ATTRACTIVE NUISANCE

[sriddle1]

Clearing heavy brush, discovered old stone well, 14'+ depth. For comfort and safety, need to cover this Attractive Nuisance (by legal terms). A 4 round diameter grate would fit nicely overlapping the stone perimeter. I'd like to be able to see down into the well so a solid concrete or wood plank cap wouldn't work for me. The well is located in a remote area so I'm not looking to re-create a roof top frame with a hand crank with bucket that you normally see as lawn ornaments, just need something secure that will last. I have a hammer drill to add securing eye bolts into the mortar joints with epoxy. Trying to identify the least expensive route to go?.THANKS

 

[davesl708]

I found three hand dug wells on our property. I put fence post and barbed wire around them to keep the cattle from stepping in them.
Did not want to cover them as they still provided water but were not used.

 

[Sprinklerman]

Go to a pre cast concrete manufacturer and get a concrete lid . They are heavy ,

 

[oosik]

Perhaps a "grate" made out of 3/4" or 1" diameter rebar would work. I would form it up with 3" holes and a bend round piece for the exterior. Weld it all up and hold it down with epoxied in "J" bolts.

 

[s219]

You may want to check into local laws -- around here abandoned wells need to be capped with something that closes the opening. If left open, contaminants have an easy path into the ground water, etc. I can't think of a reason you'd need/want to see down the well that would ***** the other hazards.

 

[JSanders10]

At one time, in the past, and I don't know how long ago, there was a program to cap open and abandoned wells. May have been been through the Conservation Service or something of the sort.

 

[Cord]

I'd throw a piece of bar grating over it and not bother with the anchors.

 

[k0ua]

I know what I would be doing with it. I would be taking bucket load after bucket load of local rock and dirt, and putting it in it. Starting with the rocks and concrete up around the edge. It wouldn't take long for that hazard to go away.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

I had something similar with an old septic tank. What I did was cut a sheet of 3/4" plywood slightly bigger than the inside diameter of the hole, so it overlapped about an inch on all sides. Then I mixed up bags of concrete and put about 4" on top, which I reinforced with rebar. I cut the rebar long enough so that it went past the edge of the plywood and overlapped the lip. I thought I would need a form for the edge but I just mixed it somewhat stiff and hand formed an edge that stood up.

The plywood is just to hold the concrete until it hardens. It will rot away in time but the concrete should be plenty strong to hold itself up. The reason the plywood only overlaps a little on the lip is so that most of the lip is available to hold the cap. Space the rebar with the thought that even if the concrete weren't there it would keep someone from falling in.

This should be permanent and durable, but also reversible if you ever need to get into it.

 

[Ed of all trades]

Someone caped a well with planks and over the years honeysuckle grew over it. My dad was walking in the woods and he walked out on the lid and it just crumbled. He threw himself forward and caught the other side of the well and we were able to pull him out. If he had been by himself he would have ended up in the bottom of a well.
I say that to say do something that will last, even treated lumber will give up one day and you won't always be there to tell people that it is there, and it might be someone you love. Ed