Help with questions about old well

[K_W]

Hi everyone...

Our home (typical, late 50's, single story w/ basement, suburban boom, ranch style home) had/has a well somewhere. I am not sure where it is/was. There is a big pump in an alcove in the basement that has been disconnected from the home piping since '97 when city water came to the neighborhood, but I am not sure if the well was decommissioned because the pipes are still connected from out of the wall. The two pipes from the pump go out of the alcove towards the neighbors house which is only about 35 ft away, so likely the pipes turn and go for some distance around to the front or back yard, but there are no covers in the yard that I can find and no plumbing visible above ground.

Would the county have records?

Where where wells typically placed in the late 50's suburbans?

Can an old well be restarted and used for an lawn irrigation system?

What problems could arise?

Who is a reputable well company that would conduct an inspection for a reasonable cost? (Indianapolis)

HOUSE IS NOT TO SCALE (~20 ft from ext. wall to property line)
Red = Pump and visible pipe (in alcove in basement)

 

[speedbump]

Does the alcove stick out past the outside wall of the house? If so, do you see a cement plug maybe 1' in diameter or square that can be removed? It may be that the well is straight down below the pump. This type of install was typical in the 50's. Someone can back a rig up to the house and work down through the hole in the top of the alcove.

Also remember that the trees were probably not even there when all this was originally constructed.

As far as watering etc. Your best bet is to talk to neighbors who have wells and have had drillers work on them to get the best guy you can find in your area. Beware of large ads in the yellow pages.

 

[K_W]

Yes, the alcove sticks out into the yard the entrance is about 4' wide, 5'7" tall and about 6' deep and is approximately 1.5 ft underground. There is a "plug" of concrete on the ceiling in the center of the alcove roof, but the floor of the alcove is smooth with no plates or doors, but looks to have been disturbed (or fixed/replaced) possibly when the last owners had a sump pump and "trench" installed around the perimeter of the basement. But the inlet pipes are defiantly going horizontal out the wall of the alcove towards the neighbors...

Pics...

 

[speedbump]

There was probably a well in that floor at one time. But your right, the pipes going to the well clearly show the direction the well is in.

If you want to loacte the well, find a surveyor with a Schoenstadt locater. They work great for finding Steel Casing.

 

[kouvakis]

try these: ask the neighbors. previous owners?? get a elderly construction worker to follow the pipes on the surface using to L shaped metal rods i did this years ago following sewer pipe. beats digging up the whole yard. construction workers/ and plumbers also use 1/4 inch high carbon steel rods to push into the ground to probe for pipes etc. use a grid pattern with lines every 2 feet and you will hit it. helps/ easier if ground is moist. when you start digging tie a ten foot 2X8 to your ass so you dont fall in just in case of a cave in you might find it is not on your lannd sometime people shared utility wells in the good old days. bill h also get a dowser to use a forked stick but not many around any more. where int the world are you??

 

[DogPatch]

Try the front yard first the septic system is in the back yard as it appears on your map. drillers will usually put the well a well as far from the drain field as possible.