The rings in the well have come apart, what should I do? Repair of wells with plastic rings. Waterproofing the seams between concrete rings

Wells made of reinforced concrete rings, which are widespread in our country, have one significant drawback. The lack of rigid adhesion between adjacent structural elements, uneven edges and the tendency of concrete to crack result in a serious problem - the penetration of groundwater, the so-called perched water, into the well shaft. To prevent contamination of the source, it is necessary not only to properly seal the seams between the rings, but also to inspect and repair defective areas.

Causes of leaks

The technology for constructing wells with shafts from modular reinforced concrete structures involves installing rings on a sand-cement mortar. By filling all the uneven joints between the upper and lower rings, the construction mixture should create a reliable barrier against melt and ground water.

Contrary to popular belief, sealing with sand and cement mortar is also necessary for well modules with a locking connection. The presence of the latter prevents the rings from moving, but does not protect the joint from leakage.

When talking about leaks between well rings, people most often remember the deterioration in the quality of drinking water, completely forgetting about the danger of gradual destruction of the well shaft

It should be noted that such primitive waterproofing gives a positive result - the drinking spring shaft remains dry. However, the absence of leaks in the first years of operation is not a guarantee that this idyll will continue forever.

As a rule, even on stable soils, after 4-5 years the surface of the concrete shaft becomes covered with wet spots, which soon turn into dirty streaks and streams. You should not blame yourself or the builders for the fact that the work was done incorrectly. Most often, leakage occurs for completely different reasons:

1. Simple mortar is not intended for use in such harsh conditions. Constant humidity, temperature changes and exposure to salts dissolved in water contribute to its cracking and destruction.
2. If a well is dug in an area with pronounced seasonal soil movements, then its trunk is subject to regular mechanical stress. As a result, you can observe not only cracks at the joints, but also the mutual displacement of the concrete rings in the horizontal plane.
3. In the northern regions, the upper rings are exposed to the forces of frost heaving. Because of this, they can not only move horizontally, but also move up and down.
4. Force majeure, expressed in the displacement or subsidence of the rings due to the appearance of quicksand.
5. Poor-quality materials - in rings made in violation of technology, various defects may appear over time - through cracks, crumbled areas, etc.

You should take care of waterproofing a well at the stage of its construction - in the future this will save a lot of time and effort

If a well is constructed with the simultaneous laying of rings, then very often even simple sealing with mortar is not performed. In both this and other cases, it will be necessary to carry out a set of measures to ensure reliable waterproofing of joints.

Methods for sealing joints in a well made of prefabricated concrete modules

To seal joints between concrete rings, you can use one of the following methods:

• plastering;
• sealing with roll waterproofing;
• applying bitumen mastic;
• filling cracks with sealants;
• use of polymer inserts.

The choice of a specific sealing method depends on what kind of well you are dealing with - one under construction or in operation. In addition, you will have to take into account construction technology, soil characteristics, depth of the drinking water source and other factors.

Waterproofing	Peculiarities
	Installation method	Efficiency water protection	Safety	Durability	Special requirements	Price
Plastering	interior outer	high	high	average	No	average
Rolled	outer	average	low	high	requires additional waterproofing	average
Bituminous	outer	average	low	high	requires additional waterproofing	average
Sealing materials	interior outer	low	average	low	requires additional waterproofing	low
Polymer liner	interior	high	high	high	No	high

It should be noted that the best results are obtained by a combination of several waterproofing methods - only in this case can you count on one hundred percent success.

Plastering

The use of special plaster mixtures is perhaps the most common method of waterproofing. The popularity of sealing joints using plaster is explained both by its simplicity and accessibility, and by the ability to carry out work from inside and outside the well. Sealing is carried out using spatulas, with which the mortar is pressed into the cracks and cracks. The plaster is applied until the solution completely fills the gap, after which the liquid mixture is leveled over the joint surface.

Sealing joints with plaster is one of the simplest and most affordable methods of sealing, which makes this method very popular among home craftsmen

There is little point in using ordinary sand-cement mortar - there is a very high probability that over time it will crack and the seam will leak. It is best not to save money and use special compounds called hydroseals.

Manufacturers produce hydraulic seals “for all occasions” - if necessary, you can even find a composition that can instantly stop a leak with a pressure of up to 7 atmospheres

Made on the basis of aluminum cement, fine sand and chemically active additives, hydroresistant mixtures have a reduced setting time and, in addition, have such necessary properties as frost resistance, strength and plasticity. With their help, you can not only seal the dry joint between the rings, but also eliminate leaks under pressure.

Preventing the question of specific brands of hydroseals, for general cases, materials such as Penetron and Penecrete can be recommended. If you urgently need to fix a pressure leak, then choose Waterplug, Puder-Ex or Peneplug - they have a minimum hardening time and high adhesive ability in a humid environment.

Hydroseal is a high-tech, quick-hardening composition, therefore, when preparing it, you should strictly follow the manufacturer’s recommendations

Application of roll waterproofing

As a rule, the area of ​​the well shaft at a depth of up to 3 meters from the surface is most exposed to groundwater. In this case, the joints can be protected using roofing felt or other rolled waterproofing. To do this, a ditch about a meter wide is dug around the well and a layer of waterproofing is fused or glued onto the upper rings.

External waterproofing must be welded or installed on a layer of glue - simply wrapping it with plastic film is not enough here

To further protect the well from rain or melt water, the pit can be filled with clay. After thorough compaction, it will act as a hydraulic lock, preventing moisture from penetrating the well shaft.

In addition to rolled materials, you can find special sealing strips on sale. Unlike roofing felt, they can be used to localize cracks from the inside.

Self-adhesive sealing strips have high adhesion to the concrete surface and can be used to waterproof joints both outside and inside wells

Using bitumen mastic

To waterproof with liquid bitumen, the rings are dug out to the required height and thoroughly cleaned of dirt. After this, resin (tar) dissolved in gasoline is applied with a wide brush. Since a thin film of bitumen will not be enough for high-quality waterproofing, at least three layers will be needed. For better adhesion to the concrete surface, the first penetration is made with a mixture in the proportion of 1 hour of resin to 4 hours of gasoline, and the other two - in a one-to-one ratio of components.

To seal the well from the outside, you can use either ready-made rubber-bitumen mastic or home-made tar

It should be noted that roll waterproofing, like tar itself, cannot be classified as environmentally friendly materials. For this reason, the surface of the joints on both sides is pre-protected with a layer of moisture-resistant plaster - it will serve as an additional guarantee that substances hazardous to health will not get into the well.

Before you start coating the outer part with a bituminous compound, the seams should be plastered

Sealing inserts

There are situations when reinforced concrete rings are so worn out that their repair, as well as sealing the joints, does not bring the desired results. In this case, you can use the most effective method - install plastic liners inside the barrel.

Using a plastic liner you can repair the most hopeless well

Such inserts are made from high-strength polymers and, depending on the diameter, have a wall thickness of 5 to 8 mm. On their outer surface there is ribbing, thanks to which the cylindrical liners resemble a huge corrugated pipe.

The outer helical rings of the polymer play a very important role. They allow you to increase the rigidity of the structure and make it possible to connect plastic modules with virtually no gaps - in this way you can get a cylindrical pipe of any height.

Sealing a well with a polymer insert is a complex and expensive undertaking, so it is best to entrust this work to professionals

The industry has mastered the production of sealing inserts for concrete rings of any diameter, so choosing a plastic cylinder for a well is not difficult. In-ears could be called an ideal option, if not for one thing - this option is the most expensive of all those considered.

The dimensions of the polymer liners correspond to the internal dimensions of standard reinforced concrete rings

Is there a folk alternative to expensive modern materials?

If immediate measures are required to eliminate the leak, and the above methods seem too time-consuming or expensive, then the gaps between the rings can simply be caulked. Both special rubber or fiber-rubber strips and flax fiber impregnated with fiber rubber, hemp or jute rope are suitable for sealing. Such materials are not in short supply - they can easily be found in retail outlets that sell products for waterproofing swimming pools. Sealing with sealing inserts allows you to eliminate gaps up to a centimeter wide and is nothing more than a temporary measure. Be prepared for the fact that over time the joints will need to be sealed with more durable materials.

With the help of available sealing materials, you can not only quickly eliminate a leak, but also save expensive sealing compound when sealing wide seams

Of course, it will not be possible to create a full-fledged replacement for hydroseals at home. However, craftsmen found a way out of the situation by adding liquid glass to the mortar. Since such a composition hardens in less than a minute, sand and cement are first mixed in a 1:1 ratio. One part of the alkaline solution is added immediately before applying the sealing compound to the joint or crack.

Video: sealing a well with a homemade hydraulic seal

Features of sealing wells from the inside

Waterproofing a well column from the inside can be done either using cement compounds and materials, or using plastic inserts. In the latter case, it is better to entrust the work to specialists, but sealing the seams with plaster can be done on your own.

The first thing you should take care of is the construction of a comfortable and safe workplace. Do not think that using a rope ladder in your work is a practical and convenient option - you will change your opinion within the fifth minute of using it. Most often, a small shield suspended on strong ropes or steel cables is used for these purposes. Such a “cradle” is attached to a wooden beam or channel placed on the head of the well, and a powerful winch is used to lower it. As you have already understood, it will not be possible to do without assistants. In addition, you should take care of reliable insurance - you can use a strong rope tightly tied around your belt and attached to the support crossbar.

Waterproofing the upper rings can be done using a regular ladder attached to the well head

When repairing an operating well, water should be pumped out of it. This will clear the bottom of sludge and, if necessary, restore the filter layer. In addition, long-term layers of dirt and mold must be removed from the inner surface of the trunk. There is no better tool for this purpose than a high pressure washer. After completely cleaning the concrete surface, you will be able to see the damage in detail and decide on ways to eliminate it.

You can quickly and easily clean the inside surface of concrete rings using a high-pressure washer.

Sealing joints and cracks

To clean problem areas and seams between the rings, use a wire brush. Among other things, it will help to obtain a rough base to improve adhesion with the sealing compound. After this, the concrete is moistened with water and the plaster is applied. There are no difficulties here - the working mixture is forcefully pressed into the joints and rubbed over the surface.

It doesn’t matter at all how the cracks are filled - with a spatula or by hand. The main thing is that the sealing compound penetrates into the gap as deeply as possible

Only small cracks can cause difficulty - it is impossible to push the solution into narrow, thread-like cracks, and spreading the hydraulic seal over the surface will not give much results. In this case, the crack is widened using a hammer and a small chisel, trying to obtain a crack with a dovetail shape in cross-section.

When sealing wide cracks and through holes, a lot of working solution is required, so in order to save expensive purchased compounds, you can cheat a little. To do this, the main part of the filling is made from a thick sand-cement mortar or fiber-rubber cement, filling only the outer part of the “patch” to a depth of 1-2 cm with factory waterproofing.

The lower and upper rings of the well shaft are most susceptible to shear

What to do if the rings are displaced

If the shift of the concrete modules of the well shaft does not exceed 1/3 of the thickness of the rings, then waterproofing is carried out according to the above method. If there is a significant displacement, the trunk is dug up to the level of the damaged area and disassembled into its component parts.

When returning the removed links back, they must be laid on a layer of cement mortar and at the same time aligned with the lower ring. After this, the seams inside and outside are sealed with a special compound. We will return to the question of how to prevent possible displacement of the rings in the future.

Step-by-step instructions for sealing joints and sealing a well shaft

Before you begin sealing the well, you should prepare the following tools:

• containers for mixing working solutions;
• metal brush;
• scrapers for cleaning the surface or high pressure washer;
• spatulas;
• hammer drill or impact drill;
• wide paint brush with stiff bristles;
• hammer;
• thin chisel.

To repair a well you will need the simplest tools that any owner has.

The work should be done sequentially - this way you will not miss a single detail. In each specific case, individual decisions must be made, so there is no general algorithm. However, we present to your attention the most complete instructions for sealing well seams. We tried to consider the most important points in it so that you have a complete understanding of the nature and procedure for carrying out repair activities.

1. Preparatory stage. All functional and decorative elements are removed from the existing well, completely exposing the head. If necessary, the well trunk is dug up to the third or fourth ring, and the water is pumped out using an electric pump. After this, the lifting equipment and working platform are installed.
2. With the help of friends or relatives, they lower themselves into the well. Using brushes, scrapers and a high-pressure washer, clean the surface of the barrel. This is best done from top to bottom. At the same time, each ring is carefully inspected, assessing the scope of the upcoming work and the possible costs of material (do not forget that the “lifetime” of factory hydraulic seals is measured in minutes).
3. Having sunk to the bottom, do not rush to clear it of silt. Firstly, during repair work, the bottom part will one way or another become contaminated with debris and falling solution, and secondly, this will provide an additional influx of water.
4. Having cleaned the surface, they begin to seal the joint, which is located above the water surface. There is no point in sealing the rings that are installed below - this part of the well is located in the aquifer. The sealing is carried out in sections of 10-20 cm, and vertical cracks should be plastered from bottom to top.
   

   Sealing dry cracks, as well as those from which water flows in small portions, does not cause difficulties. Difficulties arise with damage from which the jet comes out under pressure - the sealing compound is immediately washed away. In this case, at a distance of 25 cm below the leak, 1-2 drillings with a diameter of 20-25 mm are performed - they will serve to redirect the flow. After the main crack has been sealed, the holes are plugged with wooden pegs or rubberized tow and sealed with a thick layer of sealing solution.

5. To protect the inner surface of the rings from fungi and mold, the concrete surface is completely coated with an antiseptic. Offhand, you can name some pretty good products: Nortex, Capatox or Ceresit CT-99.
6. After the last crack is sealed, they go down to the bottom and clean the bottom filter. If necessary, the filter layer is restored.
   You can learn more about how to clean a well from this article:
7. Having gone upstairs, they begin to seal the outer surface of the well shaft. To do this, the walls are covered with two or three layers of bitumen mastic (tar) or roll waterproofing is glued (fused) onto them.
8. The dug trench is filled with soil and compacted, creating a hydraulic lock made of rich clay at the very surface. The thickness of its layer should reach the point of maximum freezing - this will be the key to a dry well shaft during spring floods.
9. Return to place and, if necessary, repair the outer part of the well and finishing.

The operation of the well does not begin immediately. You must wait until it is filled to the normal level and completely pump out all the water. Only after this can the source be considered suitable for use.

Clay fill must be arranged according to the rules, otherwise such a hydraulic lock will be of no use

How to prevent well rings from moving in the future

You will have to come to terms with the displacement of the lower rings - digging out a trunk to such a depth is an extremely time-consuming and expensive task. Since most often the shift occurs due to weak soil or quicksand, there is no guarantee that after repair the problem will not recur. As for the upper 2-3 rings, they should be returned to their place without fail - this will allow for high-quality waterproofing and thereby avoid flooding of the mine with perched water.

The use of well rings with rebated locks prevents their horizontal displacement

The simplest thing that can be done to prevent horizontal movement of well rings is to replace them with hollow reinforced concrete modules with interlocking connections. For those who are embarrassed by the additional costs, we can recommend connecting adjacent rings using durable metal brackets or thick steel plates. To do this, holes are drilled at a distance of at least 25 cm from the joint, into which the bracket is driven from the outside. The edges sticking out inside are folded and carefully sealed. If plates are used, they are installed on both sides and secured with bolts with a diameter of at least 12-14 mm.

Concrete rings can be connected together with metal clamps and straight or curved plates made of thick steel strip

The method of connecting rings using metal fasteners is widely used by experienced craftsmen when digging wells. Concrete modules fastened together settle down much better, since the lower links pull the upper ones along with them. In addition, the likelihood that the rings located in the water horizon will “float away” under the influence of quicksand is reduced.

On heaving soils, cracks in the joints appear due to the fact that the soil tries to push the upper rings upward, lifting them above other parts of the well shaft. In this case, the trunk is dismantled to a depth below the calculated freezing point and the cylindrical modules are replaced with conical ones.

Factory or hand-cast cone rings will remain in place even on the most heaving soil

Prefabricated cone rings are almost impossible to find, so you will have to cast them yourself. The slope of the latter should be directed inside the structure and range from 10 to 15 degrees. Due to this, the buoyant forces reverse their direction, pressing the upper concrete module against the well shaft.

Video: how to seal seams in a well with a prefabricated reinforced concrete shaft

Now you know what you can use to seal cracks between concrete rings and how to prevent their occurrence. We will be glad if our advice and recommendations help make the drinking water in your well tastier, cleaner and safer for health. Leave feedback on the article, share your own ways to solve the problem and ask questions. Our experts will provide you with qualified assistance in the shortest possible time.

Repairing wells with plastic rings and other methods

A well located on your personal plot may become unusable over time. There can be many reasons for such a misfortune: first of all, it is soil movement and the insufficient quality of the materials used in the construction of the well. But modern industry has long mastered the production of structures that will faithfully serve you for many decades and can successfully replace damaged materials. One of the popular methods of repairing wells is the use of plastic rings.

The most common damage to wells

A well located on the site of a country house is an excellent source of clean drinking water. But, at the same time, it is also a complex engineering and technical structure, a structure consisting of many components. As a rule, the components of such devices tend to wear out, which can lead to the inoperability of the entire structure.

The most common problems faced by well owners are the following:

• The well is filled with muddy, dirty water,
• Foreign impurities enter the well through the diverging seams of the walls.
• The well dries up and the amount of available water in it sharply decreases.
• The well shaft may completely collapse.

Let's see how we can cope with these problems using modern building materials and equipment.

You may be interested in information about how.

Repairing seam divergence

As a rule, this problem occurs in wells whose walls are formed from reinforced concrete rings. If several seams between such rings lose their tightness, then groundwater that has not undergone sufficient purification begins to flow into the well. Soil particles seeping through broken joints can settle at the bottom of the well and raise the level of its bottom, preventing the flow of clean water.

The most effective way to repair such damage to wells is to use plastic rings. They are formed from a pipe with two layers and a spiral structure. This design has increased rigidity, allowing it to withstand loads in the horizontal direction. The plastic rings are connected to each other using a threaded connection, ensuring reliable tightness.

In order to repair a well using plastic rings, the following measures must be taken:

1. At the preparatory stage, the upper part of the well frame, the so-called house, is dismantled.
2. Water is pumped out from the well, and if necessary, the inner surface of the well is cleaned and disinfected.
3. The well bottom is cleaned, silt and dirt are removed from it.
4. Pre-connected plastic rings are installed in the cleaned and prepared well shaft. In order to ensure complete tightness of the threaded connection, it is pre-treated with silicone-based sealant. A sealant coating can also be applied over the joint.

   

5. Soil is poured into the space between the walls of the well shaft and the plastic rings.

   

6. A geotextile filter is placed at the bottom of the well and a filter pad made of river stones and quartz sand is poured.

After such repairs, the well is filled with water exclusively through the bottom, after the water has been purified. This prevents the ingress of untreated groundwater present at shallow depths into it.

You might be interested in information on how to choose

In wells made of concrete rings, other types of damage may occur. Let's look at how we can fix them.

If you find damage on a concrete ring, you can simply repair it with cement-sand mortar.

Prices for plastic rings for wells

plastic rings for well

Video - sealing and waterproofing well seams

When installing new rings, try to connect them together in order to prevent possible shifts. The easiest way to do this is with ordinary wire threaded through transport loops. The wire is then twisted.

In your well, one of the rings may move relative to the others. Perhaps you will be able to correct this shortcoming. To do this, you will have to dig a well and, with an effort, restore the position of the rings relative to each other. In any case, after repairs related to the movement of reinforced concrete rings relative to each other, you need. After fixing the rings relative to each other, fill the free outer space with sand or soil.

Repairing a dry well

In a number of areas, the groundwater level has a pronounced long-term cycle. The duration of such a cycle can reach several decades, as a result of which after some time your well can suddenly become dry. A drop in the water level in the well can also be an alarming signal. This issue can be resolved by deepening the well shaft, and using plastic rings to strengthen the walls will ensure the purity of the water in the well.

To deepen a dry well, the following activities are carried out:

1. At the preparatory stage, we dismantle the well house and pump out water from it.
2. We carry out a visual inspection of the condition of the well, clean it if necessary and carry out disinfection measures.
3. We completely remove the bottom filter of the old well.
4. Place a plastic ring on the cleaned bottom. We dig up the soil underneath and remove the soil from the well shaft.
5. Under the influence of gravity, the ring will gradually lower.
6. After selecting a sufficient amount of earth, we assemble the entire shaft from plastic rings.
7. If there are sufficiently strong walls of the well mixture formed from reinforced concrete rings, you can limit yourself to installing 1-2 articulated plastic rings. In order to prevent dirt from getting into the gap between the plastic and concrete rings, concrete mixture is poured.
8. A new bottom filter is poured at the bottom of the well, and the necessary infrastructure is installed on top.

Repairing an old wooden well

You may also encounter a damaged wooden well on your property. Unfortunately, the service life of such structures is not very long and you may need to repair it.

Repairing an old dilapidated wooden well can also be done using plastic rings of suitable size. It is necessary that their outer diameter fits into the frame of the well, which usually has a square shape in cross-section. The process of repairing an old wooden well is almost completely similar to restoring a well made of reinforced concrete rings with loose seams.

Waterproofing the seams between concrete rings

Gaps between the rings of a reinforced concrete well can also form due to natural wear and tear on the concrete edges of the structure. To solve this problem, additional waterproofing can be done. In principle, discrepancies up to 10 centimeters wide are subject to this type of repair.

In order to seal the resulting gap, soil and debris are removed from it to a depth of about 10 centimeters. Clay is compacted tightly into the resulting space. After drying, a layer of concrete mortar can be applied over the clay, and after it dries, liquid waterproofing can be applied.

Cleaning the old well

Some time after the start of operation, the well may silt up. This may be evidenced by deteriorating water quality, the appearance of sandy sediment, and loss of transparency in the water. So it's time to clean the well.

Pump - serves as an excellent tool for pumping water from a well

Before the well is drained, the water is pumped out. If necessary, disinfection measures are carried out. Carefully remove any moss or lichens found from the inner surface of the well walls. To disinfect and protect wooden walls, they can be coated with a limestone solution or bleach.

If necessary, replace the bottom filter media. The thickness of such a filter layer, consisting of pebbles and quartz sand, should be at least 10 centimeters.

For enhanced cleaning and disinfection of the well, about half a kilogram of bleach is poured onto the bottom. After thirty minutes, the resulting solution is pumped out or scooped out.

Wells must be cleaned regularly. This is especially true in cases where the well has not been used for a long time. As a result, the water in it may stagnate. In this case, it must be cleaned every five years and sanitized before each season of use.

If the well is used constantly, then it can be sanitized once a year.

As you can see, with the use of modern materials, well repair seems to be a fairly simple task that can be performed even by people with minimal technical skills. Modern household chemicals and hygiene products will allow you to more effectively sanitize well structures, so that the water in them will always be clean and tasty.

Cloudy water in a well is one of the most common problems indicating the need for repairs.

The upper well rings are exposed to heaving soils, which causes the gap between them to increase and the seam to break. Then it is inevitable that muddy and dirty melt water will enter the well through these seams. Gaps can be repaired by replacing the top rings in difficult cases or by digging them in from the outside. After that, the broken seams between the rings are stapled and sealed. The space around the well is filled with clay. You can also make a blind area around the well if the customer wishes.

The clamping procedure involves fastening well rings with staples of various sizes to ensure rigidity at the joints. Scooping helps to avoid ring displacement, vertical rupture, increase the strength of the mine shaft,

Clamping of rings at joints (seams) is carried out for the purpose of:

• protecting the well from shifts (displacements) of the rings relative to each other;
• protecting the well from ruptures of the seams of the rings (joints);
• strengthening the well trunk;

The use of tongue-and-groove rings is justified because they withstand soil pressure well from the outside. However, they cannot cope with vertical movements of the soil, for example, movements in spring and winter, when it either freezes or thaws. This is when ring displacements and vertical breaks occur. Due to the mobility of the soil, the entire well column moves, then the rings shift relative to it. To prevent ruptures, care should be taken to staple the barrel when the seams are secured with three staples.

Stapling process

There is nothing complicated about staples. At the same time, it is quite effective. The brackets are installed using a hammer drill and bolts. Each seam of the rings is secured together with three staples, one edge of which connects the bottom of the ring, and the other the top of the other ring.

The benefit of bracketing, which consists in giving the well shaft rigidity, strength and durability, is achievable if:

• staples will be carried out for preventive purposes, for example, even at the stage of well construction, securing 2-3 joints of the rings, regardless of the type of soil;
• entrust bracketing to qualified specialists who have the necessary special equipment and observe all safety measures when working with wells;

A long-lasting well will become a reality for you with our specialists who completed its bracketing!

Learn more about manhole clamping.

You can try to gently press/tilt it with an excavator bucket through a piece of timber - once they dug a well for their neighbors with the help of Komatsu, he installed the rings himself and leveled the shaft almost plumb. Well, prepare several pieces of a 150 board or a longer half-beam - hammer some wedges into the annulus to keep the column from tilting back (ours do this when drilling wells using an autodrill)
But if the slope is small and the pump doesn’t interfere with hanging, I wouldn’t interfere - it’s really possible to tear off the rings or move them

Thanks for the advice. I think I’ll still try to straighten it out a little, especially since the voids have not yet been filled (I pumped out the water), the rings are not displaced or torn off. It’s a shame that they didn’t chase cheapness, but trusted people who dug more than one well worked

In your case, it was necessary to fill the voids to avoid collapses on the outside of the rings, which led to tilting, displacement, and possibly further separation of the lower rings.
If the well is ready, voids larger than 7 cm must be filled in, otherwise collapses will scatter the rings in different directions.

You will have to give up your idea to straighten the mine; nothing will come of it.
It is necessary to make the right decisions from the beginning to prevent the ring shaft from falling apart.
It is necessary to have experience and knowledge in this construction. Those who take up wells without understanding a damn thing about them usually shrug their shoulders. Every cause has an effect, in the construction of wells it is necessary to see one step ahead, to predict.
To see something in the construction of wells, for this you need to have special tools, I call them: practical experience, knowledge, professionalism.
85% of everyone who takes on the construction of wells today has no idea what needs to be done and how to ensure that there is clean drinking water in the well.

Many customers don't care who works. In this fight, the one who digs inexpensively wins, but the customer who chooses cheaper wells loses.
For example, call:
- Why are you digging?
- 3,200 rub. - 1 ring.
- Expensive! We found it for 2,500.
- Guest workers, perhaps?
- I don’t care who digs the hole.
Call two weeks later, still the same voice:
- Excuse me, could you come?
- What's happened?
- We dug up 5 rings. The two lower rings moved to the side. The rings don't go any further.
- I offered you a contract. It clearly states that hereditary well workers are offering their services to you and that wells up to 10 rings are 100% successful. You wanted to save money, but you ended up with problems. Customers who do not have money to build a well collect the last crumbs, invite the cheapest crew and demand from them a well with clean water.
Most often they will be disappointed.

Thank you, your position is clear to me. But I would like to find a way out of the situation, and not groan over a broken trough.

If a well is built from reinforced concrete rings, sooner or later water begins to leak through the seams between them and cracks appear in the walls.

This can happen very quickly if workers did not pay enough attention to sealing joints during construction or if the soil on your site is very mobile. How to cover the seams in the well in this case and how to do it correctly?

Why do seams leak?

As a rule, during installation, they are installed on cement mortar, and even then not always - the actions of the workers must be monitored so that they comply with the technology. If the rings have a locking connection, sealing the seams of the well is generally considered superfluous and unnecessary.

But even the presence of a cement “bundle” does not guarantee that the seams will not leak over time. Why is this happening?

The reasons may be different:

• Conventional cement mortar simply collapses over time under the influence of moisture, salts and temperature changes;

• The well was dug in unstable soil - the seams diverge due to periodic soil movements;
• The well shaft (especially its upper part) is affected by the forces of frost heaving. In this case, the first two or three rings live their own lives - “walk” in a horizontal plane relative to the lower ones;
• During construction, the instructions were not followed; the technology for constructing the well shaft was violated.

The result of all these factors can be not only the destruction of the seams, but also the appearance of cracks in the walls of the well. Through them, as well as through poorly sealed or destroyed openings for utilities, contaminated surface water, sand and soil particles penetrate into the well.

If this happens, urgent repair of the seams between the well rings and other defects is necessary, otherwise the water will become undrinkable.

Sealing technology

To decide how and with what to seal the seams in the well, you need to see if water is leaking from them, since the technology for repairing dry and wet seams is different.

Preliminary work

Before sealing the seams between the rings in the well, you should carry out some preparatory measures:

• Clean the walls of the shaft from dirt, algae and other deposits using mechanical cleaning methods or a stream of water under high pressure;

• Remove destroyed concrete from the seams, beat it off where it is cracked and does not hold well;
• Widen and deepen the seams and clean them.

In short, the surface to be repaired must be clean and durable.

Advice. To prevent the seams from breaking in the future, you need to fix the rings relative to each other. To do this, they are fastened together with metal staples. Below the soil freezing level, two staples are sufficient, above - at least four.

Repair of dry seams and cracks

The seams in the well are sealed using dry mixtures mixed with water. The most affordable option is cement and sand. But such a composition will not last long under the influence of moisture and frost, and will begin to deteriorate again. To prevent this from happening, liquid glass is introduced into the mixture.

When working with it, you should remember that it hardens very quickly, so the seams need to be prepared in advance for sealing, and only enough mortar should be made that you can use in 5-10 minutes. The process itself consists of covering the seams with mortar using a spatula, as is done when plastering walls.

Advice. The wider and deeper the gap to be sealed, the thicker the solution should be. And vice versa - small cracks can be effectively eliminated only with a more liquid composition.

When deciding how best to seal the seams in the well, do not try to simplify your work and use various sealants, polyurethane foam or epoxy resin for this purpose. At best, you will not achieve the desired effect; at worst, you will harm the quality of drinking water and make it unsafe for consumption.

Repair of leaking seams

If water leaks through the cracks and potholes in the walls of the well, it is pointless to seal them with cement mortar - it will wash out before it has time to set and harden. How to cover the seams in the well in this case?

For this purpose, quickly hardening expanding materials are used - so-called hydroseals (HydroStop, Waterplug, Peneplug and others). They harden very quickly, without forming cracks and reliably sealing the leak.

Hydroseals are absolutely waterproof, resistant to temperature changes, thawing salts and other aggressive influences. Their only drawback is their high price. A three-kilogram bag costs on average 800-1000 rubles.

Waterproofing seams in a well using a hydraulic seal is possible in two ways:

• Just a solution. It is prepared according to the manufacturer's instructions - most often it is diluted in a clean container with water heated to 20 degrees in a ratio of 5:1. the proportion may vary depending on the size of the defect. The solution is mixed in a small amount, as it hardens quickly, stir very quickly and press into the pre-embroidered hole with your own hands. Then it is held manually for 2-3 minutes.

Note. If the hole is oblong, it is closed gradually. If it is vertical, from top to bottom.

• Using additional materials. If the seams and damage are deep, repairing them will require a lot of expensive mortar. Therefore, before caulking the seams in the well, they are caulked with hemp, linen or jute rope impregnated with fiber rubber or any other compound used for waterproofing pools. Caulking is done using a flat wooden spatula and a hammer. After this, the seams are covered with waterproofing (see), and all other dry potholes and cracks are covered with cement mortar with liquid glass.

If the groundwater behind the walls of the well is under pressure, and the flow between the rings is very strong, you can try the following method. Using a hammer drill, drill one or two holes 15-20 cm below the leaking seam.

Water will rush into them, the pressure between the rings will weaken or disappear altogether, and sealing the seams in the well will be easier. When the solution has set, the holes can be filled with wooden choppers adjusted to size and also covered.

Unfortunately, even the best quality cannot guarantee that leaks will not appear in other places over time. Therefore, it is necessary not only to waterproof the well seams, but also to treat the entire inner surface of the shaft with special elastic compounds.

After drying, they create a continuous film, sealing all small cracks and preventing them from growing. The composition adheres well to the surface and is resistant to water and frost.

If the upper seams are constantly leaking and coming apart, it makes sense to seal them not only from the inside, but also from the outside, by digging out the soil around the well. After completing the repair work, it is advisable to build a clay castle around the source or make a blind area.

Clay castle

• The well is dug from the outside, freeing 3-4 rings or about the same number of meters, filled with clay, and compacted well.
• The clay should be free of sand and soil to prevent water from reaching the well.
• You can fill the recess with cement mortar, which is prepared in the following way.
• Tools and raw materials are being prepared. Mixing container, cement, sand, electric drill or shovel, water.
• One part of the cement is diluted in a container with water and thoroughly mixed until a homogeneous cement laitance is obtained. Add 3 parts of fine, dry sand to it and mix it just as well with a shovel or drill.
  If the waterproofing work was carried out correctly and in compliance with all recommendations, then the taste of drinking water will be excellent.

Conclusion

The technology for sealing various defects in a well shaft is not complicated; anyone can do this work by watching the video in this article. The most important thing is to decide how to seal the seams in the well, buy high-quality certified material and use it correctly. Still, it is better to entrust work with expensive mixtures to specialists.