16 yr old well clogging spinout

[Leweezo]

Hi, I have a 400' deep well with a sub pump that has been a good well that I usually had to clean out the spinot 1 time a month. This year we had a extreme drought where we received about 25% of our normal rain. Last week we finally got 3 days of good rain but that is wheremy problems started. The water coming from the well was almost as white as milk and my spinot clogee constantly !400 mesh) It was so bad the filter would clog after 1 toilet flush and I would have to backflush the filter 12 times to do load of laundry. After a few days I just went nuts and finall just left the pump run (unfiltered) into the yard. I came back a hour later and there was a much slower stream coming out of he hose (heart in stomach) I turned the hose and let it sit for 2 hrs before I started using water again. Since then the water is MUCH clearer but it still clogs the filter but at a much lower rate. I can now get a full showe in before it clogs and I can do 1 load of laundry before I hav eo back flush the filter. Since this is till not ideal I want to know what you think I should do next.
1. I was wondering if I should have someone come out and raise the pump 5-10ft
2. Maybe I should run the pump for another hour to clear the well some more?
3 Would a larger filter (maybe a Big Blue) help ne need to flush filter less?
4. If 3 applies, what micron offilter should I get? This sediment is prety fine.
Thanks for any answers
Mike

 

[Reach4]

I suspect that you meant you have clean out the spin-down filter 1 time a month. Because of that, I presume much of your sediment is sand.

The Lakos TwistIIClean is easier to clean, in that class of filter.

You might benefit from the Lakos Sandmaster. http://www.lakos.com/groundwater.htm That goes above ground before the pressure tank. You can get it to dump the sand automatically, or you can do that manually.

The Sub-K is good at leaving the sand in the well, but that might fill up the well.

Yes, you would benefit from one or more 20x4.5 big blue filter housings. Note the sumps (the blue part) are pretty heavy when full of water, so don't mount them where you have to lift at arms length. Do put a bypass so that you are without water if there is a leak. I have 3 in series. Overkill in my case. I don't have a bypass, but I do keep an extra O-ring in case one goes bad during a cartidge change. I get over a year between cartridge changes, but after ordering the BB housings, I got a backwashing filter that takes care of most stuff.

You would probably benefit from getting your well cleaned out with a big compressor each time the pump gets replaced.

How big is your well? Maybe a PVC liner would be worthwhile.

I am not a pro.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Valveman]

If the problem started after a rain, I would suspect the well is not sealed to the earth properly. Rain water going down the outside of the casing will not only stir up the sand, but will pull dog crap and fertilizer in the well also.

If you can find a good driller or pump man they should be able to help. I wouldn't spend my time or money cleaning or filtering until you make sure the well is sealed.

 

[Reach4]

While you should do what valveman says to do, I would also still put in better filtering.... and HOPE you wasted that money. OK, maybe not the Sandmaster; that one is more expensive.

 

[Leweezo]

Thanks all, Here are mt thoughts. My spinout filter is 14 yrs old and the plastic is so stained that I can't see through it anymore and it is probably time to geta a new filter for it anyways (2 yrs old) I have heard good things about the B Blue and so it will be the one I purchase.
I take it that Valveman thinks I might have a open part arounf my concrete well slab? That is a posibilit since I live on a pretty big slope and I will need to look at the back of the slab and see if ther is any gap or crack? If I do find one, do you think I should have a pro come in and repair it or do you think that is a DYI since I am pretty good @ concrter mixing/pouring. I would dig down about 6." and pour a wall across the back of he slab.
This all seems pretty ecomical and not much work.. After I do this and if I still have issues, I will probably call a well driller in.. Dores this seem resonableto you all?
Reach4, my well pipe diameter (hard to measure) Is 7 inchesO.D

 

[Reach4]

my well pipe diameter (hard to measure) Is 6.5 inchesO.D

That would be 6 inch ID.

 

[Leweezo]

Hey Reach 4... I found a skinnier measuring tape and the O.D was 7 not 6.5 So i guess the I.D would be 6.5? Would a screen work in that size?

 

[Valveman]

A large slab might help,but it might not. If I were to try and seal an old well I would bust the slab off and back hoe around the casing as deep as I could while trying to keep the hole as slender as possible. I would try to get 7-8-10 feet deep if I could. Then I would fill the annular space between the hole and the casing with a mixture of cement and bentonite. If I got a good seal on the well and the rain stopped getting in, then I might pour another slab if needed. Or if the hole is narrow enough just frame it and make a slab at the same time as the annular seal. But the slab cannot make the seal I am talking about.

New wells are sealed 10'-25' maybe 100' or more depending on the area and circumstances. It is important that we protect our aquifers. A bad seal not only causes you to drink nasty water, it can flow on over to the neighbors houses as well. It is also very hard to clean stuff out of the aquifers after it gets in there. But some of the most pristene water comes straight form the depths of mother earth if you keep the wells sealed properly.

 

[Leweezo]

Wow, that seems to be a big work order.. I will show this to the well driller if they think that I am having a structual issue. I hope it aint so but hope in one hand....

 

[Craigpump]

You can almost bet that if rain is causing your water to get dirty from leaky casing, there is bacteria getting in too.

I would suggest a camera inspection to see what's going on and where it's coming in & possibly double casing the well with sch 40 PVC and a Jaswell packer to seal off the problem area.

 

[Leweezo]

hmm. maybe i should take a sample to the county and get it tested for 10 bucks

 

[Craigpump]

Be a good idea

 

[Leweezo]

Update.. It has been nearly a monthe since our clogging began and over time the water has come up clearer and clearer by the day. At the beginning we had to flush the filter after every toilet flush and yesterday my wife showered and I ran the dishwasher and did 2 loads of clothes before i needed to clear the filter. Notperfect but going in the right direction. I was outside and looked through the woods where I used to have a neigbor and about 20 ft from my well was a open well casing. A few years ago the power company bought his house and tore it down and his well house was tore down too and they left the well open. I had a concrete stepping stone and I placed over th opening.. Since then we had a huge gully washer and we have had no affect to our well. I am wondering if this opening could be the source of our problems? His well was the same depth as ours. I am also thinking of getting a Lakos Twist 2 Clean filter to replace my spinout and put a big blure behind it for the smaller stuff. Has anyone used a Lakos before?

 

[Craigpump]

You really should notify the state or local health department about that well, it needs to be properly abandoned with bentonite, sand & cement...

I've used SubK Lakos separators with good results, the ones in the house work good but the grit still runs through the pump leading to premature wear.

 

[Leweezo]

Thanks, I thought that open well was a little weird. I need to go to the county anyways to get my water tested. I figured that open well might put bacteria down there..