concrete well casing

I recently had my well water tested and it came back positive for e coli. I believe the source of contamination is surface water entering the well through the line that feeds the house. To confirm this theory, I dug a 12-18" hole above the pipe to the house just outside the well apron. I ran a garden hose in the hole, and water did begin to trickle in around the pipe. It also flowed in at the casing seam at about the same depth as the pipe. The casing is made up of concrete sections about 2' high by about 3' diameter. The pipe to the house is about 30" below ground, I'd guess.

I spoke with a couple of well contractors. One said they'd dig down to the supply line and patch from the outside. The other said they just patch from the inside. When I expressed concern about how well it would hold, he said they patch the casings like this routinely and have never had one leak. I'm interested if anyone has ever tried patching the casing from the inside, and if so, how well it works. Also, if this is a good idea, what type of patching material should be used?

I'm pretty new to the mechanics of wells, so any advice is greatly appreciated.

Inside or outside, IMO it makes no difference as long as it stops the leak but, there is no way you are going to get rid of the bacteria problem in that type "well". More than likely the bacteria is not coming in with the leaking water.

So if you want bacteria free water, you'll need water treatment equipment.

Thanks for your help. I think I'm going to try to patch this one while I save money to get a deep well done. I'll monitor it regularly to see if the contamination comes back.

One thing I've noticed, though. When the pump kicks on, the pipe leading up from the pump "jumps" a bit. What is the proper way to suspend the pump? Mine just has a nylon rope, which I believe has stretched through the years and is bound to cause problems down the line.

You need some kind of clamp on the pipe to hold the pump. You don't want the rope holding any weight.

Thanks Valveman. So the rope is just to prevent the pump from falling to the bottom of the well? The weight of the pump should be carried by the pipe?

Is the "jumping" of the pump something I should be concerned about? The elbow has popped loose twice in the nine years I've been here. I don't know how long it held before the first time, and I've added a second hose clamp since the second time (3 years ago?) which has held so far...knock on wood. It seems like a lot of weight for that elbow to carry.

Two hose clamps are normal.........Upper

Even when times were good, most mortgage would not loan money on a home that had your type of well for the very reasons of contamination and bacteria. I suspect you will still have problems even if you cemented the seam. Make sure you don't allow pets to dump in the area After you disinfect the well, I suggest you buy an ultraviolet light.

How to install an ultraviolet light

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