This type of well is built purely for household needs. With the help of such a structure, it is possible to collect underground water. In this case, fluid intake can be carried out by one of the methods chosen by civil engineers. It is worth noting that the mine well is considered the simplest option of all the varieties of such structures.
General description of the device
Schematically, the structure is a vertical shaft. It is allowed to use both round and square sections. At the mine’s bottom itself, the bottom remains open, and the venue should cross the aquifers. Side walls require mandatory fixing with one of the selected materials. The latter can only be waterproof options, such as plastic, brick samples, wood or reinforced concrete.
Due to the simplicity of the design of mine wells, this type is most widely used. To a certain extent, the final quality of the water delivered from the subsoil depends to a certain extent on the correct installation. Such a device can function for a sufficiently long period of time without any repair work.
Choosing a location should be performed by qualified specialists, since the type of water it will extract according to the degree of purification depends on the location of the well. In turn, underground sources are divided into soil, ground and interstratal. The last type of water in terms of purification is most suitable for use, and the first is less than others.
Building requirements
There are a number of specific rules that must be observed when installing wells. First of all, the bottom of the mine should be mentioned: it should be covered with gravel with a layer thickness of at least 30 cm. The walls should be raised about one meter above the ground. It is important to build in accordance with the slope of the terrain, and therefore, above any source of pollution. Between the last and the shaft of the mine well, a distance of 30 to 50 m must be observed. In fact, this is a kind of preventive measures in relation to disinfection and repair. If there is still a source of pollution above the mine, then the distance from it to the shaft according to current standards cannot be less than 80-100 m. In some cases, it is better to measure 120-150 m.
The design of mine wells implies the presence of a clay castle with a blind area around the trunk, which serves to maintain the flow of dirty water and prevents them from getting inside the structure. The creation of such a barrier involves digging a hole 1 m wide and 2 m deep. It is necessary to fill the resulting space with special greasy clay. The surface part of the structure itself is placed directly on the surface above the castle. Sand is poured on top, and then cement or concrete mortar is added. SanPiN norms provide for the creation of a ditch for drainage and interception of contaminated fluid flows. In addition, it is recommended to create fencing elements that do not allow parking of cars and other vehicles.
Well requirements
The main purpose of the construction of such structures was to provide water to one or several plots of land. The value of mine wells for economic or other needs could be different and was based on the overall performance of the devices. For example, these designs were often used to water plants or a reliable source of fire fighting fluid. As a rule, the rate of water production is from 0.5 to 3 cubic meters per hour. It was best to plan the installation of products with a shaft depth of about 20 m on sandy or gravelly soils. As additional advantages of such wells, their accessibility for cleaning, ease of operation and repair, as well as immunity to flooding rain showers can be cited.
According to the rules, fluid is drawn using electric pumps or simple buckets. Wells with low selection intensity are most susceptible to pollution. Stagnant water leads to the appearance of a musty smell inside the mine. Detached unguarded open-type wells are also subject to those contaminants caused by the throwing of any foreign objects into the structure. Personnel carrying out installation work must understand the design of such structures. The choice of the wrong place for digging the adit that does not meet the requirements for the construction of mine wells can lead to contamination of the incoming water, collapse of the barrel walls and gas contamination inside the structure itself. For cleaning and operation of such facilities, there are separate codes of standards and rules.
Construction and operating conditions
Those who plan to dig a well will first need to familiarize themselves with the current list of SNiP rules. In particular, it speaks of the impossibility of installing shaft shafts from plastic pipes in those areas where increased seismic activity occurs. If the indicator on the Richter scale exceeds a 7-point mark, the commission will not approve the construction. In addition, SNiP also presents other requirements for a mine well, in which plastic is used as a material for the walls. So, for example, the natural water saturation of the soil should have a coefficient of 2.0. The estimated temperature and density should also be considered. These soil indicators for plastic wells should be 50 degrees Celsius and 1.8 tons / cubic meter, respectively.
In some cases, the construction of walls is possible only from concrete with a thickness of 150 mm. In particular, this applies to the construction of mine wells on water-saturated soils. All digging or restoration work is allowed to be carried out at any time of the year, but you should avoid the time when the snow begins to melt. If there is a swamp on the site, it is best to build a well in autumn or winter. Operating conditions include a clause stating that, at some intervals, the owner of the device must check for gas in the mine. In fact, such a procedure is required at every inspection, repair or restoration of the well. A check is made for the presence of gas by lowering a bunch of grass or a lit candle inside the trunk.
Advantages and disadvantages
Wells of this type have both a number of undoubted advantages, and some obvious disadvantages. The advantages of such devices include the following:
- Long absence of need for repair work. As a rule, the service life without breakage in mine wells with water is from 50 to 70 years.
- Almost complete absence of problems with registration of construction permits. In this case, immediately after the construction of the well, you should contact the BTI for the registration procedure.
- The general cheapness of construction in comparison with other design options. For comparison, you can bring any well with the need to drill the mine. Otherwise, digging is much cheaper.
- A simple procedure for cleaning produced water. There is no need to burden yourself with a complex and ornate technological process, as well as hire specialized personnel.
- Due to the large diameter of the shaft of the shaft, you can raise water with one of the selected types of pumps. Automation successfully replaces traditional buckets that require physical effort. It is enough to install a vibration, centrifugal or deep pump system.
It is also worth giving a list of shortcomings that are relevant for the mine type of wells:
- High time and labor costs of specialists. For example, to equip a tubular well is somewhat easier according to these indicators.
- Increased responsibility when installing the shaft of the mine. If the joining of waterproofing joints or the sealing of pipe joints is not done at the proper level, then water pollution anyway over time becomes inevitable. This, in turn, will lead to a violation of sanitary standards and the need for a new shaft shaft.
- The hydraulic structure requires annual cleaning and disinfection. For other types of wells there is no need to carry out these procedures so often.
- Mine cannot stand idle for a long time. It is mandatory to pump out or take water, since the structure is simply overflowing with liquid.
- In the absence of a reliable filter, the quality of the products obtained is likely to be very low and unsuitable for intended use.
Types of erected structures
In general, there are three design options, the differences in which are due to different working scenarios. Incomplete or imperfect device of a mine well implies that the trunk does not reach the water-resistant layer. The point is that fluid accumulates both through the walls and through the bottom of the structure. If we talk about perfect or complete wells, then in them the mine rests on the very waterproof layer. The flow of fluid in this case is made only through the side walls of the shaft.
There is also a variation of the perfect well with grenade launcher. This type is best shown in a situation where the liquid penetrates too slowly into the mine. In this case, you need to install an additional tank-grenade launcher, which is otherwise called a sump. For the correct operation of such an element, it is required to deepen it below the aquifer.
Incomplete wells have proven themselves when used in small garden areas. In this case, you need to pay attention to the water level. When it does not exceed 30-50 cm, the well deepens and then can turn into a full one. It is necessary to build on daily fluid intake and leave exactly that amount in the mine.
Construction on various soils
The construction process begins with earthworks. The time to dig up the space under the trunk for the most part depends on the type of soil. The list below shows the features of the construction of mine wells with various land options on the site:
- Quicksandies. Type of soil, very difficult for construction. During the construction of the mine, workers need to pump out water and install sheet pile walls. If the quicksand is located in the interstratal layers under high pressure, then construction may be completely impractical due to increased difficulty.
- Loose soil. These include gravel, gravel, pebbles and sand. In the process, it is necessary to strengthen the walls of the shaft, since there is a great chance of a collapse.
- Soft soils. Between particles of clay or loam there is only a weak connection. Specialists have to proceed with caution, since the risk of a mine collapse is as great as when building a well on loose soils.
- Weak soils. They include slag, soft limestone, gypsum and many others. The work is easy and quick, provided that there is no pressure and there is a weak flow of fluid.
- Medium soils. It is very difficult to dig a mine on sandstone, thick shales or calcareous spar. With excessively intense water pressure, the task becomes impossible.
- Strong soils. These include feldspars, quartz, granites, etc. Manual work is virtually impossible or very difficult. To dig a mine in this case, as a rule, is simply financially unprofitable.
Hygiene standards during operation
Contamination of drinking water from a well is considered unacceptable in the modern world. If used improperly, the fluid may be chemically or microbially contaminated. For this reason, there are clear hygiene requirements for the construction of mine wells. For example, in a 20-meter radius, in no case should you wash cars, arrange a watering place for animals and birds, or rinse and wash clothes. It is prescribed that any other activities that directly or indirectly contribute to the pollution of fluids in the well are prohibited in this zone.
The surrounding population should not use their own buckets to draw water from the mine. The procedure is performed only with the device attached to the well. Every year it is necessary to carry out scheduled cleaning, as well as check equipment and fixtures for wear. Any repair is accompanied by subsequent disinfection with the help of special substances, including chlorine-containing reagents. At the end of the procedure, the final washing of the water intake structure is carried out.
Suitable materials for construction
The most popular version of such wells is made of concrete rings. To simplify the process of lowering future walls, the diameter does not exceed one meter. The erection of concrete rings is fast enough, and the design itself is incredibly reliable. Sanitary requirements for mine wells in this case require not to use any chemical products such as sealants, mortars or mastics. All products listed here have a direct negative effect on water quality. Work is suspended at the moment when the keys begin to beat at the bottom. Water should be pumped out, remove a small layer of soil, and then do not touch the structure for 12 hours.
Wooden wells are considered a little more expensive and difficult to manufacture and install. Nevertheless, the foreseeable life of the structure is 25 years in the ground and 100 years in the underwater. To date, there are two relevant ways to build such wells. In the first case, a mine is dug up and walls are built up from top to bottom. The second option involves adding bars to the bottom. Sanitary standards require mandatory pre-treatment of all wooden elements. When the keys are reached, the water is pumped twice - this is how the bottom filter is formed. The procedure is completely similar to that for wells made of concrete rings. After you can begin to operate the facility.
Brick Mine Benefits
You should responsibly approach the selection of a specific material. The brick must be red, because silicate is subject to mechanical destruction in the ground. From natural stones, dense limestones, slates and sandstones are used. A properly constructed brick structure easily meets all sanitary requirements for mine wells.
Most often, a round shape is chosen, and the thickness of the masonry is not made less than 25 cm. The seams should be as less noticeable as possible. The ground structure is treated with plaster, and the underwater structure is poured with a solution of sand and cement in the composition. It is also allowed to reinforce masonry with steel anchor rods, since this significantly reduces the chance that the shaft will fall apart when the soil collapses.