Bridging over a well

[joydivision]

Going to look at a job tomorrow where the customer basicaly
wants a well doing away with for safety when she has her grandkids. I have done work for the customer before, and briefly remember the well. Its around 2 m x 2m square, brickwork walls as you would expect, and no idea of the depth.

The customer wants it flagging over with some spare flags she has. So I need to bridge it first. My first thoughts are either a series of concrete lintels or block and beem.

I also did think about a steel plate, like you see on the roads to bridge excavations, but I dont know much about them.

Any other options?

Also do I need to vent the well for any reason?

Cheers

JD

[joydivision]

The well is unused btw.

Cheers

JD

[local patios and driveway]

Could make it a feature wih persex cover anf use the flags as a surround. Would be easy to do probably need 12mm persex minimum though

[Pablo]

hi JD the 2 options I'd use would either be lintels or a precast chamber cover with an inspection cover hole in it. The latter is a to heavy for manual handling though. I'm always loath to totally hide wells because they can be a nasty surprise to other contractors and householders down the line. I've put a micro through of before and found severall that then totally altered the job. If you can install an inspection cover ontop then at least it's safe for everyone in the future. A 2m wide well is quite large be careful if you have a digger near it incase of collapse. Would be a good one to document with photo's on here if you get a chance.

[lutonlagerlout]

cant you use it as a tip till its full?
we have done all sorts of ground beams over them ,but i reckon the old r15 lintels and then concrete over that would do the job
or you could shutter it and lay mesh over and pour yourself
bugger getting the shutter out though ???
if you do cover always worth having a 100mm pipe going in as its a useful sized soakaway IME
LLL

[mike builder/landscaper]

my father in law who is a builder was busting up concrete with a sledge hammer years ago and all of a sudden the concrete cracked in one place where he was hitting it and it dropped about 40 feet. it could have killed him. so if it is possible fill it in with rubbish.

[lutonlagerlout]

inert rubbish
ie mud,sand, concrete
i have seen the spec for old wells ,and it is fill with leanmix concrete
a very expensive exercise
LLL



Edited By lutonlagerlout on 1325957983

[joydivision]

Yeah, it is quite large. Quite fancy too. The property once belonged to someone who was the Lord in the local area. Craking property to be fair, although needs a few quid spending on it!

I was a bit dubious about filling it in, maybe I shouldnt be. My thought was that as its a well, naturaly the water would want to return there, but as it would be full of type 1, it couldnt and as a result may alter the water content/table in surrounding ground.
I take it this wouldnt be the case? Never tackled a well before so all new to me!

If bridged, a inspection cover/pipe is a cracking idea.


Thanks for all the advice

JD

[DNgroundworks]

hmm i cant help thinking that its a damn shame to fill it in, just think of the graft that went in to building it and the years of people bucketing water out of it - lots of history there. I take it its brick built?

If its not in the way of proposed buildings etc could you not build it up say 3ft out of the ground build some mesh into the inside of it, to stop folk falling in and then put a small roof on it? - id be asking the question anyway.

[Dave_L]

Coverslab and mhc

[Dave_L]

Assuming you can get a machine near it etc..

[henpecked]

Plant a willow in it

Job done