Purpose of bottom filters, their composition and types. Consumables for creating well water purifiers. The sequence of operations in the manufacture of the system. The bottom filter is a multi-layer system at the bottom of the well, consisting of fine stone and sand, to obtain high quality water and ensure the continuous functioning of the source. Solid elements are not washed out by underground streams and reliably protect the mine from debris, suspended particles and harmful impurities. We will talk about how to make a bottom filter for a well in this article.
Why do you need a bottom filter
In many cases, the water from the well is far from ideal purity; it contains a large amount of sand and other particles. To improve its quality, filters are used from common natural materials - fine stone and sand. To obtain the desired effect, they should consist of several layers of different materials, differing in composition and size. Passing through several rows of stones and bulk material, the water is purified from mechanical and chemical impurities.
The bottom filter performs the following functions:
- Prevents erosion of the mine bottom.
- Provides safe for the source water flow into the barrel under high pressure.
- Prevents the destruction of the underwater part of the well by quicksand.
- Binds up large amounts of sand and leaves it at the bottom.
- Protects the fine particle-sensitive pump from clogging.
The cleaning device is not always built in the mine. To find out if a bottom filter is needed in the well, examine the soil at the bottom of the trunk. It is not required if the bottom is clay with pronounced veins. The stones can even harm the krinitsa if they block the source. In order not to get worse than it is, water from such structures is purified outside the well.
It is not necessary to create a standard cleaning scheme if the base of the mine is soft clay. The water is dirty only near the bottom. If the water column is high, soil particles will not enter the bucket. If necessary, dust the clay with a thick layer of gravel to keep debris out of the way.
Bottom filters are created if the base is sandy and water slowly seeps through it. When a bucket falls on the soil, sand floats up and pollutes it. For the same reason, the pump should not be placed in the mine; it will quickly become clogged with small particles.
A filter is necessarily built on quicksand if it was not possible to pass through it. It should include a wooden shield to counteract a viscous mass or other additional structure.
Selection of materials for the bottom filter
It will not be possible to buy a ready-made bottom filter for a well; components for it are purchased separately, depending on the preferences of the site owner and the state of the source. All components must meet the following requirements:
- Have sufficient weight so that the components do not float.
- Do not rot, mold or deteriorate when wet for a long time.
- Remain neutral and not chemically react with other elements.
- Have the ability to create dense filter beds that do not allow fine particles to pass through.
- All components of the system must be safe for humans and animals.
The following materials are used for the construction of the cleaning device:
- Coarse quartz sand … It lies in large quantities near rivers and lakes, so there will be no problems with the purchase. It is a free-flowing yellow mass with fragments up to 1 mm. Quartz sand binds very well the smallest particles in water.
- Large and medium river pebbles … It is found everywhere on the banks of rivers. These are small pebbles with rounded edges. Their background radiation is within normal limits. Only naturally occurring gravel is suitable for our system. Slag samples are not suitable due to the large amount of toxic substances that are contained in its structure.
- Gravel … This is a crushed loose rock. It contains many sandy or clay impurities that can absorb toxins. Therefore, do not pour the material obtained by grinding used structures into the well.
- Crushed stone … It is obtained by crushing rocks. Has an irregular angular shape. Before buying, be sure to measure its background radiation, it is often high. Only gravel made from neutral minerals, such as jadeite, is suitable for wells.
- Jadeite or bath stone … It is a hard material with inclusions of silver and silicon. The bottom filter, which contains this mineral, acquires valuable properties: it cleans the liquid from heavy elements; disinfects water; does not absorb moisture; serves for a long time; neutralizes microorganisms that can cause allergies; improves plant growth after watering. The disadvantages include the need to buy a stone far from the site, because it is mined in quarries, which may be located in another area.
- Shungite … Its main purpose is water purification. This natural formation is petrified oil. Shungite can be applied alone or in combination with gravel. It has very useful qualities: it cleans water from heavy metals, oil products, organics, microorganisms; removes the taste of iron; saturates the source with microelements that help to multiply microorganisms useful for krynitsa. Shungite is recommended to be poured on the bottom of wells dug in industrial zones and near highways. The material is quite expensive, and its use should be justified.
- Zeolite … Natural porous stone of volcanic origin, very expensive. Possesses the rare property of absorbing nitrates, heavy metal compounds and pheonins. It is able to reduce the radioactive level.
- Geotextile … A dense synthetic material that is also used in cleaning systems. Its feature is to let water through itself without changing its performance. Typically, the sheet is used in the case of the release from the bottom of the mine in small volumes of hydrogen sulfide or other gas. It is rarely used on its own, sometimes in combination with shungite. Most often, wooden shields are wrapped with geotextiles, which are installed on quicksands.
- Polymer granules … Special synthetic bulk material with a silver coating. It is used to purify and disinfect water, but not everyone can afford to buy it because of its high cost.
Not all materials are useful for a well. The following formations cannot be used categorically:
- Gravel from old reinforced concrete products … Such pebbles absorb water well, but are not able to purify it.
- Expanded clay … It is too light and can float if you press it down poorly. In addition, the substance releases substances harmful to humans.
- Granite crushed stone … Obtained after crushing rocks. In most cases, it has a small background radiation.
- Lime crushed stone … It consists of compacted lime and therefore reduces the quality of the water.
In addition to sand and gravel, lumber is used in some cases in the cleaning system. Shields are made of them, which cover quicksands. The wooden structure is made from water-resistant wood species.
Before choosing blanks, you need to know the properties of each tree:
- Oak - does not rot wet for a long time. May impart bitterness to liquids.
- Larch - does not change its properties when wet. Does not affect water quality in any way.
- Aspen - is capable of destroying some harmful microorganisms in water, does not rot for many years.
- Juniper - used if it is necessary to reanimate the well after a long period of inactivity.
How to make a bottom filter
All bottom filters are divided into two types - direct and reverse. Each of them is designed for a specific type of soil, which forms the bottom of the well. Let's consider in detail the creation of popular devices for water purification.
Reverse bottom filter construction
The return bottom filter consists of several layers of gravel, in which the finest fractions are located at the bottom. This structure allows small particles to be retained near the bottom. Heavy elements, which are placed on top, compact the lower layers. The return filter does not allow the bottom of the well to wash out with a weak water flow.
It is built in the following sequence:
- Pour sand into a deep container with a layer of 5-10 cm and fill it with water. Stir the free-flowing mass and leave to settle for half an hour. Drain the dirty liquid carefully. Repeat the operation several times. After the procedure, the sand will be cleaned of clay, debris, silt.
- Also rinse the gravel with clean water before use to remove dirt from micro cracks and depressions. It will not hurt to heat the stones in the oven before use.
- Remove debris from the bottom.
- Pour quartz sand and pebbles with very small stones on the base.
- Put medium-sized pebbles on top: shungite, zeolite, gravel or zadenite.
- The upper layer is made up of samples larger than 5 cm.
The thickness of each layer is 15-20 cm.
Construction of a straight bottom filter
To create a forward bottom filter, the same materials are used as for the reverse, but the sequence of the layers will be different. Such a design is inferior in the quality of liquid purification to the reverse and is used only in certain cases: on quicksand and on loose soil, if the filling of the well takes a long time. It prevents quicksand from destroying the cleaning device.
Sequence of operations for the construction of a direct bottom filter:
- Clear debris from the well.
- Fill the bottom with coarse pebbles, jadeite, zeolite.
- Add pebbles or shungite on top, fragments of which are 5 times smaller.
- Sand or very small pebbles will cover the top of the device.
Construction of a bottom filter with a shield
To cope with the strong flow of a viscous bulk mass, you will need, in addition to traditional materials, one more element - a round shield. Its main purpose is to prevent erosion of the bottom by quicksand. The product is used if it was not possible to go through it or if the base consists of fine clayey rock.
If the viscous mass consists of dust, the shield will not help, the sand will quickly clog all the holes. The shield is made of wood or metal (in the form of a grid).
To craft a wooden shield, follow these steps:
- Measure the diameter of the shaft opening and decrease the reading by 2 centimeters so that the finished structure passes freely through it.
- Prepare dry boards, preferably grooved ones. Shoot down a shield from them, the dimensions of which allow you to draw a circle on it equal to the reduced diameter of the well opening. Connect the boards into a single whole using bars with a cross section of 5x7 cm, which will also play the role of legs. Boards can be nailed to them vertically to fix the product in the well.
- Check that there are no gaps between the boards.
- Cut a round product from the workpiece.
- Drill holes with a diameter of 5-6 mm in the boards through which water will flow into the bottom.
Lower the shield to the bottom of the well, align with the water surface. Equip a return filter on top.
The metal shield is made of a fine-mesh stainless steel mesh. This design has a number of advantages over wood: it is stronger, more durable and does not change the taste of water. It is made as follows:
- Prepare a stainless steel mesh, mesh size - 2x2 mm.
- Cut a hoop from a sheet of metal, the diameter of which is 5 mm less than the diameter of the well opening.
- Attach the mesh to it.
Remove dirt from the base of the shaft. Place a layer of coarse gravel 20 cm thick on the bottom. Install a metal structure on top and fix it to the walls of the shaft with pins. Place the return filter elements on the screen.
The product does not require any special maintenance, it must be lifted and cleaned every few years.
Side filter construction
Using a standard sump bottom filter is not always helpful. If the water intake is weak, a side filter is used instead.
It is made as follows:
- Make V-shaped holes in the walls of the underwater part of the well, the axes of which are horizontal.
- Stir cement grade Ml00 or M200 with water until thick sour cream. Do not add sand.
- Pour very fine gravel into the solution and mix everything thoroughly.
- Fill the holes with the mixture.
To facilitate maintenance of the source, seal the bottom of the shaft with a reinforced concrete slab. Its diameter should be only a few millimeters less than the inner diameter of the well. After installation on the bottom, the metal elements of the slab are welded to the lugs on the lower ring of the shaft.
Bottom filter care rules
The device will last a long time if you use the well correctly and clean it in time.
When operating a source with a cleaning bed, consider the following:
- The wooden shield begins to deteriorate after a few years, so it must be replaced periodically. If the product is not replaced in time, rotting wood will give the water an unpleasant taste and smell.
- Quicksand gradually absorbs the shield, so after 5 years it must be reinstalled. To extend its service life, it is covered with geotextiles.
- Clean the filter annually. To do this, remove all gravel, sand and bottom shield from the mine. After inspection, it is necessary to make a decision on its replacement or continued operation. Follow the product installation process in the same way as for the first installation.
- When using a bucket, choose the length of the rope so that the container does not reach the bottom and does not muddy the water.
- Install the pump exactly in accordance with the operating instructions of the device manufacturer. Fasten submersible products at a distance of 1 m from the bottom. Its parts must not touch the walls.
How to make a bottom filter - watch the video:
We examined the basic methods of water purification and the creation of a do-it-yourself bottom well filter, which uses inexpensive natural materials. If you adhere to these recommendations, the source will supply you with clean, tasty water for many years.
