Slow well replenish rate...to build or not to build?

[VAWellDriller]

I'm not a well driller so cannot answer that but will take a stab at it. I don't think they intended it to be a mud well. They originally welded on a drive shoe probably with the intent on setting it into the bedrock in anticipation of it being a rock well. I think they drove down the casing as they went, not knowing the formation until after they passed it. I'm guessing they didn't want to pull up all the casing to add screen to the last 5 feet of it and thought the glacial till would be stable enough to be the screen.

They did not actually develop the well and only pumped it at 5 GPM to satisfy the minimum requirement. After I built the house I put in my 10 GPM pump, it sucked in the mud and I had to get the driller back to flush it out and set the gravel pack. It filled back in with mud again and I augered it out by hand and developed the well myself after the driller did a bunch of no-shows.

That sounds reasonable to say, that they didn't plan on making that type of well from the beginning....they are probably normally rock well drillers, and didn't know how to react to that sand/gravel formation. It is normal to install and grout a casing and then install a well screen. Sounds like you've made it work. If you ever have problems, you can easliy install a reduced diameter screen in the 6" well with a packer assembly. If you were really concerned about sand/gravel intrusion, you could even install a prepacked screen (a screen in a screen with a proper gravel pack).

[ballvalve]

Lenders dont touch houses here without 3 gpm minimum.

LLIg and VAwd: So you added gravel inside your open bottom casing?

I have a 4" slotted liner in a 6" well but the bottom is open and it seems the clay-mud is working its way upwards. This too was thought to be a all hard rock well.

would pouring some stiff cement down the liner be a viable way to seal off the bottom? Then use the now clogged pump to suck up the mud intrusion and re-use it or replace it....?

[VAWellDriller]

You shouldn't pour it in....if you want to do that, you should pump in the exact measured amount through tremie pipe, so you know exactly where it goes. The easier solution for you to do yourself, would be to get a K Packer and plug the bottom. Look at western rubber figure K packer online.....get like a 4" x 2" threaded, and put a threaded plug in the bottom...then push it to the bottom of the well. If you have a pitless adapter, you may have to remove it to install the packer, and then put it back.