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Moving a well

L

Larry806

Well-known Member
I have a old well with a hand pump on it at the back side of this farm . It sets out in the field about 25 ft . It is in a unhandy place . Being some what thrifty I hate to just cut it off and ruin it . How hard would it be to move it in to the edge of my woods out of the way ? That way if I ever wanted water back there I would still have it .
I'm sure several of you have done this before please tell me any tips you have , also any thing to watch for ?
 
Have you thought about just digging a new well in the place where you're talking about moving the old one to? You could just move the pump and maybe the first section of pipe. There's a fellow on Kountry Life who moves and sells post holes; might check with him; the procedure would probably be similar if you decide to move the well. :>)
 
If a shallow well, and surface pump, (No rods) it could be trenched to allow the pipes to extend to the edge. It will take more pumping to get water up, but it will work. Put the pipe down about 4' (or below the frost, and tillage depth.
If it is a dug well, it needs to be filled and abandoned. you know the water is there, so punching in a new point will be the answer if water is needed. dug wells are not going to be approved for human potible water. they can get surface runnoff contamination. A driven sand point will be almost as cheap as the trenching needed to remove the pump. JimN
 
How do I load a photo? I was going to show photo of a well I have moved twice. Can't find any help files on how to upload photo. I found one but was to a gallery and apparently only for tractors as they wanted serial # etc.
 
You can take a crane and pull it up but first you must dig a hole beside it so you can put a plug in the bottom. If you don"t do this all the water will run out of the well. Have a good day DH
 
I move postholes by hanging a coffin hoist from a skyhook and pull the holes out with a chain. Then I normally just push them into the ground with my loader once I get them where they need to be. A well would probably be too long to do that with, though. Might have to chainsaw it into sections and move a little at a time. Safety first, though-don't walk under suspended holes in case the chain breaks. Also, caution tape off the area so no one walks into an unoccupied hole.
 
Nope still replanting beans , just got back from changing farms . The last two farms is still to wet .
I was just hoping some one would have a easy idea to move it . I hate to just cut it off below the ground and seal it . I mean it's a good well just in the wrong place . I can't move the fence because it is a line fence .
 
How do you keep the chain from slipping off? I tried digging down about a foot around the post hole and hook the chain around it but every time I try to pull it up the chain slides off. Do you think if I wrapped it with an old truck mud flap it would hold? DH
 
The problem is too much friction-the chain is not getting tight enough. I find a light coating of muffler grease on the chain 2 or 3 times a day allows it to slip over itself and tighten better.
 
"How do you keep the chain from slipping off?" My guess is you are using two half hitches. Many make that mistake. But there is no such thing as a hole hitch.
 
If it is a drilled well They can set up over the old well and lower the drill to the bottom of the well,run it in reverse and load the old well with the drill stem. Then move to the new site and reverse the process. Doing this is like replacing a shovel handle,you can buy a new one cheaper. If it is a dug well you are pretty much out of luck, in that the oldtimers that did that for a living are long gone.
 
I used to deal in well holes,but had to much money tied up in inventory.I decided that donut holes would be more profitable and fit in a smaller box.
 
Guys I was wondering what you are calling a well? In my parts a well can be from 40' deep to 300' deep and 2' dia. or 6" in dia. And drinking water is the sole purpose of a well. Now in the old days and some of them still exist people dug cisterns which are a hand dug, pear shaped well which has to be filled with water. Please verify what you are talking about.
 
Hey there cornfarmer I think you have the best idea yet!! If he cuts it into shorter holes,he can use a skidsteer to dig a trench, and set them in upright. This way when the dry season comes he will have several backup wells.
 
they make a special tool for this, called a "round tuit"....ask on the tool board, some one probably has one you can borrow.
When you get a round tuit, you'll have that job completed in no time.......
 
Moving the well is easy, but then you have to dig a new hole to mount it in. When I was a kid I used to make a little extra money selling postholes. I'd get more for rocky ground ones, too.
 
If you do get it out, don't leave it laying around on top if the ground very long. I saved one once and made that mistake. The wind came up and blew it through a cactus patch and filled it full of holes. after that it wouldn't hold water anymore and was useless.
 
It was done here in Oconee County SC many years ago.
When Southern Railroad moved there line, they cut through a hill and moved an entire well top to bottom. Never did here how WELL it worked at the new location.
Richard
 
I don't know where you are Larry, but it is a whole lot easier to cut them in pieces and move them if they are frozen. My suggestion is to dig the new hole this summer then move the old one in January or February.
 
Too bad you're not in the suburbs- locals here have had good luck cutting old wells up into post holes, and selling them to the new neighbors, so much apiece, "u-pick", cash in advance. Gettin' em out gets a little more tedious, the further down you get, so a few end up abandoning the effort, muttering to themselves about having paid in advance. May seem like a harsh lesson, but somebody's gotta teach these city folk how the real world works.
 
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