WEll Shock/disinfection and filtration advice.

[MNCold]

Hello All,

I've been battling bad water for some time. Lots of rust and bacteria and high lead and arsenic levels. I bought this house about 4 years ago and some change. Copper pipes were end of life - You could squeeze them with your fingers, and they'd pinch. Luckily a pinhole leak happened in the well room that prompted me to take action and rip it all out. Also wanted to relocate/upgrade the water softener and filters. Shortly before that the water pump failed as well. Was replaced and well was "shocked" had some PEX-a in place hopefully that didn't do anything to it. Water was always rusty even after the shock. Three months later I tried to shock it myself with little success. 5 days later rust was back.

I replaced everything with PEX-a. Correct me if I'm wrong but, going PEX route might have been the wrong way to go as from what I've read is PEX doesn't like to be oxidized/UVed. When I shocked the well after I installed the PEX, it might not have been a good idea. All that aside - the well was drilled and placed back in 1991. I've attached images of tests and well information.

I have 1 large iSpring spindown filter added as an afterthought and is after my pressure tank so, it isn't helping the pressure tank out. There is no drain in the well room it's on the other side of the house from utility room. Then from there are two 10nch whole house filters from the local bigbox hardware store (pleated charcoal) and that eventually leads to my Rheem water softener. The well room is small and can't fit much else other than pressure tank. Utility/mechanical/laundry room is also mostly full at this point.

Alrighty then - My questions are:

How can I do UV with PEX-a? Should I even do UV?

Peroxide injection bad for PEX-a and not an option?

Are there ways to shock the well without damaging the PEX-a and without chlorination?

I know Greensand is frowned on but, Menards has those Waterboss hole house iron filter systems about the only thing that could fit in the well room. However, I don't have anywhere to drain/flush it to. Would that be a good option if I could make it work?

Ceramic filters maybe? I don't know much about those.

Should my well be drilled deeper maybe that's the problem? Couple neighbors are down 170-210 feet and some are only down 60-80 feet. I'm at 140 feet at the moment. Pump is down 40 feet.

I'd appreciate any help that could be provided. Thank you!
I also posted this in reddit r/watertreatment but had not traction there.

 

[JohnCT]

My only well problem was low pH, so I don't have any specific advice except to say that any UV water treatment won't affect your PEX as long as UV light doesn't hit the pipes directly. UV *treated* water will have no effect on PEX.

If you put in a filter that would remove chlorine, then you can shock the well and filter out the chemical before it reaches your PEX.

John

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Michael Young]

Hello All,

I've been battling bad water for some time. Lots of rust and bacteria and high lead and arsenic levels. I bought this house about 4 years ago and some change. Copper pipes were end of life - You could squeeze them with your fingers, and they'd pinch. Luckily a pinhole leak happened in the well room that prompted me to take action and rip it all out. Also wanted to relocate/upgrade the water softener and filters. Shortly before that the water pump failed as well. Was replaced and well was "shocked" had some PEX-a in place hopefully that didn't do anything to it. Water was always rusty even after the shock. Three months later I tried to shock it myself with little success. 5 days later rust was back.

I replaced everything with PEX-a. Correct me if I'm wrong but, going PEX route might have been the wrong way to go as from what I've read is PEX doesn't like to be oxidized/UVed. When I shocked the well after I installed the PEX, it might not have been a good idea. All that aside - the well was drilled and placed back in 1991. I've attached images of tests and well information.

I have 1 large iSpring spindown filter added as an afterthought and is after my pressure tank so, it isn't helping the pressure tank out. There is no drain in the well room it's on the other side of the house from utility room. Then from there are two 10nch whole house filters from the local bigbox hardware store (pleated charcoal) and that eventually leads to my Rheem water softener. The well room is small and can't fit much else other than pressure tank. Utility/mechanical/laundry room is also mostly full at this point.

Alrighty then - My questions are:

How can I do UV with PEX-a? Should I even do UV?

Peroxide injection bad for PEX-a and not an option?

Are there ways to shock the well without damaging the PEX-a and without chlorination?

I know Greensand is frowned on but, Menards has those Waterboss hole house iron filter systems about the only thing that could fit in the well room. However, I don't have anywhere to drain/flush it to. Would that be a good option if I could make it work?

Ceramic filters maybe? I don't know much about those.

Should my well be drilled deeper maybe that's the problem? Couple neighbors are down 170-210 feet and some are only down 60-80 feet. I'm at 140 feet at the moment. Pump is down 40 feet.

I'd appreciate any help that could be provided. Thank you!
I also posted this in reddit r/watertreatment but had not traction there.

A filter may solve your problem. I think I'd drop that pump down a little deeper. If you're getting a lot of garbage in you lines you may need to sleeve it. I'd start with a filter before I started pulling out the big tools (or the rig to drill deeper). Where are you taking your samples. Are you right at the well head? or are you taking samples at the pressure tank? if you're at the pressure tank, check the tank and make sure it isn't waterlogged. You may be seeing what looks like iron..caused by a bad pressure tank

 

[Reach4]

"Are there ways to shock the well without damaging the PEX-a and without chlorination?"
Well sanitizing is for a short time. Using chlorine, the way I know, can expose pipe to a lot more chlorine strength over a short time. People with chlorinated water are going to have a lot longer exposure.

I have not seen anybody recommend hydrogen peroxide for well sanitizing.

With lower pH, you can use less chlorine ppm.

https://terrylove.com/forums/index....izing-extra-attention-to-4-inch-casing.65845/ is my well and plumbing sanitizing write-up. I am not a pro.

I would want not only the well to be sanitized but also the plumbing and water heater. I go about 3 years between sanitizings.

If blocking bacteria with UV, you still have to sanitize chemically after the UV at least once.

Your water softness does not really call for a softener, but a softener will remove iron in addition to hardness. Your iron number is just under the 0.3 number usually cited as to where iron becomes a nuisance.

I would also say that taking a sample for a coliform test is hard to do without contaminating the sample.
https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/Pubs/331-225.pdf

https://axs-inc.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/TotalcoliformInstructionspdf.pdf

https://www.renogov.org/DocumentCenter/View/3801/KSU-Taking-water-samples-MF963

Water Sampling Procedures

These all describe methods to avoid contaminating the sample.