Basements can be handy places for bulky mechanicals such heating systems and water tanks. But full basements can be costly and on a recent project on Cape Cod, our clients opted for slab-on-grade construction to lower the budget. The project home was a single-story building, so space was limited. And with the house in an area without a municipal water supply, we needed to find a place for a well and pump.

The well had to be located a minimum of 100 feet from any septic system, so the well pit (in the lower left corner of the photo), is barely visible from the house.
The well had to be located a minimum of 100 feet from any septic system, so the well pit (in the lower left corner of the photo), is barely visible from the house.

Remote Location

There were two buildings on the property: the main house and an existing guest cottage. We had to locate the well at least 100 feet from both septic systems. Our site contractor, George Botelho, helped us settle on a location for the well, and we decided to sink a well pit for the well head and related equipment.

We did some research and learned that well pits had been used successfully in places with much colder climates, such as northern Michigan. The ambient temperature of the earth keeps the system from freezing even when temps routinely fall well below zero.

The well pit provided several benefits. For one, we saved precious floor space. A small equipment room in the house was already jam-packed with the water heater, air handler, and ERV unit. (We installed the Sanden heat pump outside, which also saved space). Having the water system in its own dedicated space would also make servicing the equipment easier. Finally, the pump was to serve two structures—the main house and guest house—and we could feed the water for both of these buildings more efficiently from a single source.

The well driller tested the flow from the pump in the PVC well casing.
The well driller tested the flow from the pump in the PVC well casing.
After running the water lines and power supply to the well pit, the excavator backfilled and compacted the soil around the pit.
After running the water lines and power supply to the well pit, the excavator backfilled and compacted the soil around the pit.
A 6-foot-tall-by-60-inch-diameter precast concrete pipe makes up the walls of the pit, and a reinforced concrete manhole ring was cemented to the top of the pipe.
A 6-foot-tall-by-60-inch-diameter precast concrete pipe makes up the walls of the pit, and a reinforced concrete manhole ring was cemented to the top of the pipe.

Building the Equipment Room

With the remote location, the well driller was able to come in with his rig and sink the well without disturbing the jobsite. The well ended up being 31 feet deep; when he finished up, he left the PVC well casing a few feet above the ground with a pipe from the pump coming out of the casing.

Botelho dug around the pipe to a depth of about 7 to 8 feet and about 8 feet across at the bottom. He dumped crushed stone in to bring the floor of the hole up to a depth of about 6 feet, compacting the stone flat and level.

The well pit was actually a 6-foot-high-by-60-inch-diameter section of precast concrete pipe. Because other equipment would be located in the room, Botelho laid out the placement of the pit a couple of feet off-center from the well casing. Using a crane, the precast delivery crew placed the pipe section on Botelho’s layout points. The crew then topped the pipe with a reinforced concrete manhole grade ring that was cemented into place.

A manhole cover and sleeve provide access to the well pit. Removing the cast-iron cover requires crowbars and two strong adults.
A manhole cover and sleeve provide access to the well pit. Removing the cast-iron cover requires crowbars and two strong adults.

Connecting to the House

Before backfilling around the well pit, Botelho dug trenches to both the main house and the guest house at a depth below the frostline. He laid 1-inch flexible water pipe in the trenches and then fed the pipe for the main house through a PVC pipe sleeve that we had installed under the footing and up into the home’s equipment room before the slab was poured. The power-supply conduit also followed the same trench to provide electricity for the pump.

The well pit had knock-outs on the side, one to feed the water pipes through and the other for the power supply. With the pipes run, Botelho carefully backfilled around the well pit in 1-foot lifts, compacting the soil at each layer until he’d reached the top of the grade ring. The grade slopes away on all sides for drainage.

Water lines exit and power supplies enter through knock-outs in the wall of the well pit. The ambient earth temperature keeps the well, supply pipes, and pressure tank from freezing.
Water lines exit and power supplies enter through knock-outs in the wall of the well pit. The ambient earth temperature keeps the well, supply pipes, and pressure tank from freezing.
Water pipe enters the main house through a corner in the equipment room.
Water pipe enters the main house through a corner in the equipment room.
A second water line remains coiled above ground, awaiting the renovation of a nearby guest cottage on the property.
A second water line remains coiled above ground, awaiting the renovation of a nearby guest cottage on the property.

The Equipment Goes in

A cast-iron-manhole-cover assembly fit over the hole in the grade ring. The weight of the 24-inch-diameter manhole cover is quite formidable. Lifting it requires a pair of crowbars, and once raised above its sleeve, it takes two strong adults to lift the cover off completely.

Next, the pump equipment was lowered through the manhole cover and into the well pit. The largest part of the well system was the pressure tank. The pump itself is contained in the well casing, so once the tank was in place, installation was straightforward. The supply pipe exits the well head and connects to the pressure tank with separate valves and a pressure gauge to control the supplies to each building.

Inside the house, the water pipe enters through one corner of the equipment room, where it connects to the domestic water system. The water pipe for a future guest house emerges from its trench in a coil, ready to be installed after the building is renovated.