Sand in deep well

Hello, I have been using this forum for info for a while but finally feel I need to join and post. We have a house that we bought about 2 years ago which has a 160ft well that had the pump replaced just prior to purchase. I don't know the reason for replacement but I have a guess. Since we moved in the pump has always made a lot of noise throughout the house(in the pipes). I have completely remodeled the house down to studs so I know the noise is not coming from loose pipes but actually transmitting from the well through all the pipes( a loud hum). The pump has always worked fine along with the press switch and tank. Other than the noise the biggest problem is that we get quite a bit of very fine sand in the water(if we fill our hot tub sand will cover almost the entire bottom by time it is full).

My question is whether the pump noise is caused by pumping so much sand which has ruined bearings even though it is only 2 yrs old. If so will something like the aquastream product that attaches to the pump pickup actually works to keep out sand without getting clogged down at the pump. My only other question is if maybe raising the pump would reduce sand pickup and if so how much do I move it?

I am a very capable technically oriented person but have little experience with wells. I do feel I have the means to pull my pump myself and can do all the electrical and plumbing work so any input will help.

Moving the pump will not make any difference. When the pump is running, it can pull the sand up along with the water it's in and still put it into the house. If you could put a camera down the hole and see where this sand is coming from, you could possibly case that area off with some type of seal. That is if the casing is large enough to do this.

Sand is something you really don't want in your well water. I know of nothing that can be put in the well that will stop the sand other than what I mentioned.

The noise is apparently from a pump with a bad vibration probably because of some sort of unbalance in the unit. Rubber hose will sometimes mute the vibration. You would have to cut the pipe and install a piece of rubber pipe in place of a foot or so of the distribution pipe.

Thanks for the input. I am curious about the camera method. When this is done can the sand actually be seen flowing into the well? I know that the well is about 30 years old but based what I have run into on the rest of the house I am not even positive if it was installed by a professional but it is a 6" steel casing. Since this is the first house with a well that I have owned I know very little about what is acceptable. It sounds like most wells have next to no sediment pumped out? As far as the rubber peice. Does this need to be in the well or just anywhere before the house?

The rubber pipe can go just about anywhere in the main line to stop the harmonics.

It's a pump problem!

Sand is your largest problem at this point. Wells if properly installed should not produce sand.

Sand coming into a steel cased well indicates to me that the casing seal is leaking water/sand where it is seated into the rock. If it is a screened well it is sometimes possible to remove the pump and have the well redeveloped with air. This will some times fix the problem, however if it is an old well the well screen could be leaking sand and could even further damage the well.

Running a down hole camera may show if the casing seal is leaking or a defective well screen.

Vibration or noise from a submersible pump is not normal! Placing a rubber pipe in the line is only a band-aid for the problem. You will probably have to replace the pump to get rid of the vibration sooner or later.

www.dci-inc.us

Thank you again to the replies. Is there any chance any of you know someone worthwhile calling in the Seattle WA area. The last company we dealt with seemed rather unknowledgable.

The last company we dealt with seemed rather unknowledgable.

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I don't know if it's just you and me, but the more I deal with Well Drillers in my area, I'm beginning to think this is the norm. I'm almost ashamed to admit I used to be one.

Being a landscape contractor myself I understand how employees can give a company a bad image quickly if there is little supervision, which is why I try to find companies that have owners on site as much as possible. Anyhow, If anyone knows a good company in WA state I would really appreciate the contact info.

If the well seal is leaking is it possible to reseal ?