Bore hole

[robs1]

Thinking it's about time we put a bore hole in to save having to pay ridiculous charges, I know we have water as there was a big well right next to the old farmhouse, but what treatment does it need to be able to be used in houses ?

 

[serf]

Thinking it's about time we put a bore hole in to save having to pay ridiculous charges, I know we have water as there was a big well right next to the old farmhouse, but what treatment does it need to be able to be used in houses ?

Often thought what the cost and testing that would be needed to resurrect these old wells , we got one too right by the front door like many old places , except someone thought it be a good idea in the past to fill it full of bricks to stop the kids falling down it instead of just capping it ....

 

[robs1]

Often thought what the cost and testing that would be needed to resurrect these old wells , we got one too right by the front door like many old places , except someone thought it be a good idea in the past to fill it full of bricks to stop the kids falling down it instead of just capping it ....

That's exactly what has happened to ours, my father did it when I was young , we did it again when I was twenty and the people who bought it when I sold it after my divorce have had to do it again, it's 70 ft deep as they measured it and must have a stream taking all the soil away over time, I would be happy to use the water for the farm but want to use it for the houses too but need to know what treatment it needs

 

[Cotlandfarmer]

Thinking it's about time we put a bore hole in to save having to pay ridiculous charges, I know we have water as there was a big well right next to the old farmhouse, but what treatment does it need to be able to be used in houses ?

The only way to know what treatment is needed is to test the water.

Those test results will be your starting point.

On our bore hole water we have a sediment filter then a ultraviolet light filter, this water serves the farm and dairy.

We have a secondary sediment filter and ultraviolet light filter, plus pH correction before the water enters the house plumbing system.

 

[vantage]

We had a forty five foot deep well that was on the fam when my parents bought it. It was ok when people had a handful of cattle, but nowhere near enough water for any more. Luckily our borehole goes into sandstone and provides ample lovely clean water. Paid for itself many times over.
We put a new tank room up, we decided to fill the old well with drainage stone to make it safe, took 60 tonnes!

 

[slackjawedyokel]

Thinking it's about time we put a bore hole in to save having to pay ridiculous charges, I know we have water as there was a big well right next to the old farmhouse, but what treatment does it need to be able to be used in houses ?

I *think* if it’s just yourself and your immediate family using it, it doesn’t come under the regs (although in theory you could be in trouble if visitors to your house got ill from something in the water). If there are other families using it (other houses on the farm etc) then the council will have it tested at your expense (or I suppose you could have it tested yourself first). Any nasties and you’ll probably need a UV filter.
In our case, because there can be sediment in the water (which stops the UV working), I also needed a load of filters, filters full of ion exchange beads (to soften water) , bin full of softening salt, pump to drive it through the filters etc.

It’ll also need at least an annual service, which iirc costs us £400-£500 now.

 

[M-J-G]

Often thought what the cost and testing that would be needed to resurrect these old wells , we got one too right by the front door like many old places , except someone thought it be a good idea in the past to fill it full of bricks to stop the kids falling down it instead of just capping it ....

Capping it wouldn't have gotten rid of the old bricks though

 

[Bald Rick]

The only way to know what treatment is needed is to test the water.

Those test results will be your starting point.

On our bore hole water we have a sediment filter then a ultraviolet light filter, this water serves the farm and dairy.

We have a secondary sediment filter and ultraviolet light filter, plus pH correction before the water enters the house plumbing system.

Is right

Only way to know if it's potable is to have a test done from a certified lab or your council's environmental health department
As a minimum it will need a sediment filter and UV light - the length of which will depend on expected usage. Bulb will need changing annually.
The other likely issues will be excessive iron or other minerals but these can be filtered out (£ or £££s) unless you have excessive nasties like arsenic
All in including testing ,drilling, proving and plumbing will be circa £5-10k depending on depth of drill and distance from house

 

[Will0]

There’s a magic map somewhere of every registered borehole, you could find the nearest one and ask how they filter theirs or for a sample?
We had a hydrogeological survey done, it cost a few hundred pounds but it really spelled out the costs to be expected - although it doesn’t officially guarantee at what depth you’ll find water

 

[Doing it for the kids]

What’s your total bill per annum? Who is it serving?

Recently taken on a place with two, one serves farm sprayer, the other a load of let property.

Unless your bill is 1000’s just don’t. Endless testing, if you get a power cut things don’t reset, it always run dry when you need it the most….

Not a fan. Ours was poorly built, shockingly maintained and really needs an overhaul. Planning to bring mains in to save the future grief

 

[Doing it for the kids]

There’s a magic map somewhere of every registered borehole, you could find the nearest one and ask how they filter theirs or for a sample?
We had a hydrogeological survey done, it cost a few hundred pounds but it really spelled out the costs to be expected - although it doesn’t officially guarantee at what depth you’ll find water

That’s the thing, it’s not guaranteed and quality can plummet in a matter of hours due to rainfall

 

[Kentishfarmer]

Thinking it's about time we put a bore hole in to save having to pay ridiculous charges, I know we have water as there was a big well right next to the old farmhouse, but what treatment does it need to be able to be used in houses ?

Really depends what bedrock is feeding the borehole/well. Ours is plenty of chalk so standard sediment filter then started with a UV filter for the house too, that broke a couple years ago and hasn't been fixed, no ones got ill yet
That's on a <10year old borehole through many meters of chalk so I have every confidence contamination won't get in.
You'll probably want a water softener for the house unless you want to renew your plumbing soon
Anything other than chalk or limestone is likely to require more complicated filtering

 

[robs1]

Really depends what bedrock is feeding the borehole/well. Ours is plenty of chalk so standard sediment filter then started with a UV filter for the house too, that broke a couple years ago and hasn't been fixed, no ones got ill yet
That's on a <10year old borehole through many meters of chalk so I have every confidence contamination won't get in.
You'll probably want a water softener for the house unless you want to renew your plumbing soon
Anything other than chalk or limestone is likely to require more complicated filtering

Our ground is clay but there is chalk a few miles away and certainly some rock close by when a new sewer was put through the farm , the amount of soil that was washed away after the well was filled in twice there must be a flowing stream at 70 ft down

 

[Still Farming]

How much is an extraction license these days?

 

[Kentishfarmer]

How much is an extraction license these days?

Unless your irrigating you won't need one
10000l/day I think you can do before you need one

 

[Kentishfarmer]

Our ground is clay but there is chalk a few miles away and certainly some rock close by when a new sewer was put through the farm , the amount of soil that was washed away after the well was filled in twice there must be a flowing stream at 70 ft down

Get a test done on the well water won't be more than a couple hundred quid less if you shop around. That will tell you if you have any trace elements/heavy metals to worry about or if the nitrate or bacterial load is too high for some reason

 

[T Hectares]

We have an annual water test carried out when we have the borehole, sediment and UV filter serviced
Ours all works well ( on chalk ) and the best bits are not having to deal with the horrendous Castle water and Thames on anything
Also, not receiving a massive bill due to a random leak is a big plus

 

[Still Farming]

Unless your irrigating you won't need one
10000l/day I think you can do before you need one

How many gallons is being planned to be removed is the question then??

 

[GingerGenius78]

There’s a magic map somewhere of every registered borehole, you could find the nearest one and ask how they filter theirs or for a sample?
We had a hydrogeological survey done, it cost a few hundred pounds but it really spelled out the costs to be expected - although it doesn’t officially guarantee at what depth you’ll find water

Borehole records - British Geological Survey

The BGS Borehole record viewer offers direct, online access to the NGDC collection of onshore scanned boreholes, shafts and well records.

www.bgs.ac.uk

 

[Kentishfarmer]

How many gallons is being planned to be removed is the question then??

The guy that put our system in recommended putting in our own meter so you can prove your under the allowance if you ever had to