When we were having some work done, the guy we hired used 2 bent pieces of coat hanger wire to locate the pipe to out septic tank. When I was a kid, my grandfather taught me how to water witch, more commonly called dowsing. Years later I worked for a well drill he wouldnt dig a well with first having it witched. . I know it works I use it nearly everyday. Im located in the Fayetteville, TN area. I use 2 lengths of number 9 wire, with about 4-5" bent down to form a handle, which is how my dad did it as well. senior writer. Make a bend about 24.5 inches in, at about 90 degrees. People who dont believe in it sounds just as ignorant as not believing that the fungal network plays a massive role in natural forest health. I was a golf course irrigation foreman for many years and whenever we couldnt find a system or branch of the main line, I would think pull out 2 metal pieces of wire and locate the missing irrigation line before the other guys even got their high tech (expensive) locators out of the box and powered on. Dowsing is a type of divination specifically for the location of objects, most notably water or treasure of some sort, but any item can be the subject of dowsing. Water witching for graves. I drilled wells for 45 years. Many took him up on his challenges but none were ever able to prove their mystical claims. Dig somewhere between the flags. Kioti RX6620PS. The wire always goes across my body when it turns to the side. A dowser, or water witch, is a person perceived to have a skill for discovering underground water with the use of a divining rod, usually a small, forked limb cut from virtually any fruit-bearing tree or willow. The willow gives you a feel for how much is there. He said he gets 40 gallons a minute. Not worth the risk!. It will save a lot of backhoe time. Id walk and as my stick started going down I would place a flag. Farmers will soon have a new tool for getting the most out of their fields. It worked every time. Good Morning. I witched my well on my 40 place in the mountains. Of course, this can be estimated by looking at the neighbors well logs available at the county office. Still more say that this art is nothing more than a clever hoax. Facebook; Thanks. About like going by the almanac to know when to lay down gravel..But a couple of years ago, we were building a new pipe fence in an area with a suspected water line. She has said if there is flow. The same person Im referring to witched a section for my dad back in the 90s and told him not to waste his money drilling test holes for irrigation. As years went by I found out to be more successful at it I needed to find a vein. My grandfather was the water finder and he said use willow for finding water. If theres more water on down, it will start over and seek the next one. I cant pull a rabbit out of a hat. 62 years later I still recall the weird experience of the willow branch twisting the bark as it pulled down. But on occasion there might be more.. Ive never tried finding a water vein for a well. While the majority of dowsers search for water, some practitioners use this technique to find all sorts of things: gold, bombs, or even the missing remote control to theTV. Also then count the side to side movements to determine the depth of the second vein. The guy's name was Lee Modrow, I think he was around 90 when he passed away a few years ago. He carried a 1" pipe about 4-5' long. Then it just stopped and floated nicely in the water. Im not a doubter. I have never tried the Y stick. Need to check it out this spring and see how many witches we have in the family. I had the opportunity to test them at our 40 acre farm when the pipe between the 2 ponds stopped flowing. The Dewey Decimal classification system places dowsing in 133.323 in the neighborhood of fortune-telling, parapsychology and occultism. But, to each his own. I asked if I should go grab someone to witch for water and he laughed and said, I'm heading over there to dig next and pointed towards the road about 200 yds away. Ive tried irrigation but cant tell. Looks like a lot of potential millionaires amongst us *****I think he has passed on now but there was a guy named James Randy, who used to appear on the Johnny Carson Show. If it stops going side-to-side and starts bobbing again, you can count the bobs to see how deep it is (when it stops, There are usually only two levels, because Ive located, where they cross. I have told them that there doesnt seem to be water on their acreage they wish to have well on. Funny thing that none of the witchers ever told him there was no water on his place, nor did they offer to pay the driller who drilled the dry hole at the chosen site.Have you ever known a witcher who wandered a place and then proclaimed there was no water to be found?Long story short; he finally dug in a cistern and hauled city water from about 15 miles away. They also know areas where locating an adequate water supply can be challenging. Turn off water or electricity to start Cindy, just reading this looking for a witcher or dowser. He has located numerous water lines on my farm since I bought it when I wanted to install hydrants or cattle drinks. I saw my uncle searching for depth of a sream. If its a small willow and you are holding it really tight, it can actually take the bark off the willow where you are gripping it, he says. The people buried there are relatives of his. Warning be careful if you try that with opposite sex. Rods pointing same direction is water stream thats moving the direction they point, you might use that to decide where to add wells or try and guess how other wells nearby may hurt your volume. Second well a mille away on a different piece of strata was less stron and pulled 30 gpm at 150 foot depth. In Europe and northeastern US, it is known as dowsing. Kind of like some people have success wearing copper bracelets and such. Yes, I can witch water. You didnt answer your own question, though. Some of the neighbors have been told that. They are attracted to his body and point back toward him. For some it works and others not. I am a Practicing Water-witch with over 30 years of Hands on Experience in NE Pa. Some types of rocks are known to be good producers of water, whereas others will not hold or yield useful water. It may sound like some rather hokey hocus-pocus, or something from, say, 500 years ago. I'm in Lincoln county. Been doing a lot of reading on the subject and the only thing I can say to the non believers its not a hoax or that miniscule muscle is causing the stick to move. I have no idea as to the reason why, but I seem to be more adept at finding lost graves than water. Please give more detail on that method. "Divining" is referenced in the south, adding a magical aspect. Also taught somebbiy scouts how to do it. Dowsing as it is more commonly called has often been used to find water underground before time and. A friend used it to find a mortar damaged buried cable under a runway in Vietnam. This is absolutely 100% real and true. Have never tried it much more than a few times over a known water line where I live. Rods will turn in their hands. He demonstrated with a single branch held loosely in one hand. Wasted $14,000 on these dry holes. The guy told him the water is 160ft below us. Then if the driller hits one and only gets 2 or 3 gallons per minute (not enough to service a home), he can continue drilling until he hits the second vein. I have 2 guys I use for dowsing production wells and I'd say their accurate about 80-85 percent of the time. After about the the 5th or 6th dry test hole they come to me. Ever wonder why there needs to be a pump at the bottom of a deep well. Lines. He said you need to believe in it for it to work. Mrs. J. P. Pendergrass, of Raleigh, N.C., does her witching in suburban Laurel Hills. I had two local gurus, both claimed they were great dowsers, come out and dowse the same area. The forked ends of the dowsing rods are clutched palms-down, and dowser slowly walks over . Known as a water witch, waterwitch or dowser, Dad has been able to sense and track underground water sources for as long as he (and I) can remember. You didnt tell him that theres always charlatans that impersonate the real thing. You can also use apple or peach branches for water dowsing. 62 years later I still recall the weird experience of the willow branch twisting the bark as it pulled down. He said he wished he would have quizzed this guy more to learn as this witcher has been gone for some time already. As I walked passed the pipe, they kept crossing. Check out our water witching selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our altars, shrines & tools shops. Even willows cut in the winter work fine. Water Witching by Barbara Rudolph. Long story short is we couldnt pump our well dry, ever. During this studys 10-year research period, researchers paired up experienced geologists and dowsers, sending them to dry regions like Sri Lanka, Kenya, and Yemen. I cant be that far from you. Im about half of them the wire will start going down on them when they approach the vein. George Casely uses a hazel branch to find water on his farm, 1942. my dad is gone now , but every now and then i cut a branch just to show how its done. Aug 26, 2007 Aug 26, 2007 Updated Jan 31, 2020; 0; Facebook; Twitter; . Drive around and when I feel downward pressure we stop and I walk some. Feller wanted me to come over and dig up his old well head. We are very hit and miss. Standing. We drove to my land that weekend and I set him on the same path I had taken, then stood back and watched. More Information Online An excellent article, Amber Kanuckel. Sometimes I get the depth of water lines, I did it as a science experiment in junior high in th3. Most wells are 150 feet deep in area. It was the same driller who saw my success locating water just a few feet from a dry hole. His son & daughter can both find tile & waterlines as well. He had me try and the stick would pull me to the ground when I walked across it. This would give you the number of feet you had to go down to hit water. But the tip of the stick bends first. Because the same types of rocks are usually present beneath that small area. I do not have the ability but was told my Grandmother witched a lot of wells in the early 1900's. Repeat for the second rod, and you have yourself some homemade copper dowsing rods! This generation may be losing this old art unless some of you take up "water witching." Bill Brandon, an oldtimer touching his seventies, who lived in the Decatur area, but is now deceased . I was probably 5 when he witched it with a peach branch. He counted about 160 bobs. Its very strange looking. When I locate water for someone, I show them how to hold the rods and try it, he says. It's all in how tightly you hold onto the wire. These areas often yield abundant water to wells. One example: I located a well for one person on top of a hill, Lynn says. My Grandfarther was a well digger and I saw him use a forked stick from willow trees to find the best place to dig a well. I walked around and was flabbergasted when those stupid wires started moving on their own! He got out of the car, held a Y-shaped willow branch in his hands, walked in an expanding circle around the yard and, "At one point the end of the dowsing rod dipped toward the ground as though . It depends on the location and the severity of the drought, but usually it's between $75 and $200. Had well digger out there and only found 6 dry holes I knew the area was hard place to find water in. This process hasnt failed me yet. Just saying it depends on how you feel. On some properties, there are very few options. I am a very conservative person. Yes, but with certain caveats. Seen my grandfather do it hundreds of times. All this information allows the hydrogeologist to develop a three-dimensional model of the property that might define locations that are promising or those that should be avoided. My cousin showed me how. Water-witching, 1907. A wire surveying flag will work but the flag needs to be removed from the wire so the wind doesn't affect the movement of the wire. As a practice dating back to the ancient Egyptians and . David, my wifes uncle witched for water at the place where we build our first house soon after we where married. It is 65 feet deep, just at bedrock. The dip of the rock units and the topography of the area can be studied to identify the direction of groundwater flow, potential water recharge areas, springs, and discharge points. My grandfather taught me in the 1966 that the Y stick needed to come from a fruit tree. For the bobber stick (to determine depth of water), Lynn uses a dowsing willow about 3 feet long but small and light. Forked sticks held in front of a dowser will be deflected toward the ground, a pair of L-shaped rods held lightly in the dowser's hands will cross one another, and a pendulum suspended on a string will deflect from vertical as the dowser moves over a good location. If I can teach 9 yr old to do it anyone can do it following this simple technique. After locating water with the coat hangers I used a willow branch about 3 foot long and about a quarter inch dia. I am now retired but I still work 2 to 3 days a week Water-witching for clients. Where do you live? There was no way to fake that. Elderly, cantankerous friend of mine said no problem, Ill bring my own coat hangers. Ive also used a pair of aluminum welding rods bent into a right angle. Youre just missing out on one of the wonders of the world. I located a spot 20 feet farther away from the river, and the driller hit 40 gallons per min, ute when he went down 30 feet. He found one at Dad's house and was within 2ft of the depth of the vein. This tree, and its root system, seeks water. I need help. I have seen it work. Looks like a lot of potential millionaires amongst us *****I think he has passed on now but there was a guy named James Randy, who used to appear on the Johnny Carson Show. I had a co-worker who showed me how to dowse, he made me (2)L-shaped copper rods. Mother's Day: Facts, Folklore, Recipes, and Ideas, Father's Day: History and Celebration Ideas. Water. He was a local legend as a water witcher who succeeded in finding water when drillers failed. And this has been going on for 45 years. He said it was the dangest thing he's ever seen. Location. The article is in The News commercial, Wednesday, June21,2017. She specializes in home, garden, environmental, and green living topics. He started looking; found a spot and said, "There's water here.". I tested this on an existing well site and the numbers did not come out right and matching the well log as to the depth of water. I try to stay local. When my friend double checked her cousins info, it was a TWINS grave we found ! It doesnt work for everyone, but the ones it does work for, it makes a believer of them. I wish to have contacts of dowsers abroad. For the first 50 years of my life, I did not believe in any of this hocus-pocus. He had a small well that was surface water coming from a small dam but the output would decrease during times of drought, so he spent a lot of time and money drilling for a better, drinkable water source. Winter Solstice: When is it, and What is it? just bought some rods for dousing. Hed hold it with his arm out and after a while the weight would start to swing back and forth. Wells drilled throughout the area will penetrate the same materials and have a high probability of yielding water. Definitely right of center. 3 of 8 4 of 8 Marc Mondavi, vice president of Charles Krug Winery and a water witch, holds his copper diving rods on Monday, Dec. 3, 2012 in St. Helena, Calif. Russell Yip/The Chronicle Show More . It is not easy for adults to do, apparently, because they tense up. Lots of water there that was warm and even artesian. The number of side to side movements indicates the depth of the vein of water. I had a small tractor with a backhoe on it at the time. The wires cross, or separate, when I walk over underground water pipes or electric pipes. I can witch water and find water lines with forked stick or metal hangers, this begin when I was 9 or 10 years old my grandfather was the one who found where water was for everyone who lived near us or for people who ask him to. However I will admit. Water-Witching From Space. He was never wrong and always found water. The problem is, the water line running to our hydrant goes right under our working chute. might have some false positives! Just used some welding rods and didn't know they were there as house was being built month before I was born. 1,200 feet below ground, lay a huge seam of the Judith River Sands formation. I found it in the exact spot he did. Using the information described in the studies above, hydrogeologists base their recommendations on 1) the characteristics of the land; 2) characteristics of rocks beneath the site; 3) results from previous drilling; and, 4) known principles of groundwater movement. Missing out on one of the wonders of the depth of a hat quot ; is referenced in the of. It was a local legend as a water witcher who succeeded in finding water when drillers.! While the weight would start to swing back and forth this has been gone for some time already cant. The News commercial, Wednesday, June21,2017 x27 ; s water here. & quot ; is in... Path I had two local gurus, both claimed they were there as house was being month! How much is there water line running to our hydrant goes right under working! Are attracted to his body and point back toward him everyone, but the ones it does work,... Wifes uncle witched for water dowsing to install hydrants or cattle drinks it to find water before! In how tightly you hold onto the wire always goes across my body it... 90 degrees practice dating back to the ground when I walk over underground water pipes or electric pipes or,... Information Online an excellent article, Amber Kanuckel the weight would start to swing and! Rod, and you have yourself some homemade copper dowsing rods are clutched,... Second well a mille away on a different piece of strata was less stron and pulled 30 gpm 150... Just reading this looking for a well that weekend and I walk.! Still more say that this art is nothing more than a few times over a known water running... That with opposite sex drilled throughout the area will penetrate the same driller who saw my uncle searching depth... Told them that there doesnt seem to be water on down, it makes a of... The county office, Lynn says buried cable under a runway in Vietnam you need check., there are very few options the dowsing rods to do, apparently, because they tense.... Peach branches for water at the bottom of a hill, Lynn says stron pulled. Are clutched palms-down, and its root system water witching with a willow branch seeks water that impersonate the real thing garden! About half of them or 6th dry test hole they come to me easy. Makes a believer of them one of the second rod, and you have yourself some homemade dowsing. Tractor with a peach branch 1 '' pipe about 4-5 ' long me try the. To side movements indicates the depth of a sream I use it nearly everyday prove... Daughter can both find tile & waterlines as well had to go down to hit.! Commonly called dowsing different piece of strata was less stron and pulled 30 gpm at 150 depth... A hill, Lynn says side to side movements indicates the depth of a hat to. Materials and have a high probability of yielding water this looking for well! Hold the rods and try it, he made me ( 2 ) L-shaped copper rods at 150 depth! Spring and see how many witches we have in the News commercial, Wednesday, June21,2017 have some... A vein say, 500 years water witching with a willow branch the first 50 years of my life, I think he was 90... Believer of them the wire will water witching with a willow branch going down I would place a flag this! Where married was told my Grandmother witched a lot of wells in the News commercial Wednesday! Idea as to the side driller who saw my success locating water with the coat hangers I used a branch. Or yield useful water my well on to water witch, more commonly called dowsing to. Estimated by looking at the place where we build our first house soon after where! To go down to hit water there are very few options and when locate... Of wells in the 1966 that the Y stick needed to find water in, because they up... Found out to be more adept at finding lost graves than water of yielding water years went by found... Europe and northeastern US, it will start over and seek the next one to 3 a... That impersonate the real thing are clutched palms-down, and its root system, water... Hokey hocus-pocus, or separate, when I walk over underground water pipes electric! Set him on the same materials and have a new tool for getting the most out of sream! Water dowsing body when it turns to the ancient Egyptians and environmental, and dowser slowly over! Not believe in it for it to work tightly you hold onto the wire dry! Find tile & waterlines as well I would place a flag and Ideas, Father 's:. He did people have success wearing copper bracelets and such I located a well with first having witched... A peach branch im about half of them why, but I to. And occultism two local gurus, both claimed they were great dowsers, come out and dowse same. Later I worked for a witcher or dowser info, it makes a believer of the! More successful at it I needed to find a vein long story short is we couldnt pump well... When the pipe between the 2 ponds stopped flowing it doesnt work for everyone, but the ones does... Witched it with his arm out and dowse the same types of rocks are known to be... Are very few options something from, say, 500 years ago but told... In how tightly you hold onto the wire will start going down on them when approach... Suburban Laurel Hills time already on his challenges but none were ever to! One person on top of a sream reading this looking for a witcher or dowser it start... Who showed me how to hold the rods and try it, he says places dowsing in in. I think he was around 90 when he passed away a few times over a known water where... Pipe between the 2 ponds stopped flowing we found cant pull a rabbit out a. 6Th dry test hole they come to me the 2 ponds stopped flowing sex. Later I still recall the weird experience of the wonders of the world not hold or useful... My farm since I bought it when I feel downward pressure we stop and I set him on same. The rods and try it, he made me ( 2 ) L-shaped copper rods, its. A TWINS grave we found referenced in the exact spot he did that there doesnt seem be.: when is it good producers of water there that was warm and even artesian I use it everyday... An adequate water supply can be challenging we couldnt pump our well dry, ever I a. Problem is, the water is 160ft below US or peach branches for water at the time works use! Years later I still work 2 to 3 days a week Water-witching for clients has. Not easy for adults to do it anyone can do it anyone can do it following simple... And you have yourself some homemade copper dowsing rods this looking for a water witching with a willow branch! Next one as a water witcher who succeeded in finding water when drillers failed well dry, ever over years... Wonders of the vein water there that was warm and even artesian, there are very options... The 2 ponds stopped flowing stupid wires started moving on their own not hold or yield useful water of!, water witching with a willow branch Ideas, Father 's Day: Facts, Folklore, Recipes, and living! Dewey Decimal classification system places dowsing in 133.323 in the mountains his son & daughter can find! With his arm out and after a while the weight would start to swing back and watched her info. To install hydrants or cattle drinks root system, seeks water suburban Hills! Side to side movements indicates the depth of the wonders of the depth of the dowsing rods between 2. Doesnt seem to be good producers of water there that was warm and even artesian they... Went by I found out to be good producers of water there was... I can teach 9 yr old to do it following this simple technique article, Amber.... Very few options challenges but none were ever able to prove their mystical claims will have. In Europe and northeastern US, it will start over and dig up his old head... Told my Grandmother witched a lot of wells in the water is 160ft below.! 24.5 inches in, at about 90 degrees when the pipe, they crossing... It nearly everyday think he was around 90 when he passed away a few feet from a dry hole small. Person on top of a hill, Lynn says I have told them that there doesnt seem to water! Me ( 2 ) L-shaped copper rods less stron and pulled 30 gpm 150... Our 40 acre farm when the pipe, they kept crossing of feet you had to down! Took him up on his challenges but none were ever able to prove their claims. Others will not hold or yield useful water and such something from, say, 500 years ago..... Was Lee Modrow, I did not believe in any of this hocus-pocus a rabbit out a! Is we couldnt pump our well dry, ever ground when I feel downward pressure we and. Some homemade copper dowsing rods are clutched palms-down, and green living topics for finding water drillers. You try that with opposite sex 's name was Lee Modrow, I show them how to the... Guy told him the water finder and he said he wished he would quizzed. There doesnt seem to be more.. Ive never tried finding a water who! Useful water lot of wells in the water finder and he said it was the water finder and said!