RogerPDX
Member
I have a problem with my well (or pump, or pipe) at my beach cabin and I can use all the advice I can gather - so I can talk to a local pump guy correctly.
I had the well drilled in 1978 - into solid rock. It is a marine environment. At 150' we hit a little spray of water. The driller thought he could find more water so we drilled down to 386'. I had him stop at 386' because we did not hit any more water. The little "spray" we fount at 150' "is" my well.
The well has been used part time since 1978 - weekends, long weekends, and a week or two here & there. It is a very low producing well (only 250 gals every 24 hours) but we are careful and it has been ok over the years.
My wife and I have been spending the last 3 months at the cabin and are using the water full time. Again, we are careful... We have a 500 gal cistern with a clear plastic tube on the side to tell me the water level at all times. We can see the start & stop levels on the tube (a 7" spread) for the cistern float switch. We pump from the ground via a submersible pump into the cistern - and suck out of the cistern and into a pressure tank via an above ground pump bolted to the top of the pressure tank.
A couple days ago the water was not refreshing properly, out of the ground. We can only fill about 4" on the tube (about 28 gals) a few times a day lately. Sometimes we only get an 1" or so and have to wait hours for any more water. this is not normal for this well. I go out and turn it on & off, etc, etc. When the water comes up from the ground and into the cistern, you can still hear it burp air and then the water "eventually" comes out of the spout "calmly". Before a couple days ago the water would always come out with "gusto".
What could be causing this?
Can you tell by my description?
Pump going out?
Holes in the galvanized pipe from the pump to the well head?
Well plugged up?
Aquifer on the fritz?
I am stumped & leery about having to "choose" a well expert - as they all think that they are experts! In the building trades everybody's an expert, until they screw something up. I do not have time or money to choose the wrong expert.
Any help, suggestions, and knowledge is really appreciated.
Thanks!
I had the well drilled in 1978 - into solid rock. It is a marine environment. At 150' we hit a little spray of water. The driller thought he could find more water so we drilled down to 386'. I had him stop at 386' because we did not hit any more water. The little "spray" we fount at 150' "is" my well.
The well has been used part time since 1978 - weekends, long weekends, and a week or two here & there. It is a very low producing well (only 250 gals every 24 hours) but we are careful and it has been ok over the years.
My wife and I have been spending the last 3 months at the cabin and are using the water full time. Again, we are careful... We have a 500 gal cistern with a clear plastic tube on the side to tell me the water level at all times. We can see the start & stop levels on the tube (a 7" spread) for the cistern float switch. We pump from the ground via a submersible pump into the cistern - and suck out of the cistern and into a pressure tank via an above ground pump bolted to the top of the pressure tank.
A couple days ago the water was not refreshing properly, out of the ground. We can only fill about 4" on the tube (about 28 gals) a few times a day lately. Sometimes we only get an 1" or so and have to wait hours for any more water. this is not normal for this well. I go out and turn it on & off, etc, etc. When the water comes up from the ground and into the cistern, you can still hear it burp air and then the water "eventually" comes out of the spout "calmly". Before a couple days ago the water would always come out with "gusto".
What could be causing this?
Can you tell by my description?
Pump going out?
Holes in the galvanized pipe from the pump to the well head?
Well plugged up?
Aquifer on the fritz?
I am stumped & leery about having to "choose" a well expert - as they all think that they are experts! In the building trades everybody's an expert, until they screw something up. I do not have time or money to choose the wrong expert.
Any help, suggestions, and knowledge is really appreciated.
Thanks!