Aquifer structure. Traditional and modern methods of exploration work. The choice of the method of finding water, depending on the goals of the consumer. Areas where wells cannot be built. Finding water is the process of finding underground aquifers. There are various methods for identifying sources, many of which people have been using for a long time. Learn how to find water for a well with your own hands from this article.
Where to find water for a well
The search for water consists in finding special formations underground, consisting of two layers of clay and sand between them, which retain moisture. The loose layer can reach tens of meters in depth and occupy huge areas. The greatest amount of moisture is not in horizontal layers, but in their kinks and bends. In such places, lakes with a large supply of liquid are formed.
Consumers are trying to find aquifers at a depth of more than 10-15 m. At this distance from the surface there is liquid for irrigation, washing and other needs. In some cases, they even drink it.
High-quality cooking water, enriched with minerals and salts, lies deeper than 30 m. At the same time, it should be taken into account that the legislation allows building a well with a depth of no more than 20 m. If the water layer is lower, make a project and obtain permission from the regional services and the local government architect … Therefore, in your area, it is recommended to search closer to the surface, where water is easier to find and can be obtained without reference.
Underground layers that repeat the terrain are considered to be successful for wells. Rain streams flow down from the hills to the lowlands, from where they rise to the level of the aquifer already cleaned.
It is not recommended to search in such places:
- Closer than 30 m from toilets, dung heaps, sheds with animals and other similar places.
- Closer than 5 m from the foundation of the building.
- Closer than 300 m from sedimentation tanks and chemical plants.
- Closer 100 m from industrial waste dumps.
- Near neighboring areas where drains can enter your well.
- In the lowlands of the slopes of ravines, ravines, as well as in the lowest part of the site. It is allowed to dig a mine anywhere on the slope if its angle does not exceed 3 degrees. In other cases, the source should be at the very top of the allotment. This arrangement will help to avoid flooding after rain or melting snow and the ingress of substances that can harm humans into mines. If the aquifer is located in such a place, you will have to build a drainage system.
- Do not look for water where the well will interfere with the passage to the house, driveway, gardening, etc.
- Near trees with a powerful root system.
- Near power lines.
- In the thickets of bushes and trees. So that the fruits and leaves do not create a problem for the operation of the well, they need to be cut down within a radius of 5-10 meters, which not everyone will like.
- It is also not worth looking for water in the basement of the house. There will be problems with pumping out technical fluid and installing a submersible pump, which requires high ceilings.
It is recommended to search close to residential buildings - you do not need to carry buckets far or buy a heavy-duty pump for pumping water over long distances.
Water search techniques
The process of finding a liquid can be called an art that only true masters of this craft possessed in the old days. At present, modern technologies and special mechanical means are used to search for water at the site for the well, which make it possible to solve the problem without resorting to geological exploration. Consider the most popular methods for determining the location of aquifers with high probability.
Exploration drilling
Refers to the most reliable methods of search work. Test wells must be drilled if the owner needs drinking water, i.e. it is planned to dig or drill a very deep shaft. Experienced drillers never choose a place to drill and suggest building a well where it is convenient for the owner. Thus, they confirm that water is everywhere, but the well can be very deep.
To work, you need a garden drill with a special handle that can be extended. The optimum working tool diameter is 30 cm.
Determine the presence of water after 2-3 m, when wet sand appears. It is recommended to remove the drill every 20-30 cm and clean it. Drill several wells in the area. To build a mine, choose one of them, which will have the maximum debit.
If you change your mind about building a well, install a casing pipe, a filter and a pump in the well, and you can start pumping water.
Inspection of the source from neighbors
Neighbors have a well which means you can also dig it. Your acquaintances could invite geologists to survey the site before construction, and these results will help you with choosing a location. When studying the existing krynitsa, find out such characteristics as:
- Well depth.
- Height of the water column.
- Level constancy. If it changes periodically, you need to dig deeper.
- Barrel design and type. Build your well taking into account the experience of performing work in a given area.
Dowsing to find water
Dowsing has long been used to find water for a well. This method is based on the theory that underground liquid has magnetic properties, just like the human body.
For these purposes, find a "V" shaped willow twig and dry it. The planted branches should be at a 150-degree angle. Flyer is also cut from hazel, viburnum and cherry. Using this box, you can define the boundary between structures of different rocks, which indicates the close occurrence of aquifers.
To search, grasp the branches with your hands, set the trunk to the horizon and slowly walk around the site. Explore in the morning from 6.00 to 7.00, in the afternoon from 16.00 to 17.00 and in the evening from 20.00 to 21.00. In the place of accumulation of fluid, the barrel will tilt. However, the branches can feel the top water, which should not be drunk, so after dowsing, it is recommended to dig an exploration well and analyze the fluid.
Modern craftsmen know how to find water on a site for a well using an aluminum wire frame. You need to act as follows:
- Cut 2 pieces of wire 400 mm long.
- Bend 100 mm of each piece exactly at right angles.
- Pluck 2 elderberry sprigs, core and set inside the wire with the short side.
- Take an elderberry branch with wires in each hand. Press your elbows to the body. The wires should be like a continuation of the hands.
- Holding them lightly, effortlessly, walk first from north to south, and then from east to west. If the rods turned in one direction, it means that there is an aquifer.
- Above the watercourse, the frames will begin to move and intersect, leave a mark in this place on the ground. After passing through the fault, the elements will turn in opposite directions. Walk over the mark again, but this time in a perpendicular direction. If the wires intersect again, there is a high probability that an aquifer is underground.
Consider the following points when using dowsing:
- The movement of the vine does not necessarily indicate the presence of water in a given location. Under the ground, there may be a junction of various soils, or a large-diameter pipe has been laid in this place. Many mistakes arise near populated areas where there are numerous underground communications.
- The frame does not respond to a large, evenly distributed aquifer.
- The presence of water in this area must be confirmed by other dowsers. If their conclusions are conflicting, digging a well is not recommended.
- The reliability of the method is only 50%.
Many people exaggerate their capabilities in terms of dowsing, so it is better to invite an experienced specialist who knows how to find water for a well using a vine.
Barometric method
It is known that a reading of 0.1 mm Hg corresponds to a height difference of 1 m, so a barometer is sometimes used to search for water.
To do this, go to a nearby pond and record its readings. Then record the readings of the device in the place of interest. By their difference, determine how deep the water lies. For example, if near the river 545.5 mm, and in the section 545.1 mm, then the difference of 0.4 mm indicates that the liquid is at a depth of 4 m.
This method allows you to find water with an accuracy of 80-85%.
Using desiccants
The method is based on the property of some substances to actively absorb moisture. For these purposes, you will need silica gel in granules - a free-flowing substance that is used to reduce the level of moisture in closed rooms or containers. You also need a simple, carefully dried clay pot.
Perform the following operations:
- Dry the indicator in the oven.
- Pour 1 liter of the bulk mixture into a pot.
- Weigh the container and record the result.
- Wrap it in a thick cloth and bury it in the ground in the place of interest.
- Dig it out in a day and weigh the pot again.
- Determine how much the container mass has increased.
- Repeat the procedure in another area.
- Compare the changes in the mass of the indicator in different places. Where the mass of silica gel has increased more, water is located closer to the surface.
The accuracy of this method is 60-65%.
Instead of silica gel, dry salt or crumbled red brick is poured.
An empty clay pot can be used to locate aquifers. Dry it and set upside down. After a day, inspect the inner cavity of the container. Heavy fogging is a sign of close proximity to water.
Study of the landscape
It is possible to find a place where water is close to the surface by obvious natural signs. However, they signal a vermicompost that is not always suitable for cooking.
Pay attention to the following points:
- In higher elevations, aquifers are located very deep.
- Don't look for veins near natural lakes and quarries.
- Near large plantings of acacia and beech, there will also be no positive result.
- The areas of interest can be identified at dawn in the summer by the fog that gathers over the place of interest to us. The denser the atmospheric phenomenon, the less digging will have to be done.
- Sedge, wash off, mother and stepmother, alder always grow above aquifers.
- Birch trees are a good sign of close proximity of the liquid. On wet ground, they look ugly - short, curved, with a knobby trunk.
- If the trunks of alder, willow and birch are strongly inclined to one side, it means that it is there that moisture is close to the surface.
- The presence of nettle, sorrel, hemlock thickets on the site indicates wet soil.
- A pine or spruce grove suggests the opposite - the layer of interest to us lies very far from the surface.
- Some plants determine how deep the water is, but they must be wild and grow in large groups. Look out for thickets of blackberries, bird cherries, lingonberries, and buckthorns.
Observing animals and insects
The villagers know how to find water under the well by the behavior of animals and insects:
- Small field rodents do not build nests in places where they can be flooded. In such cases, they settle on a hill or in trees.
- In extreme heat, the horse begins to beat the ground with his hoof over the place where the humidity level is maximum.
- Dogs bury themselves in slightly wet soil in summer.
- The chicken will not make a nest on the ground with high humidity.
- The goose, on the other hand, builds a nest above the spring.
- Midges accumulate in large numbers where there is fumes.
How to find water for a well - watch the video:
All methods for finding water with your own hands allow you to only approximately indicate its location, so you should not rely too much on them. Before digging a well, it is recommended to drill an exploration shaft and analyze the fluid. Only specialists can absolutely indicate where the aquifer is located, but this will require a lot of money.
