Dirty water

We recently bought a house that has a well. The house was build two years ago, but nobody lived there. When we turned the water on for the first time, it was EXTREMELY muddy (brown). After running water for a few hours it became clean, so we thought it was the end of our problems.

However after a few days, we noticed that it is a little reddish again. After running water for a few minutes it became clean again. What could be the problem? Is it possible that the pump is to close to the bottom of the well?

Those are symptoms of iron in the water being oxidized into rust particles which discolor the water.

You need a water analysis to see if you need some water treatment equipment like a water softener or iron filter. You find water treatment dealers and labs in your yellow pages under the heading Water or Labs or Water Analysis.

Before I did the anaylsis, I would use a lot of water at all taps to flush the lines, then do a proper chlorination as per the sticky with recirculation through the well head, and then use it a bunch again. Then do a test.

Sitting pipes and wells make ugly and often unsafe water. I run my unused wells on a timer for a few hours a month minimum. Or 10 minutes daily.

Chlorination (shocking) without knowing it is needed is a very bad idea. Especially with steel casing and a submersible pump. It can cause pump, casing and power cable problems and serious health and water quality problems.

There is nothing dangerous with rusty water and so far we do not know if there is anything in this water that should be killed. Chlorine does not cure anything but things that can be killed (bacteria).

A well that produces rusty water after sitting unused for a time, has ferrous iron in the water and the dissolved oxygen content in the water and air above the water, which is an oxidizer, convert ferrous iron (dissolved in the water, soluble can't be seen) into ferric iron, common rust (easily seen). There is nothing dangerous about that.

You must wait days before testing water for iron, manganese etc. after shocking a well or you will not get the true iron content or type of iron which prevents you from selecting the correct equipment type to solve the iron problem.

So test first and shock to your heart's content later if you must to be able to feel better but realize the iron will come right back as you use water from the well, so you gained nothing and wasted time by shocking unless there is some type of bacteria in the water. And you can't know that without a bacteria test which has to be done prior to shocking.