas or electric saw. It should not be straight, but in a circle, thereby forming a rounded surface of the groove.
Now longitudinal cuts are made every 20-40 cm, taking into account the depth of the groove.
And the last thing is removing the wood from the groove. To do this, it is best to use a special tool - an adze. In the photo below it is shown in the hands of a master.
Be sure to control the shape of the groove using a template (pattern).

Cutting a groove in logs

In fact, making a well frame with your own hands is not so easy. But, using an electric or chainsaw, you can simplify the process to a minimum. And, of course, an important component is the dimensions and their precise application. Today, in a period of huge variety of lumber on offer, you don’t have to use logs. As practice shows, modern wooden wells (photo below) are increasingly assembled from timber.

If they are made using high-precision equipment, then these are exact dimensions, these are verified contact planes, which do not form gaps when connected. And for a well this is the most important component, plus ease of joining. If the well is made of timber, then there is no need to carry out complex processes associated with adjusting the crowns to each other. Moreover, there is no need to cut grooves and other elements. Of course, this does not apply to the ends that are cut “to the paw”.

Log house for a well made of timber

Wood for cutting a well

There are certain requirements regarding the quality and type of wood used. Firstly, it should be noted that the beams and logs must be of high quality, that is, without a large number of knots, without rot and mold, without resin secretions, cracks and shells. Any defect under water or in areas with high humidity reduces the life of the wood. And a well is just such an object.

Secondly, wood should not spoil the taste or color of the water in the well. Thirdly, logs and timber cannot be treated with any protective agents. Everything should be natural. Fourthly, it is prohibited to close cracks and gaps with natural, and even more so, synthetic sealants. Wood in water will swell over time, this will ensure high tightness of the joints.

Fifthly, it is necessary to choose a type of wood that will last a long time. For example, oak is the strongest material that can be used as a frame for a well for 35-40 years. True, this tree will release tannins into the water, which will color it and give it a specific taste. Therefore, most often, material from bog oak is laid in the underwater part of the well, and from ordinary oak in the surface part. By the way, stained oak is the most expensive material. You can make it yourself by placing logs in running water and keeping them there for 2-3 years. Afterwards, the material is placed under a canopy, where it dries to 15-20% humidity. Bog oak is dark in color and contains no tannins.

Bog oak

As for other types of wood, such as larch, pine, cedar, they also cope well with the negative effects of water and humidity. Their maximum service life in underwater space is up to 35 years, in surface space no more than 25 years. Beech, elm and even ash also do not affect the quality of the aquifer. But they quickly fail, especially those located above the surface of the water in the wet space of the well. Air and humidity turn them into dust. Therefore, many craftsmen try to combine them with types of wood, placing species that do not do well in the air down under water, and installing crowns of durable logs above the water.

Attention! It is better not to build log houses from birch, willow or alder. These trees make the water not potable. If the water in such wells is rarely used, it goes out.

Wooden well head

The trunk of a wooden structure rises 70-150 cm above ground level. The head of the well is assembled in the same way as the entire underground part, in the form of a log house. Purely structurally, this is a good, durable structure that will protect the well itself from the negative conditions of its operation: precipitation, wind with dust, autumn foliage, birds and animals. But, as life shows, the upper visible part of the well is not always a frame made of logs or beams. The head can be easily finished, making it a real work of art.

There are no restrictions in terms of finishing; fortunately, everything is easily attached to the wood. The most important thing is the tightness of the barrel. Therefore, it is recommended to install a canopy in the form of a roof or a full-fledged house over the well. This will provide protection from precipitation, sunlight and debris. Be sure to install a lid on the neck. If possible, it is better to make a fence around the wooden well from large animals. In principle, a low wooden fence (picket) will cope with this task.

All photos from the article

Perhaps, any owner of a suburban area can make a fully functional and decorative wooden well with his own hands. Of course, in any case, there is a lot of work to be done, but with a responsible approach we will get, at a minimum, a spectacular decoration for our yard, and, at a maximum, an autonomous source of clean water.

Underground part

Selecting a location

Before starting construction, we need to understand whether it is possible to get to water on our site with acceptable labor costs, or will we have to install a decorative log house and get water from the main water supply or a well.

There are two ways to solve this issue:

The safest thing to do is order a hydrogeological analysis of the site. Experts, having analyzed the location of the well site and carried out exploratory drilling, will be able to predict the depth of the upper aquifer, its capacity and the quality of the resulting water.
This method has one significant drawback - the extremely high price.. That is why, most often, owners of country houses simply interview their neighbors, asking at what depth the water lies in their wells and whether it is safe to drink.

Note!
When analyzing your neighbors' answers, you need to make allowances for differences in the height of your plots: it is quite possible that you will have to dig a few meters more or less just because of a slight difference in the relief.

However, if both options do not suit you, but you are sure that there should be water on the site, then you should try to get to it.

Wherein:

It is best to dig a well in places where the relief is low - this way we will reduce labor costs for excavating large volumes of soil.
If there are already cesspools or septic tanks on the site, it is best to locate the well as far as possible from them.
Most often, the upper aquifers are tied to layers of clay, which acts as an aquifer, so the scale of future work can be assessed on nearby cliffs or on the walls of ravines.

And yet, trying to find water without exploring and analyzing wells located in the immediate vicinity is a gamble with minimal chances of success. That is why, in such a situation, experts recommend building antique decorative wooden wells, which are a log house installed above a shallow pit.

Digging and arrangement

If there is water on the site and we have chosen a place, then we wait until summer and start digging a well shaft. It is better to get to work during the dry period - this way we will not be disturbed by excessive soil moisture.

We dig a mine like this:

We apply markings to the site under the well itself, as well as under the clay castle - an area around the perimeter of the source, which will protect the water inside from reverse filtration and precipitation through the ground.
Then we start excavating the soil, going deeper by about 2 - 2.5 m. If the set of parts for the log house is already ready, then we install the lower crowns in the hole, after which we begin to deepen it, gradually increasing the log house from above.

Important!
The methodology for preparing parts and assembling a log house will be described in the corresponding section.

We continue this way until we reach the aquifer and go deep into it. Since we carry out the work in the summer, the water level will be extremely low, which means that throughout the year the water will be much higher and we will have a sufficient supply of liquid.
If water accumulates in the hole, it will have to be scooped out. In this case, we use a thick wooden box to deepen it: we place it on the bottom, select the soil from the inside and lower the box below. We repeat the operations until the desired depth is achieved.

After this, we arrange the filter: we fill the bottom with coarse sand, gravel and coarse crushed stone in layers. If necessary, we place a disk of loosely knit aspen boards on top of the gravel filter - such a wooden cover on the well will reliably protect the hearth from silt and soil particles.

Construction details

Wood for felling

In order for the well shaft to last as long as possible, it must be reinforced with a frame made of logs. Moreover, both the service life of the structure and the quality of water depend on the choice of wood.

You can compare the available options in the table below:

Wood	Service life, years		Tendency to rot	Adding flavor
Wood	Underwater part	Surface part	Tendency to rot	Adding flavor
Birch	10	5	With periodic moisturizing
Elm	20	5	With periodic moisturizing
Oak	25 or more	20-25
Stained oak	50 or more	50 or more
Larch	25	20
Aspen	20	5
Alder	15	5	With periodic moisturizing
Pine	15	5		Bitterish, disappears over time

As you can see, oak is an ideal option. However, this wood is quite difficult to process with your own hands, and its cost is quite high. That is why well frames are often made from more affordable and easy-to-work aspen, alder or birch.

But it is better to protect relatively cheap pine from constant contact with water. For example, wooden covers for wells or exterior finishing parts can be made from pine boards, but nothing more.

Note!
As you can see from the table, over time the wood can rot.
Accordingly, at least once every three to four years it is necessary to conduct a full inspection of the walls of the well, promptly strengthening or replacing logs that have begun to rot.

The well is rightfully recognized as the optimal source for organizing an autonomous water supply. Its most attractive quality is rightfully considered to be its flow rate, which exceeds all available options. The well does not silt and does not require regular use like a well. Owners of country property may not visit their property for a long time, but the water supply will not decrease and the quality will not suffer at all. It can be cleaned without any problems. A home “digger” can even dig a well with his own hands if he has patience, at least one assistant and information about the rules for constructing a water supply source.

Starting preparation questions

It is advisable to start any work, including digging a well, with planning and thinking through the upcoming actions. A balanced assessment and preparation will eliminate unnecessary costs. In order for money and effort to be invested profitably, the future owner of a personal well needs to resolve a number of important issues.

The first question: to dig or not to dig?

It is advisable to begin the activity of constructing an individual water intake facility with an independent study of hydrogeological conditions. Naturally, we are not talking about drilling a “grid” of three to five exploration wells on a personal plot. What, in principle, can be done with a rented prefabricated drilling rig. Let's simply walk around the neighbors' properties and ask the owners:

what water source they use;
at what depth does the water “stand” in their wells or boreholes;
whether their water intake structures have sufficient flow rate.

At the same time, we will find out how much money was invested in the construction and arrangement of a well or borehole. And after collecting information, we will carefully consider the upcoming independent enterprise.

We can unconditionally rely on survey data only if all areas in the studied area are at approximately the same altitude level. If a dacha/cottage community is built in a hilly area or on a slope of a river bank, information about the hydrogeological conditions in neighboring areas will not allow you to get a real picture. In the best case, the depth of the aquifer will differ from the verbally explored figure; in the worst case, there may be no water at a depth suitable for digging a well.

Before figuring out where and how to dig a well, you should decide on the rationality of its construction. It is reasonable to dig it if the expected depth of the well shaft is within 10-15 m. In general, SNiP number 2.04.02-84 allows the depth of a mine well in loose layers to be up to 30 m. It’s just not worth investing your own efforts into digging such a deep excavation. It will be too difficult to lift the blade to the surface. It is cheaper and safer to order drillers with a drilling rig.

If not very clean water is suitable for supplying water to the bathhouse, the depth of the well can be only 5-7 m. By the way, it is not a fact that the water obtained even from an artesian well, when the excavation is deepened to 35 meters or more, will necessarily be of drinking grade. In any case, the quality and composition of groundwater must be checked by the SES. However, the upper aquifer, fed by the so-called perched water, is acceptable only for use for technical purposes. In addition, it is usually clogged with wastewater, fertilizers introduced into the upper soil layers along with precipitation, and technical fluids.

The second question: if you dig, where?

If we still prefer a well for the water supply of the bathhouse, we should decide on the location for its construction. It should be taken into account that the water intake facility:

should be removed from probable sources of pollution at a distance exceeding 25 m that is relatively safe for water quality. But the optimal distance is 50m. Sources of pollution include cesspools, landfills, latrines, etc.;
should be at least 8 m away from the foundation, preferably more. Otherwise, the flow of soil rushing into the well will gradually wash away the loose rock and weaken the soil under the foundation;
should be placed in a clean, dry, slightly elevated area.

It is advisable to locate the well at the highest possible point in the direction of groundwater flow. It is impossible to determine it by eye. You just need to get your bearings on the terrain: if the ground surface of the site has some slope, then it is better to choose a place for the well in the highest zone.

It is possible that 2-3 neighboring estates experience a similar need for a water intake structure. Then it makes sense to join forces and share financial costs. However, you need to take into account that for water supply from a well remote from the bathhouse, inspection analogues will be required. They are a narrow pit, with a depth just below the water supply branch. The bottom needs to be concreted, the walls should preferably be sheathed with boards or covered with bricks. Inspection wells are installed at every turn of the autonomous water supply system, as well as every 15 m of a straight water supply line. You can simply close them with a banal lid, decorate them with a bush of climbing roses or an interesting garden figurine.

In general, according to the beliefs of hydrogeologists, you can dig a well anywhere. There will still be water. The question is at what depth it will appear.

Third question: when to dig?

Definitely: digging a well should be done in late autumn. During the period when precipitation is minimal. At this time, the water level is close to its lowest values. In winter, of course, it is even lower, but the upper 0.5 -1.2 m of soil captured by frost will be difficult to break even with a hoe. The ground frozen to the depth of seasonal freezing will prevent the natural immersion and shrinkage of the well elements in the mine shaft. And it’s a little cold to work outside in freezing temperatures.

Summer and spring should initially be excluded from possible periods for digging. The water level reaches its peak in summer and rainy spring. You can “miss” and not dig to the required depth, calming down by receiving a sufficient volume of water. Such a well will become shallow in the autumn-winter season and will not cover the needs of the owners. In addition, if the groundwater table is as high as possible, it will be necessary to constantly pump out in order to ensure normal conditions for excavation work in the well shaft.

Well construction technology

In a simplified way, the digging technology can be described as deepening a mine opening into the ground with the simultaneous construction of walls. The walls of the well can be wooden, representing an ordinary log house, cut into a paw. Concrete rings provide a technological alternative to a log house. The construction of a well from them is much simpler and much faster, but to install the rings you will need a lift. For a shallow source of water intake, a concrete pipe is suitable, which can simply be lowered into a pre-dug pit, or a plastic corrugated analogue.

Most often, wells are now built from concrete rings. However, there are still many fans of environmentally friendly wooden water intakes. Let's look at the most popular methods and find out how to properly dig a reliable well with durable walls that do not allow surface runoff to pass through.

Option #1 - wooden well

A wooden well frame is traditionally assembled from crowns, using standard ones without residue, i.e. without angular bypasses extending beyond the outer outline. The part of the log house that is immersed in the ground and in contact with water is made from whole or split along alder, willow, and birch logs, because they do not affect, but even improve the quality of the produced water. Pine or oak timber is used to construct the above-water part because these types of wood can introduce a bitter taste. Oak is initially able to change the color of water, saturating it with tannins. But this fact can only be perceived as an initial obstacle to taking bath procedures.

To construct a log house, logs are taken with a diameter of 18 to 22 cm, the same size of plates chopped from logs is from 14 to 20 cm. It is difficult to calculate the number of crowns in advance, but you can “estimate” approximately. It depends on the depth of the planned excavation and the thickness of the material. The cracks between the rims of a well frame are not caulked, because the caulk quickly rots in water. But the underwater part of the log house does not deteriorate for 20 to 50 years, depending on the type of wood, because There is not enough oxygen under water for the development of putrefactive microorganisms. But the surface part, which is constantly in a moistened state, will need to be changed periodically during the long years of service of the wooden well.

Step-by-step instructions describing how to dig a wooden well for a bathhouse in a country house or on the territory of a personal plot:

we chop into the paw and assemble on the surface a part of the well frame from 3-7 crowns, taking into account that a rather heavy structure will need to be moved and lowered into the pit;
digging a pit approximately 1.5-2 m deep. The dimensions of the pit in plan should be slightly larger than the dimensions of the log house, so that there are no problems with its installation;
We install the finished part of the well frame into the pit, and check its horizontalness by installing a construction spirit level on the upper crown. If there is no horizontal position, we adjust the position of the structure by digging up the ground from below in the required place with a sapper shovel;
To lift the blade, we install a lifting tripod over the excavation. You can rent it or make it yourself from three logs, attaching a pulley block, gate or winch to the structure. The choice of lifting device must take into account that it will be necessary to lift not only the selected soil, but also the excavator;
We select the soil from inside the log house, first in the center of the shaft, then under the central parts of the logs. The corners of the structure at this time rest on the unselected ground;
We place pre-prepared supports-chocks under the walls, which should be equal in height;
While we are going deeper, our assistant chops and adds another 1 or 2 crowns on top. The number of crowns to be built up is determined after the fact;
We temporarily sew the frame together on the outside with a board, fasten the corners with staples or nailing down timber so that there are no distortions when lowering. We hammer nails into each crown;
Having dug the corners, we remove the supports so that the frame settles spontaneously;
We stimulate the “tight movement” of the log house in the body of the shaft by hitting the upper crown with a sledgehammer, having first placed cuttings of boards on its logs. If the structure rests against dense rock or “sits” at an angle on a boulder, we build up the crowns from below. We undermine the ground to the thickness of one log and sequentially install the elements of the crowns;
We repeat all the steps, following the given algorithm, until we “bring” the well frame to the aquifer. Digging a well most often stops in the sand. If the thickness, or thickness, of the aquifer is more than 3 meters, the base of the well should not rest against the underlying water-resistant layer so that water can freely penetrate into the water intake;
We pump out the water that appears in the well and continue to work on the front of increasing depth, without reaching the lower aquitard - clay, loam, rock;
We level the bottom of the well shaft and form a simple bottom filter by filling it with coarse sand, then gravel, and crushed stone or pebbles on top. The total backfill thickness is 40-50 cm. The bottom filter will prevent the water from becoming turbid;

It is impossible to predict in advance the flow rate and thickness of a water-saturated reservoir. If water flows in abundance, then the technology for constructing a wooden well will have to be changed somewhat. The well frame is then strengthened with collaterals - logs, the length of which is at least 50 cm longer than that of ordinary logs. Because The logs are longer than ordinary logs; stoves need to be dug in the walls of the shaft - depressions in the ground for their installation. You will need to go deeper using a box made of thick boards on the surface of the earth. The soil from the mine is removed until the work can be carried out.

According to the requirements of the above-mentioned SNiP, the above-ground part of the well should rise 80 cm above the ground. A clay castle is installed around the excavation, which will prevent surface runoff and atmospheric water from penetrating into the well. The depth of the castle, created from compacted clay or loam, is 1.5 m, width 0.5 -1.0 m.

Option #2 - a well made of concrete rings

There are no fundamental differences in the methods of constructing a wooden and concrete well. Construction is carried out in a similar lowering manner with a gradual build-up. The difference is that there is no need to cut down the log house. The work will go significantly faster and more fun. You just need to purchase the rings in advance, preferably with a tongue-and-groove type lock on the end circles. The diameter of suitable concrete rings ranges from 1m to 1.5m. The amount depends on the depth of the water intake. The lower water intake ring must have a factory filter in the wall.

A brief step-by-step instruction for those who decided to arrange a water supply for a bathhouse with water supplied from a concrete well:

we dig a mine without going deeper than 3m;
We install 2-3 rings at the bottom of the excavation, the first of which should have a filter. It is strongly recommended to treat the outer side of the concrete well shaft with a sealing compound;
For reliability, we connect the rings together with staples, bolts or pins. True, fastening rings is used mainly in cases where rings without a locking chamfer were purchased for construction. However, for your own peace of mind, you can strengthen it;
under the base of the lower ring we dig out 4 recesses into which we place bricks or lumps;
We dig in the space under the ring and lift the blade up. The concrete “pyramid” at this time rests on chocks;
we remove the supports so that the well trunk settles on its own;
We continue to go deeper in the same sequence and build up rings from above;
Finally, a filter is placed at the bottom, and a clay castle is placed around the ground part.

The described method is acceptable for the construction of shallow water intake up to 6 m. There is a seamless technology for constructing a deeper concrete well. To do this, a shoe with a cutting edge is installed on the leveled bottom of the pit, and formwork is then mounted on it for pouring the concrete mixture. Do not forget that poisonous gas can accumulate in the well shaft! Check the air in the mine with a gas analyzer every day before work. Do not work alone, wear a safety harness and a hard hat.

Despite the growing popularity of concrete well structures, wooden wells have not lost their relevance these days, which is due to the availability of the material, ease of processing and the absence of the need to use heavy construction equipment. In this article, we will delve a little deeper into the history of such structures and learn how to make a wooden well with your own hands.

According to archaeological research, the first wells appeared as early as 5000 BC. Moreover, some historians consider these buildings to be a symbol of the beginning of civilization. From this moment on, a person could engage not only in hunting and gathering, but also develop agriculture, giving preference to a sedentary lifestyle over nomadism.

As now, in ancient times the basis of a well structure was a deep hole, at the bottom of which there was a natural source of water. To strengthen the walls, the most accessible material was used - wood. In Rus', oak wells were very popular, given the ideal performance characteristics of this type of wood and its ability to maintain the integrity of the well shaft for many years.

Interesting to know. Various methods were used to determine the digging location. Some of them are still used today - dowsing, monitoring plant growth, places where fog descends, etc.

Surprisingly, over more than 7,000 years of existence of wooden wells, the construction process has not undergone major changes. Despite the technical boom that humanity has been experiencing over the past few decades, today most mines are built manually using technology that has existed for many centuries.

The manual method is still a priority in the construction of wells today.

Wood for a well

Many types of trees are used in well construction, but preference is best given to those that can maintain strength for the longest time.

Characteristics of various breeds

When choosing wood, it is necessary to rely on the maximum service life of the material in conditions of constant contact with moisture. It should be taken into account that the “life” period of the surface part is usually 1.5-2 times less than the underwater part.

Let's consider the service life of the species most often used for the installation of timber wells:

Oak – 35 years (underwater part) and 25 years (overwater part);
Bog oak – 50 years and 35 years;
Alder - 20 years and 10 years;
Pine – 20 years and 5 years;
Birch – 10 years and 5 years;
Willow – 10 years and 5 years;
Elm – 8 years and 5 years.

Oak is considered the most durable species for well construction

Preparation of logs

Choosing a specific type of wood is only the first stage of construction. The next step is to properly prepare the logs, for which several important nuances should be taken into account. The log should be smooth, without large knots or any deformations. The presence of rot and insects is especially prohibited.

Important! Wood should not be treated with antiseptics, as this will negatively affect the quality of water and can lead to health problems.

Before direct use, the bark is removed from the logs, after which each element is adjusted to the required size (the features of installing a log house will be discussed below).

Prepared logs for felling

Oak staining technology

Having decided to make a wooden well from oak, you need to be aware of one unpleasant feature - oak wood gives the water a bitter taste. And although it disappears over time, it must take at least a couple of years for this to happen. To prevent the appearance of bitterness, before constructing the mine, the oak undergoes a staining process, which is carried out using the following technology.

The bark is removed from the wood and the knots are cut off.
The tree is cut to the required size, for which you first need to calculate the dimensions of the future well.
The log house is assembled and adjusted, and each log is numbered to prevent confusion in the future.
Next, the oak is drowned in a river (a lake is not suitable, since the water must be running).
After 2 years, the blanks are taken out of the water and dried under a canopy.
After complete drying, you can begin digging and arranging the mine.

The process of staining oak takes a lot of time, but the result is a truly high-quality structure with good drinking water.

Building a wooden well with your own hands

The construction of a wooden well is a complex process that requires a professional approach at all stages of construction, from choosing a location to installing a frame.

Selecting a location

Determining the digging location is of great importance, since both the quality of the water and the integrity of neighboring buildings depend on it. To prevent soil subsidence and destruction of the foundations of capital structures, the well must be placed at least five meters from these objects. And to prevent contamination of groundwater by runoff, the drainage pit should be located 20 meters from the intended digging site.

Advice. It is best to dig a well in summer or early autumn, when the aquifer level is at its minimum.

The most reliable way to determine the depth of an aquifer, if you do not take into account expensive geological exploration, is to take information from your nearest neighbors. If one of them already has a well, then you can do without calling specialists.

Well location diagram on the site

Features of installation of a log house

As a rule, wooden wells have a square shape with a side of 70 cm to 150 cm. The log house is made of rectangular plates or cylinders, which are cut from logs with a diameter of 18-22 cm, and assembled on the surface before digging the shaft. In this case, each crown is marked for correct assembly.

If any method of connecting logs can be used for the above-ground part of the log house, then the underground part should not have protruding elements. In this case, the connection of the corners is carried out “in a paw”, “in half a tree”, “in a bowl” or without any residue. The crowns are connected by dowels 10 cm long, and to further strengthen the structure, adjacent rows are sewn together with steel staples.

Log house with a joint "in the paw"

Construction stages

To make a wooden well with your own hands, you need to follow the following steps.

In the selected location, a mine is marked, which is dug to a depth of 1.5-2 m.

A frame is mounted on the surface with a height exceeding the depth of the dug hole by 3 crowns. From the inside, all the crowns are temporarily connected to each other by vertical boards, which will create additional rigidity when lowering the structure.

The log house is carefully lowered down the shaft, preventing the walls from collapsing.

When the wooden structure sits firmly on the bottom, the process of deepening the hole begins. To do this, the soil is undermined to a depth of 20-30 cm, first in the central part of the walls, without touching the corners. Next, wedges are inserted under the lower logs and soil is removed from under the corners. After this, the wedges are knocked out and the frame is lowered.

As the structure is lowered, the missing crowns are built up from above. The deepening of the shaft and installation of the log house is carried out until the required aquifer is reached.

Advice. In loose soil, the frame of a wooden well can get stuck. To continue moving, he is besieged from above with a sledgehammer. If the efforts made do not give a positive result, the work continues by building up the crowns from below.

In order for the log house to easily fit into the shaft, its size must be made “with a margin”

Safety rules when digging a well

Construction of a well requires serious consideration of safety precautions. To do this, you should adhere to the following rules:

The mine must be fenced around the perimeter at a distance of about 1 meter. At the same time, there should be no heavy objects within a radius of 3 meters that could roll down.
The rope for lifting a bucket of soil must be tested for strength.
In the case of using electromechanical lifts, it is allowed to use only worm gearboxes that have a self-braking effect.
All lifting equipment must be thoroughly inspected daily.
Work at the bottom of the shaft should be carried out wearing a safety helmet.

A properly constructed well will provide you with clean and tasty water for many years.

As you can see, making a wooden well with your own hands is quite possible. However, for this you need to go through several difficult stages, including choosing wood, installing a log house and digging a shaft, where basic safety requirements must be observed. Therefore, such work should not be carried out without the necessary experience. In this case, it is better to contact specialists.