Wood hauling disaster

[Cowboy Billy]

What a stupid place to put a well. I always have problems driving between it and the house. But I got it good today I couldn't see it and ran it over with the tractor hauling wood into the house and broke it off.

My tractor is a farmall 130 where the engine and trans is off set to the left and I sit to the right of it. And since I was to the right of the well I couldn't see it. I thought I was past it and turned to sharp and broke the well off with the trailer.

Right now I am thinking of digging around it. Cutting the well casing off below ground and using some cinder blocks build a pit around the well and putting a steel plate over it so I can drive over it from now on. But I do not know if having a air space around it rather than dirt will cause it it freeze my pitless adapter. The thing is only 20" below ground surface and I have no idea why it hasn't frozen up before I would think it would have to be 3' down.

Billy

 

[thewoodlands]

That sucks, always something going wrong Billy when we own equipment or a house.


zap

 

[Cowboy Billy]

Ya got that right Zap.

Sometimes I can't win for loosing. Seems like I had less problems when I was hanging out at bars and running around with fast women.

Billy

 

[Shari]

Ya got that right Zap.

Sometimes I can't win for loosing. Seems like I had less problems when I was hanging out at bars and running around with fast women.
Billy

:lol:

Shari

 

[LLigetfa]

I installed my pitless 8 feet down. I've seen water lines 6 feet down freeze and in my case the line to the house goes under the path to my woodshed so there is no snow cover on it.

Just put some hay over it for the Winter.

 

[Shari]

CB,

Actually, you might bump into some code requirements on this repair. Around here the well cap must be 18" above ground - reason is to avoid possible groundwater contamination.

Shari

 

[Bspring]

Been there - done that. I just put cross ties around it so I didn't hit it again.

 

[ISeeDeadBTUs]

Ya got that right Zap.

Sometimes I can't win for loosing. Seems like I had less problems when I was hanging out at bars and running around with fast women.

Billy

See? Now if we paid the consequences at the time we did the crime, we'd prolly not commit the crime so often.

Hang in there!

 

[Jags]

Sounds like you need one of those well head covers that make it look like the old wishing well type thingy.

Or a dragon - chain a dragon to it, and you will never hit it again.

 

[LLigetfa]

Ya got that right Zap.

Sometimes I can't win for loosing. Seems like I had less problems when I was hanging out at bars and running around with fast women.

Billy

See? Now if we paid the consequences at the time we did the crime, we'd prolly not commit the crime so often.

Hang in there!

LOL
Vengeance is mine... saith the Lord -- Romans 12:19
Revenge is a dish best served cold -- author unknown
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revenge#Proverbially

 

[homebrewz]

There should be an elevated casing in order to avoid well contamination by surface water runoff.

We just had a well installed here and the pitless is down 4 feet. They left about 4 feet of casing above ground.. no one is going to run into that.
You could build the classic wishing well around it, or do something like a stone monument or cairn. Or maybe a holz hausen!

 

[smokinj]

Ya got that right Zap.

Sometimes I can't win for loosing. Seems like I had less problems when I was hanging out at bars and running around with fast women.

Billy

Its Because You Did!

 

[LLigetfa]

I was thinking of putting one of those red fire hydrants over my well casing. You know, one of those fake plastic things that people use to reserve their parking spot. That way nobody will park too close to your well.

I knew of a guy that had a problem with the neighborhood teenagers always driving through and scattter his big pile of leaves that he would rake to the curb. One year, to teach them a lesson, he raked the leaves over top of the fire hydrant and when they drove into the leaf pile, they had a nasty surprise.

 

[RobC]

That is really shallow for the pitless. The reason you may not get a freeze up is the warm ground water convecting up. I'd be surprised if your well line stays that shallow all the way to home. Being on the horizontal it would probably freeze quick. I have some deep (8') cement manholes where tops are exposed above grade by a couple of feet. I use them to get to my irrigation system and they don't keep snow cover for long because of the ground heat.....
X2... You should have top of casing above grade to avoid contamination as mentioned before.

 

[JV_Thimble]

Sounds like you need one of those well head covers that make it look like the old wishing well type thingy.

Or a dragon - chain a dragon to it, and you will never hit it again.

For sure, definitely with you on the dragon. :lol:

 

[RobC]

Here's a nice watertight cap with a vent. The vent is the problem. With just sealing the well tight when the water level drops inside the well it will crate a vacuum.
http://www.baker-mfg.com/domestic_new/water_well_caps/SnorkelWellCapVent.html
http://www.baker-mfg.com/domestic_new/water_well_caps/PremiumWatertightCapScreenedAirVent.html
Anyway, good luck with your repairs....

 

[Cowboy Billy]

Shari

I was worried about ground water contamination too. But I figured I could get away with it because I could run a drain out the bottom of the well box and down the side of the hill. But on second though I don't want to go through that much work this time of the year. And I would like to sell this place and move to the farm.


BSpring

I am going to bury a steel pipe on each side of the well. I have a bunch of fencing from a 6' tall dog kennel I took down.

Jags

Its already a tight fit getting between the well and the house and I don't want to take up more room than I have to.


HomeBrewz

I thought of leaving the casing higher. But I think some bumper pipes will be better.

Jay

I think it was more of a case of If you don't use it it won't break.

LLigtfa

Now thats funny!

Rob

I am kinda curious on what I am going to find when I dig it up. It exits the well on the opposite side of the well from the house. And the pipe enters the house 3.5 below grade which is about 1' above the basement floor. Thanks for the links.

JV

Giddy up little dragon

I didn't get anything done yesterday. Threw my back out getting a 5 gallon bucket of water out of the creek to flush the toilet. Hopefully I can get a new hose for the tractor and dig it up today.

Billy

 

[kabbott]

Two thoughts... instead of digging the pit down and making the pitless adapter even more shallow, can you build up the area around the well? Would also turn
any water away from the well.

Got any buddy's that do utility work? A slab top from a manhole and a frame/cover make a nice traffic bearing top for a pit.

 

[OhioBurner©]

My tractor is a farmall 130 where the engine and trans is off set to the left and I sit to the right of it. And since I was to the right of the well I couldn't see it. I thought I was past it and turned to sharp and broke the well off with the trailer.

Love the old Culti-Vision Farmalls. Its suppose to enhance vision though, not impede it lol. I guess that only applies to crops though!

 

[savageactor7]

As cold as it get there I'm surprised it didn't freeze begin only 2' down...

...yeah, it's always something.

 

[Later]

There should be an elevated casing in order to avoid well contamination by surface water runoff.

We just had a well installed here and the pitless is down 4 feet. They left about 4 feet of casing above ground.. no one is going to run into that.
You could build the classic wishing well around it, or do something like a stone monument or cairn. Or maybe a holz hausen!

Maybe a monument to the right handed tractor.