So what is it? root cellar?, well?,

[coachgeo]

Found this in the brush on my property. I knew there was 3 walls of a pier and beam foundation.... that I assumed was after house built to become a garage (1959 house) but maybe it predates the house?

somewhere nearby was formerly a Pay for Play lake... Im guessing a huge pond actually that folk could swim and fish in. It became houses... but became newer houses AFTER this acre was already settled. I think my spot was part of a farm.... probably last farm land in area surrounded by a city..... this acre, and few next to it, is hidden between two city suburb blocks. It is essentially land locked with an unofficial lane (never turned into legal deeded lane) access to it. I hope to try to rectify that since the old codure who owned all this acreage at one point passed and his last of the land (a house and sliver of land with the lane on it) was sold by heirs to one party... who is a neighbor I am friendly with.

 

[coachgeo]

another pic.... it has hinges on the right side. Lots of plastic pipe laying around hmmm.... did former owner try to pump it out to keep it dry... or was pipe there cause it was a well??

 

[coachgeo]

previous owner worked for the local city.

I found hole as I cut a road along edge of property to access the old house/garage spot to park my military truck etc. into.

 

[SRG]

Cesspool possibly?

 

[Tughill Tom]

another pic.... it has hinges on the right side. Lots of plastic pipe laying around hmmm.... did former owner try to pump it out to keep it dry... or was pipe there cause it was a well??

Cistern Maybe?

 

[ehenry]

I'm going with SRG. Cespool/Ceptic system.

Found the attached on property across road from me the other day. Grave or cesspool?

 

[coachgeo]

would a cesspool have a hinged wood cover? The hinges on the side.... hard to see unless you look close..... are small and would be for attaching a rather light piece of wood.... nothing too heavy.

 

[coachgeo]

would a cesspool have a hinged wood cover? The hinges on the side.... hard to see unless you look close..... are small and would be for attaching a rather light piece of wood.... nothing too heavy.

little more research into "cesspool" ... which was basically as another mentioned a grey holding tank that required pumping out.... this seems to now have some credence.

 

[SRG]

There was no real standard, to a cesspools design, it could be built any number of ways.

 

[coachgeo]

Some on F.book are suggesting artesian well. How would I test to know if it was this or cesspool?

someone else said old outhouse.... can't discount that though

 

[Tughill Tom]

Some on F.book are suggesting artesian well. How would I test to know if it was this or cesspool?

someone else said old outhouse.... can't discount that though

Does water continually flow out of it? Spring Box or artesian well.

 

[SRG]

If it's an outhouse pit, start digging around the bottom for old glass bottles and jars, and valuables.
Put the Scuba gear on

 

[coachgeo]

so we have established logical options thank you so much....

Now how to test to see which might be the answer?

 

[RCW]

Spring Box/Dug well or cesspool/outhouse pit.

Oddly, pit construction can be similar but they work in reverse. Spring box or Dug well will be in a high groundwater spot, and you pump water out. Cesspool or outhouse would be in a low groundwater spot, and you put "water" in...

Given the high water, the black tubing for piping, and the apparent hinged top (they sometimes need screens cleaned, snakes and mice pulled out, etc.), I'm betting spring box or dug well.

In theory, someone would find a true groundwater "spring" seep and construct the box around it. Sometimes, there can be artesian pressure, which is confined groundwater under slight pressure that will make them overfill the box.

Truthfully, most I've seen over the years were really just a low/wet spot, they dug a hole and laid something up for a dug well.

I wouldn't drink the water out of any of them....

 

[SidecarFlip]

Spring Box/Dug well or cesspool/outhouse pit.

Oddly, pit construction can be similar but they work in reverse. Spring box or Dug well will be in a high groundwater spot, and you pump water out. Cesspool or outhouse would be in a low groundwater spot, and you put "water" in...

Given the high water, the black tubing for piping, and the apparent hinged top (they sometimes need screens cleaned, snakes and mice pulled out, etc.), I'm betting spring box or dug well.

In theory, someone would find a true "spring" seep and construct the box around it. Truthfully, most I've seen over the years were really just a low/wet spot, they dug a hole and laid something up for a dug well.

I wouldn't drink the water out of any of them....

Get your 'Life Straw' out and take a sip.....lol

I don't think it's a well. Maybe a seep that was boxed in because most dug wells at least around here, southern Michigan are bricked, not blocked with cast concrete blocks. Get yourself a gas driven pump and suck it out and see.

I had a bricked dug well on out property, filled it in long ago. Around here you can drive a point and get water just about anywhere. Potable is the question.

 

[RCW]

People rebuild them all the time. Seen 100's. True, some of the oldie's are brick. Also true with a driven point/well, shallow ground water is not likely good to drink.

Probably couldn't get a well driller into the area (no road), so had to improvise many decades ago....and maybe was rebuilt a time or two (concrete blocks)...just guessing.

Coach - - if it's on a hill or base of a hill, it's an attempt at a spring box.

If it's in a flat area, it's a dug well.

(Really same thing in effect, just trying to get proper terms)

Again, just guesses from the pictures.

 

[skeets]

toss a pump in it and see if it fills back up

 

[RCW]

toss a pump in it and see if it fills back up

Bet it makes some water. They can get silted in, especially open like that.

I used to deal with a big brick one, maybe 12' diameter and 25' deep. Would make almost 200 gpm through 2 submersibles hung down in it.

Little baffled by the elevation...usually a dug well or spring box is brought a block or 2 above grade to avoid flooding, but I've also seen some pretty poor workmanship...maybe that's all the block the previous owner could get from the City he worked for?!?!?

Coach - does it have a concrete bottom you can see? If it does have a concrete bottom, can you see inlet (outlet) pipe or pipes in the sides, and what size? I see the block is parged up...

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[Tughill Tom]

Bet it makes some water. They can get silted in, especially open like that.

I used to deal with a big brick one, maybe 12’ diameter and 25’ deep. Would make almost 200 gpm through 2 submersibles hung down in it.


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So the property I just bought has a Spring Box well feeding the old house. Which is about 1000ft from the house. Installed a sallow well pump and boosted the pressure up to 55 psi, water is clean and clear. All old school technology.

 

[D2Cat]

Coach, if you have a joint of 1" PVC stick it down there to get a gauge of depth. You just never know, it might of been his bomb shelter to protect him from Russian attacks!