Replacing Well Seal

Yeah there is a big difference between “galvanized tanks” and “bladder style tanks” when it comes to check valves.

The air maker system of the galvanized tank needs an above ground check valve to work properly. The Schrader valve lets air in without causing a vacuum in other parts of the line. The pump starts against an air cushion in the pipe and pumps into a tank with another air cushion, so there is no water hammer.

A bladder style tank has no air maker system. So an extra check valve causes a vacuum below it and there is no air cushion to start the pump against. Transitioning from a vacuum to positive pressure the second a pump is started also causes tremendous water hammer in the system.

The old galvanized tank systems require two check valves.

Two or more check valves in a bladder style tank system will cause problems. It doesn’t usually cause problems right after installation, but it will soon, and at the most inopportune time.

That's not been my experience. Without a doubt almost 100% of all wells here have a topside checkvalve regardless of whether or not it's a bladder tank. Very rarely do we see the bottom check fail, but we are blessed with relatively high water levels.

Texas Wellman said:

Most of the failed tests have more to do with the method for retrieving the sample than the water itself. Was the outlet flamed and chlorinated? If not it's almost always a 100% failed test.

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On test 1 I did not flame the tap, on test 2 I did, both failed.

The tap was not chlorinated.

Just an amateur observer.... you say the water on the insulation up top in your picture is wet. That sounds good to me. It would seem to mean your leak, if it is a leak, was above ground. While it is not freezing weather, it seem to me that you could locate that leak. Maybe pull some more insulation, Is that fitting at the top of the well threaded? That would seem to me, an amateur, that it would let you replace some pipe up top without disturbing the well. I don't think a small leak would cause contamination.

Not a leak? Maybe... condensation? rain water?

Get your wet insulation replaced out before hard freeze weather, if you are in a place that gets hard freezes. I would be thinking of maybe a Styrofoam insulator over the top of the whole wellhead. http://www.farmandfleet.com/product...idated-foam-inc-standard-plant-protector.html may not be big enough.

Regarding weather to recirc right away after adding chlorine, yes seems to be the obvious answer. Recirc is going to get the chlorine from the water surface to the pump much quicker. The chlorine will get closer to the bottom with recirc than without. Also it lets you measure the chlorine concentration. You can use the tap on the well head until the chlorine gets strong enough to also clean out the pipes.

I would go for more like 400 ppm or more at the well head to compensate for the deader water under your pump. Maybe spray some strong bleach solution or full strength with something that will wet the top few inches of your casing and cover. I could envision some bent smaller copper tubing in a tight U that would let you spray upward from within the hole. Get your test paper in advance. There are ways to compute how much bleach you will need. I have only used liquid myself, I made a funnel from a gallon plastic bottle, with the bottom cut off, with the neck taped with silicone tape, to some copper tubing to feed the water from the hose back into the hole. Then I could add bleach easily. I rigged a step ladder to hold my improvised funnel above the well.

I would let your rig circulate for a long time. A day or so seems reasonable in your situation, but that is a wild guess. It took about 3 hours IIRC for my chlorine to come up to good strength in my 4 inch casing with the pump farther down.

If I tested positive for coliform, I would get 50 or 100 Hach PathoScreen test packets. You put the packet and 100 ml of water into a sterilized bottle, close, and watch for color change from yellow to dark in 24 to 48 hours. Yellow is good. Dark liquid or precipitate is bad. For one time use, a single test including the bottle can be had. That's what I did, but my test was negative. But for repeated tests, buying in bulk seems worthwhile.

Again, I am just an observer. If I contradict, and I don't think I have, the others on this thread, follow them.

Tried chlorinating the well this afternoon.

Added 2 cups of 73% available calcium hypochlorite, waited 30 minutes, then started running water, so far, no detectable chlorine at the tap, not even at the spout at the well head.

What did I do wrong? Water has been running for 10 minutes.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

Nevermind, guess I wasn't being patient enough, detecting chlorine now.

Quick question, everybody is saying XXXppm chlorine at the well head, do I need to get the same reading at each tap, toilet, etc?

Thanks.

Yep, the chlorine must come in contact with EVERY SINGLE faucet, spigot, dishwasher, washing machine, shower head, toilet, ice maker, humidifier, water dispenser, etc etc on both the hot and cold sides. If you have a sprinkler system you should run the chlorine through it as well.

If you miss just one place, the bacteria will come back..

Also, turn off the pump and let your pressure tank empty. Then turn pump back on so that the tank gets chlorine. Maybe even empty water heater and refill?

If you get 400 ppm at well head but only 50 or more at at the faucets, that is OK. Do outside faucets too. Let the chlorinated water sit for a while once it fills the pipes. If you only get 100 ppm at the well head, I would go for at least 200 at the well head. Non pro. Better a little overkill than underkill I think.

Thanks for all of the help guys. I have sealed up the electrical wiring, and got a piece of pipe with door screen over the vent hole. Well is chlorinated (pulled through both cold and hot water lines to all fixtures), now, last bit of advice needed:

Any tips/tricks/how-to on removing all the chlorinated water from the well?

Thanks again.

Wash your white clothes first. ;-) Let the water sit for 12 hours if you have not done so yet. Run a garden hose into a ditch to clear the chlorine sooner.
Drink bottled water for a week. How strong did it get in the house? How about taking a sudden vacation?

Thanks to everybody for all of the replies.

To recap:
I did not replace the seal.
I chlorinated.

Not sure how high of a reading I got inside the house as this was months ago and I don't remember.

Anyhow, the Chlorination did not work. I got a positive test on Fecal Coliform just a week after chlorinating the well.

I think I have decided that it will be cheaper to just install a chlorinator, I have a supplier nearby that can supply me 12% sodium hypochlorite that I use for my pool.

So... the questions is, should I bother going through several rounds of chlorinating the well? Or just cave and install a chlorinator? I am thinking that hiring a well man to come out with a camera will just be more expensive, and he may not find the source of the contamination, like a cracked casing.

If the chlorinator is the easier/cheaper way to go, is there any advise? I am a complete novice and wouldn't really know where to start.

Thanks in advance.

I am thinking about your well at 505' deep, pump is hanging at 100' feet. I am wondering how the water down at 505 ft are going to get chlorine. That seems like quite a difference. Were those numbers right? Maybe you could go a longer period before flushing out the chlorine.. Like heavily dose the well and circulate before you go away for a week.. What also might help is to follow the techniques in http://www.moravecwaterwells.com/disin_test.htm but to go extra heavy on the "flooding volume". I would get some chlorine test paper and pH measuring paper.

If you do try to disinfect again, I am also thinking that you might want to make a probe/wand that will spray upward to spray the top part of the casing etc.

Also don't forget to disinfect the taps, including the one where you draw the water sample for your next test.

This thread was started in October and hopefully you and your family have been drinking bottled (store bought) water for the past 5 months.

Since you continue to test positive for Fecal bacacteria it is time to call in a professional to locate the source of the contamination and to make the required repairs. My professional opinion is that with a pump at 100' and the well depth of 500', that 600 gallons of water below the pump isn't getting the proper amount of chlorine nor is it getting the proper contact time with chlorine. There is also the possibility that the casing is leaking due to crack, split or maybe a rust hole.

It's time to bite the bullet, call in a qualified, experienced professional well or pump company and get this issue straightened out. Your families health depends on it.

This.

At the very least pull the pump, drop in the chlorine so that it sinks to the bottom of the well and maybe even have the well inspected.

Good luck.

craigpump said:

This thread was started in October and hopefully you and your family have been drinking bottled (store bought) water for the past 5 months.

Since you continue to test positive for Fecal bacacteria it is time to call in a professional to locate the source of the contamination and to make the required repairs. My professional opinion is that with a pump at 100' and the well depth of 500', that 600 gallons of water below the pump isn't getting the proper amount of chlorine nor is it getting the proper contact time with chlorine. There is also the possibility that the casing is leaking due to crack, split or maybe a rust hole.

It's time to bite the bullet, call in a qualified, experienced professional well or pump company and get this issue straightened out. Your families health depends on it.

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We have been boiling water ever since we found out about the contamination and keeping it in the fridge.

Lots of lemonade and sweet tea!

Guess I need to bite the bullet and get somebody out here to look at it.

Thank you guys again for all of your help. I thought I could just install a chlorinator and be OK without fixing the source of the contamination.

Think long term, if you wanted to sell the house, how would you explain the chlorinator to potential buyers?

Not only that... if your well is responsible for contaminating the aquifer, you may be knowingly putting your neighbors at risk.

LLigetfa said:

Not only that... if your well is responsible for contaminating the aquifer, you may be knowingly putting your neighbors at risk.

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You bring up a good point, thank you for that.

Along those lines, could it just as easily be one of my neighbors introducing the contamination? Which would result in me having to install a chlorination system regardless correct?

Thanks again.

The possibility exists. IANAL but if it can be demonstrated that you thought you could be the source of the contamination and ignored it, that lawyers could empty your bank account faster than what it might cost you to remove the doubt.