# Old Cistern Use(s)?



## lenaitch (Feb 10, 2014)

Are you certain it is a cistern or a dry shallow well? If you are satisfied that your well is sufficient for both your domestic and irrigation needs, it seems like it is surplus to you (rainwater is usually softer). If it is properly secured and protected I suppose it would be safe to leave it unless your local water authority considers it a well, then decommissioning rules might come into play.

Its depth makes it fairly useless as a hot tub and if you start using it as a pool then local codes for pools might come into play. If it has a concrete floor then I would bust a hole in if you decide to fill it in. If you do decide to fill it in, I would do it small layers at a time and perhaps use a compactor otherwise it will keep settling quite a bit for a while. A friend filled in his pool all at once then interlocked over it and now he has to rip up the pavers and re-fill because of settling.


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## Daniel Holzman (Mar 10, 2009)

Entering a confined space such as the cistern you describe can be dangerous, if toxic gases have accumulated, or there is simply low oxygen levels. Personally I would never get into a confined space without special training and equipment, not worth the risk. As to filling such a cistern, you can dump crushed stone or structural fill in, hard to mechanically compact without getting into the space, but 3/4 inch angular stone compacts adequately during the dumping process to minimize future settlement. It would be nice to bust a hole in the bottom, but probably not essential, since you say there is no water in their now.


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

A wine cellar.

Hinge the manhole cover, and a ladder into the space, then you have a wine cellar, and can get your cache in and out through the hinged cover.

Clean out the broken crap and seal the walls, and it will stay cool dry, and dark, just right to store vino.

I was looking around the web a few months ago and saw where a guy found an old "bomb shelter" in his yard, he converted it into a play room for his kids.



ED


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## joed (Mar 13, 2005)

Being two parts sounds more like a septic tank than a cistern. In either case since you have a good well I would just leave it or fill it in. There could be some local or state codes as to how you can abandon it.


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## Master Brian (Apr 24, 2009)

de-nagorg said:


> A wine cellar.
> 
> Hinge the manhole cover, and a ladder into the space, then you have a wine cellar, and can get your cache in and out through the hinged cover.
> 
> ...


I had thought about putting a more permanent style cap on the top to seal it off and then cutting a hole in the block basement wall and connection the two, with an arched doorway or something, but I have already gone through and framed and drywalled the adjacent wall. My neighbor is a brick mason and it would have been cool to bridge the gap with brick to give it a sort of dungeon/cellar look. I could have then turned it into a wine cellar/humidor/liquor storage or something cool. Even a little reading nook would have been cool, but I'm not sure if it would be safe to remove the brick partition wall. 

Now you've got me thinking again....Going in from the outside would not be good, but from the inside would be a cool little feature....Hmmm!!


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## Master Brian (Apr 24, 2009)

From my research and the fact that there appears to be 1/2"-3/4" old galvanized pipe going from the cistern into the house tells me it was for water. My understanding is that the brick wall filtered the sediments from the water and filtered it as it moved through the wall. 

I'm betting there are guidelines that dictate how to properly abandon it, but I'm fairly certain that they want the bottom busted out and I don't want to go that route. I also know sometimes it's better not to say anything vs opening a can of worms. With that said....If I fill it with Dirt or gravel, why do I really care if it settles if I don't bust out the bottom? I can always add to it as I'll leave the manhole cover?


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## lenaitch (Feb 10, 2014)

Master Brian said:


> If I fill it with Dirt or gravel, why do I really care if it settles if I don't bust out the bottom? I can always add to it as I'll leave the manhole cover?


I suppose my only thought is that, depending on the hydrology of your ground water and/or the porosity of the surrounding soil vs. what you fill it with), it could possibly become more saturated, and if it is near your foundation that could cause a problem. If you are pretty dry, probably not an issue.

Perhaps even cutting off that pipe that comes out of the base (although its purpose - coming in from the base then going out the side wall - is curious)


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