We seal the joints from the inside, secure or replace the rings, raise the top and disinfect the well after the work. Well repair costs from €150. Describe in the form what you see in the well, and we will tell you what needs doing.
Signs that a well needs repair
- After rain or snowmelt the water turns cloudy or brown.
- You can see small jets or damp streaks from the joints on the ring walls, especially in the top rings.
- The rings have shifted relative to each other, and sand or soil falls into the well.
- The top ring is cracked, tilted or has settled so low that rainwater runs into the well.
- Tests keep finding coliforms even after cleaning and disinfection.
Most damage can only be seen in an empty well, so we often combine repair with well cleaning: we pump the well out, clean it and then repair what we find.
Sealing the joints
The joints between the rings are the weakest spot of a well. Old mortar crumbles, the rings move slightly under frost and soil pressure, and surface water with soil and bacteria runs into the well through the gap. The top joints matter most, because that is where surface water takes the shortest path into the well.
- Opening up We scrape loose mortar and dirt out of the joint down to solid concrete so the new material holds.
- Stopping the leak Where water is running, we use fast-setting hydraulic mortar that hardens even when wet and stops the jet.
- Filling the joint We fill the rest of the joint with a waterproofing repair mortar made for contact with drinking water.
- The outside at the top If the leak comes from the top joints, we dig the ring out from the outside, seal the joint from the outside too and backfill with a clay layer.
Silicone, expanding foam and general-purpose sealants are no good in a well: they do not stick to damp concrete and are not made for drinking water.
Ring replacement
Replacing rings in a well depends on which ring is damaged. The top rings can be replaced: we dig the well out from the outside down to the damaged ring, lift it out, set a new one, seal the joint and backfill with clay. This is also the way to raise a well top that is too low.
The bottom rings cannot be lifted out, because they carry the whole weight of the well and the soil. If they have shifted, we fix the rings to each other with metal brackets across the joints. If they are cracked or soil is pushing into the well, we lower smaller-diameter rings that form a new wall inside, and we seal the gap between the old and the new wall. If the well has collapsed in several places, the honest answer is to dig a new well: well digging.
Ring replacement and fitting inner rings are best done at the end of summer or in autumn, when water flows in more slowly. In winter we do repairs if the well can be pumped out and the mortar has time to harden before frost.
Other well repairs
- A new cover or cover seal if the old one has rotted or does not close.
- Sealing the pump pipe and cable entry in the well wall or the cover.
- Renewing the bottom filter if sand comes into the well.
- Restoring the slope and the clay layer around the top so that water runs away from the well. We describe finishing and well houses on the page well top and cover.
After every repair we disinfect the well, because people worked in it with tools, and we recommend a follow-up test: well disinfection.
Does well repair need building authority documents
The Construction Law calls replacing worn-out elements without changing the size of a structure renovation. Renovation of a first-group engineering structure needs no construction intention documents, and a water abstraction well is a first-group engineering structure. Sealing joints, replacing a damaged ring or fitting a new cover is usually renovation. If the repair changes the well's depth or dimensions, it may be reconstruction: read about that on the page well deepening.
The Construction Law, Section 1, point 4 (renovation: replacing or improving worn-out load-bearing elements without changing the size of the structure); Cabinet Regulation No. 253 (engineering structures) of 09.05.2017, sub-point 6.3.3 (renovation of a first-group engineering structure needs no construction intention documentation); Cabinet Regulation No. 500 (General Construction Regulations), Annex 1, 3.1.14. Source: likumi.lv, checked 03.11.2026.
How much does well repair cost
Well repair costs from €150. The price depends on the damage and where it is: sealing one top joint is a small job, but replacing the top ring with digging out, or lowering inner rings, takes machinery, materials and more time. The well's depth, the water inflow during the repair and access to the well also affect the price. We name the price before the work, once we know what we are doing. All prices: prices.