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Forum Index : Other Stuff : Very Old Windmill
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| O_T_G Newbie  Joined: 18/08/2018 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2 |
Long time lurker, first time poster!  I've got an old "Goold, Shapley & Muir" Windmill, circa early 1900's, on the block (to my surprise - I found an old catalogue - https://archive.org/details/brantfordwindmil00goul) and I've been wondering what I might be able to get out of this old bore. The windmill itself is beat to hell and beyond service, however the 32mm (1-1/2") Galvanised Drop Pipe is still in very good condition (jeez they laid the zinc on thick back in the day) with the discharge pipe coming out the side of a tee piece and a rusty old pump (sucker) rod poking out the top. Standing on a ladder I can (just - it's gut busting heavy) pull the sucker rod up/down and hear water sloshing around down there - promising. But there was no sign of the well casing... given it's situated on the side of a dry creek bed, I figured silt had probably covered it up over the years. So I started digging... and almost 1m down, no sign of any well casing or concrete, just the Drop Pipe going down and down (about 1/2m down they had stuck some big rocks around the pipe!?). My hope was to find the top of the well casing, weld on an extension to get it back above ground level, pull the drop pipe out and chuck a solar pump in - easy water! Obviously, this hope is presently dashed, and I find myself confused as to how this bore was installed? Anybody knowledgeable in circa early 1900 bores/windmills out there? Am I likely to find well casing if I just keep digging? Were caseless well's how they did it back in the day (no end strainer?), how in hell did they do it?  , is there another way I could possibly salvage this bore (I can't afford a new windmill, but what about a motor driven sucker rod, or does anybody have an old Beam Pump I could "borrow" - long shots, I know!  )?Any and all knowledge/thoughts/suggestions appreciated. |
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Revlac Guru  Joined: 31/12/2016 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1024 |
I have been told there were a few bores made without a casing way back, the ground would have been hard enough to support it self, I'm pretty sure that all modern bores have a casing no mater what the ground is like. The other likely possibility is that the bore was a DIY job with an old (made up) percussion rig. you might try probing around were you think the case should be, a strong 6mm or 8mm rod about a meter long, with a handle on top, Works ok in sand or soft clay when trying to locate a buried water pipe. When someone lost the photos of were it was.  It would be nice to get that bore working again, if the pump at the bottom of the well works and does not need repairs. Just bought a 24v solar bore pump, will be setting that up soon. Cheers Aaron Off The Grid |
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| O_T_G Newbie Joined: 18/08/2018 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2 |
"The other likely possibility is that the bore was a DIY job with an old (made up) percussion rig." I did a bit more reading on old boring techniques and I reckon you're right - probably an old cable percussion rig. I think it's a fairly shallow bore and I'm in basalt country, so just the drop pipe on it's own would have (and has) held up fine. Good call on having a poke around, it's too deep to hand dig any further - I now think I've got buckley's of finding a cap/casing, but it couldn't hurt. When I get the time, next step will be rigging up the tower to pull the sucker rod and see if it's salvageable. Thanks for the reply Aaron! |
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