Cleaning a well

[LeoHamm]

I have a 690' well (4") that is about 25 years old. It has been in constant use and the pump has been changed most recently 3 years ago. It is PVC casing. I have a 1100 gal storage tank and pumpsaver.

My problem is that the well recovers at a rate of 30 gallons per hour, much too slowly.

I have a multi-faceted question.

Can the well be cleaned from the perforation section down? If so, how? Will it likely help and at what risk?

Recently the well service people dropped the pump down into the perf'ed section because we thought the well was running dry, but it turned out that a raccoon had broken the float on my pond, running the well dry. Can the pump being located in the perf'ed section cause the well recovery to be low?

Any advice would be appreciated?

Thanks.

[valveman]

There are several ways to clean well screens or perf. You can use chemicals like acid, I would check with Cotey Chemical about the best way to do that. Brushes, air jetting, high pressure frac, or even bailing are mechicanical ways to clean perf. None of these will help if the well only makes 30 gallons per hour. Cleaning only helps if the perf is keeping the water from getting into the well. Lowering the pump will usually help increase recovery rate, and will certainly help access more stored water.

[jimtum]

Valveman is right, cleaning the well will probably not help but if you can lower your pump you may have the best success, you also must be aware that if you lower the pump you may pump out some dirty water for a while so just be prepared.

[LeoHamm]

Thanks to both jimtum and valveman. It is appreciated.