How to find groundwater at home. How to find water for a well: we look at three effective search methods
Structure of aquifers. Traditional and modern methods of exploration work. Choosing a method for searching for water depending on the consumer’s goals. Areas where wells cannot be built.
Where to look for water for a well
The search for water involves finding special formations underground, consisting of two layers of clay and sand between them, which retain moisture. The loose layer can reach a depth of tens of meters and occupy huge areas. The greatest amount of moisture is not found in horizontal layers, but in their fractures and bends. In such places lakes with a large supply of liquid are formed.
Consumers try to find aquifers at a depth of more than 10-15 m. At this distance from the surface there is liquid for irrigation, washing and other needs. In some cases they even drink it.
High-quality water for cooking, enriched with minerals and salts, lies deeper than 30 m. It is necessary to take into account that the law allows the construction of a well with a depth of no more than 20 m. If the water layer is lower, make a project and obtain permission from regional services and the architect of local authorities . Therefore, in your area, it is recommended to search closer to the surface, where water is easier to find and can be obtained without certificates.
Underground layers that follow the terrain are considered successful for wells. Rain streams flow from the hills to the lowlands, from where they rise, already purified, to the level of the aquifer.
- Closer than 30 m from toilets, manure heaps, barns with animals and other similar places.
- Closer than 5 m from the foundation of the building.
- Closer than 300 m from settling tanks and chemical plants.
- Closer than 100 m from industrial waste dumps.
- Near neighboring areas where runoff may enter your well.
- In the lowlands of the slopes of beams, ravines, as well as in the lowest part of the site. It is allowed to dig a mine anywhere on a slope if its angle does not exceed 3 degrees. In other cases, the source should be at the very top of the plot. This arrangement will help to avoid flooding of the well after rain or melting snow and the entry into the mines of substances that can harm humans. If the aquifer is located in such a place, you will have to build a drainage system.
- Do not look for water where the well will interfere with access to the house, driveway, planting a garden, etc.
- Near trees with a strong root system.
- Near power lines.
- In the thickets of bushes and trees. To prevent fruits and leaves from creating problems in the operation of the well, they need to be cut down within a radius of 5-10 meters, which not everyone will like.
- You should also not look for water in the basement of the house. There will be problems with pumping out technical fluid and installing a submersible pump, which requires high ceilings.
Water search techniques
The process of searching for liquid can be called an art, which in the old days was possessed only by true masters of this matter. Currently, modern technologies and special mechanical means are used to search for water in a well site, which make it possible to solve the problem without resorting to geological exploration. Let's consider the most popular methods that allow us to determine the location of aquifers with high probability.
Exploration drilling
Refers to the most reliable methods of search work. Test wells must be drilled in cases where the owner needs drinking water, i.e. it is planned to dig or drill a very deep shaft. Experienced drillers never choose places to drill and offer to build a well where it is convenient for the owner. Thus, they confirm that water is everywhere, but the well may be very deep.
To work, you will need a garden drill with a special handle that can be extended. The optimal diameter of the working tool is 30 cm.
The presence of water is determined after 2-3 m, when wet sand appears. Every 20-30 cm it is recommended to remove the drill and clean it. Drill several wells on the site. To build a mine, choose one of them, which will have the maximum debit.
If you change your mind about building a well shaft, install a casing pipe, a filter and a pump in the well, and you can start pumping water.
Inspecting the source from neighbors
Having a neighbor's well means you can dig one too. Your friends may have invited geologists to survey the site before construction, and these results will help you choose a location.
When studying an existing spring, find out such characteristics as:
- Well depth.
- Height of the water column.
- Level constancy. If it changes periodically, you need to dig deeper.
- Barrel design and type. Build your well taking into account the experience of performing work in the given area.
Dowsing for finding water
Dowsing has long been used to find water for a well. This method is based on the theory that underground liquid has magnetic properties, just like the human body.
For these purposes, find a willow rod in the shape of the letter “V” and dry it. The separated branches should be located at an angle of 150 degrees. The flyer is also carved from hazel, viburnum and cherry. Using this frame, you can determine the boundary between the structures of different rocks, which indicates the close occurrence of aquifers.
To search, grab the branches with your hands, point the trunk to the horizon and slowly walk around the area. Conduct reconnaissance in the morning from 6.00 to 7.00, in the afternoon from 16.00 to 17.00 and in the evening from 20.00 to 21.00. Where liquid accumulates, the barrel will tilt. However, the branches can sense perchal water, which cannot be drunk, so after dowsing it is recommended to dig a reconnaissance well and do an analysis of the liquid.
Modern craftsmen know how to find water in a well site using a frame made of aluminum wire. You need to proceed as follows:
- Cut 2 pieces of wire 400 mm long.
- Bend 100 mm of each piece exactly at a right angle.
- Pick 2 elderberry branches, remove the core and place the short side of the wire inside.
- Take an elderberry branch with wires in each hand. Press your elbows to your body. The wires should be like an extension of the hands.
- Holding them lightly, without effort, walk first from north to south and then from east to west. If the rods turn in one direction, it means there is an aquifer there.
- Above the watercourse, the frames will begin to move and intersect; leave a mark on the ground in this place. After passing the fault, the elements will turn in opposite directions. Walk over the mark again, but in a perpendicular direction. If the wires cross again, there is a high probability that there is an aquifer underground.
- Movement of the vine does not necessarily indicate the presence of water in a given location. There may be a junction of different soils underground, or a large diameter pipe may be laid in this place. Many errors occur near populated areas where there are numerous underground communications.
- The frame does not respond to a large aquifer evenly distributed over the area.
- The presence of water in a given location must be confirmed by other dowsers. If their findings are contradictory, digging a well is not recommended.
- The reliability of the method is only 50%.
Barometric method
It is known that a reading of 0.1 mmHg corresponds to a height difference of 1 m, so a barometer is sometimes used to search for water.
To do this, go to a nearby pond and record its readings. Then record the readings of the device in the place of interest to you. Based on their difference, determine how deep the water lies. For example, if near the river it is 545.5 mm, and in the area it is 545.1 mm, then a difference of 0.4 mm indicates that the liquid is at a depth of 4 m.
This method allows you to find water with an accuracy of 80-85%.
Use of desiccant
The method is based on the property of some substances to actively absorb moisture. For these purposes, you will need silica gel in granules - a bulk substance that is used to reduce moisture levels in enclosed spaces or containers. You also need a simple, thoroughly dried clay pot.
Perform the following operations:
- Dry the indicator in the oven.
- Pour 1 liter of bulk mixture into the pot.
- Weigh the container and record the result.
- Wrap it in thick cloth and bury it in the ground in the place of interest to you.
- Dig it up in a day and weigh the pot again.
- Determine how much the mass of the container has increased.
- Repeat the procedure on another area.
- Compare changes in indicator mass at different locations. Where the mass of silica gel has increased more, the water is located closer to the surface.
Instead of silica gel, pour dry salt or crushed red brick.
To find aquifers, you can use an empty clay pot. Dry it and place it upside down. After a day, inspect the interior of the container. Heavy fogging is a sign of nearby water.
Landscape exploration
You can find a place where water is close to the surface using obvious natural signs. However, they signal high water, which is not always suitable for cooking.
Pay attention to the following points:
- At higher elevations, aquifers are located very deep.
- Don't look for veins near natural lakes and quarries.
- There will also be no positive results near large plantings of acacias and beech.
- The desired areas can be identified in the summer at dawn by the fog that gathers over the place of interest to us. The denser the atmospheric phenomenon, the less you have to dig.
- Sedge, wash away, coltsfoot, and alder always grow above aquifers.
- Birch trees are a good sign that liquid is nearby. On wet ground they look unsightly - short, twisted, with a knotty trunk.
- If the trunks of alder, willow and birch are strongly inclined in one direction, it means that the moisture is close to the surface there.
- The presence of thickets of nettle, sorrel, and hemlock in the area indicates wet soil.
- A pine or spruce grove says the opposite - the layer we are interested in lies very far from the surface.
- Some plants determine how deep the water is, but they must be wild and grow in large groups. Pay attention to thickets of blackberries, bird cherry, lingonberries and buckthorn.
Observation of animals and insects
Villagers know how to find water for a well by the behavior of animals and insects:
- Small field rodents do not build nests in places where they can be flooded. In such cases, they settle on high ground or in trees.
- In extreme heat, the horse begins to beat the ground with its hoof above the place where the humidity level is maximum.
- In summer, dogs bury themselves in slightly wet soil.
- A hen will not make a nest on the ground with high humidity.
- The goose, on the contrary, builds a nest above the source.
- Midges accumulate in large numbers where there is evaporation.
All methods for finding water with your own hands can only approximately indicate its location, so you should not rely too much on them. Before digging a well, it is recommended to drill an exploration shaft and do an analysis of the fluid. Only specialists can absolutely accurately indicate where the aquifer is located, but for this you will have to pay a lot of money.
A well or a well on your own country plot is an excellent solution to the issue of independent water supply to your home and proper watering of your garden. By making a well, you can significantly reduce the cost of paying for drainage from central water supply systems and reduce the cost of utility bills. Traditional and modern methods of searching for watercourses allow you to quickly and with maximum reliability determine the presence of water in a suburban area.
In this article we will tell you how to find water on a site for a well or a well with your own hands, and demonstrate various methods and techniques for finding water.
Search Features
Of greatest interest to consumers are aquifers located at significant depths (over 10-15 meters). Water from such sources can be used for watering the garden, washing clothes, filling the tank in the shower and other household purposes.
The most valuable and clean water, optimally suitable for domestic use, drinking and cooking, enriched with beneficial salts and minerals, is found at a depth of 30 meters and below.
It should also be noted that in some areas there may be problems with finding water, namely:
- near rivers, especially from the steepest banks;
- in hilly and mountainous areas;
- near large water intakes and quarries;
- next to ponds and springs;
- in places where beech and acacia actively grow.
There are areas where the water quality is initially poor, so it must be sought at considerable depths or only imported water must be used for drinking.
There are several methods for finding water in a suburban area. Among them there are new, innovative techniques and old methods used for many centuries. Experts recommend that before looking for water at your summer cottage, familiarize yourself with the most popular methods and choose the most suitable system. You can use several methods simultaneously to optimize the costs of searching and further developing soil.
Search method using clay pots
One of the oldest ways to find water is to use a clay pot. It is first dried in the sun for a long time, then the approximate location of the water vein is found and the pot is placed on it upside down. If there really is water underground, the inside of the pot becomes very foggy.
Currently, craftsmen have improved this method. To increase the likelihood of detecting the source, take a certain volume of silica gel, dry it thoroughly and pour it into a pot. Together with the container, everything is weighed, and only after that the container is placed in the intended place of water intake. Some owners bury several clay pots on the site at the same time and then select a place with the highest humidity. In addition to silica gel, you can use regular red clay bricks.
With the help of plants
Many types of vegetation are clear indicators of water levels. This is due to the fact that plants consume moisture from different depths during growth. The presence of water in a given area of the site is indicated by the following plants:
- wild rosemary;
- woodlice;
- bird cherry;
- bearberry;
- cowberry;
- buckthorn;
- blackberry.
Conversely, a birch tree growing above a watercourse will have a short height and a twisted, knotty trunk. Pine and other coniferous trees do not like water.
Help from neighbors
The easiest way to find water on a site is to talk to neighbors, who can provide comprehensive advice regarding the standard depth of water in a given area and the prevailing types of wells and boreholes. In addition, perhaps one of the neighbors has ordered or is about to order official geodetic studies to determine the water level and the characteristics of the local water intake. It is also important to clarify the characteristics of water level fluctuations throughout the year, its composition and other important factors.
Using a Frame
A very accurate and long-standing method of searching for water is the dowsing method, for which frames are prepared from aluminum wire. Typically, for this purpose, lengths of no more than 400 mm are used, of which the last 100 mm are bent strictly at a right angle. To achieve maximum effect and convenient use, it is best to insert the wire into elderberry branches that have previously had the core removed. Sometimes twigs of willow, hazel and viburnum are used as frames.
With a frame, they move around the site strictly from north to south, then from east to west. When moving, the elbows should be pressed to the body, and the frame should be like an extension of both arms. You need to hold it easily, without effort. Where the watercourse is located, the frames should begin to intersect and move.
Thus, using simple, accessible methods, you can find watercourses on your own site and provide yourself with clean water for many years.
Video
How to search for water using the dowsing method, see below:
Water is found for drilling a classic well, a sand well, an Abyssinian well or an artesian well. Each method of raising water requires certain reserves located at depth. The higher the water lies, the easier it is to determine its location by indirect signs. Accordingly, the easiest way to find water is for shallow wells.
If you are planning to drill an artesian well, then indirect signs on the surface are unlikely to help, since water in limestone lies at a depth of 50 meters.
Having decided on the type of well, you need to find all the available cartographic material for the plot of land. Maps should be large-scale, that is, the more details, the better. If you are lucky, you can find a map of groundwater. At least such cards exist.
If you are just starting to develop an area where no one has built before, then it would be nice to have a vegetation map, from which you can find out what plant communities were once formed here before everything was cut down and dug up.
Finding water by terrain
The easiest way is to look for water on the site with your own hands if your house is located on a plain, in a lowland or in the bed of a former river. It is more difficult to find groundwater on a slope, even if it is not steep. It is even worse to look for water where the earth retains the memory of tectonic processes and volcanic activity - the geological layers there are diverse, and it will be difficult to discern a pattern in the occurrence of water.
Of course, you need to look for any water, but usually you are interested in drinking water reserves that form at a depth of 8-10 m and below. Water lying at a depth of 30 m and deeper is the most valuable.
Relief irregularities can be identified on a map where there are isohypses (winding lines connecting points with the same height above sea level). You need to identify the lowest places on the map, and then find them on the ground. These will be your reference points. After this, conduct a survey using other indicators.
Finding water from plants
The method of using indicator plants is used not only in the search for groundwater. Each plant is adapted to specific environmental conditions, so it grows only where it has the opportunity. Plants have the following indicator signs:
Height and root system
The taller the plant, the more water it requires. Therefore, tall plants are an indicator of the presence of underground water. Plants with a tap root penetrate far into the soil, sometimes far beyond the soil layer. Many large plants with tap roots per unit area is a good sign.
Most likely, here you need to look for water at a depth of about 10 meters.
The concept of “large plant” in this case is relative. Of course, tall trees with tap roots in any case indicate the presence of water. However, you also need to pay attention to tall grass. If it has large, wide leaves, this is a good sign.
Species affiliation
All plants are divided into categories in relation to moisture. For our purposes, we need only two - drought-resistant and moisture-loving.
In trees, a sign of their requirement for moisture levels is the size of the leaf blade - the larger the leaf, the more water is needed to maintain it. However, not everything is so simple - trees living on waterlogged soils usually have thin leaves. This is necessary in order to evaporate as little water as possible in conditions where the water around is cold.
A striking example is willows, which grow near water but have narrow leaves.
Plant groups
If you see several willow or alder trees on the site, it means the groundwater is coming close to the surface. A good signal is the presence of large poplars (they need a lot of water), some types of maples, and elms.
But birch and oak groves are not very applicable as water indicators.
The fact is that they can grow well due to the accumulated layer of soil or dead organic matter in the form of litter, or they can take water from the ground horizons. Oak thrives in dry conditions, but can grow in almost swamps.
It is better to pay attention to the combination of trees and grass. For example, willow trees overgrown with sedge in the lower tier indicate that water is nearby. A good sign is an abundance of grass with leaves that are tender to the touch.
Finding water based on soil conditions
The proximity of water can be determined by the soil moisture in one or another part of the site. The easiest way to do this is where the soil has been preserved - then the indicators will be more reliable:
- Make some holesabout a meter deep. These should not be holes with a large diameter, a small dig is enough.
- Take a piece of soil in your hands and squeeze it in your fist.
- If after this it crumbles, then the humidity is low, if it holds its shape, then the humidity is quite high, and if water comes out of it when compressed, then this is a good sign for those who are looking for water.
You can use silica gel, which has a high ability to absorb water.
It needs to be dried well, poured into a clay pot and weighed. Then wrap it in cloth and bury it. A day later, the pot is dug up and weighed. The heavier the pot becomes, the closer the water is.
It is better to conduct such studies during a period when there has been no rain for a long time, but not during a drought. This way you can better determine the wettest place where you can start drilling.
There are several ways to find water and correctly determine the optimal location for a well or for a well of any type in a garden plot. To correctly find the aquifer in the soil, both technical and time-tested folk remedies are used.
At what depth can drinking water be found?
The most dense and slightly permeable layers, which are contained in the summer cottage, alternate with loose and porous soil. A horizontally located waterproof layer, which is located at a sufficient depth, directly underground - an aquifer, composed of fatty clay, and the main aquifer with the accumulation of water in a usable quantity is located slightly lower.To choose the optimal depth at which suitable groundwater flows and to correctly search for an aquifer, you need to take into account some natural factors, since there are many aquifers, and their depth, quantity and fullness directly depend on the characteristics of the geological structure:
- groundwater lies above an aquitard located close to the surface;
- above individual aquitards, perched water can accumulate, on which it is best to dig Abyssinian wells;
- in the central part of our country, groundwater is most often located with a depth of 5-40 m;
- groundwater is most often of low quality and is characterized as unsuitable for food purposes;
- between the aquitards, at a depth of 15-60 m, there is an interstratal water aquifer with fairly high quality characteristics and slight seasonal fluctuations in filling;
- The main type of interstratal water is represented by artesian water-saturated layers at a depth of 50 meters and is characterized by a constant filling level and high quality.
Of course, the highest quality drinking water can be obtained from the purest artesian sources, but when digging such sources one must count on high financial costs. Groundwater, especially high water, is not the best source of water supply, therefore, in order to improve the organoleptic properties of such water, it will be necessary to use a filtration system.
It is also important to remember that the maximum depth of a well made of concrete rings is approximately fifty meters, since with large values the structure may become jammed by large soil stones. Thus, the optimal depth of the water supply source can be determined taking into account the technical capabilities, soil structure and qualifications of the work performer.
How to find water on a site using frames (video)
The best ways to find water in your garden
To search for a place to build a water-bearing source with your own hands, you don’t need a lot of experience. In this case, a folk method or simple technical devices made independently can come to the rescue.
How to search for water using copper wire
With the help of copper wire, water-bearing veins are searched quite often. Such a dowsing frame is an L-shaped bent wire with sides measuring 25 and 15 cm. For free rotation in the hand, the short ends of the wire must be inserted into wooden tubes. When located above the aquifer, the frames rotated 180 degrees close, which allows not only to determine the location of groundwater, but also its boundaries.
Plant Tips
In the presence of close water, the vegetation has a brighter color and a richer appearance. The main natural landmarks are willow, willow and wild sorrel, which most often grow above the water vein. You can also assume the depth of the aquifer from the following vegetation:
- cattail - up to a meter;
- sandy reed and black poplar - up to three meters;
- sucker and reed - up to three to five meters;
- wormwood paniculata - up to seven meters;
- whose brilliant one is up to eight meters.
- naked licorice, sand wormwood and yellow alfalfa - up to ten meters.
Uses of willow vine
The water finder should hold the ends of the slingshot with his index fingers under the branches. In the process of slowly walking around the area, the upper part of the slingshot barely tilts down or rises a few millimeters up, which indicates the presence of an underground water vein.
Exploration drilling
Ground water exploration is one of the most promising methods for obtaining reliable information about the presence of an aquifer. Exploration drilling is carried out using compact drilling rigs or using a hand drill. Among other things, it is possible to preserve landscape coverage and, in the shortest possible time, obtain data not only on the depth of water, but also to study the structure of the soil at the location of the planned water supply source.
Observations of weather and animal behavior
A thirsty horse kicks its hoof, and a dog digs the ground above a water source with its paws. A hen will not lay eggs in damp places, but a goose looks for damp places to lay eggs. Also, the presence of high-lying water can be indicated by accumulations of mosquitoes and midges after sunset, thick fog and very heavy morning dew both on the grass and on objects.
Finding water for a well (video)
How to determine water quality
The soil and groundwater in our country are contaminated in large quantities with waste, which cannot but negatively affect the quality of water extracted from wells and wells. To protect your health, it is necessary to check the liquid from the water supply source. . At home, testing a sample taken is performed as follows:
- heat a liter of water to a temperature of 20 o C and check for the absence of taste and odor;
- if there is no unpleasant odor, the liquid is heated to 60 o C, after which a test similar to the first test is carried out.
- clean, odorless and tasteless water should not have even slight staining or cloudiness, and a drop of water applied to the glass after drying should not leave streaks;
- The degree of hardness is checked by boiling water and assessing the amount of sediment. The presence of a dark gray color of sediment indicates an excess amount of iron oxides in the water. The presence of a light yellow precipitate allows us to conclude that there is a significant amount of calcium salts and various oxides.
If there are the slightest deviations from the norm, then it is advisable to order a chemical, bacteriological and microbiological examination of the sample in the laboratory. It is important to note that samples obtained from groundwater are slightly cloudy, which is due to saturation with iron oxide and salts. Transparency indicators in laboratory conditions are determined by a colorimeter.
Criteria for choosing a site for drilling a well and digging a well when several sources are detected
In the Moscow region, publicly available water supplies are at the level of the first limestone. As a rule, in the southeast the layer lies at a depth of 30-70 meters, and in the north and northwest it is already within 70-100 m. If a well is drilled on the “second limestone”, then, most likely, After inspection, the well will be plugged, and a fairly large fine will be imposed on the owner, since such sources of water supply require the preparation of special documents.
To obtain high-quality drinking water in large volumes, it is necessary to draw up a package of documentation and coordinate actions with Rospotrebnadzor and other organizations:
- applying to the regional Ministry of Natural Resources to consider the possibility of drilling an artesian well;
- visit to the site of the proposed drilling by a commission, which includes hydrogeologists and representatives of Rospotrebnadzor;
- if there is a positive answer in the conclusion, a license is issued in accordance with the law “On Subsoil” in the presence of a certificate of the right to use the land plot, a cadastral plan and a master plan for subsequent development, identifying the location of the proposed source of water supply and sanitary protection zone.
To obtain a license, you need to agree on the balance of water consumption and wastewater disposal in the regional water department, as well as the sanitary and epidemiological conclusion of Rospotrebnadzor, after which a well design contract is drawn up, which is transferred to the SES. If the package of documents is collected correctly, the drilling license can be obtained within three months. After drilling, you will need to issue a passport for the water supply source based on state acceptance permits and state geological examination.
How to dig a well (video)
Despite the fact that drilling an artesian well is accompanied by a lengthy collection of documents, obtaining your own source of water is a popular and very popular event in our country, as it allows you to obtain an uninterrupted and high-quality water supply.
Water is life and hardly anyone would want to argue with that. It is needed not only in apartments, but also in your own summer cottage, from drinking, cooking to various household needs. Therefore, every summer resident sooner or later thinks about installing a water supply from a well or borehole at his dacha. After all, it is not profitable to buy water every time, even if only for drinking. However, before you begin to implement the plan, you first need to decide how to find water on the site.
A little information regarding groundwater will not hurt:
Their accumulation occurs due to the filtration of atmospheric precipitation through the top layer of soil. Penetrating lower and lower, the water reaches the impermeable layer, where underground reservoirs of various sizes are subsequently formed. Moreover, they may not be positioned strictly horizontally, but rather bend. In this case, a kind of lens is formed, the volume of which can range from several cubic meters to kilometers.
Thus, depending on the depth of occurrence, the following water layers can be distinguished:
- perched water;
- groundwater;
- interstratal waters;
- artesian waters.
At the depth of the first 4 meters there is the upper water layer. Appears after rains and due to melt water. During dry times, the layer dries out. In addition, such water is not purified, is polluted and, as a result, is not suitable for drinking.
The depth of the next water layer can be up to 10 meters. Unlike perennial water, the water does not disappear from here. Under groundwater there is a waterproof layer of soil that prevents water from seeping even deeper. There is no pressure here, and therefore if you drill a well, the water level will not change. This water is better filtered by the top layer of soil and is noticeably cleaner than in perched water. This layer can be considered drinking, and it is it that is used for water supply.
The interstratal water layer is located below groundwater - up to 40 meters and is separated from it by a waterproof or semi-permeable layer of soil. Water comes here from higher levels.
Water from the artesian layer is the best option for the water supply system. The water here is better purified and is often under pressure, so no special costs are required to lift it. If you drill a well to such a depth, you can provide water not only for yourself, but also for several houses. As a striking example, springs and springs, when water from the drinking layer finds its way to the surface.
Methods for determining water
People have been able to search for water underground since ancient times. It has kind of become an art. There are several methods that can lead to the desired water source, but not everyone gives a complete guarantee. Still worth a try.
This method of dowsing will help solve the problem of how to find water for a well. People have been using it for a long time and quite successfully. The tool used is a dowel, which is easy to make with your own hands. Usually it is made from a twig of hazel, willow or cherry with a fork, the main thing is that it is flexible enough. Having spread the branches, you need to give it the shape of the letter “U”, which you need to keep parallel to the ground, just do not pinch it too hard. In this position, the dowser slowly walks around the area and carefully monitors the branch. When approaching an area with shallow underground water, the branch should bend down.
It is better to use this method for people who have increased sensitivity to magnetic vibrations and well-developed intuition. Otherwise, nothing may work out.
Nowadays, the old way of finding water for a well has been slightly improved. Instead of a branch, you can make a frame with your own hands. To do this, take a metal wire from any metal (steel, copper, aluminum), even electrodes for welding are suitable, and bend it into an L-shape. The optimal length of the wire is 40 cm, while the length of the short ends is 10 cm. You can take two elderberry tubes with the core removed and insert the ends of the wire into them, or you can do without them - as you like.
Taking the frames in your hands with the long ends forward and lightly squeezing them so that they rotate freely, walk around the area in a similar manner without rushing. As you approach the water, the wires will intersect.
This method is best to look for water during the periods:
- from 5 to 6 am;
- from 16 to 17;
- from 20 to 21;
- from 24 to 1.
And on an empty stomach and in a sober state! Undesirable times are from 18 to 19 and from 22 to 23 hours.
Silica gel
Another ancient method can be used to find water for drilling a well. Take an unglazed clay pot, dry it well and place it bottom up over the intended source of water. After some time, if there is water in this place, the pot will fog up from the inside.
Nowadays, in addition to the pot, silica gel is used, which is a good desiccant material. To do this, you need to take a liter or two of material, dry it well in the oven and pour it into the same pot. It is better to pre-weigh the dishes with gel, preferably on accurate scales. After this, the pot must be wrapped in thick fabric or non-woven material and buried in the place where the water is calculated to a depth of half a meter.
After a day, the pot can be dug up and weighed. The heavier it is, the closer the water is. For greater effect, you can bury several of these pots. For a control measurement, you can bury the pot again in the found place.
To find water in the area, you can use salt or regular red brick instead of silica gel. They, too, must first be dried, weighed, and then the difference in indicators must be determined.
Exploration by drilling
The efficiency of drilling a small exploration well gives 100% results. You can do this yourself, but with helpers it will go easier and a little faster. You can hire specialists for this work, which will be expensive, or you can do everything yourself. An ordinary garden auger will do. If you don’t have a drill and don’t have enough money, you can make it yourself. The drilling depth will be 6-10 meters, so it should be possible to increase the length of the handle during work. To save the tool, you need to remove the soil every 10-15 cm. The presence of water can be determined by the damp soil.
Searching for water using exploratory drilling with your own hands will allow you to determine not only the depth of groundwater, but also give a description of the soil that is located under and above the aquifer.
Natural indicators
If you are observant enough, you can determine whether there is water in any area based on characteristic natural signs. For example, there are such indicator plants:
- Potentilla gossamer;
- autumn colchicum;
- coltsfoot;
- sedge;
- horse sorrel;
- digitalis.
These plants grow near the groundwater path to the surface of the earth. Willow, alder, oak, fern, and nettle grow well in such places, but apple and cherry trees, on the contrary, slow down their growth. It is worth paying attention to the behavior of various trees. Alder, birch and willow deviate towards the water layer.
If bedstraw grows on the site, you can immediately dig a well or borehole.
When searching for water, you should pay attention to the behavior of animals and insects, which will also help determine whether there is underground water somewhere in the area. Cats often choose to rest in areas with underground water. Red ants always gather in such areas, and midges and mosquitoes gather in heaps after sunset.
If there is too much moisture in the soil, it will inevitably evaporate. This will be evidenced by fog, which can be observed early in the morning or in the evening after a hot day. Especially if it swirls or stands like a pillar. There is definitely water here, there is a lot of it, and its depth is shallow. It is worth considering that water will definitely be present in lowlands and pits surrounded by hills.