Plugged well inlet screen

I believe that the inlet screen of my pump is clogged with iron sludge.

Is there a way to disolve this sludge using non-toxic acids like citric acid.

My well is 360 feet deep and I would like to avoid having to pull my pump to clean the screen?

Peter

poundridge said:

I believe that the inlet screen of my pump is clogged with iron sludge.

Is there a way to disolve this sludge using non-toxic acids like citric acid.

My well is 360 feet deep and I would like to avoid having to pull my pump to clean the screen?

Peter

Click to expand...

I'm sure you would, but it is what it is IF you're right and the screen is plugged up but assuming a loss of flow/pressure, you may have a hole in the drop pipe below the water level too (you should hear spraying if a hole is above the water level), so... about the only way to know fer sure is to look at the drop pipe and the screen and clean it manually if it is plugged up. Of course either means pulling the pump. And citric acid in the well may not even dent the stuff if it is due to IRB. A nice stiff wire brush and drill bit the same size as the holes in the screen comes to mind.

I usually find that if the inlet screen is that badly plugged, the impellers are just as bad. Cleaning them is all but impossible. If you have to pull the pump I sugges that you plan on replacing it. Ov course, if its just a hole in the pipe, fix that.

Thanks for the analysis Guys, I do not think that there is a holein the pipe, since the pumps operation is quiet.

Aboutonce a year I have to replenish the calcite in my water neutralizer/filter and find the operating valve coated with a fine film of red iron rust.

I soak the valve in a citric acid solution and the solids can be flushed off by rinsing under the faucet.

I was hoping that ther was a quick -fix. I agree that if I have to pull the pump, I would replace it.

Thanks,

Peter

poundridge said:

Thanks for the analysis Guys, I do not think that there is a holein the pipe, since the pumps operation is quiet.

Aboutonce a year I have to replenish the calcite in my water neutralizer/filter and find the operating valve coated with a fine film of red iron rust.

I soak the valve in a citric acid solution and the solids can be flushed off by rinsing under the faucet.

I was hoping that ther was a quick -fix. I agree that if I have to pull the pump, I would replace it.

Thanks,

Peter

Click to expand...

The reddish stuff is oxidized iron. Ferrous iron when converted to rust (ferric iron) builds up a sediment that normally wipes right off. If you have encrustations, then you have IRB and you need something to dissolved the rock had material.

BTW, if you have a check valve at the pressure tank, you can't tell if there is a hole in a drop pipe under water. A hole under water leak in the drop pipe will not make the pump sound different because the pump couldn't care less if the water is going out a hole under water in the well or all the way up to your open fixtures.

Personally, I wouldn't replace a pump until it quits. Especially if I could pull it myself or with the help of a buddy unless I thought there was something with its operation that would cause it to quit in the frozen ground winter up north and I couldn't do it then. But then I've pulled many pumps in the up north winter as long as no digging was required.

Hi Gary,

The ferric iron coats and builds up on valve on the filter is not encrusted and can be wiped off. I use the soak in citric acid to clean up the nocks and and corners of the valve to bring it back to like new condition.
As a challenge I would like to pull my pump. It is installed using 20 foot lengths of 1 1/4 pvc pipe, but my wife of 57 years will sell me and the house as a package deal if I tried.

I once cleaned a well point screen on a shallow well (no check valve ) but the well was only used to water my lawn because of the high price of city water.It worked then. But that was then (40 years ago ) this is now.

Thanks again

Peter

If your down 360' on 1 1/4 pvc pulling that by hand is not really a diy job.