Dirty well water

[Sharinkay1]

Hello. My well pump was hit my lightening late this past summer. A new pump was installed and all was great. Unfortunately, 2 days ago our water is suddenly very brown with dirt in it. (when the water drains from the sink there is black particles left) and the water itself looks brown. I live in Upstate NY we had a recent warm spell with some dramatic run off last week but now its back to cold winter temps so not sure if the run off might have something to do with this. I also have noticed that if I let the water run for a period of time after a few minutes the water pressure decreases slightly. Being a holiday weekend any help or advice that someone can give me will be GREATLY APPRECIATED!

[Gary Slusser]

Do you have a water softener or any filters?

The water pressure thing may be dirt in the faucet tip aerators.

You may have a pump or drop pipe problem stirring up dirt in the well. A leak in the drop pipe or a cave in in the well can do that.

[Sharinkay1]

Gary, thank you for responding. I have a water softener but it is not working and has not been for quite some time. If we have a leak in the pipe drop or if the well has caved in how can I find that out? Is the only way to do so is by getting a well guy out here, dig through the snow and open up the well? I'm thinking that may be super costly to do so anything I can do to avoid a huge bill I'm going to try!

[Gary Slusser]

If the softener is in bypass make sure the valves are fully closed/into the bypass positions.

A pump guy or driller is about the only choice unless the dirt quits on its own.

I'm assuming the dirt is in the cold water instead of the hot.

[Porky]

If you can tolerate it I would just observe it for a time.

Sometimes excessive runoff can cause a new vain to open up and bring in muddy water for a time. Sometimes the casing isn't sealed into the rock well at the rock. This too may clear up!

If it doesn't get better in a week post an update or email a post back to me, Porky!

[Sharinkay1]

Porky, thank you! I took your advice and it seems to be clearing up every so slowly. I hope that the problem is resolved and I'll just have to look forward to the same problem come spring time when the run off happens again. I do wonder however why we did not have this problem with the old pump would this have something to do with the new pump?

[Porky]

Sometimes when disturbing a well by replacing the pump will cause sediment and cloudiness for a time.

Sometimes lightning can disturb a well for a time.

Hopefully it will be OK now.

[UVBoy]

Have you considered the biological safety of your water during the "brown water" periods? Coliform bacteria are often associated with soil. Sufficiently high levels of coliform can cause some gastro-intestinal issues and in most states water with 5 CFU (colonies) per mL of water is considered unsafe to consume.

I'd suggest you invest in a good quality sediment cartridge with filter housing. I'd recommend the Pentek Dual Gradient series of filters such as the DGD-5005 for the Big Blue filter housing.

A UV system will ensure your home's water are free from bacteria and other organisms.

[anest]

hello,
there is 2 weeks I started my new well of 150' with submersible pump 15' from the bottom but the water is always dirty! I pump my water out of house constantly 24/24 but almost no change. I'm very unhappy about it, can you help me please ?

[Porky]

Call your driller, it's his problem!

[anest]

Call your driller, it's his problem!

thanks, but what is more exactly the problem in this case?, I'm sure my driller will answer me it's not his problem. could you give me more information?

[justwater]

I'm confused. Anest, are you the same person as sharinkay1?.. Or are you another person with a similar problem? If so, maybe u should start a new thread with all of the information u can gather on your well and system. But I agree with Porky, if the well is new.. its the driller's problem.

[anest]

I'm confused. Anest, are you the same person as sharinkay1?.. Or are you another person with a similar problem? .
No, I'm not the same person and my problem is not the same because my water has never been good and my well started about 3 weeks ago. However I'll call my driller like you advised.

[anest]

Finally my driller told me that nothing is wrong, but water may be dirt for 6 months or more, I have to pump it out SLOWLY and I have to throw in my well 125 mg of ALUM (ALUN). After add of ALUM in my well nothing changed, but after pump my water slowly out it became much better however not good yet. I filled my heater water tank of 60 gallons and after that water became dirty again. I continue to pump it out... Maybe will be better to pump it intensively out for 10 minutes and after stop it for 1 hour or longer? What is solution, speed and rest or slow and continue? Help me please.

[valveman]

“Alum is also used in purification of drinking water in industries. In a holding tank, some alum (phitkari) is added to the water so that the negatively charged light colloidal parts stick together and get heavy (flocculate) when alum makes the colloidal particles neutralized by making its aluminum ions get loaded with the colloidal parts.”

Heavy particles in a water well need a certain velocity to overcome gravity. When restricted to 1 GPM, the velocity in 1” pipe is only 0.37 feet per second, which is not fast enough to bring the heavy particles to the surface. They will just settle in the bottom joint of pipe, and can collect on top of the check valve when the pump is shut off. When enough settles on top of the check valve, the valve will not open when the pump is started. At 10 GPM in 1” pipe, the velocity is 3.71 feet per second, which is fast enough to move the heavy particles out the top of the well. Since you are pumping straight up, velocity is important to getting heavy particles out, which is the different from horizontal pipe lines.

So I would pump it out quick, let it rest, and repeat. This also stirs up the well compared to a steady slow draw, which should help clean out the well quicker.

[Waterwelldude]

It is so sad to read that a so called driller will not come back and do his job.
A driller is paid to get you usable water(hopefully drinkable), and yet after hes gone. There is dirty water coming out the tap.
To give a costumer clean water IS the drillers job. If someone wants dirty water, all they have to do is go to a ditch after a rain and get a glass of dirty water.
You should call the driller back, and show him the dirty water, and ask him why its dirty, and how can he fix it..

[justwater]

around here one could contact the local water management district and talk to the head of well construction for the area. those are the guys that issue/revoke drilling licenses. bad it should come to that, but apparently your driller needs a reality check. he needs to make good.

[valveman]

In our area we use really small gravel to gravel pack the well. This filters out the sand and sediment before it enters the well casing. If I couldn't clear it up in a day or two, I would be over drilling you a new well for free, because I apparently didn't get the gravel pack right.

[Ichabod]

I live in SE Georgia, above the Floridan aquifer. We have deep wells into that for our water. I have watched them drill and service pumps here and what they do before installing the pump is run a pipe to the bottom of the well, we're talking about 300 feet or so, and connect a big air compressor, like a jackhammer compressor, to it and blow it out. You wouldn't believe the black mess that comes out of an old well when they replace the pump. After that the water is crystal clear.