Abyssinian well: pros and cons - Article

To supply water to a private home, you can connect to central networks or install an autonomous source.

Each of these options has limitations in application, positive and negative sides.

Wells are becoming increasingly popular, and more and more often owners of country houses are choosing this water supply option.

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:

Relatively cheap: you can make a well yourself, and everything necessary for its construction can be purchased at the nearest construction market;
High production speed: on average, it takes several hours to install it;
Simplicity: it can be installed in a limited space (the subfloor of a house, basement or garage is suitable), as well as anywhere on the site;
Ease of arrangement: no special heavy drilling equipment or access roads for vehicles are required;
Long Lifespan: A properly constructed Abyssinian plant can provide clean water for many years.

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.

At FORUMHOUSE we described in detail how to make a filter for an Abyssinian well and what technical requirements are required for it.

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.

Central or autonomous water supply?

Connecting to central networks is convenient for a number of reasons:

this is easier and cheaper to implement, although permission is required from the organization supplying water and servicing the network;
water is supplied in unlimited volume , it is usually enough for all distribution points;
independence from the supply of electricity to the house.

But central water supply is not always available in the private sector. The solution is to establish a local source, which also has some advantages .

Worn-out urban networks affect water quality
The central water supply contains residual chlorine.
Central water treatment plants in some areas cannot cope with water purification.
In case of accidents or scheduled repairs, the water supply is temporarily interrupted.
You will have to pay monthly for water supply.

If autonomous water supply is more attractive, all that remains is to decide what it will be - a well or a well.

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.

Content

What are wells
Types of wells, their advantages and disadvantages
Surface well for collecting technical water
For drinking water production
Abyssinian
Sand
Artesian
Basic rules and methods for choosing a location for a well
Plant observation
Study of natural phenomena
Using a clay jug
Test drilling
Where is it better to drill a well on the site - other important aspects
When is the best time to drill a well?
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter
Best time for drilling operations
Why is it better to order the services of specialists?

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 supposed 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 manually dig a trench under the main line, installing 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.

Wells

The well is one of the most popular types of shallow wells, found everywhere in private yards.
In the old days, the walls of the well were made in the form of a wooden frame, which affected its short service life. Wood of most species is subject to rotting and destruction when exposed to moisture. The only acceptable option that can increase the service life of wooden log houses for well shafts is the use of larch or oak wood. These materials can withstand decades of continuous exposure to water. Nowadays, wells made of reinforced concrete rings with a meter and one and a half meter diameter are popular. The design of the well makes it possible to collect water from the perched water. Shallow springs, unlike wells, can be used only for technical purposes, watering garden beds. This water is not suitable for drinking raw. When the mine is deepened to at least 15 meters, there is a high probability of reaching higher quality water.

The technology for constructing a mine well consists of sequential installation of concrete rings on top of each other.

The 1st ring is installed on the soil, after which the soil is selected inside. As you excavate, the ring will lower under its own weight.
The 2nd ring is installed after the 1st is completely immersed. Further excavation allows the next fragment of the well wall to descend evenly.
Subsequent rings are installed in a similar way until the shaft reaches the aquifer.
A head is installed on top of the shaft, consisting of one recessed ring and one upper one.
Around the head at a distance of 0.6 m, soil is selected to a depth of 1 meter from the soil level. The cavity is filled with clay and compacted.
A blind area is poured on top of the clay and sand.
A cover is installed to prevent dust and debris from entering.

The main advantage of wells is not only their accessibility and simplicity, but also a good replenishment rate for the extracted volume of water during favorable periods of the year.

Flaws

Wells are not without their drawbacks. These include:

Time and labor costs.
Unstable volume during periods of drought.
The volume of water in wells is usually unstable and seasonal. In spring, the water becomes unsuitable for drinking.
The well requires regular cleaning. To do this, it is emptied of water and dirt using a pump.
There is a direct relationship between water quality and the seasons and amount of precipitation.
Well water must be boiled.

In places where there are floods and floods, swamps, it is not permissible to install wells for drinking water intake.

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.

As the well is pumped and a water lens is washed around the “needle” filter, the water will flow cleaner and purer. We invite you to familiarize yourself with our article, which discusses in detail the construction of an Abyssinian well using the method of driving it with a steel “woman”.

Why is it better to order the services of specialists?

Contacting a company with a proven reputation and numerous reviews will allow you to quickly install a water well in the Moscow region. In addition, specialists always give a reliable guarantee on the quality of the work they perform.

To order such services, you need to leave a request in the feedback form on the company’s website or call the specified phone number. After this, a specialist will contact the client and advise on all existing issues - the cost of work per submersible meter (in the Moscow region this will cost around 3,000 rubles), the equipment used, and so on.

If the specified prices and terms are completely satisfactory to the customer, a representative of the company makes an appointment (in Moscow or the region) to sign a contract for the provision of services. To ensure high-quality creation of a water use system, it is recommended to specify in detail all the work to be performed.

When the order is completed, the client will receive a guarantee for the well and a passport of the constructed facility (when installing an artesian water source).