• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
permaculture forums growies critters building homesteading energy monies kitchen purity ungarbage community wilderness fiber arts art permaculture artisans regional education skip experiences global resources cider press projects digital market permies.com pie forums private forums all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
master stewards:
  • Nancy Reading
  • Carla Burke
  • r ranson
  • John F Dean
  • paul wheaton
  • Pearl Sutton
stewards:
  • Jay Angler
  • Liv Smith
  • Leigh Tate
master gardeners:
  • Christopher Weeks
  • Timothy Norton
gardeners:
  • thomas rubino
  • Jeremy VanGelder
  • Maieshe Ljin

Getting rocks out while digging

 
Posts: 70
5
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
So i would like to dig a well close to a dry run. It floods a bit when it rains a lot, and deposits rock.

I’m in a place that didn’t get glacial drift in the last ice age, so the formations have been there for a loooong time.

I have dug down 7’ to make a well pump room. It’s about 2’x4’x7’. Im in wisconsin, so i went below the frost line for the pump and pressure tank etc.

I dug by pick-adz and shovel.

I’m now trying to auger a deepish-shallow well. I may have a deepish well pump (more than 25’) depending on the depth.

I blacksmithed a rock breaker to put on my auger’s extensions to break up rock, but sometimes my auger grips the larger rock and doesn’t want to bring it up.

Any fancy tricks for this? I thought about attaching a large whisk and stabbing the rocks to get inside of it.

A grabber tool seems a bit difficult to wield, but ive thought of modifying a cheap post hole digger and have it close with a spring and pull it open with a rope.

I know, i should just try a different area. It’s a bit of an alluvial clearing and the whole space is rocky.

It’s just for a temporary place to put a trailer home while i build something more earthy.

Ive been wanting to do rain catchment forever, but my gal is set on having a well, so here i am.

She’s a bit more open to it after she sees how hard it is without having a million dollars to get a company to drill to the aquifer.
 
steward
Posts: 15505
Location: Northern WI (zone 4)
4846
7
hunting trees books food preservation solar woodworking
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I've seen different style augers that might interact with rocks differently.  Maybe weld a 6" half circle to the end of a rod so you can drop it down, rotate it a few times and hopefully the rock will end up on top of the half disk so you can lift it out?
 
pollinator
Posts: 5347
Location: Bendigo , Australia
477
plumbing earthworks bee building homestead greening the desert
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
We dont use wells in Australia, so I find any detail about them fascinating.
But I have developed a system of handballing unforseen tasks to the taskee and then get on with my life.
I Have been involved in a lot of earth moving as a Civil  Engineer and can say I doubt there is a solution to your situation that does not involved heaps of cash.

While the taskee is trying to break rocks, why not work on rainfall catchment [ see my signature ] by creating a roof somewhere that can capture rain.
Dont fiddle with 200L bottles, get a rainwater tank with 20,000L or 5000 gallon capacity.

How far down do you expect water?
Thought of lining the walls of the hole and mine your way down? It may be perfect for the taskee.
 
Hey, sticks and stones baby. And maybe a wee mention of my stuff:
the permaculture bootcamp in winter (plus half-assed holidays)
https://permies.com/t/149839/permaculture-projects/permaculture-bootcamp-winter-assed-holidays
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic