Submitted by pinetreesandcake t3_yhhnpl in Maine

Fortunately, we didn't find it by having someone fall through the rotten board that was covering it. We've covered it up temporarily with a large, sturdy board but I'm wondering what people do in these situations?

Fill it in? Have it covered with a concrete cover?

My heart skips a beat thinking about how my two year old was walking a over there just this morning. And I want to deal with this asap.

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slingshotcoyote t1_iudvcof wrote

Cement or wooden cover. You could drill a pump into the cover and have a water source for outside gardening, animals, etc. Personally think it’s a waste to fill in abandoned wells.

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mcCola5 t1_iueljgl wrote

But what about ghosts?

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KeithMaine t1_iuemmqj wrote

Yeah if The Ring taught us anything. It’s probably better than cover that bitch up. Next thing you know little ghost bitches are coming out your tv.

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sirgoofs t1_iueh3ml wrote

If you think it might ever be useful again- then cover it, but if you want to fill it you should do some research…

A quick google search-

There are very good reasons for well owners to make sure inactive or abandoned wells on their property are properly decommissioned:

-Improperly abandoned wells threaten drinking water supplies by providing open conduits into aquifers.

-If a drinking water well is being replaced because of water quality problems in the original well, the abandoned well is a direct threat to the new water supply if it is not properly sealed.

-Improperly abandoned wells can create a liability problem at the time of property resale or if the well causes contamination in neighboring wells.

-Shallow dug wells create a physical hazard simply because of their large diameter and the potential for animals or people to fall into them. Typically, the older fieldstone-lined wells are the most dangerous because many were finished flush to the ground surface and were covered with wooden covers, which are now decayed or non-existent.

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Guygan t1_iudtqn6 wrote

Reinforced concrete cap on top of it.

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Solar_Saves t1_iudu9xy wrote

A good sturdy pressure treated wooden structure that is secured usually works. That way it can only be uncovered with power tools, in case you might need the water at some point in the future. You could dress it up with an old fashioned wishing well type structure over the secured cover… Beyond that, how much are you willing to spend?

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pinetreesandcake OP t1_iudum6t wrote

Well, from googling around on the internet, looks like you're supposed to fill them in rather than just covering them up - but I imagine that can get pretty expensive. One estimate said up to $12,000 so. Yikes.

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Solar_Saves t1_iudvrgq wrote

If you decide to cover and not fill, make sure it is well marked or that the cover won’t get grown over so that it gets lost for someone years from now to find it by chance. Turn the cover area into a planter, bench or something that won’t disappear under overgrowth…

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Shilo788 t1_iuf2bl0 wrote

That is crazy money. How deep is it? They usually aren't that deep at all and like they said cheaper to cover it and then make use of it if needed later on.

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pinetreesandcake OP t1_iuf5ayy wrote

I don't know how deep it is yet. Needs more investigation. We just found it today. I'm guessing that's an extreme case to cost so much.

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fredezz t1_iudzjv7 wrote

If it's a dug well with well tiles in it, all you need is a cover...it's very difficult to advise with so little description.

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Yourbubblestink t1_iuejwtp wrote

The rotten board that was covering it is all that remains of the last persons attempt to abandon the well. What ever you do, don't cover it with wood - the same thing will just happen again to someone else in the future. Also - having an unused open well risks contaminating the clean water below.

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Bywater t1_iueurig wrote

Hand dug? Fill it with stone, you can recap it with wood or whatever but it will just bump the problem down the road with a fair amount of risk mixed in. If it is a dug well call a driller they will come out with a round cement cap that gets put a little ways down in it that is made to seal them up and keep surface pollutants out of the water table.

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Adventurous_Deer t1_iudzk29 wrote

We have a late 1700s well on our property. It has a little wooden hat that is secured over it so nothing can fall in and then I forget that it exists

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Independent-Ruin-185 t1_iuenomh wrote

Full it asap. That's a big liability for you. I don't think you need clean fill for it, I don't know if you have a truck or a buddy with a truck but just fill it with what you can get for free.

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RightyTightey t1_iufa11t wrote

Ii would rebuild a well house around it. Better to have it than not in case of emergency.

If you really want to fill it, any sand or bank run gravel would be fine.

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78FANGIRL t1_iue4miv wrote

Have you read or seen Dolores Claiborne? You may need that well during a solar eclipse!

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Admirable_Result_531 t1_iuenhf4 wrote

keep it you never know when you can use it to not fill. We have access to three dug Wells on our property. It’s easy to hook up a pump to and use it for irrigation purposes.

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the_wookie_of_maine t1_iufp2hd wrote

according to Japanese legends, you should never fill a well.

I put a small pump in our well and have it flow through a stone water feature in our garden.

We got boot grate to go on top of the well, 1/8" thick metal slats 1" apart in a grid. like fashion.

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blazedrow t1_iue2sr4 wrote

I’m assuming your talking about a dug well? You could always fill it In, put a concrete cap over the well, do the old board trick, or even if your fancy could build a well house around it.

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MakingItUpAsWeGoOk t1_iuexnp9 wrote

We had to fill one in. This was about 25 years ago. The fill has since settled and we went and put a marked wooden cover over it.

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Candygramformrmongo t1_iugsauh wrote

Very useful for disposing of used motor oil, paint, chemicals, annoying relatives, campaign signs, etc.

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