$12,500 well question

I agree that there is probably a problem with your well. Either the casing is not sealed properly or there is a clay or shale seam in the rock that is causing the discolored water. The only we to see what is wrong is to use a downhole camera.

One the problem is spotted then a solution such as a liner or some kind of packer may be used.

Cost

sammyhydro11 said:

Hey man, the beginning of your question you said, "your silt amount to so little it stops". That's what i couldn't understand. And i still can't understand what the heck you are trying say! Now the question is, "Why does your silt stop flowing and his water go clear?". My silt? I don't have any flowing silt and the water coming from the well goes clear once the pump flushes out the silt that has built up at the seem, or the breach at the end of the casing.Is anyone else reading this?

Gary, i could be wrong but your whole approach to this seems to be aimed at selling this guy water treatment. I am not apposed to water treatment but in my professional opinion, this guy could have a serious issue with the integrity of his well, which could be easily corrected to where he wouldn't have to treat his water. If in fact there is an issue with the wells casing, getting that resolved would keep other, more harmful contaminants than silt, from getting into his well. Also seeing that the well is new, and proving that the wells water condition was caused by an improper setting or grouting of the casing, the video footage would show this, and the customer might be able to get the guy to rectify the problem for free, or at least pay for most of it.

sammy

www.tylerwellandpump.com

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Just wondering----what would be the cost for someone to run the camera down and make a tape of a well this depth? If it's not too high might be better to do it just for sake of covering all the bases. LB

Yeah, it is a good idea to rule the well out. As far as a cost goes, it should be under 500.00 but I'm speaking for the area that I'm in.Others might charge more depending on what part of the country they are in. It's highly advised in a situation like this. I have video footage of big gaps between the casing and the bedrock that produced lots of silt depending on the wells draw down.One well that i sealed had over 20 feet of exposed weathered rock that was contaminating the well with silt, over 12 ppm iron, and low ph.The homeowners got an estimate to treat the water for 6,000. I installed the seal for 1250.00 and resolved the problem. Along with high levels of iron, silt, and low ph i have also prevented high levels of nitrates from entering a well by installing a jaswell seal. It all comes down to the video footage and it's worth the money.

sammy

www.tylerwell-pump.com

Camera

sammyhydro11 said:

Yeah, it is a good idea to rule the well out. As far as a cost goes, it should be under 500.00 but I'm speaking for the area that I'm in.Others might charge more depending on what part of the country they are in. It's highly advised in a situation like this. I have video footage of big gaps between the casing and the bedrock that produced lots of silt depending on the wells draw down.One well that i sealed had over 20 feet of exposed weathered rock that was contaminating the well with silt, over 12 ppm iron, and low ph.The homeowners got an estimate to treat the water for 6,000. I installed the seal for 1250.00 and resolved the problem. Along with high levels of iron, silt, and low ph i have also prevented high levels of nitrates from entering a well by installing a jaswell seal. It all comes down to the video footage and it's worth the money.

sammy

www.tylerwell-pump.com

Click to expand...

I been thinking about getting one of the "WELL-VU" brand setups. They have a 500 ft complete kit for about $2800. I can see so many uses in this type situation--plus for fishing tools and pumps too. I'm also interested in how your "jaswell seal" installs and works. Here in MO it is not common and would be more inclined to just do a complete 4 inch PVC liner with shale traps below the problem area and grout above the rubber packers, with sloted pipe below. Provided the bore is big enough.

The problem discussed here-----I'd be getting that brown sample off to someone who could tell me exact what's in there making the mess. Rust or mud. Got to be one or the other. LB

LB, i have a well vu camera that has a 1000 ft. spool and is probably one of the best tools that i have bought for my business. Without it, you are pretty much playing a guessing game with pinpointing the source of sediment and other contaminant issues . Having the amount of discoloration in this guys water and the fact that he has silt coming in, it is very wise to send down a camera down to rule out the well. I have seen this type of situation get worse, to a point, where wells have collapsed, and homeowners have had to drill new water wells.

The jaswell seal is a fitting that is attached to the end of 4" pvc pipe. It has a series of rubber rings that are attached to the fitting, and are slightly larger than the wells diameter, so they seal off any water thats contaminated from getting by.

Here is the downfall to them. If a good percentage of the well's yield is coming from the spot that your are going to place the seal at, it will cut off a good amount of the well's supply. That is why you need to have the drillers log and pump test information. You can then compare the GPM of the well to the amount coming through the opening.

Installing a jaswell seal can be a cost effective alternative to water treatment and depending on the size of the void that needs to be sealed off, it can prevent a future costly disaster.

sammy

www.tylerwellandpump.com

LB, sorry. I use my drilling rig to push in the seals but you can also use 2 come a longs and jack them in.

sammy

www.tylerwellandpump.com

Since I started hanging around different Forums and listening to different people in the business comment on ways to fix problems in the well and filtration field, I have learned that there are many ways to get the job done. Also there are a lot of different terrains out there in more ways than one. Where in my area a certain repair may be done this way, in another area it is done totally different. There are many reasons for the differences and only the local guys can explain first hand why.

Just remember that what works for you may not work for me, and visa versa. It's easier just to agree to disagree and let it go at that.

Another thing that is more disturbing than most is when the OP is listening to the different methods of repair or installation, I tend to think for the most part, they are looking for either the easiest or cheapest route or both. This may not be the best avenue to pursue, but probably is the one pursued most often.

bob...

It's the drillers responsibility!

Drillers are usually offended when called well diggers! Well diggers dug wells by hand.

Drillers can't guarantee the quality of the water! However in your case the problem doesn't appear to be a water quality problem. It sounds like a well construction problem.

Others have mentioned a down hole camera and keep in mind the pump may or may not have to be removed from the well. However the well needs to be pumping when running the camera if possible. That should discover the problem. Many professional drillers have their own today. NOTE: If you have a camera run on your well ask for a copy of the video.

The Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation http://www.dpor.virginia.gov/dporweb/dpormainwelcome.cfm requires all well drillers to be licensed as Water Well Contractor (WWC).

If you feel that your driller is no longer trying to assist you with his problem you can file a complaint with http://www.dpor.virginia.gov/dporweb. Drillers don't want formal complaints!

Porky

www.dci-inc.us