Mains water, taps and wells... Advice please

[Jack757]

Hi All.. Looking for your thoughts on my situation.

 

Background... My plot is half acre, part prone to flooding due to clay ground and slight incline.   Many years ago (probably 30+) French drains (or similar) were installed at the bottom half of garden consisting of 3 wells and 2 taps. I believed these taps were fed by the wells, used just for watering the garden and for livestock.

 

Forward to yesterday and we needed to change a dripping tap (B). Turned off the stopcock in kitchen which turned off all water to kitchen tap and outside tap A but not to tap B or C. Still full pressure nothing changed. We then turned stopcock back on and turned on kitchen tap and outside tap A which then reduced pressure on tap B & C.  To note taps B & C are just mounted on metal pipes about 3ft tall coming out of the ground.  No other stopcocks known or found.

 

We have no idea of the set up of this or what is happening, water feeding from etc. Any thoughts or ideas please.

Edited February 16 by Jack757

[ProDave]

It sounds like the outside tqps are from mains water but not via your internal stopcock.

 

Have a look around the house is there any other stopcock in the ground?  You are looking for a little round or square usually black lid which when opened reveals a hole down to a stopcock.

 

If the outside taps came from the wells, there would need to be a pump somwhere.

[Jack757]

1 hour ago, ProDave said:

It sounds like the outside tqps are from mains water but not via your internal stopcock.

 

Have a look around the house is there any other stopcock in the ground?  You are looking for a little round or square usually black lid which when opened reveals a hole down to a stopcock.

 

If the outside taps came from the wells, there would need to be a pump somwhere.

Thank you. I'll have to have another look externally as don't recall seeing anything. 

Think a pump for the wells would need electric? Or if that system was around back when it was put in.  I don't believe electric supply down that end of garden. However I'd think the well water must be going somewhere or surely they'd overflow over time or with heavy rainfall like last year. Seems coincidence the taps are next to or adjacent to 2/3 wells.

[Mr Punter]

I imagine the other outside taps are teed off the mains supply.  There is often a meter or stopcock in the ground near the site boundary.

[Jack757]

1 hour ago, Mr Punter said:

I imagine the other outside taps are teed off the mains supply.  There is often a meter or stopcock in the ground near the site boundary.

Thanks. Definitely no meter so will have to investigate for a further ground stopcock