Airlift or Submersible Well?

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Valveman

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I had not thought about the compressed air causing a water quality problem. Even a windmill or oil less compressor would still need an air tank I would think for air volume. I do know that there is some really nasty stuff comes out of my air compressor when I drain it out for regular cleaning. Maybe a good air filter or trap before the air goes in the well would help.
 

Gary Slusser

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A chlorine tablet of what kind, swimming pool puck type I suppose! That is a very bad idea for potable water.

I don't know of an oil less compressor that will deliver the volume and psi needed.

There is no way anyone should ingest any of this water; I say that after being in the water treatment industry for over 21 years now. And if you care about your livestock, they may not do well on it either and by the time you figure that out it may be too late.
 

Nitrors4

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I have an oil less compressor I used for building my house that puts out more than the one on the well.

There are tablets sold for drinking water.

I am not the only one running this type of well. We have several people in my area. I call two other well contractors and they both know and install this type of well.

I will have the water tested just so we know all is good or not.
 

Gary Slusser

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Air lift in place of a water pump is very odd. IMO constantly introducing air with whatever bacteria etc. it could contain, with other than a medical grade air compressor, to the bottom of a potable water well is not a good idea. The DO (dissolved oxygen) content of the water should be quite high, and it can corrode metals in the plumbing system. Aerobic bacteria could thrive in the well, but possibly not, but probably will thrive in the warm to hot water in the black tank. The air probably will migrate out away from the well into the aquifer, especially in a sand and gravel well with a well point. Air, oxygen is an oxidizer, so any ferrous iron and manganese will be oxidized in the well. That can become a water quality problem and increase the maintenance of the storage tank. It can also make an IRB/MRB/SRB (iron, manganese or sulfate reducing bacteria) problem worse.

On the other hand it may be fine but I think drilling a very common 4" to 6" well and dropping a submersible pump in it would have been much better.
 

Nitrors4

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I hear you. I am going to be keeping a close eye on it all.

Oh and I let the water sit in the tank for 3 days with 90 degree days and it was still really cold. Under normal usage it will never sit that long.

I built a well house around everything to keep it cool. :D

The well contractor did tell me I needed the well house. Oh and he has been running the same system at his house for 25 years. Same type of system. Was feeding a small mom and pop restaurant, and 5 houses.
 

basscat49

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Got a newby here guys. I was doing a Google search for a new holding tank for my air lift system and found this thread.

Education day for the guys!

The air lift well systems are common in my part of the world. Southeast Texas.

They are used when you may get a lot of sand come up with the water in shallow wells. Obviously, sand will destroy a submersible pump is short order. My well is only 140 feet deep so I was told when I bought the property in 1988.

I have a 2" well with PVC casing. A compressor blows air into the bottom of the well and lifts the water into (what I have) a concrete holding tank (like the old septic tanks). At the bottom of the holding tank is attached a shallow well jet pump with a pressure tank and this moves the water to the house or elsewhere.

The well casing is not set in cement. I have had this system since 1988 and have the original (at that time new) compressor with an oil sump. I have only had to replace the jet pump which was $250 per pump three times and the pressure tank once. I never had to call out a well service tech. All the work is easy and above ground.

We have never had a problem with bacteria in the water and it is excellent and would put it up against any bottled on the market. The lack of sunlight to the inside of the tank keeps algea or bacteria from growing.

Hope this helps and clarifies some questions. I hope you guys have learned something new today!
 

Nitrors4

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Thanks for the reply.

I have been using my air lift system for a while now and have to say I love it. Mine uses a black tank that does not let any light in for the holding tank. I also built a nice well house around it so the water stays nice and cold in the tank.

Great system!
 

Bob NH

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An air lift pump might be the solution for wells that produce a lot of sand.
http://books.google.com/books?id=qx...&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=8&ct=result

They are much less efficient than submersible pumps but that may not be much of an issue if there is no other reliable way to get the water out of the well.

A system where the pump is lifting a lot of sand will require a means of separating and disposing of the sand.

If the water contains dissolved iron it will be oxidized and must be removed by filtration.

There is risk of biological contamination from the air. It would probably be appropriate to use disinfection when the water reaches the top.
 

Nitrors4

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I had my water tested and no worries. I also run a whole house filter and a RO filter for drinking water.
 

DrChocobo

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I had my water tested and no worries. I also run a whole house filter and a RO filter for drinking water.

I live in a place built right after WWII and it has an airlift well similar to yours. It's never had any problem since it was drilled, other than the replacement of the compressor and water pump. My cistern is made of concrete. When we moved in, the compressor was still here, but somebody lifted the pump and all the copper connected to the well-house. but we put a new motor on the compressor, installed a new pump and pressure tank, along with all new PVC, and then after disinfecting every part of the existing cistern and well, fired it up and away she went :) Water tests continue to come up clean and good. My compressor doesn't have a tank below it though. It does have a very long stroke and a two piston setup. I guess that was how they got the volume out of them back them. A lot of people scoff or make fun of these, but back in the day before submersible pumps, this was the COMMON way to get water from deep. There are still thousands of them around, reliably doing their job day after day. No moving parts down-hole makes a pretty solid setup.

Either way, we never had any oil in the water as others have said here. From what I have heard, you have to move a colossal amount of CFM's before you blow much oil down into the well. We have a filter in-line just in case though. Don't worry about your well too much :) if it's done right it will run for years and years and years :) You might have to change a compressor belt from time to time, but even that runs well near forever if it's all aligned right. Do get a shelter over it PDQ though. Your equipment will thank you. PVC also doesn't really like UV much.

Good to meet you by the way.
 
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Texas Wellman

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I've seen a few through the years. Mostly done in places where there is no good quality deep water and the shallow stuff is full of iron and H2S. It aerates the water going into the tank. You don't need a separate air tank either, the compressor runs straight into the well.

You are supposed to drain the big tank every so often but few do. Seen some stuff in the tank like dead frogs etc. through the years but I've seen the same stuff in 4" casings.
 

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I have a question. Is there a float switch in the tank to shut the compressor off once the tank is full, and to turn the compressor back on once the water level in the tank starts to drop?
 

Texas Wellman

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Yes. I think it needs to be a reverse switch but sometimes I get my terminology mixed up.

I have a question. Is there a float switch in the tank to shut the compressor off once the tank is full, and to turn the compressor back on once the water level in the tank starts to drop?
 

Traveller

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What an interesting setup! I can't think of a single application here where I might use it but, it's still a fascinating concept.

Edit:

Actually, it just occurred to me that iron, manganese and hydrogen sulphide would all be oxidized by this process. If, instead of pumping directly to a storage tank, the water was pumped to filters, this setup has the potential not only to clean up water but to keep sand out of the impellers, as well.

Those Texans are pretty darn smart! :cool:
 
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Traveller

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I keep coming back to this thread like a moth to a candle, I am that fascinated by the concept. There is a rural area north of where I live about 60 miles that abuts some very swampy country. Needless to say, the people living there have a real problem with iron, manganese and hydrogen sulphide in their well water; regardless if those are shallow wells or deeper wells (up to 100'). They have tried a lot of things to cure these problems but most have just resigned themselves to having white shirts that are not really white.

Would the precipitated iron and manganese not get picked up by the submersible pump in the 300 gallon tank and get pumped to the house? I wonder if some kind of automatic backwashing filter could be installed on the line from the well to the storage tank to keep these oxides out of the 300 gallon tank? Or maybe the filters could go on the delivery line from the pump. Still have the sand to worry about, don't we. How is the sand kept out of the submersible pump, or does the sand fall out of the stream of water as it gets higher up the well?

Something else I was wondering, if the storage tank was vented on top, would this system be good at removing methane gas from the water, as methane will volatize if water is left to stand at atmospheric pressure and the lighter-than-air methane would escape?
 
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Masterpumpman

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Air lift from a 2" well would work great. Much less expensive and simpler! It works like blowing on a straw in a glass of water. . . water boils (flows) out of the glass. The same as many drillers use today to develop a well. The submersible pump in the tank works great, just be sure to use a Pside-kick tank setup http://www.cyclestopvalves.com/products.html. It's less expensive and It'll give you constant pressure throughout the home. I'm also attaching a drawing of such a system. . . just eliminate the pump in the well and replace it with the air lift system. It sounds to me like your contractor knows what he's talking about. Low Flow Well by Porky.JPG
 

LLigetfa

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Needless to say, the people living there have a real problem with iron, manganese and hydrogen sulphide in their well water...

Would the precipitated iron and manganese not get picked up by the submersible pump in the 300 gallon tank and get pumped to the house?

I would expect that over time, the interior of the storage tank would get ugly and sooner or later the precipitated iron would get sucked up by the pump. It would also likely build up in the lines constricting it over time.
 
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