Purifying water from a well: a review of the best and most effective methods. How to properly and effectively clean a well with your own hands How to clean a well with your own hands

Cleaning wells yourself - methods and technology for cleaning a well with your own hands

Cleaning the well from debris, dust, and accumulations of silt on the walls that gets into it is an operation that should be carried out periodically at your summer cottage to maintain the cleanliness and suitability of drinking water.

Experts recommend cleaning at least once every three years (if you constantly use well water, cleaning is necessary once every 6 months). Simultaneously with this procedure, it is advisable to immediately perform disinfection. With such timely and proper care, the well will provide you with clean, cold water for a very long time. After all, even the most sealed well house will not protect the mine from dust, some rainwater and snow.

Typically, cleaning is carried out during the warm period of the year, hiring specialists or going to the bottom yourself with all the necessary tools.

Remember! Cleaning a well yourself is not only a troublesome task, but also quite dangerous! Perform cleansing with the support of three to four people.

Signs that indicate cleaning is necessary

If your well is not only a decorative element of your garden plot, but also a source of water for cooking and drinking, then you will certainly notice when cleaning is needed. Unpleasant odors, changes in color or taste of water indicate contamination. This may be the result of an accident, namely, a dead bird, rodent or animal falling into the mine. Or, after drinking water, you will see other signs. Here are the most common ones.

Precautions when cleaning a well

Well cleaning should not be attempted without proper preparation. It is also worth remembering some precautions when working.

1. It is very dangerous for people with heart or lung diseases to descend into a mine to a depth of more than three meters. There is little oxygen at the bottom of the well, which can lead to seizures.
2. Before going down to the bottom of the well, you should put on a helmet, rubber boots and a safety belt and cable.
3. It is a mistake to stand motionless at the bottom of a well. Legs can be sucked in even through a thick bottom filter.
4. You can make sure that there are no harmful gases at the bottom of the shaft by lowering a bucket with a lit candle into the well. If the candle flame does not go out, there is no danger.

Several ways to clean wells with your own hands

Regardless of the degree of contamination of the well and the preferred method of cleaning, before starting work, it is imperative to pump out the water from the well, leaving it in the well at a level of about half a meter. It is very simple technologically, but physically difficult to do this with buckets. It’s faster and safer to pump out water with a powerful pump.

Pump - serves as an excellent tool for pumping water from a well

It is also necessary to remove the top layer of the bottom filter, which is gravel. The stones must be washed and disinfected (with shungite, zeolite or activated carbon) before being placed in their original place.

Mechanical method

When cleaning, do not use any detergents or chemicals (except for 10% chlorine solution or potassium permanganate). It is also advisable to be careful not to press the tool too hard so as not to damage the concrete structure or seams.

Tools for cleaning the well yourself:

• strong twine;
• brush with metal bristles;
• spatula and trowel;
• cement-sand mortar with liquid glass;
• water pump;
• buckets;
• shovel for removing the top layer of the bottom filter;
• if necessary, a powerful flashlight.

Step-by-step cleaning technology

1. You should scoop the water out of the well using a pump/buckets, and then lift the bottom filter stones to the surface.
2. Using a flashlight, you need to inspect the structure from the inside, make sure there are no leaks or damage.
3. The most labor-intensive stage is thoroughly cleaning the walls of the well with a metal brush from silt and other accumulations of sewage.
4. After mechanical cleaning, the walls should be thoroughly rinsed with water and a 10% bleach solution (under pressure from a special high-pressure apparatus or the old-fashioned way, using a bucket and a rag).
5. You just need to pour water with a bleach solution to the bottom, then add a bactericidal agent (activated carbon, shungite, etc.) to the gravel and place it in the well.
6. If leaks or cracks are found in the concrete, it is worth covering them with a solution of cement and liquid glass.
7. Now you should tightly cover the well with a tarpaulin or film. After two days, water from the bottom is pumped out again several times.

How to prepare a bleach solution for cleaning a well

Bleach will rid your water of any impurities that have entered the structure through sewage or other causes. Any unpleasant taste and aroma will disappear after thorough disinfection. The bleach itself will disappear from the well in a maximum of 5-6 days.

Bleach powder (300 grams) should be poured with a small amount of water and mixed until smooth. Remember to protect your skin and respiratory organs from chlorine vapors. When the solution becomes clear, you need to pour it into a glass container and leave it in a dark place for several hours to settle. The finished solution can be used for application to the walls of the well and their processing.

How to prepare a solution of potassium permanganate for disinfecting a well

This method is safer and simpler. You should prepare potassium permanganate powder, pour 1 teaspoon of powder into a bucket of water, and mix. The solution is already ready for use. You can pour it into a well. After the potassium permanganate solution is inside the mine, it is necessary to wrap silicon chips in nylon and lower this bundle to the bottom.

Video - How to clean a well yourself

Recently, wells have ceased to be considered as the main sources of water supply in summer cottages and villages.

But, be that as it may, the owners of country houses are in no hurry to abandon them.

Water is always needed in large quantities. In the summer, in a village or country house you cannot do without watering; it uses a lot of life-giving moisture.

A simple solution from time immemorial

If you water your garden by connecting a hose to the central water supply, then your electricity and water bills are unlikely to add to your good mood.

What is the way out of this?

Of course - a well or a well (), where there is always water, moreover, in unlimited quantities.

If the spring is used irregularly, over time this leads to the fact that the quality of the liquid becomes unsuitable for drinking.

There are two ways out of this situation:

• do nothing, accept what you have and use water only for household needs.

Is it possible to carry out a general cleaning the source of life-giving moisture.

If you turn to professionals for help, they will do everything very quickly and efficiently, but they will charge a lot of money for their work.

The high cost for such work is completely justified. Many ordinary people think that this activity is not worth such an investment.

And they are right. Why pay your cash, earned through back-breaking labor, if you can try and clean the source of dirt without outside help.

Others do not want to realize the importance of this procedure and put off this activity “for later.”

This indicates that the aquifer of the spring is of poor quality, and it is not advisable to use life-giving moisture from it.

In this case, there is one effective way out of this situation - install a filter system at the entrance of the pipeline to the house or use household home filters.

Unpleasant taste and odor of hydrogen sulfide

If you smell a nasty smell from the well, and when drinking you feel a strange taste in the liquid, then the problem most likely lies in the depressurization of the mine.

For this reason, sewage drains penetrate inside(the best septic tanks for a country house are described in the article).

By the way, the same symptoms will appear if a small animal fell into a well and began to decompose there, and you didn’t even suspect it.

After spring floods, it would be a good idea to sanitize the source.

To do this, take a teaspoon of potassium permanganate and dissolve it in a bucket of water, which we pour into the well.

After an hour and a half, you need to pump out all the water from the mine.

Method one - manual cleaning

First, let's get acquainted with the intricacies of this method. The whole process consists of the following steps.

Progressive pumping of liquid. What does this mean?

After 40–50 cm of water has been pumped out, you need to thoroughly clean the walls of the well.

For these purposes, a soft metal brush or a large sponge will be useful.

It is important not to damage the structure of the rings. The use of detergents or other chemicals is strictly prohibited.

After the walls have been completely cleaned and have reached the bottom, the liquid must be completely pumped out and begin cleaning the bottom itself.

This procedure requires special attention.

A mandatory procedure is to wash the bottom filter, which consists of stone and gravel.

For more thorough cleaning, we lift the stones up.

Cleaning complete.

After this, we seal the seams with cement mortar with the addition of liquid glass.

This will improve waterproofing and prevent surface water from penetrating into the mine.

The next stage is disinfection. Carefully coat the cleaned walls with bleach (10 percent solution).

The bottom also needs to be treated with the same composition. Then we close the well lid and wrap it with thick cloth so that the chlorine does not evaporate.

In this form, the structure stands for at least 2 days, after which the water must be completely pumped out 2 times.

The method described above is not the only one. You can also use an automated method of cleaning the well.

In this case, the person will not descend to the bottom of the spring.

For this purpose, you will need two pumps - deep and drainage (read which one to buy for wells and wells) and several large-capacity tanks.

These simple devices improve the fluid circulation - a submersible pump pumps water out of the well, and a drainage pump supplies it back.

In order for the process to proceed without incident, it is very important to correctly distribute all the elements:

• There should be a pumping unit at a height of half a meter from the bottom of the pit.

And, close to the bottom, we place the supply pump hose.

The strong pressure of water from this hose will agitate the liquid, which, together with silt and dirt, will rise to the top and pass through the filtration system.

This procedure () must be continued until clean water flows from the pump.

The main thing is to select a pump of appropriate power (it must be consistent with the depth of the shaft).

Periodically, the unit is lifted up and the filter is cleaned. In order to be sure of high-quality purification, the water must be taken to the laboratory for analysis.

A grab is used to clean small wells.. This equipment is a bucket with two blades that close as soon as they touch the ground.

With its help you can lift garbage weighing 1.5 - 2 tons.

To reliably lower the device, it is better to use several strong cables.

To make your work easier, you can use a winch for diving.

This way you will save your energy.

Equipment needed for a cleaner

If anyone doesn’t know, the procedure for cleaning a well from dirt is an unsafe and labor-intensive task.

Only a desperate person can afford to scoop up water with buckets while standing on slimy stairs in a narrow and musty tunnel.

It is best to work during the day; in this case, darkness is a bad help. It will be nice if two more people come to your aid.

Climbing gear you will need:

• Belay rope and strong cable.
• A ladder on which you can stand comfortably.
• Support bars.
• Wooden swing with a hook.
• Platforms attached to cables.
• High rubber boots.
• Protective helmet.

Having dressed in a rubber suit, boots and a helmet, and having secured a safety rope to your belt, you can slowly lower yourself into the well shaft.

When descending or ascending, you must be sure that there is someone at the top as an insurer.

Before descending to the bottom of the well, make sure that no harmful gases have accumulated there.

This can be done with a lit candle. It is placed in a bucket, which is immersed at the very bottom.

If the candle continues to burn, then there is no danger. When working in a mine, a tool may fall on you from above; to avoid injury, you should try to press yourself against the wall.

After you go all the way down and visually inspect everything around, it will become clear to you how much work needs to be done and what exactly needs to be repaired.

Which of the following actions may you need to take:

• strengthen and make a control sealing of all seams, this is necessary to prevent groundwater leaks into the well. For this purpose, use a special waterproof sealant;
• clean the bottom filtration system;
• repair wooden structures;
• if necessary, restore the concrete surface with cement mortar.

At the moment, the modern market offers a wide range of cleaning products, in the form of ready-made solutions, for wells.

These compositions contain substances of a stabilizing and disinfecting nature.

You have become familiar with all the possible ways to clean a well with your own hands and know what tools and devices are needed for this.

If you regularly clean the well that is located on your property, you can be sure that your family will be provided with clean and fresh water.

Watch the video that was filmed while cleaning a well made of concrete rings.

The quality of drinking water is extremely important for health. Therefore, you need to carefully monitor the condition of its collection points. In the last article we talked about it, now let's talk about cleaning. Cleaning a well or borehole is not a difficult task, but you should know all the intricacies of this work and the sequence of its stages.

How to understand that a well needs cleaning

Regardless of what material the mine is constructed from, deposits of organic matter and silt inevitably accumulate on its walls. They are a source of unpleasant odor in water and steadily destroy the walls of the well. If the mine is extremely deep (more than 25 m), it is recommended to contact specialists to restore its full functioning. Smaller wells can be cleaned with your own hands using different tools.

Signs of siltation and contamination of a well:

• significant decrease in water level;
• presence of foreign objects in the mine (animals, birds, garbage, etc.);
• lack of transparency of drinking water and changes in its color;
• the presence of an unpleasant odor, which may intensify when the liquid is heated;
• change in the taste of water;
• visible destruction of the walls of the shaft.

If the points of water intake and drainage are located close to each other (closer than 15 m), the condition of the water must be especially carefully monitored and it must be sanitized regularly. The spring period is of particular importance. When snow melts, organic particles from the surface of the earth inevitably enter groundwater. In addition, there is a high risk of sewage entering the mine.

Sanitizing the deck

The work of disinfecting drinking water is done with your own hands using disinfectants. The simplest and most accessible way for everyone is as follows:

1. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of potassium permanganate or an Aquatabs tablet in a 10-12 liter bucket.
2. Poured into a well.
3. Wait 30-40 minutes.
4. They pump out dirty water and wait for the well to be filled with new and clean water.

It is extremely important to perform the pumping process correctly. During the sanitation period, water should not be removed completely. It is necessary to leave a layer 50-60 cm high from the bottom. Otherwise, silt will rise and additional cleaning of the mine will be required. Well water is purified 1-2 times a year.

Which pump to use

If well cleaning is not planned for the spring, you should not use vibration pumps to pump out water. They will inevitably raise silt and contribute to the fall of organic matter and clay deposits from its walls into the mine. Therefore, the best choice is centrifugal pumps. Most summer residents use “Malyshok” or “Rucheek” to provide water supply. These pumps are classified as vibration-type devices, so they are not suitable for sanitizing a well.

If there is no centrifugal pump, water is pumped out with buckets. This is the best way to ensure long service life of the water intake point.

Self-cleaning the well: instructions

The owner of a summer house cannot always invite specialists to his place. Therefore, it is important for every gardener to know how to clean a well with their own hands.

The work order is as follows:

1. Visual inspection of the well and development of an action plan.
2. Preparation of necessary materials, devices and disinfectants.
3. Organization of ensuring free access to the mine.
4. Pumping out water.
5. Cleaning the walls of the mine.
6. Carrying out repair work.
7. Bottom washing.
8. Disinfection.

Cleaning a well with your own hands requires strict adherence to safety measures. This is the first thing you need to familiarize yourself with before starting work. It is important to follow these recommendations:

1. It is advisable to clean the well with a team of three people (the first goes down, the second hands him buckets and tools, the third provides security).
2. If work is carried out at the bottom, you need to periodically change your location, as a suction process inevitably occurs.
3. Before descending into the mine, check for the absence of dangerous gases. For this purpose, a burning candle is carefully lowered into the well. If it goes out, no work can be done. To remove gases from the shaft, a cloth with ropes tied to its corners is used. Two people lower and raise it evenly until the gases are completely released. If there is a powerful fan, the process will be faster.
4. It is necessary to constantly maintain a conversation with the person who is in the mine, trying not to miss the moment of a possible deterioration in his well-being.
5. Work is carried out using a safety belt.

Preparatory stage

How to clean a well without putting yourself in danger? Having prepared and checked all the tools necessary for this work. You can refer to the following list:

• ladder for descending into a shallow shaft;
• strong rope;
• a tripod, which will be needed to facilitate the process of lowering and lifting buckets;
• a metal brush firmly fixed on a long wooden or metal handle;
• scrapers, rags;
• waders;
• buckets with a capacity of 5-8 liters (larger ones are difficult to work with);
• cement-sand mortar for sealing damaged joints (if the well is made of concrete rings);
• vibration or drainage pump;
• gravel or crushed stone of medium fraction (stone diameter 20-40 mm) for installing a filter at the bottom of the shaft.

Since it’s not difficult to clean a well yourself, many people do not pay enough attention to preparing tools and equipment. This is a serious mistake that could lead to an accident. So, if you do not check the strength and strengthen the handles of the buckets, when lifting the filled container to the surface, it can break off and injure a person inside the well.

Pay special attention to the strength of ropes and ladders. Check them in advance.

Cleaning a well in a country house using a drainage pump

It is rational to use a drainage pump in spring or rainy summer periods. At this time, high water, saturated with debris and organic matter, penetrates into the well. The pump must be very powerful and capable of operating continuously for 3-5 hours. Even a short break is not advisable. Do-it-yourself well cleaning can be done in the same way.

Sequencing:

1. Two pumps are simultaneously lowered into the shaft: drainage and vibration. The first one will lift silt and sand from the bottom. The second is necessary for pumping dirty water to the surface.
2. The drainage pump is suspended at a distance of 40-50 cm from the bottom and fixed in this position.
3. The vibration pump is periodically raised to the surface and the filters are cleaned.

If you work in this mode for 2 hours, at least 10 cm of bottom sediment is removed. After which they begin to clean the walls of the well without going down into it. For this purpose, scrapers attached to a pole or large-section wire are used. When the shaft is filled with water again, it is pumped out using a vibration pump.

For information on how to clean wells with your own hands, you can watch the video.

It shows the process of performing the work, the materials and devices used, and the sequence of actions. The video provides tips on preventing traumatic situations.

Read more about well cleaning -.

Traditional method of cleaning a shallow well

Cleaning a well with your own hands is a labor-intensive process. Such work is classified as capital work and is carried out in case of severe contamination of the mine. The method can be used for any wells: wooden and concrete rings. The work is carried out at the dacha with your own hands, but with the assistance of assistants.

Tools and devices are prepared in advance and a place is provided for water drainage. The first stage is pumping out. Any type of pump is suitable for the task: vibration and centrifugal. Automation of the process allows you to pump out water as quickly as possible: in 10-20 minutes.

Do-it-yourself well cleaning is done as the water decreases. Deposits are removed from the top of the shaft walls using a long-handled brush. Then they install a strong ladder and go down into the well. As the water level drops, the seams are inspected and sealed.

Having reached the bottom, remove the filtration layer with buckets. On the surface it is washed and reloaded into the well. If necessary, install a new sand and gravel filter. For small-capacity wells, a layer 15-20 cm thick is sufficient. Small stones are placed in the lower part of the filter, and larger ones in the upper part. To disinfect mine walls, disinfectant solutions using potassium permanganate and bleach (20 g per 10 liter bucket) are used.

When the work on cleaning the walls of the mine is completed, it is necessary to wait for the water to rise and pump it out. This is done several times. The quality of the water is periodically checked, examining its transparency, taste and smell. It should be taken into account that in the presence of a viscous, loose bottom and the absence of a filtration layer, the mine will be steadily filled with turbid water. You need to wait for the sand and silt particles to settle.

Purification of water from a well with a strong odor is carried out in this way: a disinfectant solution is poured into the well and covered with thick polyethylene, “sealed”. After 12 hours, the water is pumped out and the walls are washed with a stream from a hose. The process is repeated several times.

The complexity of cleaning a well depends on the degree of its contamination and the design of the well itself. Of course, the availability of tools and equipment to carry out such a procedure plays a role. Therefore, think through all the stages and only then start cleaning the well, and also do not forget to do the right one so that less dirt and debris gets into it.

Cloudy water has an unpleasant taste and can be hazardous to health. How to clean a well at your dacha and remove particles of sand, soil, isotopes of heavy metals, and colonies of bacteria from well water.

A well dug at a dacha may become polluted over time. It produces cloudy water with an unpleasant odor and taste, which can cause many diseases.

Clean the well regularly and monitor the quality of the water in it

Factors indicating well contamination

• water with an unusual smell and taste;
• clay deposits on the walls of the mine;
• reduction in the overall level of incoming fluid;
• black, green or yellow color.

The charcoal color indicates the decomposition of organic matter that somehow got into the mine. The green color, or the so-called “water bloom,” indicates the rapid and active reproduction of algae, which develop under the influence of open sunlight. Yellow color is a sign of high iron content in the liquid.

If you suddenly find cloudy or unnaturally colored water in a well, what should you do first?
First you need to determine the quality of this well water - perform its laboratory analysis. To establish the biochemical composition and determine the presence of impurities, as well as various nitrates, it is necessary to submit samples to the local sanitary and epidemiological service.
Based on the results of the analysis, you can select filters designed for a specific type of pollution. For example, coarse filters will help remove particles of clay or sand, rust or soil, and so-called “softening” filters will reduce the content of excessive salts in the liquid.

Signs of severe contamination of a well

You should also figure out why the well at your dacha became dirty in order to prevent the problem from reoccurring in the future, after which it needs to be cleaned and disinfection work performed.

Causes of cloudy water

1. Low immersion of the pump or water intake pipe

In this case, you don’t have to do anything special; the problem can be solved simply - you just need to install the pump as high as possible. The silt will no longer rise from the bottom, and over time the water will become clear again.

2. The technology for constructing a well at the dacha has been violated

If the concrete rings have shifted, cracks have appeared, or the joints between them are poorly sealed, sewage and surface water will likely constantly enter the well water, which will lead to the active growth of bacteria. Melt water can also penetrate into the well if the clay castle has not been equipped or has collapsed. Complete purification of well water is possible only after pumping out and eliminating all errors made during the construction of the well.

Cleaning the walls of a well with your own hands

3. Head and cover are not equipped

The water may be cloudy or green if there is no cap above the above-ground parts of the well to protect the well from sunlight, leaves, insects and debris. The problem can be solved simply - it is necessary to make a head at least 1 m high from ground level, and also install a cover.

Important! If an animal falls into the shaft of an uncovered well and then dies, it is prohibited to drink the water; it can be used as drinking water only after thorough disinfection!

4. Infrequent use of the well

If the well is used extremely rarely, stagnation and subsequent rotting of the water are possible. In this case, it is recommended to disinfect the shaft and select the maximum amount of liquid so that a new flow of fresh water enters.

Materials and tools

What do we need to clean a well in our country house?

For preventive and general cleaning of a country well you will need:

• pump for pumping out water;
• safety belt;
• holding straps;
• winch;
• ladder;
• Master OK;
• cement mortar;
• putty knife;
• brush;
• brush;
• bucket.

Mandatory Precautions

For safety reasons, at least 3 people must be present when performing work, one of whom will go down into the mine, and two of whom will be insured on the surface. Due to the large accumulation of gases and lack of oxygen at depth, a person may lose consciousness - one belayer will not be able to lift him to the surface.

Take the necessary precautions when cleaning the well

It is prohibited to begin cleaning work without a safety rope. It is advisable to protect your head with a helmet and put on high waders on your feet. All work on cleaning the well bottom and disinfecting must be carried out wearing a respirator. It is also necessary to check the well for the presence of gas; to do this, lower a lit candle and if it goes out, it means the well is gassed, you need to ventilate.

People who have ailments of the cardiovascular system or lung problems should not undertake this type of work on their own - it is better to invite specialists.

Mechanical cleaning

Sequence of actions for mechanical cleaning:

Stage I. All water is pumped out from the mine.
Pumping equipment is used for this purpose.

Preparing to clean the well: pumping out water with a special pump

Stage II. The walls are cleaned of mucus and other contaminants using a mechanical method.
It is most convenient to clean the walls using a soft metal brush or a coarse sponge. You can clean it either after the water has been completely pumped out, or gradually - every 0.5 meters as it is pumped out. You need to clean the well from top to bottom.

Stage III. Well rings are being repaired.
Shaft walls with cracks must be sealed. It is optimal to use cement mortar with liquid glass for this type of work. If the integrity of the structure is damaged, it can be restored with steel brackets, which in the future will avoid possible displacement of the rings from their place.

Pay due attention to the repair of the well walls

Stage IV. The bottom is cleared of silt, debris and accumulated organic residues.
To perform these works, it is optimal to use a grab bucket.

V stage. Old filters are washed or new ones are installed.
Biopurification of water is the main task performed by bottom filters. As a layer for filtration, you can use either silicon gravel or shungite, or natural sorbents, for example, zeolite.

Install filters in a certain sequence. First, a layer of geotextile is laid on the well bottom - it will help in the future to maintain bottom filters. After this, shungite is poured, first small, and pieces of a larger fraction are placed on top of it. Shungite must be spread over the bottom in an even layer - to do this, you need to wait until the dust settles, then go down and distribute it as evenly as possible.

Advice! In order to avoid the formation of a cloud of dust, it is recommended to pre-rinse the shungite.

After cleaning or installing new filters, the water quality will noticeably improve within just a month. In addition, bottom filters will help cope with another problem - they neutralize sulfur bacteria, promoting the formation of beneficial microflora in the well.

It is important to carry out all stages of cleaning the well so that the water becomes suitable for consumption.

Stage VI. The walls are chlorinated and disinfected.
Cleaning using chemicals must be done based solely on laboratory data. The walls of the shaft are disinfected with chlorine-containing agents or a solution of potassium permanganate.
Chloride of lime is taken at the rate of 30 grams per 1 liter of water - the resulting solution is used to treat the walls using a brush or sprayer. The use of potassium permanganate as a disinfectant is considered a more gentle method. The solution is prepared from 1 teaspoon and 1 bucket of water.

The well has long ceased to be the main source of water supply in dachas and rural areas, but still the owners are in no hurry to part with it. After all, in the summer there is a large consumption of liquid for watering the garden, and if you connect a hose to the central water supply, then your water bills will increase significantly. And the water in the well is free and always available. True, periodic use of wells leads to deterioration of the water, and at one point the owners discover that it is simply impossible to drink it. There are two ways out: either leave everything as is and use this source only for economic purposes, or carry out a “general cleaning” of the mine. Let's consider how to clean a well with your own hands, depending on the cause of contamination.

Before cleaning a well at your dacha, you need to understand what caused the water contamination. This will help you fix the problem exactly where it occurs, rather than acting blindly. What could have caused the spoiled water is judged by its signs: color, smell, the presence of impurities in the liquid rising from the bottom.

The deposits of clay and sand at the bottom of the well are caused by leaky seams between the rings, which allow water and dirt to enter the shaft.

Floating leaves and debris on the surface of the water indicate that the owners do not care too much about the condition of the mine, forgetting to close the door of the house

The most common types of contamination are:

• The water loses its clarity and looks cloudy. The main reasons: the seams between the rings were depressurized, and water began to penetrate inside. It carries small particles of earth and clay, which are deposited at the bottom of the shaft, interfering with the operation of the bottom filter. The second reason is poor filtration of the aquifer. And the bottom filter is to blame for this.
• There is large debris, leaves, or a fallen neighbor's cat in the water. The reason is free access to the mine from above. If the door is skewed or is missing altogether, then the wind will blow a lot of dust and debris into the water, and its quality will gradually deteriorate.
• Darkening of the water. Dark shades are direct evidence that the owners rarely use the well. The water is not renewed and stagnates. Bacteria begin to actively multiply in it.
• Greening. Green color indicates the presence of small algae in the water. And the owners are to blame for this because they leave the mine open. Penetrating sunlight causes rapid growth of microorganisms on the inner walls, turning the well into a swamp.
• Red color of water. Yellow-red tints in the liquid indicate that the well contains excess iron. If you pour such water into a container and let it sit, a coating of rust will be noticeable on the walls. The reason is the poor quality of the aquifer, which cannot be eliminated by cleaning the well. It is necessary to install a filter system at the water entrance to the house, and if the pipeline is not created, then use special home filters.
• Sewage smell and bad taste. If the water stinks and you feel foreign tastes when drinking, then the problem is the depressurization of the mine. Somehow sewage gets into it. By the way, these same signs will appear if an animal that you had no idea about fell into the water.

If there are too many deficiencies identified, perhaps it is worth drilling a well? You can compare the pros and cons of both water supply options using the following arguments:

Preventive well cleaning

The main thing for owners should be annual preventive cleaning of the mine after winter. Even if the water looks quite decent on the outside, it needs to be sanitized. To do this, buy ordinary potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate), dissolve it in a bucket of water and pour it directly into the mine. One tablespoon is enough. After 2-3 hours, the water is completely pumped out. By the way, it can be poured directly onto the garden. At the same time, you will disinfect the ground.

Important! Sanitation should be carried out after the snow has melted and the likelihood of penetration of precipitation and high water has decreased.

Complete mine cleaning: possible options

If you are not satisfied with the water due to sandy or clayey sediment that has covered the bottom filter and interferes with its operation, and the quality and taste are at the same level, then you can clean the well with a drainage pump.

The scheme of work is as follows:

1. You buy or borrow from friends, such as “Rucheek”, and a drainage one, designed for pumping dirty cold water.
2. The stream will play the role of a “troublemaker”. It is lowered to the very bottom by screwing on a short hose (up to half a meter). It must create intense fluid movement to lift as much sand and debris as possible from the bottom.
3. The drainage pump is suspended on a cable or winch so that it does not reach the bottom 30 centimeters. Its hose should extend beyond the well to where you plan to drain the dirty water.
4. First they turn on the “Stream” so that it stirs up the water, and after 5 minutes they start the drainage.
5. Based on the condition of the pumped water, you will see how much cleaner it has become. Typically a 10 cm layer of sand is removed within 2 hours of pump operation.

Important! The power of the drainage pump should be enough for 2-3 hours of continuous operation. Low-power models will not cope with such a volume of sand, and the filter will instantly become clogged.

If you don’t want dirt from the bottom to fill your area with a layer of viscous clay, move the hose away from lawns and flower beds

If, after cleaning, sand still appears, it means that you will have to do a general cleaning with simultaneous repair of the shaft itself, through the cracks of which sand enters the water.

Major cleaning and repair of the mine

If the water in the well has become unusable due to the growth of algae, depressurization of seams, or the ingress of some organic matter, you will have to completely pump out the shaft, because it is impossible to clean a well filled with water (unless you are a diver!).

Since the walls and filter will have to be washed manually, a series of devices should be prepared for cleaning:

1. Water pump for pumping out liquid.
2. Safety ropes for those who will descend into the mine.
3. A longer staircase. If you don’t have one, build a swing from a rope with a board tied to it. The cleaner will stand on the board with his feet.
4. Rubber boots.
5. Bucket and soft brush for metal.

Important! Manual cleaning of wells is not done alone. This work requires 3 people: one will go down into the mine, the second will take buckets, tools out and feed them inside, the third will monitor the safety equipment.

Wells with deep shafts need to be cleaned by three people, going down in turns, since at depth there is a lack of oxygen and it is difficult for one person to work for a long time

Cleaning begins by immersing the pump. It is launched and waited until the first ring is pumped out. Then you can go down and begin mechanical cleaning of the empty ring while the pump gradually pumps out the next one. If a person works alone (which is extremely dangerous!), then it is better to first pump out the shaft completely and only then dive inside. True, before starting the descent you need to make sure that you can breathe normally at the bottom. It happens that unsafe gases escaping from the ground accumulate there. The easiest way to check air quality is to place a lit candle in a container. If it is not extinguished, it means that there is enough oxygen at the bottom for breathing.

The walls are cleaned with a moderately hard brush so as not to damage the concrete. If, during cleaning, cracks are noticed in the rings and seams, they are immediately covered with liquid glass mixed with cement.

After sanitizing and repairing the rings, they begin to clean the bottom. Dirt, silt and sand deposits that have clogged the bottom filter are scooped into a bucket with a shovel and lifted out with a winch. It is advisable to wear a construction helmet when working at the bottom, because God forbid the bucket falls off on the way up! The material laid as a filter is washed, and if it is destroyed, it is taken up and completely replaced.

When sediment rises from the bottom of the well, drops of dirt may fly, so the cleaner's head must be protected with a construction helmet

If such a long period of disinfection does not suit you, treat the walls with a solution of potassium permanganate and leave for a day. Then pump it out twice and you can use it. But in this case, the level of disinfection will be weaker, so it is recommended to throw a mesh with silicon to the bottom. It is considered a natural disinfectant. After six months, the silicon is replaced with fresh one.

As you can see, putting a stagnant well in order is not difficult if you do not act alone and in compliance with all safety measures.