How to Install Concrete Well Rings
Excavate, level, lower, and seal concrete well rings into an open-dug well pit to build a stable, structurally sound vertical water or drainage well shaft.
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🧰 Required Tools & Equipment
- ✓ Tripod with chain hoist or lifting straps
- ✓ Torpedo level and 4-foot bubble level
- ✓ Short-handled spade shovel
- ✓ Trowel
- ✓ Buckets and haul rope
- ✓ Heavy-duty pry bar
📦 Materials & Supplies
- ✓ Precast concrete well rings (with tongue-and-groove joints)
- ✓ Type S waterproof mortar or hydraulic cement
- ✓ Crushed drainage gravel (1/2-inch to 3/4-inch)
- ✓ Water for mixing mortar
⚠️ Safety Checkpoints & Warnings
- • Never stand directly underneath a suspended concrete ring while lowering.
- • Ensure pit walls are braced or sloped to prevent cave-ins during deep excavation.
- • Wear heavy steel-toe boots, hard hat, and leather gloves at all times.
📋 Step-by-Step Guide (6 Steps)
Excavate the Starter Pit and Level Base
Dig a circular pit approximately 6 to 8 inches wider in diameter than the concrete well ring. Dig down roughly 2 to 3 feet, keeping the pit walls straight and vertical. Flatten and tamp the bottom floor of the pit so it provides a solid, uniform foundation.
- • A neat circular excavation with uniform vertical sidewalls
- • A flat, cleared pit floor showing the 4-foot level bubble centered across multiple axes
- • Digging the pit too narrow, causing the ring to jam against sidewalls during placement
Rig and Lower the First Concrete Ring
Attach lifting straps securely through the precast lift holes or under the bottom rim using a tripod and chain hoist. Slowly lower the base ring into the center of the excavated pit. Ensure the groove or bottom edge rests evenly on the pit floor without hitting the earthen walls.
- • Concrete ring resting flat in the pit center with an even gap around the outside perimeter
- • Rigging straps slackened and detached cleanly
- • Dropping the ring abruptly, which can crack the concrete edges or tongue-and-groove lip
Level and Plumb the Starter Ring
Place a 4-foot level across the top rim of the ring in an X-pattern. Check the vertical outer and inner walls with a torpedo level. Use a pry bar to make minor adjustments or tap down the high side until the ring is completely plumb and level in all directions.
- • Bubble centered on the 4-foot level across both diameter directions
- • Torpedo level showing true vertical on inner concrete walls
- • Accepting a slight tilt on the first ring, which multiplies dramatically as higher rings are stacked
Apply Mortar to Joint Rim
Mix a batch of waterproof Type S mortar or hydraulic cement to a stiff, peanut-butter consistency. Trowel a continuous 1-inch thick bead of mortar along the top interlocking tongue or recess of the seated ring. Ensure full coverage around the entire circumference to prevent surface runoff intrusion.
- • An unbroken, uniform ribbon of mortar covering the entire top edge of the concrete ring
- • Mixing mortar too wet, causing it to squeeze out entirely under the weight of the next ring
Stack and Align the Next Well Ring
Hoist and lower the second ring directly over the first, aligning the interlocking tongue-and-groove joints. Lower it slowly into the fresh mortar bed until it seats firmly. Check the joint to confirm mortar has squeezed slightly out on both sides, proving a continuous seal.
- • Upper ring fully seated and flush with the lower ring with no visible gaps
- • Slight mortar bead extruded evenly around the circumference line
- • Misaligning the joint, leaving a stepped ledge between the upper and lower rings
Backfill and Stabilize the Perimeter
Pour crushed drainage gravel around the lower exterior base to promote filtration and prevent soil wash-in. Shovel soil back into the remaining ring-to-pit trench in 6-inch layers, tamping firmly after each layer. Build the well shaft to the desired height above ground level to prevent surface water runoff from entering.
- • Trench around the outside of the rings filled and firmly tamped flush with surrounding ground
- • Top ring extending at least 12 inches above ground grade
- • Backfilling loose dirt all at once without compacting, which causes ground collapse later
Credit: inspired by an original tutorial by Anpadh mistri — watch the original on YouTube.
Don’t have everything?
- No Tripod with chain hoist? Mini-excavator with lifting strap or heavy-duty manual timber gantry
- No Type S mortar? Preformed butyl rubber well joint sealant rope