The operating principle of the Abyssinian well. Do-it-yourself Abyssinian well. What is he like?

The Abyssinian well is a sand well; water is drawn from the first sandy aquifer. The main feature is its shallow depth, simple design and low cost.

They are fed from the upper groundwater - the so-called perched water. Groundwater is not separated from the surface by an impermeable layer, so it may contain dissolved organic matter from septic tanks and cesspools, pesticides, and heavy metal salts.

Artesian wells extract water from deep, pressurized sandy or limestone horizons. The water there contains a lot of dissolved mineral salts; there are artesian waters with a high content of dissolved ferrous iron. To purify water to potable quality, a complex filtration system is required.

The water in the Abyssinian well is of high quality. Waterproof clay layers reliably protect the first sandy aquifer from the penetration of contaminants from the upper layers of the soil, while at the same time the water does not contain excess mineral salts.

The waters of the first sandy horizon are free-flowing, so a pump is needed to pump out the water. For Abyssinian wells, surface manual or electric pumps are used, the operating principle of which is based on the vacuum pumping method. This limits the maximum depth to the surface of the aquifer, not exceeding 8 m. In this case, the depth of the well can reach 14-15 m.

An electric pump or with a hydraulic accumulator is installed in a caisson directly next to the well or in a warm room at some distance. The permissible distance to the room, as well as the installation diagram of the pumping station, are shown in the figure.

A hand pump is installed directly above the well. For year-round use, it is placed in an insulated caisson or room. The well can be drilled inside the house, in the underground - in this case, insulation is not needed.

The service life of an Abyssinian well is limited by the life of the pipes and pump and averages 10-30 years with regular use. Galvanized, or even better, stainless steel pipes will not only last much longer, but will not degrade the quality of the water.

Pay attention! You can make an Abyssinian well in one day if you have the necessary components and tools for driving.

Preparing the necessary materials

The design of an Abyssinian well is extremely simple and consists of a set of metal pipes 1-2 m long, connected to each other using couplings, a filter pipe at the bottom for water intake and a pump on the ground surface.

Step 1. Pipes are preferably galvanized or stainless steel to protect against corrosion, pipe diameter is 1-1½ inches (approximately 2.5-3.8 cm). Copper pipes are not suitable due to the softness of the metal, and copper can release free ions to water, poisoning it. On pipes, except for the lowest one, external threads are cut on both sides.

Step 2. The lower pipe, which is a water intake with a filter, is perforated. The length of the perforated part is 700-1000 mm. The diameter of the holes is 8-10 mm, the center-to-center distance between the holes is 50 mm. The holes are arranged in a checkerboard pattern. Stainless wire is wound over the perforated part according to the diagram.

Instead of wire, you can use a fine mesh harpoon or plain mesh made of stainless steel. The mesh is tightly wrapped around the perforated part of the pipe and soldered at all joints.

Pay attention! Soldering is performed with food-grade solder, lead-free or with a minimum lead content. Suitable brands of solders: POSu 95-5, POM-1, POM-3.

A thread is cut at the upper end of the pipe to connect to the coupling.

Step 3. A spear-shaped tip made of hardened steel is welded to the lower end of the pipe, making it easier to plug the well. The diameter of the tip at the junction with the pipe should be 15-20 mm larger than the diameter of the pipe - this makes it easier to pass through the ground when driving.

Step 4. The number of pipes in the set depends on the expected depth of the well. They are connected using a threaded coupling; flax or fluoroplastic thread is wound onto the thread for strength. It is preferable to take thick-walled couplings, with a wall thickness of 5 mm - such products are stronger.

Step 5. To drive pipes into the ground, a carbide driving tip is made. The tip has an internal thread and is screwed onto the next section of the pipe.

Step 6. The pipes are clogged using a sledgehammer or headstock. The headstock is a steel cylinder in which a hole is drilled slightly larger than the diameter of the pipe used. The striking surface inside the cylinder conforms to the cone shape of the striking tip in order to center the impact. A removable ring along the diameter of the pipe is attached to the bottom of the headstock to avoid distortions when driving. The headstock is equipped with handles for lifting on both sides.

Step 7 Sometimes the headstock is made with a through hole; in this case, instead of an impact tip, a headstock is used, which is attached to the pipe at a convenient height. In this case, the impact does not occur at the end of the pipe, which reduces the chances of bending it when passing through dense layers of soil.

To make lifting the headstock easier, a clamp with blocks is made. In this case, the headstock is lifted by two people from both sides through blocks, and it lowers under its own weight.

Step 8 For the initial pumping of the well and clearing it of sand, it is recommended to use a hand pump. If in the future you plan to install a pumping station, you don’t have to buy a hand pump, but rent it.

Step 9 When placing pumping equipment in a caisson, after installing the well, it is necessary to dig a pit for its (caisson) installation. The depth of the uninsulated caisson should be greater than the freezing level of the soil.

Pay attention! You can make a caisson with your own hands from concrete rings.

Choosing a site for an Abyssinian well

The operation of an Abyssinian well is only possible if the distance to the aquifer is no more than 8 m. Otherwise, surface pumps will be ineffective, and a submersible pump will require a larger diameter pipe and a different drilling technology.

To prepare a set of pipes, you also need to know the approximate depth of the well. Excessive deepening of the suction pipe with a filter can lead to its penetration into dense layers of soil lying below the level of the vein.

How to choose a suitable location for a well and determine its expected depth?

1. The surest sign of the possibility of developing an Abyssinian well is the presence of the same wells in the nearest neighbors. You can ask them not only about the depth, but also about the flow rate of the well in order to determine the required performance of the pumping equipment. Measuring the flow rate of a well is quite simple: you need to time 1 minute and determine how much water the well is capable of producing during this time.

Table 1. Required pump performance depending on the well flow rate.

1. If there are wells nearby, you can also find out the depth of the aquifer. Using a rope with a weight, measure the depth of the well to the bottom and to the water surface, and find out the approximate thickness of the aquifer.
2. A sign of the close occurrence of interstratal aquifers may be the emergence of springs and streams to the surface. If in your area there are springs with good, tasty water, then with a high degree of probability the same water will be in the drilled Abyssinian well, and the depth of the latter will be shallow.
3. An indirect sign of the close passage of an aquifer is some plants with a deep root system: coltsfoot, burdock, horse sorrel, celandine and many others. Trees with tap roots also grow better in areas with nearby aquifers.

   

4. Fog after sunrise, as well as swarming of midges over certain areas, are also clear signs indicating the proximity of an aquifer.
5. Well digging experts use metal frames to find the location. It is believed that this requires experience, but you can try to do everything yourself. Take two pieces of copper wire 35 cm long, bend the frames from them at an angle of 90 degrees with an aspect ratio of 10/25 cm. Take the frames in your hands by the short sides and place them parallel to each other, without squeezing too much. Walk slowly through the area. In the place where the aquifer passes, the free ends of the frames should meet.

   

   Folk method on the site

   

Pay attention! Several signs indicating the proximity of water indicate a high probability of finding an aquifer with a high flow rate.

Abyssinian - step by step instructions

Equipment for driving an Abyssinian well can be rented from drilling companies, purchased, or made independently according to the ready-made drawings given above.

Step 1. Remove the turf on the well site to a depth of 20-30 cm. When driving a well in the underground, the turf does not need to be removed. The first 0.5-1.0 m is drilled with a regular garden drill to penetrate the fertile soil layers. Installing it in too dry or frozen soil will not affect it, but will make the drilling process easier.

Step 2. Install a pipe with a punching tip into the drilled hole, level it strictly vertically and fix it in this position. This can be done using a tripod or a board with a hole, as shown in the picture.

Step 3. Place the lower ring on the pipe to secure the headstock. Screw a carbide tip onto the upper end of the pipe so as not to damage the thread when driving.

Step 4. Place the headstock on the tip and screw the fixing ring to it from below. Raise the headstock by the handles until it stops, then release it. The headstock hits the tip, under the influence of a weight of about 25 kg, the pipe goes into the ground to a certain depth. The speed of driving is highly dependent on the density of the soil. A meter-long pipe goes into the sand with 5-8 blows; in clay it moves much more slowly.

Step 5. After the pipe has gone to a sufficient depth, the headstock, tip and fixing ring are removed, and the coupling is screwed on with flax or Tangit UNI-LOCK thread. The connection must be as tight as possible, otherwise during operation air or water from the perched water will be sucked through it.

Step 6. Install the next pipe and repeat steps 3, 4 and 5. Once the expected depth of the well is reached, water begins to be poured into the pipe every half meter. The sandy aquifer is non-pressure, it is capable of not only releasing, but also absorbing water. If the tip with the filter is located in an aquiferous zone, the water poured into the pipe will drain quickly, almost instantly. If there is no information about the depth of the aquifer, the test is performed starting from 3-4 m.

Step 7 After reaching the aquifer, the pipe is clogged another 0.5-0.7 m and a permanent or temporary pump is attached to it. They begin pumping the well. At first the water will be cloudy, with some sand mixed in.

Step 8 After pumping out several hundred liters, the water will become clean; a lens will form around the intake end with the filter - an area of ​​​​clean water without foreign inclusions.

Step 9 A concrete blind area is made around the well: the soil is removed to a depth of 20-30 cm, backfilled with sand 5-10 cm thick, then a reinforcing mesh is laid and filled with concrete. From the center of the blind area to the edges, make a slope of 2-3 degrees to drain water. You can also perform drainage to drain water; in this case, the slope is made towards the drainage hole.

Step 10 Install a permanent pump or connect a pumping station according to the diagram.

Pay attention! The circuit must have a check valve, otherwise before turning on the pump you will have to fill the pumping station with water each time.

Caisson installation

A well is equipped with a caisson when its depth does not allow the pumping equipment to be moved into an insulated room using a horizontally laid and insulated pipe. TO , You can read in our article.

Step 1. When installing a caisson, a pit is dug around the plugged well. To avoid damaging the pipe, it is better to do this manually. Before starting work, wrap the top of the pipe with a bag or thick cloth to prevent soil particles from getting in. The depth of the pit is 20-30 cm below the soil freezing level, the diameter is 20-30 cm greater than the outer diameter of the rings. At the same time, they dig a trench for laying pipes. The bottom of the pit and trench is leveled and backfilled with sand (layer thickness - 10 cm).

Step 2. Install reinforced concrete rings in the prepared pit. A hole is made in the wall for the water pipe at the level of the trench. Reinforcement mesh is placed on the bottom, the bottom is filled with concrete with a layer of 10-15 cm. Leave to harden and gain minimum strength for 5-7 days.

Step 3. A cover with a hatch is mounted on the well. The hatch must be positioned so that the well pipe is exactly opposite it - in this case, if necessary, you will not have to disassemble the caisson to remove and replace the pipes. All seams are coated with cement mortar.

Step 4. A pump and a hydraulic accumulator are mounted in the caisson. Place the water pipe through the hole in the ring, having previously wrapped it in foamed polyethylene to avoid damage. The hole is covered with cement mortar. Connect the pipe to the pump and check the functionality of the system.

Step 5. The pit is backfilled. A mixture of sand and cement is poured around the walls - gradually gaining moisture from the soil, the latter will set and securely fix the caisson. The lid is insulated with polystyrene from the outside and covered with a 0.3-0.5 m layer of sand. Reinforcement mesh is laid and filled with concrete. After it hardens, install the hatch cover.

Abyssinian well maintenance

An Abyssinian well will last longer if used regularly. At the same time, the lens around the filter retains its dimensions, the water in it remains clean, and the flow rate of the well does not change. If you plan to use the Abyssinian well seasonally, you need to preserve it: drain the water from the supply pipe so that it does not freeze, cover the pump with waterproof material to protect it from snow and melt water. In the spring, before the start of the season, it is necessary to pump the well, as before the first commissioning.

Video - DIY Abyssinian well

The Abyssinian well does not require a passport, but it can provide your family with clean drinking water. With regular use and maintenance of the well, the problem of water supply to the house will be solved for several decades to come. "TO , you can read in our article."

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Owners of houses and garden plots that are not connected to a centralized water supply are helped out by natural and artificial reservoirs, wells and boreholes. The most optimal water supply option is selected based on the specific conditions and material capabilities of the owner, feasibility studies and the experience of neighbors in water extraction. The Abyssinian well is considered the most profitable from a practical point of view and the fastest in terms of construction time. Masters claim that under favorable conditions, you can enjoy the appearance of life-giving moisture on the site after just a few hours of work. But to do this, you will need to connect a pump for the Abyssinian well to the system.

A little history

The Abyssinian well received its name from an East African country, which is not mentioned on modern geographical maps. Its territory today is occupied by Ethiopia, and Abyssinia remains in history and... the name of wells, widely in demand among our gardeners. In fact, wells have a mediocre relationship with the African continent, since a similar method of constructing water-bearing structures was invented by an American inventor. This happened in the middle of the 19th century, but as it turned out, no one in his homeland appreciated or understood the innovation.

Abyssinian wells became widespread in Africa, where the British military used American technology. It was too inconvenient and expensive to bring water from distant sources. Therefore, the authorities decided not to move it, but to extract it locally by drilling wells. Soon similar structures appeared not only in Europe, but also in Russia. By the way, in Tsarskoye Selo they continue to function to this day, which proves their durability and reliability.

Features of the Abyssinian well

Although this structure is called a well, it has nothing to do with traditional workings with the installation of a log frame or concrete rings. Yes, and it’s different from wells:

• small diameter - inch or one and a half inches (25-40mm);
• relatively small depth.

The Abyssinian water source can be compared to a spear or a through medical needle. The function of the barrel in it is performed by a thin metal pipe, and the role of the filter is a perforated shell, additionally wrapped with a mesh of a special section. A pointed tip is used as a punch when performing work.

The installation can be done independently, since the technology for drilling the trunk and further driving the pipes is not particularly difficult.

Using a garden drill or an auger mechanism, a hole is drilled into the soil until water begins to be sucked in from the first high-grade aquifer. Next, the drill is removed, and in its place is placed a subsequently clogged filter pipe with a tip welded onto it, expanded at the junction of the two elements. Closed point:

• facilitates the advancement of the “needle” through the thickness of the soil;
• prevents silting of the water intake during operation.

The tip and pipe must be made of metals of similar composition. Otherwise, electromechanical reactions may occur, accompanied by corrosion processes. This circumstance will significantly shorten the life of the Abyssinian well.

As they deepen, the pipes are expanded using coupling connections. Elements are hammered in two ways:

• a rod, which is a thin rod inserted inside the well pipe. Impact loads, in this case, are absorbed by the lower tip;
• cast iron woman - a special load device that acts on the cap installed at the upper end of the pipe. The baba is raised and lowered using a rope-roller system due to the physical strength of two workers.

After punching is completed, the well is flushed with water under pressure, after which a pump is installed and the cloudy liquid is pumped out until the water becomes clear. The soil surrounding the pipe is compacted as it is buried, and the area near the well is concreted.

Some craftsmen recommend adding marble chips under the walls during the construction of an Abyssinian well. They claim that this procedure contributes to better purification of groundwater, since the flows have to pass through an additional filter layer.

What you need to know about the pump

To lift water from the depth of the Abyssinian well, surface pumps are used, since the small diameter of the steel pipe does not allow any of the currently existing submersible pumps to be lowered into the “needle”. It should be said that among the folk craftsmen there are craftsmen who construct wells using Abyssinian technology from pipes that accommodate compact models of submersible equipment in their internal space. In fact, this brings with it certain violations in technology, so it has nothing to do with the water intakes in question.

If water is required only from time to time and in small quantities, then it would be more profitable to install a manual pump-column. Its main advantage is energy independence, so it can be equipped with a well located anywhere in a personal or garden plot.

The electric pump for the Abyssinian is installed outside the tube well. In this case, power must be supplied and a number of measures must be taken to protect the equipment from the effects of precipitation and temperature factors. The pump can be installed in special pits, basements, under sheds and even in the house. The main thing is to ensure operating conditions.

In some cases, a hand pump will remain an acceptable option, in others - only a surface electric one, and thirdly - a combined method of using equipment.

If there is no need for water supply for a long time, then it is recommended to disconnect the electric pump for the Abyssinian well from the water supply system and bring it into the room, freeing the housing from residual moisture. When using water intake in winter, columns and pumps are insulated.

Experts advise purchasing self-priming pumping equipment for needle wells. It is capable of raising water to a height of 8-9 meters and delivering it to the disposal site. The pump power should be selected based on the water intake flow rate, or the volume of water entering the well (liters, m3) over a certain period of time:

• day;
• minute.

It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that the pump can operate in optimal mode only if the water surface is located in the well at a depth of no more than 8 meters. If the hot water level is lower, the pump will need to be lowered by digging a pit. To construct it, you can use concrete rings or bricks, and an insulated metal sheet as a cover. Such a “house” will protect electrical equipment from freezing in the winter.

Why are Abyssinian wells good?

Despite the small diameter of the driven pipe, with good permeability of the aquifer, the well's flow rate can achieve quite significant results. The productivity of a water intake depends not on its size, but on the characteristics of the water layer. The limit for an average well is 10-40 liters per minute.

Abyssinian wells are installed not on the perched water, which lies at a depth of up to five meters, but on the aquifers located below. Water, passing through a natural filter, manages to be purified, although not as efficiently as artesian water. To install such wells, it is not necessary to dig up a large area of ​​the garden, remove waste soil and transfer the fertile layer of soil. In addition, Abyssinians can be periodically cleaned, and pipes and filters can be changed.

The positive aspects of the water intakes under consideration include the possibility of using hand pumps. In conditions of unstable electricity supply, this factor is of great importance. In addition, aquifers of this design are compact in size, so they do not stand out too much against the backdrop of a personal plot. The operation of Abyssinian wells does not harm the environment.

Here are a few more advantages:

• low installation cost compared to other water intakes;
• speed of drilling, pumping and connection;
• long service life;
• hygiene ensured by closed wells, which cannot be said about open wells.

Disadvantages of Abyssinian wells

The main disadvantage of the water intakes under consideration is the impossibility of constructing deep workings. When constructing them, certain risks should be taken into account, primarily related to low groundwater levels. You can, of course, drill a hole in the earth 20-30 meters vertically, but neither a manual nor a surface electric pump will be able to cope with the rise of water to such a height. This is due to physical phenomena, and not to the poor quality of pumping equipment.

Another reason for abandoning the Abyssinian well may be too hard soil, which includes stones or boulders.

When installing a relatively shallow water intake, avoid areas near sewage pits, septic tanks, open ditches and outbuildings intended for storing manure or chemicals. Construction regulations regulate the minimum distances between sewerage facilities and water intakes. When installing pits, it is necessary to take measures to prevent their flooding.

FORUMHOUSE users know that a comfortable life outside the city is unthinkable without a reliable source of water supply. The first thing that comes to mind is to dig a well or drill an artesian well, but both of these methods have their drawbacks. Drilling is expensive and requires the use of special equipment, and not everyone can dig a well on their own. However, there is a third, more affordable option - the Abyssinian well, or as it is also called, “needle”.

Abyssinian well: what kind of device is it?

An Abyssinian well is a water intake metal or plastic pipe with a diameter of 2.5–4 cm, installed in an aquifer up to 10-15 m deep. At the bottom of the pipe there is a filter and a well tip, the so-called “needle”. A hand pump or a pumping station powered by electricity is installed on top of the pipe.

Nedrabur member FORUMHOUSE

Abyssinka attracts country residents with the opportunity to solve the problem of water supply for their plot, bathhouse, and even their country house of permanent residence without the arrival of heavy equipment.

The productivity of the Abyssinian, depending on the “thickness” of the aquifer, can reach 3–5 m3 per hour.

Advantages of the Abyssinian well

Among the advantages of the Abyssinian well are:

How to make a filter for an Abyssinian well

The longevity of the “needle” largely depends on the chemical characteristics of the aquifer and the efficiency of its filter.

Alextr61

I recommend making a good filter like this: buy a galvanized thick-walled pipe 1.5 m long. Cut threads on both sides. We screw a pointed “needle” tip onto the base of the pipe (it pushes the soil apart) with a diameter 20 mm larger than the diameter of the pipe (the junction of the tip with the pipe can be welded for strength).

You need to retreat 0.5 m from the base of the pipe. We leave this distance for the sump under the sand. Then, every 50 mm, we drill holes with a diameter of 10 mm in a checkerboard pattern. We wrap the section of pipe with holes with stainless wire with a diameter of 1.5 mm. After this, we additionally wind two layers of stainless steel mesh with small-diameter holes.

We do not boil the mesh on top, but secure it with stainless steel clamps. For better filtration, the pipe can be wrapped in geotextile and secured with steel clamps.

If the aquifer contains a large amount of impurities, and the filter of the Abyssinian well is made with technological violations, then it will become silted, which will lead to a decrease in water quality and rapid failure.

Disadvantages of the Abyssinian well

For all its advantages, this type of water supply has several disadvantages. The Abyssinian well cannot be installed everywhere - there are areas where it is better not to even mess with the “needle”.

• The Abyssinian well is installed “on sand”. If there are thick layers of clay, limestone and large stones on the site, constructing such a well is impossible or economically infeasible;
• To lift water from it, it is necessary to use a pumping station (it is impossible to install a submersible pump in a small-diameter well). The distance from the top point of the well to the water surface in the pipe should not exceed 8 m, and the “needle” itself can be clogged to 10-15 meters. If the distance to the water surface is more than 8 meters, then you will have to install a pumping station lower, dig a pit in the underground or install a caisson on the street. If the aquifer is located lower (20 meters or more), then the pumping station simply will not be able to lift water from such a depth.

Abyssinian well: necessary conditions

Before you get to work constructing a “needle”, you need to understand whether it is suitable for your area. Therefore, first of all, we find out the depth of the aquifer (even in different areas in the vicinity of Moscow, the depth of the aquifer can vary up to 250 meters) and the type of soil.

When choosing a source of water supply, you should focus on existing water intake wells of a similar design located in close proximity to your site. And in their absence - for exploratory drilling and other reliable geophysical survey methods.

To search for water, different methods are used: from dowsing to geodetic maps, which display soils and aquifers.

Abyssinian wells and site features

Much depends on the individual characteristics of the site. So that your efforts and money are not wasted, and the Abyssian well does not remain a useless monument to your carelessness, a number of points should be clarified before constructing it yourself:

• The depth of the aquifer. To do this, you can ask your neighbors about the water level in their wells, and also measure the distance to the water surface. If the depth of the wells does not exceed 12-15 m, and the distance to the water surface is no more than 5-10 meters, then there is a high probability that the “needle” will be able to provide the house with water;
• Estimated water quality. The Abyssinian is a shallow well, and this aquifer may be susceptible to bacterial and chemical contamination. Therefore, it is necessary to find out in advance where septic tanks and sewage pits are located, and whether there are sources of chemical pollution nearby. Sometimes, already at this stage, it is necessary to abandon the construction of a well;
• Proposed location for the “needle” device. It can be installed right in the house, in the technical room, then the pumping station and other equipment will be protected from adverse weather conditions, and the well itself from freezing in winter (if the house has permanent residence). If the well is to be installed on the site, then it is better to locate it close to the house. In this case, to bring water into the house, you will have to dig a trench under the main line by hand, arranging a caisson or an insulated shelter, which leads to additional expenses;
• Estimated needle debit. It largely depends on the saturation of the aquifer. An indirect sign can be the water level in neighboring wells. You should also find out whether they dry out in the summer.

A good water-bearing formation under the “igloo” is located in a vein with coarse (river) sand.

Nedrabur member FORUMHOUSE

The most advanced design of an Abyssinian well will not save you if the aquifer has poor water yield and low thickness.

If the water yield of the Abyssinian is low, you will have to purchase and install a storage tank for water of 500-1000 liters.

The water yield of an already installed well can be found out this way: we note the time of filling the measuring container and see how long it takes to fill a 10-liter bucket. Without stopping pumping, we repeat the procedure 2-3 more times in 10-15 minutes, and we get the average value - the specific flow rate of the well.

How to make an Abyssinian well yourself: manual methods

There are two main ways to construct an Abyssinian well:

• Plugging a well with a steel "woman".

• Drilling using a small-sized auger.

Auger drilling requires the presence of special and not always accessible equipment, so we will dwell in more detail on manual methods of drilling a well.

Abyssinian well: driving with a steel “woman”

When driving a well with a “woman,” a special metal pig weighing 40-50 kg is put on the pipe, with a hole in the center and two handles on the sides. A “headstock” is attached to the pipe - a special clamp tightened with bolts. The “grandmother”, being a stop for the “woman”, upon impact transfers all the energy to the pipe and the “needle”, which gradually enters the ground. As the pipe moves deeper into the rock, additional elbows are screwed onto the pipe, one after another, through couplings until the “needle” reaches the specified depth.

You can also screw a special nozzle onto the head of the pipe, which will be used to deliver blows. This method of constructing an Abyssinian well is demanding on the quality of the thread, because a lot of pressure falls on her.

Fludik member FORUMHOUSE

I assembled the “igloo” using steel couplings and tow (flax) with paste, because... Cast iron fittings may burst due to impacts. While driving, I constantly tightened the column clockwise with a wrench.

To control the immersion depth of the column and facilitate the passage of soil, water is poured into the pipe.

When the water reaches the aquifer, it leaves the pipe with a characteristic noise. After this, you can add another meter to the column (so that the entire filter is in the water layer) and try to pump the “needle”.

Yuri member of FORUMHOUSE

When water is poured into a pipe, it can go either into the space between the pipe and the clay/dry sand, or into the aquifer. We rock the column with a hand piston pump. And only then we connect the electric one.

Alextr61 member FORUMHOUSE

After driving the Abyssinian, at first I had muddy water with fine sand and suspended matter.

After pumping about 500 liters, the water came out clean. Somewhere after 1000 liters, the water began to be used for drinking.

Abyssinian well: driving with a rod

There is another way to drive a well - from inside the pipe, using a metal rod - a thick reinforcing bar.

BCCH member FORUMHOUSE

I think that it is better to plug the well not with a “woman”, but with rods.

In this case, the fittings hit the back side of the “needle” located in the head of the pipe of the first section in front of the filter. The tip must be well welded to the pipe.

Alextr61 member FORUMHOUSE

I drove the fittings like this: I dug a hole about half a meter deep and installed the first pipe with a tip in it.

The fundamental difference between such a well and a well is that the pumping station is installed on the surface. Some design features make the Abyssinian well stand out compared to a sand well. However, both water sources have their advantages and disadvantages. Let's take a closer look at them.

Benefits of the Abyssinian well

The advantages of an Abyssinian well over a well include:

• cost of arrangement;
• compact design;
• saving time during arrangement;
• the ability to operate the well without electricity.

Setting up a casing for an Abyssinian well will cost about half as much as setting up a well. The entire structure can be placed in a small area. Some summer residents even place wells in the basement of the house.

It takes from three days to a week to construct a well. No heavy equipment is used during the construction of the structure. This significantly reduces the cost of the well.

The undoubted advantage of the Abyssinian well is that a hand pump can be installed on the well. In this case, the well will not require electricity to operate.

Disadvantages of the Abyssinian well

The disadvantages of the Abyssinian well compared to a well include:

• short service life;
• low flow rate;
• expensive repairs.

The diameter of the casing of the Abyssinian well is 63 mm. If the bottom of the well is silted or the filter is dirty, it is not possible to wash it, unlike a well.

The depth of the Abyssinian well is much less than the depth of the well.

Therefore, you will not be able to obtain water from it in winter, when the groundwater level drops significantly. In addition, the power of surface pumping stations is significantly less than that of submersible pumps.

Due to the small diameter of the casing, repairing an Abyssinian well is significantly more expensive than repairing a well. To repair such a well, you need to lift the entire structure to the surface and replace the filter element.

Pros and cons of the Abyssinian well and borehole - video

The Abyssinian well allows you to provide your dacha plot with clean natural water without any special costs. Such a well can be easily and quickly made with your own hands.

The technology for drilling such wells was first used by the Americans in the 19th century. And it received worldwide recognition after the British military operation on the territory of Ethiopia (the old name was Abyssinia). The Abyssinian well has a lot of advantages. Among them, we highlight the key advantages of its use today:

1. Low cost of arrangement and the ability to do the work yourself (no need to use any special equipment or invite specialists).
2. High quality of the resulting water. It has been proven that even near large domestic cities, the Abyssinian well produces an excellent product. The water from it is in no way inferior to artesian water in most respects. And the absence of a casing pipe ensures that flood and melt waters do not enter the water intake of the Abyssinian well.
3. The service life depends solely on the water saturation of the formation in the summer cottage. On average, the needle (as the Abyssinian well is often called) is operated without repairs for about 30 years.
4. The possibility of arranging a structure to obtain clean water directly in the cellar of a residential building. This way, the costs of building a well are reduced, because you do not need to additionally insulate it and make a pit.

Abyssinian well - make a miracle well

And most importantly, owners of suburban areas do not need to obtain any licenses or permits for construction and operation. You can build an artesian well with your own hands (provided that its depth is no more than 5 m) from metal or plastic pipes.

The construction of the described structure is allowed to be carried out exclusively in those areas where the aquiferous upper layer lies from the surface of the earth at a depth of up to 5 m. If the water is hidden deeper, you will have to obtain permission from official authorities for subsoil development. And this takes a lot of time.

Abyssinian well - make a miracle well on your site

And getting water from great depths using a conventional surface-type pump will not be easy at all. You will have to deepen the pumping equipment or make a larger well, which increases costs.

The wells we are interested in are drilled in soils that consist of sand and crushed stone or only medium-grained sand. Through such layers, water can be obtained without difficulty.

In other types of soil, an artesian well is not equipped. If the ground on your site is rocky, do not even try to make such a well on it. Without special equipment and full-fledged (labor-intensive and complex) drilling work, you will not succeed.

It is recommended to check with neighbors who already have a dacha autonomous water supply system about the soil characteristics in the area, as well as the depth of the water. Then you will clearly know whether it makes sense to drill a miracle well yourself.

A needle well is a drill string that is buried in the ground using percussion drilling technology without the use of casing. This technique is almost never used in professional drilling. But for creating a dacha water intake point with your own hands, it is ideal.

The essence of the work is as follows. You need to pierce the ground using pipes with a cross-section of about 1-1.5 inches to the depth of the water layer. To achieve this, you should attach a thin tip to the end of the tubular product. It is through this simple device that a needle well is created.

Thin tip attached to pipe

To build an Abyssinian well, you will need a set of different pipes (it is not necessary to purchase new products, already used ones will be quite suitable), a welding unit, a sledgehammer, a garden auger, a stainless galloon mesh, a wire with a cross-section of approximately 0.25 mm, a hammer, clamps, a drill, grinder, pump operating on the principle of creating a vacuum, special couplings.

You make a well with your own hands according to the algorithm given below. First, take a regular garden drill and use half-inch pipes 1–2 m long to extend it. Let us explain what is meant by this operation. You need to create a special design using bolts and couplings made from 3/4-inch pipes. And then attach it to the drill.

The pipe structure should be as airtight as possible. If this recommendation is not followed, the design will not be able to fulfill its purpose. The required tightness of pipe joints is achieved by sealing them using paint (oil), silicone compounds, and plumbing flax.

At the end of the homemade structure, install a special filter in the form of a needle. It makes the produced water clean, protects the well from silting and helps the drill to pierce the soil. It is advisable to make the filter from sections of pipes that were used to create the structure. Then there will be no electrochemical corrosion reaction between its elements.

In the next section we talk in detail about how to make a filter for an Abyssinian well. Study it carefully.

The drilling structure and its tip can be made from different pipes - plastic, steel, polypropylene. Most often, the filter is made by hand from stainless steel. This is done like this:

1. Drill a series of holes with a cross section of 6–8 mm in a stainless pipe. They need to be arranged in a checkerboard pattern.
2. Wind steel wire onto the top of the pipe (small gaps should be left between its individual turns) or solder a stainless mesh.
3. Weld the filter tip onto the end of the pipe product. Pay attention! The cross-section of the tip must be larger (by a couple of millimeters) than the geometric parameters of the pipe used. Then the structure following the needle will move through the thickness of the earth without difficulty.

Filter needle

Soldering the mesh onto the filter can only be done with pure tin that does not contain lead. If solder with additives is used, well water may become unsafe for consumption.

If you don’t have stainless pipes, don’t rush to the store to buy them. It is allowed, as we said, the use of plastic and propylene products. Making a filter from such pipes is not difficult at all:

1. Place a filter mesh inside the pipe product.
2. Using the fusion method, you fix the mesh structure to the pipe.
3. You cut slits on the surface of the tubular product (essentially, perforate it) using a hacksaw.

The filter is ready! You can start drilling a well.

This technique is usually used by home craftsmen who want to get a system at minimal cost. An Abyssinian well using driving technology is made as follows:

1. Mark out the area for the well.
2. Dig a small pit (about 1 cubic meter in volume).
3. You begin to hammer the pipe into the ground using metal pancakes, a cast iron woman or other weight (its weight should be 28–35 kg). Important! The pipe product should be placed in the center of the dug pit.
4. As the structure penetrates the soil, supplement it with prepared pipe sections (do not forget to ensure the tightness of the connections).

Hammering pipes for a well

When deepening a pipe, for every 0.3–0.5 m, you need to add a little earth to it and immediately compact it. As soon as your structure reaches the aquifer, you need to apply water under pressure to flush the filter from clay and other ground contaminants.

Then install a piston hand pump and begin pumping out the cloudy liquid until it becomes absolutely clear. The next step is installation of the pumping station. It consists of an electrical cable, a submersible pump and a ballast. Installation of this equipment does not cause problems. All stages of the operation are described in detail in the instructions for the station.

The work is completed. You have made a miracle well with your own hands! All that remains is to concrete the area around it. In this way, you will reliably protect your homemade well from contamination and various surface runoff.

Important advice from users of Abyssinian wells. Be sure to purchase a special borehole tool called a bailer. The cross-section of this device is taken to be 5 mm smaller than the diameter of the pipes used to construct the well.

You will need a bailer to periodically clean the well from silt and clay with your own hands. Such contaminants appear in wells after long-term operation of the water intake point. They are also observed in cases where the well has not been used for a long time.

All you have to do is tie the bailer to a rope and lower the projectile into the pipe, then pull it out and remove the stuck suspension. Repeat this simple procedure a couple of times and your well will produce clean water again!