Old well-cistern.

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Masbustelo
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Old well-cistern.

Post by Masbustelo » September 24th, 2018, 1:09 pm

I have a very old house. Maybe 150 years old. It still has the tubing for gas lights in the walls. When I purchased it, it still had sort of a dumb waiter, that at one time allowed cream, butter, etc to be lowered into an old well or cistern below the basement floor. I tore all that out and covered over the well/cistern. Would it be worth while to open it up, pump it out and see what I have? The idea would be to maybe use it for irrigation. I have 3,000K of lawn.

DevilDawg81
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Re: Old well-cistern.

Post by DevilDawg81 » September 28th, 2018, 5:37 pm

If you have the resources, I would say it’s worth a try. My dad has an old cistern and even thoughnow he’s now connected to a city water supply, he still uses the cistern to irrigate his garden, etc.

Masbustelo
Posts: 488
Joined: September 14th, 2018, 10:56 pm
Location: Western Illinois, parallel to tip o Lake Michigan.
Grass Type: Mazama KBG
Lawn Size: 20000-1 acre
Level: Some Experience

Re: Old well-cistern.

Post by Masbustelo » September 29th, 2018, 2:02 pm

I've been thinking about uncapping it, and then see how deep it is etc, and pump it out to see what I've got going there. I doubt that it is a cistern. More like a well dug below the basement floor level. I think it would have water flow, at 10-15 feet below grade.

Masbustelo
Posts: 488
Joined: September 14th, 2018, 10:56 pm
Location: Western Illinois, parallel to tip o Lake Michigan.
Grass Type: Mazama KBG
Lawn Size: 20000-1 acre
Level: Some Experience

Re: Old well-cistern.

Post by Masbustelo » September 29th, 2018, 6:03 pm

I've got an "Al Capones Vault" situation going on here. I broke the concrete off the top with a sledge hammer, and pulled off the obligatory broken bricks, glass, and old shoes. After I cleared out the rubble, I found the original zinc box, still in place. I broke a hole in it so I could look inside, but it doesn't look like anything is in there. No gold, cash or antiquities. The box is blocking the shaft, so I couldn't see if there is water down below. To be continued Monday...

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HoosierLawnGnome
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Re: Old well-cistern.

Post by HoosierLawnGnome » September 30th, 2018, 12:00 am

What's in the box?!?!?!?!?!

😁

Definitely worth it if you need an irrigation well for free. What's the replenish rate? Spring fed? How much does it store?


Masbustelo
Posts: 488
Joined: September 14th, 2018, 10:56 pm
Location: Western Illinois, parallel to tip o Lake Michigan.
Grass Type: Mazama KBG
Lawn Size: 20000-1 acre
Level: Some Experience

Re: Old well-cistern.

Post by Masbustelo » September 30th, 2018, 6:19 am

HLG Too soon to tell whats going on. There is a rectangular brick shaft that is blocked by the zinc box. It looks like the box rode on some steel rails and they are all rusted. Tomorrow I'm going to take a bench grinder and cut the steel, so I can get the box out. Also a six year old was holding the light, so there were some inconsistencies associated with the lighting.

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