Help with well drawing sediment

[Tgdc1978]

Hi. We have a new (to us) house in WV and this is our first with a well. The well was drilled about 25 years ago and is 550' deep. The markings on it indicate it produces 5 gpm though the specific production not been recently tested. We've had it inspected and we're told it is in good shape. The water is usually very clear (no noticeable sediment) but if we run a hose bib wide open too long (not sure of the exact time but probably 30 minutes or so) the water for the whole house can start turning pitch black with sediment. (My wife was NOT happy when her shower turned to what looked like crude oil!) I presume this is when the well has been drawn down too much and sediment begins to get drawn up. This is what a plumber I asked indicated. He said once we drew down the standing water in the well that was likely what was happened. I was thinking I should get some kind of timing device to make sure we don't run the pump for more than a certain amount of time in a certain window (basically just doing the math on when the water is drawn down) but then here found references to sensors that can tell when a pump is pumping dry. My question is, will those actually work in this situation since the well isn't dry it is just drawing a lot of sediment. Is there a sediment cutoff sensor or something like that? I also saw one thread here suggesting just opening a valve that is upstream of the house and running it to clear the sediment. Is that something that is likely to work in this situation? Thanks!

 

[Reach4]

There are filters that can take out sediment, but they can clog. Sill a good move, but you would want to give some thought about what that filter should be. There are washable filter elements.

I would rather try to pump out the sediment rather than decanting by limiting the use. I am not a pro.

I also saw one thread here suggesting just opening a valve that is upstream of the house and running it to clear the sediment. Is that something that is likely to work in this situation?

I think yes.

 

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[Valveman]

You may need a dry well protector like the Cycle Sensor to get your well cleaned out. Pumping as much as needed to keep the pressure low and not let the pump cycle off will pull down the well. When the well pumps dry, the pump needs to be shut off. Setting the timer on the Cycle Sensor for an hour or so lets the well recover before the Cycle Sensor restarts the well and starts the process over again. Sometimes you have to leave it running like this for days to clean out a well. A low producing well takes longer to clean up because you have to wait for enough water to do the job.