Intheswamp
New Member
Howdy. My name's Ed and I'm down in south central Alabama. Just found the forum while searching for info on sanitizing a deep well. I hope some one can give me some pointers. I've actually got a couple of problems with this well.
The well is at my mother-in-law's mobile home and is a 4" well approximately 175' deep with a 3/4hp pump. The well was brought into operation not quiet eight and half years ago.
For the last couple of years or so my mother-in-law has been getting these "specks" in her water. It started out with just a few but has gotten pretty bad now. Looking at the specks they appear to have a very slight orange tint to them and seem gelatin-like, they leave a definite "mud" stain in the tub and the tank of the toilet has a large amount of the gelatin-like substance at the bottom. If fill a clear jar with water you see many specks floating around. Running the faucet at the well results in very cloudy water coming out but then clears up fairly quickly to being not so cloudy...this is a faucet that is plumbed into the bottom of the tank so I think it may be flushing out sediment from the tank. I'm thinking iron bacteria or fungus. I'm not sure I know the difference...or it could be something entirely different.
As mentioned above I have a couple of problems. The other problem is that I've got to replace the pressure switch, it is toast. I won't go into any discussion on the installer, but I'm beginning to wonder about him. A couple of the connections under the switch cover just seemed weak...especially the ground, but there again it's been 8+ years and it's been in the weather so maybe that was a good connections with the twist of wires. The reason I say I wonder about him, is that I remember us flushing the system for 2-3 days after he finished...just kept the water running wide open and don't remember anything about sanitizing anything. This was during the time we were setting up the trailer and also the day he "completed" the well and came by for payment I had just got back from the hospital after my brother had died, so really didn't pay much attention to the well for a while...it was producing water and that's all I was worried about then.
I'm going to replace the pressure switch in the morning, the wiring I shouldn't have any problem with and I'm hoping the air will be ok "as is"....if not I'll cross that bridge later. First thing is to get the water running again.
The next thing (which I would love to do also tomorrow) is to sanitize the well and see if that clears up the orange gelatin. I've seen different amounts of chlorox recommended and I'm a bit confused on that. I understand that if I use too much then it will throw the alkalinity off and reduce the efficiency of the chlorine and that it will also be more apt to harm any metalic parts. Of course, using too little will, well, be too weak. I'm figuring on trying 1/3-1/2 gallon in 10 gallons of water poured down the well casing and see how that smells once the water circulates. I'm going to go ahead and drain the hotwater heater (probably needs flushing anyhow) before running the clorox into the system...will refilling the hw heater call for the higher ratio of chlorox? Any suggestions on this are appreciated.
This brings me to the "how do I get the chlorox down in the casing" question. My sanitary cap is the "4-bolts with the pipe coming out the center". I've read to *not* take the bolts out, but rather loosen them to relax the o-ring/seal...so how much do you loose?...1/2 turn?....1 turn?....2 turns?
Once the bolts are loosened, I take it that the pipe attached to the tank that comes from the top of the sanitary cap should be loosened at the tank so it can "pivot" up a bit when the cap is lifted up. The big question is...just how heavy is the pump, down-pipe, and wiring going to weigh? I'm no Hercules and will probably be working by myself. Should I go ahead and figure on using a hydraulic jack or 4' farm jack to lift the cap a few inches so I can get a water hose in the casing? Or should I just use the little vent hole and slowly run the chlorox and re-circulated mixture through that hole? Working through the vent hole just seems, er,...not optimal.
I've attached some pictures of what I've got to work with.
I appreciate any suggestions or words of encouragement that anybody might have.
Thanks!
Ed
Shot of the type sanitary cap I'm working with...(would there be a problem if I installed a hose bib right on top of the well where that plug is?)
Pressure switch issues...
View attachment 10680
The well is at my mother-in-law's mobile home and is a 4" well approximately 175' deep with a 3/4hp pump. The well was brought into operation not quiet eight and half years ago.
For the last couple of years or so my mother-in-law has been getting these "specks" in her water. It started out with just a few but has gotten pretty bad now. Looking at the specks they appear to have a very slight orange tint to them and seem gelatin-like, they leave a definite "mud" stain in the tub and the tank of the toilet has a large amount of the gelatin-like substance at the bottom. If fill a clear jar with water you see many specks floating around. Running the faucet at the well results in very cloudy water coming out but then clears up fairly quickly to being not so cloudy...this is a faucet that is plumbed into the bottom of the tank so I think it may be flushing out sediment from the tank. I'm thinking iron bacteria or fungus. I'm not sure I know the difference...or it could be something entirely different.
As mentioned above I have a couple of problems. The other problem is that I've got to replace the pressure switch, it is toast. I won't go into any discussion on the installer, but I'm beginning to wonder about him. A couple of the connections under the switch cover just seemed weak...especially the ground, but there again it's been 8+ years and it's been in the weather so maybe that was a good connections with the twist of wires. The reason I say I wonder about him, is that I remember us flushing the system for 2-3 days after he finished...just kept the water running wide open and don't remember anything about sanitizing anything. This was during the time we were setting up the trailer and also the day he "completed" the well and came by for payment I had just got back from the hospital after my brother had died, so really didn't pay much attention to the well for a while...it was producing water and that's all I was worried about then.
I'm going to replace the pressure switch in the morning, the wiring I shouldn't have any problem with and I'm hoping the air will be ok "as is"....if not I'll cross that bridge later. First thing is to get the water running again.
The next thing (which I would love to do also tomorrow) is to sanitize the well and see if that clears up the orange gelatin. I've seen different amounts of chlorox recommended and I'm a bit confused on that. I understand that if I use too much then it will throw the alkalinity off and reduce the efficiency of the chlorine and that it will also be more apt to harm any metalic parts. Of course, using too little will, well, be too weak. I'm figuring on trying 1/3-1/2 gallon in 10 gallons of water poured down the well casing and see how that smells once the water circulates. I'm going to go ahead and drain the hotwater heater (probably needs flushing anyhow) before running the clorox into the system...will refilling the hw heater call for the higher ratio of chlorox? Any suggestions on this are appreciated.
This brings me to the "how do I get the chlorox down in the casing" question. My sanitary cap is the "4-bolts with the pipe coming out the center". I've read to *not* take the bolts out, but rather loosen them to relax the o-ring/seal...so how much do you loose?...1/2 turn?....1 turn?....2 turns?
Once the bolts are loosened, I take it that the pipe attached to the tank that comes from the top of the sanitary cap should be loosened at the tank so it can "pivot" up a bit when the cap is lifted up. The big question is...just how heavy is the pump, down-pipe, and wiring going to weigh? I'm no Hercules and will probably be working by myself. Should I go ahead and figure on using a hydraulic jack or 4' farm jack to lift the cap a few inches so I can get a water hose in the casing? Or should I just use the little vent hole and slowly run the chlorox and re-circulated mixture through that hole? Working through the vent hole just seems, er,...not optimal.
I've attached some pictures of what I've got to work with.
I appreciate any suggestions or words of encouragement that anybody might have.
Thanks!
Ed
Shot of the type sanitary cap I'm working with...(would there be a problem if I installed a hose bib right on top of the well where that plug is?)
Pressure switch issues...
View attachment 10680