Well that pumps sand....advice?

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Jed1154

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I moved into a home that has TWO wells. They were drilled in the late 90's. I was told that one of them began to 'pump sand' and that for whatever reason, it was not fixable, so the driller moved over about 7', redrilled, and thats the one that is hooked up to the house. However, the old well, electrical box, pressure valve, and tank are all there, they just clipped the power. I was also told it might be suitable for irrigation. So, for fun, i hooked it back to power to see if it worked or whether i could get rid of the tank and free up some space. Without hesitation, water began to fill the tank (aside froma few drips at some connections). My question is, does 'pumping sand' pose so much of a problem that its CHEAPER OR BETTER to just drill a whole other well? It doesnt seem like it adds up to me. For one thing, these wells are in a well house, with a concrete foundation. So, both were present when the foundation was poured. It doesnt make sense that this well that pumped sand wouldnt have been cut off and capped, and the filled over with concrete, leaving only ONE well in the wellhouse. Im just wondering if its worth fixing my leaks and using the well for watering the yard or garden. I dont see how it can 'pump sand' and then sit idle for 10 years, and then immediately fire up and pump water.
Also, the well in question has a 1 1/4" pipe in case that mattered.

What do yall think?
 
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Speedbump

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Being close to the other well doesn't mean it can't pump sand.

Sand will destroy a pump. The time it takes depends on how much sand is pumped through the pump. Sand can't hurt your garden so I say go for it.

bob...
 

Jed1154

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Well, the supposed NEW well does NOT pump sand. I just don't understand how it could possibly be cheaper to DRILL a new well rather than find the cause and fix the original well. For some reason, im thinking both wells were drilled at the same time, one physically larger than the other for some other ag purpose. I don't know how a well is constructed, so i don't know if there is some reason it would pump sand that would make it economically or physically impossible to fix rather than drilling a new one.
 
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Speedbump

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Most wells that start pumping sand can't be repaired to stop pumping sand most of the time. And the fix (which will not come with a guarantee) can be very expensive too.

bob...
 

Jed1154

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Good to know. Thanks for the info.

I wish they would have capped it and gotten rid of it , its a pain and in the way.

Being close to the other well doesn't mean it can't pump sand.

What is it about a well that will make it 'pump sand'?
 
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Speedbump

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Not enough casing, holes in the casing, casing not properly seated or sealed. Lots of reasons. Since there are different methods of drilling as there are different conditions which warrant different construction methods, it's hard to tell what is your particular problem. But it's likely one of the above.

bob...
 

Jed1154

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ok, the previous owner mentioned 'cracked casing'...don't know how likely that actually is. Guess ill like you said and run it till it dies. Is there ANY chance that it will STOP pumping sand for some reason? Ill know more once i get it plumbed up and put some water in a bucket.
 

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I don't know about cracked casing unless it's plastic, but broken casing I can understand. My PREVIOUS well was 4" galvanized pipe. When the pump went out a couple of years ago (before I installed the CSV's) we found that a joint had been broken at around 40'. Surface water had been pouring in for several months which explained why our water suddenly started tasting bad and the shower had blue stains on it from the low PH water eating the copper plumbing. The next thing I did was drill a new well and plug the old one with Bentonite to stop that nasty water from polluting my good artesian water.

bob...
 
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