Any tips on hunting a well?

[Water wizard]

Hi guys, I have got permission to search a well in my fiends house. It is next to the beach, the house is early 1800's. the well is 10 meters deep and the water is about 3 meters deep. I have got scuba kit, and I am good at climbing ropes. I was going to lower a ladder in to the well, then climb down the rope to the ladder at the bottom. My friend would then lower the BCD and kit down to me. I would search the well under water, then climb back on the ladder, whinch up the scuba kit, clip on the ladder climb the rope then pull up the ladder. That's my plan. Anyone got any helpful tips? Thanks very much

 

[BootyHunter]

Make sure your tetanus shot is up to date, tell your friend which er you would like to be taken to and make sure you have paid your deductible for the year!! Lol!! Just kidding, sounds like a pretty solid plan, take a camera and record the whole deal, I want to see what you find, good luck and be careful!!

 

[jyt2017]

My advice. Don't do it. Your not confined space trained. Your going deep, down in a place where you normally cannot get out of. No one with you is trained either, or so I suspect. Even if you have some one there trained you most likely do not have the proper retrieval equipment. Maybe I am misunderstanding what your saying, but I believe I got it correct. Your talking about going 30 feet down, eventually reaching approximately 3 water, to search for treasure? Are you sure you have air down there? No. Even with your air tank...you can run into trouble very quick there. Thats just me. Don't do it. What about a collapse too? I am not trying to be a ball breaker either. Just pointing out a few things. You could end up a blip in a news paper very easily...

Edit I just re read your post. And ya, you are absolutely $%#ed with a capitol F if you run into trouble...I mean dead, done dude.

 

[KinTN]

Tetanus and air are real concerns. Cover those + maybe wear a harness with rope attached, and have some burly friends that can haul your butt up if needed?

Have a haul bucket and pull signals/radio for hauling up the 4 tons of crap that has accumulated since the 1800s.

 

[jyt2017]

Considering that the average person is 180 lbs. And that the average person would he hard pressed to dead lift 180. Adding 30 feet of rope, and a likely micky moused harness, I think your giving some one terrible advice. When you say "cover those", what exactly do you mean? Have a shot ready for when you get pricked? Magically be able to rip some one out of a well with rope and brute force alone? How are you gonna figure out if the person is in trouble? Is this kid going to rent a 2000 dollar meter and check the hole first? 30 feet down is quite a bit. How much time do you have if he passes out from lack of oxygen? What is the leading cause of death in a CSE? Over 60% of them are from people onsite going into the hole to try an rescue some one...thats already dead.

Tetanus and air are real concerns. Cover those + maybe wear a harness with rope attached, and have some burly friends that can haul your butt up if needed?

Have a haul bucket and pull signals/radio for hauling up the 4 tons of crap that has accumulated since the 1800s.

 

[BootyHunter]

Yeah after deeper thought I have to agree with joeb1999, low oxygen levels in that deep of a confined space is very likely. Nothing that could be in there is worth your life, and if you get in a low oxygen atmosphere you will be dead before they can haul you up. Regular ambient air has 21% oxygen in it, at 18% you get loopy, groggy and can't think straight, 16% or less wont sustain life. It is not worth it, heck rent a cable cam and drop it in the well and see if there are any old bottles or coins down there, if so either remotely recover them or get someone with expertise in the subject of confined space entry to guide you with what you would need to enter it. My first reply was kind of tongue in cheek because we all get grandiose ideas but usually realize before attempting that its more trouble than its worth but this could be life threatening, so don't do it!!

 

[John(Tx)]

n/t

 

[seeker41]

a large wet/dry vac with enough hose attached should work and not damage any bottles that are in there. just lower the hose and raise the hose.
chuck.

 

[mtwolf2270]

I have to concur HUGE RISK with NO GAIN = DEAD. I would not do it low oxygen levels possible H2S ( Hydrogen Sulfide) is common in wells, pipes and sewers and since the well dates 1800's no telling what else has been dumped in it once it was not used as a water source, snakes and not to mention straight up bacteria and infections. The structural integrity of the well itself. I would find a method as suggested that does not involve human entry.

 

[KinTN]

Apparently you missed the [size=x-large]S[/size] in 'friends'. Just because your friends are out of shape doesn't mean mine are.

(also note that I said to cover the air and shot, THEN find the friends) sheesh........

Considering that the average person is 180 lbs. And that the average person would he hard pressed to dead lift 180. Adding 30 feet of rope, and a likely micky moused harness, I think your giving some one terrible advice. When you say "cover those", what exactly do you mean? Have a shot ready for when you get pricked? Magically be able to rip some one out of a well with rope and brute force alone? How are you gonna figure out if the person is in trouble? Is this kid going to rent a 2000 dollar meter and check the hole first? 30 feet down is quite a bit. How much time do you have if he passes out from lack of oxygen? What is the leading cause of death in a CSE? Over 60% of them are from people onsite going into the hole to try an rescue some one...thats already dead.

Tetanus and air are real concerns. Cover those + maybe wear a harness with rope attached, and have some burly friends that can haul your butt up if needed?

Have a haul bucket and pull signals/radio for hauling up the 4 tons of crap that has accumulated since the 1800s.

I get that some folks don't have the taste for anything more dangerous than parks and playgrounds(wear those Kevlar chaps and gloves! theres broken glass about!), but don't project your fears onto those of us that enjoy something different. Ever hear of SCUBA apparatus? Think that might solve the O2 problem? Ever hear of a Hookah? Think that might solve the O2 problem? Have you ever even THOUGHT about metal detecting underwater? Theres an entire water hunting forum on this site!!!!!.................o, wait....THATS WHERE WE ARE NOW!

 

[Water wizard]

Thank you for the advice guys,
i dont have a pump that is powerful enough to pump the hole, so I have been looking online at work today about how to explore it safely. I will have 2 men with me who are strong, and even though I am quiet heavy I recon that if they had to they could haul me up. I also am an expert at climbing rope, I do a circus act on a rope, climbing it without using my arms to pull up, and descending it upside-down without using my hands. My main worry after reading the comments on here is the air quality issue. I hadn't thought of that, so thanks. I'm not sure if it is a real risk, I've got no experience of how a 10 metre deep hole would affect the air quality. It is 3 feet wide at the top, and 6 foot wide all the way down to the bottom. It has a glass lid on it. The lid has been on for a long time! I will get him to take the glass lid off in the morning before I attempt a search, and I thought a fan blowing fresh air down might help?
I could always put the regulator in and breath from my tank, but it would be hard to put on my kit and climb down the rope to the ladder in the space I've got. Ideally I want to put my scuba kit on when I'm at the ladder in the bottom. I think it's worth a shot, I will be very careful. If anyone does have knowledge of air purity in the bottom of 10 metre holes, I would like to learn about it... Thanks WW

 

[jyt2017]

a large wet/dry vac with enough hose attached should wxxork and not damage any bottles that are in there. just lower the hose and raise the hose.
chuck.

No it won't you Will lose vacuum.

 

[Joel-Winnipeg]

Walk away from that well. .Too much at stake.

 

[mudpuppy]

I understand the draw/excitement/adventure in your idea of this WW...I really do, in fact, I found myself in that very same predicament once while working for a guy..since I was smaller than the rest of his employees, I was the one going down the hole. no respiration, not even a pony tank or anything, with a propane torch and some solder to fix some piping down at the bottom! Full of spiders, centipedes, dead animals that fell down in there over the years, lots of trash, mud, putrid dang mess....anyway, It was not a good experience, the torch would keep flaming out, due to lack of air like Joeb mentioned. ...I would think the effort to payback ratio is not an effective way to spend your time, just one slip, and you may break something on your body, or worse yet, your gear! Life sure is an adventure, until its not. I doubt anybody here can talk you out of this, but I hope you have enough caution and common sense to proceed successfully, and know we are here to help each other!.
Mud

 

[fox8111]

my 2 cents. i completely agree with joe. i am a professional fire fighter and joe is spot on with his concerns. first you would have to meter air quality, then have a confined space tripod set up over the well with the propper rigging and fresh air ventillation going. you would need a minimum of 4 good strong men to haul you up if you did get into trouble. that doesn't take into the account that you will be in 10 feet of water. you said the well is near the beach. most surely the well is hand dug, and the soil conditions are a HUGE concern of a collapse, which if that happens you are a gonner because it would take hours to get you out. that means a body recovery NOT a rescue. just my opinion. be careful! dave daniels.

 

[seeker41]

hookah is a great idea! clean air and no bulk!!!!

vacuum/suction would absolutely work and theres no risk of being buried by a cave in. the whole idea is to suck up whatever possible and when you loose suction due to a clog or partial obstruction pull the hose up and do a "clean out" and see what you've recovered, all while having a smoke and drinking a beer.

chuck.

 

[mudpuppy]

This is a wonderful subject! It sure lends itself to "how would I do it" kind of thought process..I remember reading in the Foxfires about how wells were dug, rocked up, and refreshed back in the day...seemed one major concern besides the ones already covered, was somebody accidentally dropping something heavy into it when a fellow was down at the bottom. I guess in this instance a fellow would try to pump or bail out as much of the water as possible, climb down in there, and start scooping up buckets of mud as fast as he could while somebody up top hauls it up and out...two buckets on ropes would be faster...however, the crew on top would have to be very trustworthy and capable and probably should also be left with your car keys, credit cards, cell phone, and important next of kin list. I can see it now..."Mr Water Wizards Dad? Yes, this is Nigel Nitesoil, one of his mates, yes I'm good thanks for asking, I have some good news for you, first off let me tell you your lad Wizard found a cracker jack of a silver spoon in a well this morning! Yes a real corker! Oh, and his car is now available to sell! Me and Denny Digger would also like to offer to buy his detecting gear and kit from you!... Bad news is he wont be paying you back for that student loan he still owes on...Why?....bloody well caved in a damnable fashion!..all sides at once! Yes, it was tremendous alright, we nearly spilled our pints in the cataclysm! Good news is you wont have any burial expenses, so all in all, it was a successful day for everybody, and it should make a bloody fine post for his mates to read on the Forum!"

Mud

 

[jyt2017]

Heh mud...read the above post there. I am all done doing that grimy stuff. But I was usually the dude that went in too...lol. We had all our stuff...but usually still dangerous. The worst I did was a separator pit for a poultry plant. It was a saturday. I had to cash my cheque that day too...and almost made the clerk barf I smelled so flippin bad. And to this day it has ruined chicken pot pies. I can't eat them.

Good post. hh an gl -Joe

This is a wonderful subject! It sure lends itself to "how would I do it" kind of thought process..I remember reading in the Foxfires about how wells were dug, rocked up, and refreshed back in the day...seemed one major concern besides the ones already covered, was somebody accidentally dropping something heavy into it when a fellow was down at the bottom. I guess in this instance a fellow would try to pump or bail out as much of the water as possible, climb down in there, and start scooping up buckets of mud as fast as he could while somebody up top hauls it up and out...two buckets on ropes would be faster...however, the crew on top would have to be very trustworthy and capable and probably should also be left with your car keys, credit cards, cell phone, and important next of kin list. I can see it now..."Mr Water Wizards Dad? Yes, this is Nigel Nitesoil, one of his mates, yes I'm good thanks for asking, I have some good news for you, first off let me tell you your lad Wizard found a cracker jack of a silver spoon in a well this morning! Yes a real corker! Oh, and his car is now available to sell! Me and Denny Digger would also like to offer to buy his detecting gear and kit from you!... Bad news is he wont be paying you back for that student loan he still owes on...Why?....bloody well caved in a damnable fashion!..all sides at once! Yes, it was tremendous alright, we nearly spilled our pints in the cataclysm! Good news is you wont have any burial expenses, so all in all, it was a successful day for everybody, and it should make a bloody fine post for his mates to read on the Forum!"

Mud

 

[jyt2017]

+1. :]

my 2 cents. i completely agree with joe. i am a professional fire fighter and joe is spot on with his concerns. first you would have to meter air quality, then have a confined space tripod set up over the well with the propper rigging and fresh air ventillation going. you would need a minimum of 4 good strong men to haul you up if you did get into trouble. that doesn't take into the account that you will be in 10 feet of water. you said the well is near the beach. most surely the well is hand dug, and the soil conditions are a HUGE concern of a collapse, which if that happens you are a gonner because it would take hours to get you out. that means a body recovery NOT a rescue. just my opinion. be careful! dave daniels.

 

[bootyhoundpa]

hydrogen sulfide will kill you very fast whether they get you out or not......it can be stirred up moving in the water..... if youve gone thru a confined space training course all this would make sense and you would better understand the risks.... forced ventilation is certainly a step in the right direction but still too risky... do you have any canaries ??? what in your wildest dreams do you expect to find...... stick to beach hunting--you will be glad you did.....