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