Clay well: how to dig it yourself. Well on clay How to make a well on blue clay

More than half of users dig wells on clay, so it is believed that this design is the simplest and easiest to manufacture. However, building a clay well is not as easy as it might seem. But with some patience, the owners will receive especially soft water, unique purity and saturation with useful substances.

In order to make a well on a clay plot with your own hands, you need to understand the types of soil and types of wells:

Simple clay well, entirely consisting of clay, is one of the simplest structures. The occurrence of the aquifer is at a depth of 4 to 30 meters. It is important that the well will not produce a good flow in the first year, but as it pumps, the water will rise and wash out the spring. Everything will be fully operational in about 2-3 years. The main thing in clay soil is the correct structure, then the water will be soft, tasty and clean.
Clay quicksand. One of the most complex structures. The well shaft is not always straight, but the flow of water comes very quickly. The depth should not exceed 10 rings, and the lower ring will always be covered by quicksand.

Important! The water in the well on quicksand can be mixed with mud, so you need to get it out extremely carefully. It turns out that if the well has 5 rings, the pump is placed no lower than the 2nd ring, and the last three are at constant rest. This is the only way the user will receive clean water.

Clay and sand. There is only one rule: never completely pump out the water. Streams fill the well quickly; the lower level is always filled with a mixture of water, clay and sand (quicksand). The level of the liquid column is up to 1.2-1.5 m. Pumping (in extreme cases) is allowed only 15-25% of the size of the entire water column.

Important! If there is a layer or patches of blue clay in the well, there will definitely be a smell of hydrogen sulfide. This should not be a concern, as the smell will go away within a short time after pumping starts.

Stone and clay. There is only one solution - to entrust the matter to professionals. It is impossible to dig a clay well on a rock without the use of special drilling equipment. And the water level will not exceed 0.8 meters in any case.
Clay with peat is another source, which is quite problematic to make. But the water in such a well is incredibly soft and tasteful, of course, if you let it settle. And in the case when sand gets into the mixture, the naturally filtered source will surprise even the pickiest owner with its taste. There is only one difficulty: peat wells on clay and sand can give the flow a characteristic taste of hydrogen sulfide. The smell disappears quite quickly, so there is no need to give up water.

If you decide to make a well yourself, first look at the soil to understand what exactly you will have to deal with. And then you can start making a well on quicksand, clay or sandy loam.

Clay well: sequence of actions

Any work begins with determining the order of the entire cycle. In the case of a clay well, it looks standard:

Soil composition in the proposed penetration area, aquifer depth, flow saturation;
Preparation of rings for laying the shaft;
Drilling the shaft and installing rings;
Installation of brackets, sealing of seams, blind area;
Filter equipment at the bottom so that a well on clay soil produces truly clean and tasty water;
Aesthetically improve the well, build a shelter to prevent contamination through precipitation.

Now let's look at each stage in more detail. And you should start by determining the location of the proposed well on clay.

Rules for selecting a drilling point

The well should not interfere with entry or passage routes in any way;
The well cannot be located next to a cesspool, barnyard or other outbuildings from which liquid can drain;
There is a hillock or the highest place - you need to make a well here. A well on clay soil will be protected from quicksand (especially if there is a lot of sand in the soil), the water in it will not stagnate and will not smell;
It’s a good idea to make your way to the aquifer as close to the house as possible, this will reduce the cost of laying the water supply.

And now that the location has been determined, you can start digging a hole. No one can tell you exactly how many meters to dig except geologists, whose exploration is very expensive. You can focus on neighboring wells, but very approximately, since the depth of the flow may be different.

Well drilling and arrangement

Drilling a well on clay soil is not a difficult task, especially if you have a conventional manual drilling rig. For the installation you will need a casing pipe, a filter, a pump and hoses. There is no need to carry out any special procedures; all stages are completely the same as drilling wells on sand or other soil. The peculiarity with a clay well is the arrangement of a bottom filter. For this, river sand, medium-fraction pebbles and coarse-fraction crushed stone are used. This “pillow” looks like this:

1 layer – 20 cm of sand;
2nd layer – 20 cm of pebbles;
3rd layer – 20-25 cm of gravel.

Each layer must be compacted and all work takes place very quickly, since water will constantly flow. All that remains is to install the pump and pump the shaft.

A well made of rings on clay: how to make

If you decide to make a well with rings, you will have to work a little longer:

Dig half a meter, install the ring - under its own weight it will sink lower and lower, while you can slightly tamp the ring;
Dig another quarter meter and install a second ring on top of the first;
Continue to do the same steps until the upper horizon of the aquifer becomes visible;

The installation of a bottom filter in a well with rings is also necessary, otherwise water from a well on clay will come out with particles and inclusions, where there will be sand, muddy clay suspension and other elements. This is done like this:

As soon as you get to the bottom of the aquifer, you need to use a pump to pump out all the water. This must be done very quickly and also first prepare river sand, gravel of medium and coarse fractions;
Pump out the dirt from the bottom, dig another 15 cm deep, remove the mixture and level the bottom;
Add sand to about 25 cm and tamp down;
Compact medium-fraction gravel with a layer of 25-30 cm onto the sand;
Top with 20 cm of coarse gravel and press down as well.

The natural filter for the well is ready, the water will come out clean and tasty. Instead of gravel, you can use crushed stone. Tamping is necessary so that the filter structure is not washed away by water during the installation process.

Pumping a well on clay

Technically, the process involves pumping out a mixture from a well, where water comes with suspensions of sand, clay or other impurities. But regular pumping is not enough. You need to do this:

Dig a ditch or hole where dirty water will drain (it is better to keep the distance further away);
Mount a “sand catcher” from a barrel, where you drill two holes: one above, the other below. In this case, dirty water enters the upper hole and flows out from the opposite one, located below, but not at the bottom level. But sand and particles will settle at the bottom. This design will prevent the site from silting up, and the water can be diverted to the garden, for example. The bottom will have to be cleaned from time to time;
Tie the submersible pump firmly with a cable and lower it into the well, about half a meter from the bottom - this way the pump will pump liquid without affecting dense bottom sediments;
Turn on the pump and pump the well until the flow reaches the required purity. This is done with all mines, but wells built on clay take a little longer. You will have to pump out approximately 50-70 liters.

Important! The duration of the process of pumping up a well on clay soil depends on the condition of the soil layer, the diameter of the casing pipe and the power of the pump. The looseness of the bottom at the edge of the casing also plays an important role. The approximate duration of pumping is up to 16-18 hours.

After all the manipulations, you can remove the submersible pump and equip the well to your liking.

Finishing work for a ring well

After installing the rings and cleaning the bottom, it is necessary to waterproof all the rings. For this, a mixture of cement and PVA glue is used. The composition seals all seams and cracks inside. Externally, the structure is dug into a trench approximately 2 m wide and 0.5 m deep, into which clay is poured and compacted tightly with a slight slope away from the well. Then the trench is concreted and further decorated as desired.

It’s a good idea to make a canopy for the well to protect the water from debris, precipitation and other troubles. If you want it will be a small cover, or if you want it will be a whole gazebo. In any case, the water will remain clean, sand will not get in there, and this is what is needed.

Important! The water is unusable for 2-3 days, but it can be used to water gardens. During this time, there will be clay, various suspensions and other inclusions in the well. In three days, the turbidity will completely settle into the filter “cushion” and you can do whatever you want with the water: drink, wash, or run the dishwasher or washing machine.

Finally

Immediately after installing a well or well in clay soil, many users are concerned about the low flow rate. This is not scary, a little later everything will return to normal, and the liquid will arrive at the required speed.

But if a decrease in flow occurs after several years of operation, then the reasons may be as follows:

Shallow mine depth. That is, the level of the well has not completely reached the horizon of the aquifer;
Natural factors such as: low groundwater recharge due to poor melting;
Sand has appeared in the liquid supply pipe (clogging) or the shaft has become deformed.

What to do? Contact a professional or clean the well yourself.

Most drinking wells are dug in clay, which is due to the relatively homogeneous composition of the soil in most of our country. And it is in such wells that the cleanest, tastiest water, free of harmful impurities, is usually found.

Their operation in the first year or two is associated with some difficulties: at this time little water flows into the source. But over time it “swings” and the problem goes away on its own.

If you are interested in the features of such wells and the principles of their construction, this article will help you get a general idea.

How to make a well in clay soils

Any well begins with choosing a location for it and analyzing the composition of the soil. The easiest way is to find out from your closest neighbors at what depth they “dug down” to the water, what rocks lie under the soil layer, whether there is quicksand at the bottom, etc. But you should not take the information received as an axiom - in your area everything may be a little different.

Advice. Accurate information can only be obtained through test drilling. If funds allow, it is best to do just that.

How to choose a place

When determining the location of the future water source, you should focus on the following requirements and recommendations:

The well must be located at a sufficient distance from sources of pollution: outdoor toilets, cesspools, sheds, etc.;
The closer it is to the house or other water consumer, the cheaper it will cost to install a water supply system (see);
It is best to arrange it on a hill, and not in the lowlands where melt and other polluted water flows. In addition, in a well on a hillock there are rarely quicksand at the bottom;
Of course, there should be a convenient approach to it, and the well itself should not interfere with the movement of people and vehicles.

What to prepare for work

Digging by hand is done differently:

A hole is dug in the selected location with a diameter equal to the outer diameter of the ring and a depth of about half a meter;
The first ring is installed in it;
Further digging is carried out inside it with digging under the walls;
The ring lowers under its own weight, but you need to make sure that this happens strictly vertically, tamping it down if necessary;
When the ring drops to ground level, a second one is installed on it, then a third, etc.;

Work continues in this manner until the aquifer is reached.

It is important! To prevent the rings from moving relative to each other, they must be fastened with staples.

The thickness of each layer is at least 20 cm. A wooden shield and holes are first installed on the quicksand, and only then the filter is filled in.

If the bottom consists of dense clay, a filter is not needed and is even harmful, as it can block the water veins. However, do not rush to install a filter immediately upon reaching the aquifer. First, remove all the slurry from the bottom and deepen it another 15 centimeters, leveling and compacting the bottom.

Pumping and arrangement

At first, the water entering the well will be dirty and cloudy, mixed with clay, sometimes sand and other particles. It needs to be pumped out until clear liquid flows from the hose.

To do this, the drainage pump is tied with a cable and lowered into the shaft, securing it half a meter from the bottom.

Advice. To drain dirty water, it is advisable to dig a trench or lower a hose into a barrel with a hole in the wall at a distance of 30-40 cm from the bottom. The dirt will settle to the bottom, and purified water will drain out of the hole, which can be used to water the garden.

The pumping time and volume of pumped water depend on the condition of the clay soil at the bottom and the power of the pump. This usually takes at least 12 hours.

To equip a well, the following activities are carried out:

Waterproofing seams. To do this, prepare a cement mortar with the addition of liquid glass or PVA glue, and use it to cover all the joints between the rings, crevices and cracks.

Construction of a clay castle. The head of the well is dug around the perimeter to a depth of at least half a meter and a width of about 2 meters, and clay taken from the shaft is poured into the trench. It must be compacted well, sloping outward from the walls. It is advisable to arrange a concrete blind area on top.

Equipment installation and decoration. To prevent debris, rain, snow, etc. from getting into the shaft, a cover is needed. If the well is equipped with a pump, you can use a concrete one; if the water will be obtained manually, you can use a wooden one. Exterior decor is at your discretion.

During the first few days after completion of construction, it is not advisable to use water from a clay well for drinking. It needs to be pumped out periodically. After 2-3 days it will become suitable for consumption.

You should not immediately count on the high productivity of a clay well: it will reach its maximum capacity in about two years, when the springs wash out their passages in the clay rock. If the situation is exactly the opposite: over time, the flow rate of the well decreases, this may mean that during digging you did not reach a good aquifer or it was depleted due to natural conditions.

Types of clay wells

The construction and operation of the well depend on the characteristics of the clay soil:

If it consists entirely of dense clay, then digging a well will be easy, and the water in it will be clean, soft and tasty, and its inflow will increase in the first years of operation. It lies at a depth of 5-30 meters; there is no need to equip a bottom filter. That is, it will be the simplest and most convenient structure to operate.
If the soil consists of clay mixed with sand, water will immediately flow into the well quite quickly, but the bottom will be covered with a slurry made from a mixture of clay, sand and water. Need a filter. The height of the water column in such a well usually does not exceed one and a half meters; pumping out more than a quarter of it at one time is not recommended.
If the clay soil contains peat, digging a well will be more difficult than in pure clay, but the water in it will be soft and tasty. However, it often smells of hydrogen sulfide, so before using it, it is advisable to let it sit for the smell to dissipate.

Note. The same smell occurs in water from a well built in soil containing blue clay. It is safe to consume, you just need to let the volatile compounds evaporate.

The most difficult thing to operate is a well on clay quicksand. A filter with a shield at the bottom will not allow suspended particles to enter the water, but it is still advisable to take it from the upper layers, away from the bottom. This should not cause any inconvenience as the water comes in very quickly.
It is almost impossible to manually dig a well in clay soil with stones; it is better to entrust this work to specialists with special equipment. And be prepared for the fact that the water level in the source will not rise above one meter.

Conclusion

It is believed that a well in clay is one of the simplest structures and at the same time one of the most preferable in terms of operation and water quality. Of course, if the rock does not contain stones, and the aquifer is not covered with quicksand. But even in such cases, its device is quite possible and justified. It’s just better not to take on such work on your own without special knowledge and experience.

Well water is much tastier, healthier and safer than its urban counterpart, generously flavored with bleach, rust and heavy metals. But well is different from well to well, and the water in neighboring areas often differs in taste and chemical composition. The reason for aquatic diversity lies in the intricate structure of the earth's crust, which consists of heterogeneous rock layers of varying thickness and composition.

Well pumping

The quality of water depends on the characteristics of the aquifer from which the drinking well receives its recharge. The organoleptic characteristics of water, its purity and capacity or the flow rate of the well depend on it.

What is an aquifer

There are a lot of drinking water reserves on our planet, but only a small part of it is on the surface of the Earth, the rest, like real wealth, is hidden deep in the bowels of the earth’s crust.

Due to the fact that some rocks are loose and permeable, while others are very dense and water-resistant, interlayers of aquifers are formed: layers of the earth's crust saturated with water, real underground rivers and streams, which are called aquifers. They lie or flow through layers of clay and other rocks. Groundwater deposits are divided into levels, each with its own name and degree of suitability for human consumption.

Verkhovodka- the shallowest accumulations of water. Sometimes it is enough to go a meter deeper for the recess to begin to fill with moisture. They feed exclusively on precipitation, completely drying out during dry periods. Verkhodka is unsuitable for drinking due to its strong susceptibility to contamination. There is no protective filter layer above the level of its occurrence, so everything that is washed away by rain and melt water gets into it, as well as sewer breaks. The exception is places free from mass development and industry, of which there are very few left.

According to statistics, over the course of a lifetime, a person who drinks water from a city water supply receives and processes about 1 centner of dissolved harmful chemical compounds and dirt. Water in proper drinking wells is tens of times cleaner

Groundwater is the aquifer that experienced well builders strive to achieve. On top they are protected by the first waterproof layer, which serves as a reliable filter, efficiently purifying the water from impurities. The shaft, deepened 1-1.5 meters into the groundwater layer, ensures a stable water level in the well.

The intensity of filling the well depends on the structure and rock of the aquifer, as well as the correct arrangement of the lower part of the shaft.

Artesian aquifers - They lie so deep that they can only be reached with the help of special equipment that can deepen a well by tens and hundreds of meters. Each well has its own unique mineral composition. This is water in its original form.

If during drilling a water horizon is opened, located between two layers squeezing it, then the well is not only filled with strong pressure, but can even gush with real mineral water. Such wells are called pressure wells.

Fountain made from real mineral water

Which well contains real living water?

Wells are named according to the type of soil in which they are built. There are only three main types: clay, sand and others (peat, etc.).

Sandy soils are very easy to lift. You can dig a shaft several rings deep in one day. Sands and sandy loams are very mobile, the unreinforced well shaft does not have a stable position, the shaft easily warps, making it difficult to strengthen with reinforced concrete rings.

Sand saturated with water forms moving quicksand, which intensively fill the mine with a suspension of water and fine rock. The more active the pumping is, the stronger the quicksand flows. If digging is not entrusted to a professional, then in most cases the well remains unfinished due to lack of knowledge and special deepening techniques.

It is impossible to completely pump out a mine using quicksand; the weight of the water column will act as a restraining force and will allow one to pass through a difficult layer of soil.

Water in shallow sandy wells comes from the upper layers of the soil, and almost always does not meet sanitary and hygienic standards and is only suitable for technical needs.

Clay squeeze wells are notable for providing very high quality water, but in rather modest quantities. Due to their low productivity in the first years after excavation, they are not popular among the population, because there must be enough water not only for drinking and cooking, but also for all household needs.

In addition to purely clay wells, there are combined options with sand, clay quicksand and stones. Like sandy ones, they significantly complicate the process of building a well and produce cloudy water with suspended clay particles. After settling, it brightens and its quality improves.

Clay quicksand makes it difficult to build a well

How the squeeze well is filled

In which rock the desired aquifer is located, only geologists can say with certainty after performing analyzes and diagnostic drilling. Professional research is very expensive, so ancient methods are more often used - walking with metal forks, vine twigs, frames, or simply digging in a place you like.

It is impossible to miss the achievement of the aquifer; the bottom and walls of the mine begin to become moist, and the removed rock turns into mush. When digging, you can open a spring or a river, which will fill the well with water under pressure, but they do not provide guaranteed quality water. Sometimes an underground spring breaks into a ready-made well, and the water in it becomes undrinkable.

The opposite of a vein well is a squeeze well. They are obtained on dense clay soils with a high degree of plasticity. The structure of clay promotes active absorption and retention of moisture.

Clay absorbs and retains a lot of moisture. During seasonal droughts, sand wells practically dry up, and clay wells only become shallower by a few rings

A high percentage of water causes winter heaving of clay soil. Its volume increases due to the freezing and expansion of the water it holds.

Water is released from clay and loam very slowly, because the “greedy” rock holds moisture tightly and is reluctant to part with it. If a well in coarse sand fills up just before your eyes, then in clay you will have to watch for a long time for the meager droplets of moisture that the aquifer will release.

The slow filling speed is not a constant value. To increase the rate of arrival of water and increase the flow rate of a clay well, at first it needs to be pumped regularly, completely removing the water using a pump. This procedure accelerates the formation and erosion of aquifer channels.

In the next few years after construction, the productivity of the clay squeeze well will only increase. Unfortunately, precisely because of the long period of commissioning, such wells are not very happy with the owners.

Selecting a water pump to increase water flow

Although the squeeze water in the well completely compensates for the inconvenience, thanks to its taste and crystal purity. It takes an average of 2 months for precipitation to overcome the clay rock and enter the groundwater. Dense clay not only releases moisture with difficulty, it works as a powerful natural filter.

The drinking water that is squeezed out in a clay well is so pure that it is seriously called alive.

Wells in clay soils are of the mixed vein-reservoir type. They are located on an aquifer, but the squeeze horizon produces little water. To accumulate a sufficient volume, the well shaft is deepened several rings lower. They later serve as a reservoir for storing water.

To speed up the drainage of the squeeze water in the well, at the level of the squeeze layer the concrete rings are additionally perforated

Please advise what I should do. This summer they built a garden house for me in the Tver province. And I specially ordered a well to be dug on my property in late autumn. I asked the team to find a better place, it didn’t matter to me where exactly, it was still an empty abandoned area.
When they were digging, I was not at the dacha, I was working in the city. For some reason, they and their vine chose a part of the site where I have incomprehensible clay without any admixture of earth at all. She's like butter. I demolished an old shed there, its walls were completely rotten, they could be pierced with a finger, it’s unclear how it even stood there - it seemed like there was some kind of swamp in this place.
Other parts of the area around the house are sand and stones and soil, and there is good black soil there.
So, they brought me 8 rings, but they buried only 5, and they said it wasn’t necessary below.
They put a house on top. They sent me a photo - I paid the money.
The foreman told me that when I arrived, I should pump out a couple of rings of water - fresh water would come and I could drink.
I arrived, I didn’t like that there was a hole around the well, they left the top, and then the clay slid down, and the well, like a tooth in the gum, was exposed inside. I used a shovel for several days to throw clay into this huge gap, but it rained, it was washed away and it fell back down there again, I had to dig up again.
And what upset me most was that the water, not to mention drinking, cannot be used to wash floors - it’s just kind of greasy and saturated with this clay. Throughout November and December, while it was warm, I came every weekend and drained this filthy water, but it did not become any clearer.
And I really wanted to wash myself in the bathhouse!
I walked with heavy buckets two houses away to the neighbors for water so that I could pamper myself a little with a bath on Saturday.
I was terribly upset. I wrote to the performer on WhatsApp that the well was terrible, maybe they chose the wrong place? specifically in clay?
Then I started calling him, but he didn’t pick up the phone anymore, he’s a filthy bastard.
And so, I spent the money and was left with nothing.
Tell me, please, is it worth calling other guys to repair this well, or is it better to dig it again in another place in normal soil? Where should we put this mine?
This is terrible, considering that there are problems at work and money is not tight.
By the way - the water is through the roof - I drained it 2-3 rings, and a day later a new one was poured right to the eyeballs, but it was dirty... You throw the bucket on a chain one ring into the water.
Please help me with advice! I don’t have men in my house - no one is cutting with a saber...
Unfortunately, I deleted all the photos. From WhatsApp I got a tiny collage of several photos:

After drilling in a well or well, muddy, contaminated water rises. This is due to the presence of small soil particles that are not retained by the bottom filter. As a result, they settle on the crushed stone bed and silt up the well. To achieve crystal clear water, the well must be pumped immediately after drilling or during use. We will discuss how to pump a well with a clay bottom, the main problems and mistakes in this article.

When is pumping required?

As already mentioned, rocking is necessary immediately after drilling or if there is contamination at the bottom of the well. Depending on the type of contamination and the depth of the mine, the procedure can take from 12 hours to several weeks, but in any case, it is necessary to carry out it.
A well with a clay bottom can cause a lot of trouble - cleaning sometimes takes months. Before clean water appears, it is sometimes necessary to pump out more than 500 cubic meters of muddy water.

Declaying methods

There are two types of pumping to combat siltation of a well or borehole:

Interior.
External.

The internal method involves treating the pores of the shaft walls for deep cleansing.
External - removing clay from the inner surface of the well and its bottom.

Technically, rocking can be done mechanically, chemically and hydromechanically. The first two act as a kind of safety net or a useful addition. The main method is hydromechanical using pumping stations. Pumps allow you to generate jets of water to break up the clay crust and wash away the silt at the bottom, and are also used to drain muddy water out. In the case when the water pressure does not allow removing plaque on the walls of the well, a mechanical method is used, namely, knocking it off manually.

Rocking technology

Before pumping a well with a clay bottom, you need to acquire two types of submersible pumps, since future loads can lead to complete wear of the working parts. To do this, it is best to purchase domestically produced units. In some cases, the owners of a newly minted well “kill” more than one such device while pumping.

Rocking a well with a clay bottom using the example of a vibration pump of the “Malysh” type and a centrifugal pump of the “Aquarius” type:

The “Baby” vibration pump is lowered into the shaft on a long steel cable, not reaching 60-70 cm to the bottom of the well, almost at the level with the gravel filter. Thus, he will be able to break up, capture and remove silt with large particles out, and not just stir up the water.
Periodically, the filter is removed and washed with a large volume of clean water.
The end of the outlet hose for muddy water must be placed away from the well so that it does not flow back.
After 24-36 hours, if the water still comes with an admixture of sand and clay, it is necessary to replace the “Malysh” pump with the “Aquarius” centrifugal pump.

Important! While pumping the well, you cannot pump out all the water. Complete water intake will lead to solid particles sticking together and clogging the pores of the well walls. Consequently, this will entail a decrease in the flow rate of the well/well.

To calculate the flow rate of a well, it is necessary to multiply the diameter of the shaft by the height of the column and divide the resulting number by the time of arrival of water. Correlate the result with the pump’s performance, and you will be able to accurately calculate the time of one session of the station’s operation without completely withdrawing water.
The well is pumped until crystal clear water comes out of the outlet hose.

Main problems and errors

Before you rock a well in clay, familiarize yourself with the already known technological errors.

If you lower the pump too low, it will become clogged with sludge within minutes. It also happens that the unit is completely pulled in by quicksand.
If the distance between the bottom and the pump is greater than normal, only the upper aquifer layer of the well will be cleaned, and the sludge will remain in place.
A drain hose that is too short or poorly placed near the well will result in dirty water returning to the source.