I need advice/suggestions for removing a root from my well. Its a 24 inch concrete cased well, 50 feet deep. The water line is about 25 feet from the top of the well. At a point about 22-24 feet down, a Sycamore tree has extended a root through the gap between the casing sections and is getting a free drink of water and has been doing so for years.

The root (perhaps 2" in diameter) extends out horizontally from the casing about 5" and then turns down. When I pump down the level of water in the well I see a HUGE growth that consumes perhaps 70% of the interior of the well just below the 2" diameter root. Pumping down the well to the foot valve level does not seem to stress the 5" horizontal root. This makes me thing the mass of root is supported either on the bottom of the well (heaven help) or has found support somewhere else-perhaps in a casing joint further down. That could cause a failure of the casing if I can pull the mass out of the well.

I plan to cut the root where it first enters the well (22-24 feet down) with a standard pole saw connected to piping to extend the saw that far down. It will be very awkward-hit and miss. But before I do that I need to determine how I will remove the root. Since cutting the small root may destabilize the entire root I would like to hook to it where it is rather than risking it falling further into the well.

I have build a structure over the well adequate to lift the mass and have the necessary pulley, chains, rope and a tractor to lift the root if I can hook to it. It could very well weigh 500 pounds and perhaps multiples of that amount. It does not have a flat surface but is more like a huge candle dripping getting larger as it goes down.

I would appreciate any ideas on how to hook to this mass so I can remove it.

 

Depending on how things look down the well I would think about a carabiner or something similar. Attach a rope to it. Then tape the carabiner to your saw and clip it onto a sturdy part of the branch. Then a sharp pull on the saw to break the tape fee leaving the branch attached to your rope. 2" is huge for a real carabiner so it you'll have to order something. I saw some on Amazon that would work.

Another option is a grappling hook. And, if the root happens to fall off you can use the hook to fish it out of the water.

Be careful when working over an open well. Falling in head first can be deadly as you might not be able to turn around to get your head above water. A safety harness would be the proper tool but even a 2x4 laid across the opening could be a life saver.

 

Since my post last night I have done some more exploring. I screwed some small, thin boards together to reach the mass just below the entrance of the root into the well. To my surprise, it moved rather easily in the water. So, I am now thinking its not a solid mass of material. I have ordered two boat anchors and hope to get both of these under some portion of the mass and try to lift at the same time and see what happens. The apparatus I have built above the well should be sufficient to raise a lot of weight when I get it free of contact with the 2" root.

Yep, don't want to fall in the well, head first or otherwise.