Not something I expected to find.....

[ramonajim]

..... in my home.

Darling Wife some time ago noted a couple tiles that seemed to be floating (hollow sound when tapped on) in the laundry room/office that was added on to our 1920-built late Victorian at some point before we took ownership.

Last night, I decided to pop out one of the tiles, expecting to find a low spot in the concrete.

Instead, I found this:



Busting out the remnants of the plywood "subfloor" exposed A BLOODY WELL.




Sixteen feet to the water surface.

Thirty-one feet to the bottom of the well.

Still haven't gotten my head around the level of "engineering" that went into pouring a 15' x 15' concrete slab.... with a 3' x 3' section left clear..... and then laying tile over the whole 15' x 15' area with nothing between the tile and A BLOODY OPEN WELL other than a piece of 3/4" plywood.

[Wodnek]

Originally Posted by ramonajim

..... in my home.

Darling Wife some time ago noted a couple tiles that seemed to be floating (hollow sound when tapped on) in the laundry room/office that was added on to our 1920-built late Victorian at some point before we took ownership.

Last night, I decided to pop out one of the tiles, expecting to find a low spot in the concrete.

Instead, I found this:



Busting out the remnants of the plywood "subfloor" exposed A BLOODY WELL.




Sixteen feet to the water surface.

Thirty-one feet to the bottom of the well.

Still haven't gotten my head around the level of "engineering" that went into pouring a 15' x 15' concrete slab.... with a 3' x 3' section left clear..... and then laying tile over the whole 15' x 15' area with nothing between the tile and A BLOODY OPEN WELL other than a piece of 3/4" plywood.

holy crap! You could easily have heard a splash and your wife screaming!

[t walgamuth]

What, never heard of indoor plumbing?

Probably had a hand pump on it until city water came along.

[Maki]

Is that a section of PVC pipe a foot or two down? If so, there's been work done on it in the not-too distant past. Where does the gray water from your washing machine go?

[elchivito]

Originally Posted by Maki

Is that a section of PVC pipe a foot or two down? If so, there's been work done on it in the not-too distant past. Where does the gray water from your washing machine go?

REAL good question. Sure looks like a drain going down there from someplace.

[P.C.]

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

Hell, you've got the water...

[Joseph_Conrad]

Yikes, this is a deep subject!

[barry12345]

If grey water is entering there would be quite an odor I would think. I agree though it looks like a drain for something. Try running various things around the house that may be suspect. Although I feel you should have heard water falling down to the lower surface level of the well if it was an active drain of some sort.

I think I see a cast iron pipe elbow or something lower as well. Anyways the surface has to be sealed off with at least a good vapor barrier or your plywood floor will be further compromised.

[t walgamuth]

I think he said its just a hatch door that is wood, the rest I believe to be concrete, though unless planning to use the well I think I'd fill it and pour concrete on it. If it tested good to drink though I might be tempted to keep it around, set up for use when the zombies take over.

[engatwork]

If it tested good to drink though I might be tempted to keep it around, set up for use when the zombies take over.

That is what I was thinking. If water test good put a concrete casing over it with a pipe/hand pump down into it where if you ever get into a position where you don't have power or city water you will still have water.

[ramonajim]

There are three pipes visible - two metal, one PVC. Nothing is draining into the well - and the water is absolutely clear and odorless (pulled samples up).

We're on well water here (~300' deep well about 200 yards from the house - out by the barn). Had a local (as in just up the road) well guy come by yesterday afternoon to look at our new find . Old dude and his two sons - turns out the old guy actually dug the active well on our property 20+ years ago! They'll be giving us a quote for properly filling and sealing off the well in our laundry room.

The only wood that we can see is (was) directly over the well. There is a metal collar at the top of the rock column - looks like somebody poured concrete up to the collar, and then laid plywood over the top of the collar - and tile on top of the ply.

The rock work in the well is spectacular - HUGE rocks stacked in a very nicely formed cylinder.

[elchivito]

So you're going to cap it so it can't be used?

[Stretch]

These days in London that would be turned into a glass floored feature.

[JB3]

Dont fill it in!

You are a trapdoor away from your own personal Oubliette!

[JB3]

Originally Posted by Stretch

These days in London that would be turned into a glass floored feature.

I think if it were me, id grab a skeleton from a science lab, and connect it with chains to the side of the well, then a nice solid trap door.