Muddy Well Water

[muddywell]

Hi all, been reading through the site for a while now (was working on a renovation this fall) and finally have a question of my own.

Last Sunday morning the shower slowed to a trickle. I checked the sediment filter (I only have a 10in sediment filter, 20micron and then a water softener) and the water in it looked like someone had taken a clump of red clay and mixed it in. I replaced the clogged filter cartridge and got some flow but it was clogged up after an hour. I don't have much info on the well itself other than an anecdotal story that the pump was replaced 2 years ago and its about 200ft down.

Fast forward to Monday and I spoke to the local well driller who drilled this well in ~1980. They suggested that I run the pump straight into the yard several times to see if the water clears up. I did that last night, once for 50min until the water flow suddenly slowed (I immediately shut off power to the pump) and twice for 30min letting the well rest between each session. The water was clearer but not completely clear (couldn't see my hand at the bottom of a 5gal bucket).

I ran the pump again today after work for 30min, water was looking about the same. Let the pump rest for about an hour then ran it again for 45min. I was going to shut it off around 30min, but the water started getting worse and then much worse (very muddy / red clay colored). I decided to let it run until the flow dropped and then powered off the pump (I was standing in the garage next to the breaker).

Currently letting the well rest and then going to try to restore water for the night. Does this approach make sense? How long do I keep going with this cycle before I call the driller back to do a more thorough diagnosis?

Thanks,

muddywell

 

[muddywell]

Here’s the sediment filter when I first saw the problem:

Here’s what I currently have:

Can’t say I paid much attention to the sediment filter before this started but I want to say it was pretty clear.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reach4]

Currently letting the well rest and then going to try to restore water for the night. Does this approach make sense? How long do I keep going with this cycle before I call the driller back to do a more thorough diagnosis?

Yes.

Also, what can you tell us about the well? How deep is the well? How far down does the casing go? Well diameter? Pump is submersible or above ground?

The process you are going thru is called well development (I suggest develop as a search term), but in your case, that would be re-development. There are devices that can detect your well running out of water, and shut down the pump for a settable interval. That could automate the process.

 

[Bannerman]

Most Well pumps are rated for continuous duty, so no 'rest' period is normally necessary.

Disconnecting at the well head to allow the pump to pump out to the surrounding yard, reduces the amount of flow restriction, which permits the pump to deliver water at the highest flow rate it is capable of delivering. The increased vertical water velocity will usually permit sediment, and other debris to be pumped to the surface and eliminated, many times eliminating or reducing the need for further sediment filtration.

Developing a well will often require continuous pumping for as little as a few hours, to sometimes as long as several days.

Although the flow rate from the pump will be gradually reduced as the water level within the well becomes lower, the sudden flow rate reduction suggests the water within your well was probably pumped down to the pump's inlet. Further pumping will likely have resulted in all flow to stop, even as the pump continued to run. Continuing to run without water for cooling, will usually cause a pump to rapidly overheat.

Turning off the pump for some time, permitted time for the well to recover. Repeating the pump down procedure as you did and continue to do, will usually cause the well's recovery rate to increase. The low water condition will increase the water pressure differential from outside the well, thereby increasing flow rate through the casing's inlet screen. This then will increase the pressure for fine particles surrounding the well casing, to become pushed through the inlet screen, thereby allowing the pump to pump out the fine particles to the surface.

Once the fine particles pass through the screen, larger particles too large to pass through, will pack around the screen, and will act as a 'sand filter', preventing additional fine particles surrounding the casing, from passing through the inlet screen. There will be then fewer particles entering the well, and the irregular shape of the larger particles packed directly around the inlet screen, will typically result in a higher flow rate of water entering the well.

Once the well is developed to where the water continues to flow consistently clear, reconnecting the supply line to the house will restore the usual flow restriction, and the restored back pressure from the pressure tank, will both reduce the flow rate from the pump equal to what was delivered prior to the well development procedure. The resulting lower water velocity, will be less likely to continue to allow sediment to be pumped into the home's plumbing system, even if some sediment remained after the development procedure was completed.

 

[muddywell]

Yes.

Also, what can you tell us about the well? How deep is the well? How far down does the casing go? Well diameter? Pump is submersible or above ground?

The process you are going thru is called well development (I suggest develop as a search term), but in your case, that would be re-development. There are devices that can detect your well running out of water, and shut down the pump for a settable interval. That could automate the process.

Thanks for the information, I did some reading on well development (including bannerman's detailed response), make sense.

I just bought the house in October and don't have much information on the well. I assuming it was drilled when the house was built in 1980. I had some septic work done after buying and one of the crew said that he was a family friend of the previous owner and that he had replaced the well pump about two years ago. He said he remembered the pump being "less than 200ft down because he pulled it by hand". I'm not sure how reliable that information is, but that's really all I have to go on. The pump is submersible. The cap on the casing measures about 7-3/8in diameter, so I'm guessing the ID of the casing is around 6in or so.

 

[muddywell]

Once the well is developed to where the water continues to flow consistently clear, reconnecting the supply line to the house will restore the usual flow restriction, and the restored back pressure from the pressure tank, will both reduce the flow rate from the pump equal to what was delivered prior to the well development procedure. The resulting lower water velocity, will be less likely to continue to allow sediment to be pumped into the home's plumbing system, even if some sediment remained after the development procedure was completed.

Thanks for that great explanation. When I got home from work today I took a few samples for lab testing (I want to make sure this wasn't surface water getting in and introducing bacteria and also want to learn what minerals are in the water so I can set-up a better filtration system).

When I ran the pump to collect the sample, the water looked very clear, best its been since this started on Sunday. There is still some sediment (it settles to the bottom of the water bottle in a few minutes) and a very slight yellow tint, but overall looks pretty good. Should I continue on the development process or do I risk making it worse? If I had pulled this sample without any point of reference I probably would not think twice about it and just assume this is what the well produces.

If I do continue, I could try to disconnect it at the well housing if that would yield better results. I believe I have a pit less adapter.

Sample from last night on left. Sample from this afternoon on right.

 

[muddywell]

Sorry, looks like my posts are waiting for moderator approval. Water has cleared up significantly, wondering if I should continue with development process or if its better to stop at this point.

 

[Valveman]

Everything should be approved. I hope everyone else can see your posts? There are a few wells where pumping hard can make sediment worse. But most wells get better them more you develop them. The more sediment you pump out, the less you have to deal with filtering.

 

[muddywell]

Everything should be approved. I hope everyone else can see your posts? There are a few wells where pumping hard can make sediment worse. But most wells get better them more you develop them. The more sediment you pump out, the less you have to deal with filtering.

Hmm, there are three post before yours that read “This message is awaiting moderator approval, and is invisible to normal visitors.” They are replies with pics about well details and the cleared up water sample.

 

[Bannerman]

If I do continue, I could try to disconnect it at the well housing if that would yield better results. I believe I have a pit less adapter.

I had understood that is what you had already done as your initial post stated:

I spoke to the local well driller who drilled this well in ~1980. They suggested that I run the pump straight into the yard several times to see if the water clears up. I did that last night

Although lifting the drop pipe by disconnecting the pit less connection to permit water to pump out directly at the well casing, would ensure the least flow restriction, an alternate method would be to open exterior spigots and several cold faucets at the same time, particularly those faucets not equipped with aerators, located on your home's lower level.

This should increase the flow rate so the pressure won't rise, thereby preventing the pump from shutting off. Better yet will be to open enough faucets to cause the water pressure to drop to near 0, for the entire time water continues to flow from each faucet while well development is being performed..

 

[muddywell]

Sorry, should have been more clear. From the well head, I have a 1in PVC pipe running into to basement where the pressure tank and switch are located. I’m connecting a garden hose to a boiler drain on the pressure tank and running that out a basement door and into the yard.

Probably not as much flow as disconnecting the pit less adapter, but more convenient and seems to be working. I’ve timed a five gallon bucket fill and it is consistently right at 30s, so approximately 10gpm.

 

[muddywell]

The cloudiness is gone and I’m just getting some larger sediment at the bottom of the filter casing.

I’ll plan to do a few a more 30-40min runs tonight and tomorrow after work and see where I am. Samples arrived at the lab today so hopefully we’ll get clean test results by tomorrow.

Thanks for all of the information and advice. I feared the worst when my water turned muddy but thank to this forum it looks like I’m back up and running and learned a lot about my well in the process.

 

[muddywell]

Quick update and resolution.

I got the results back from the lab "free of coliform group bacteria" so that was a relief. From what I read, bacteria in conjunction with suddenly muddy water could be an indication of surface water getting into the well. It's also rained a few times since it cleared up and I didn't notice any difference in clarity so I don't think this was a surface water issue.

I also got the chemistry results back and other than a slight amount of iron (0.4ppm), all looked pretty good. I'm still getting some sediment in the filter housing, but its much coarser than before. Now its fine sand to very small pebbles and the filter doesn't immediately turn brown. I've been meaning to update the filter setup so will probably work on that soon, but that's for another post. Thanks again for the help.