4 Inch Well, Water Full of Sand, Ideas Welcome!

Users who are viewing this thread

preppypyro

New Member
Messages
11
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Hey there, I have a bit of an issue, i will try and explain everything the best I can, bear with me!

So we bought a cabin a few years ago, and the water supply is a 4 inch black piped well, that was drilled years ago, and the pipe is a narrow 4 inchs. Our submersible pump is at a depth of 30 feet. The water in the well sits at a depth of 9 feet below ground level. Everything worked pretty good until a few months ago, and sand was making its way into the cabin water. It got worse and worse, and now its really bad.

So I asked around, and apparently, back in the day, a well driller did a bunch of cheap wells without proper screens in the bottom of the wells, and now lots of people are having the same issue we are.

So rather than drill a new well, I was wondering what kind of options we may have.

My first thought is to get a sandpoint type point, and just drop it in the casing down to about 40 ish feet, hook it up to our black water pipe (1 1/4" if i remember right) click it in the pitless adapter, get a 1/2 convertible pump system hooked up, and use it like that.

Would this be possible? I dont know much about these systems, it was just my initial thought, as I cant see why a sand point type point wouldnt work in a casing full of water, as long as it was set deep enough that there was a good supply of sandy water.

Thoughts, opinions, ideas, questions welcome!
 

Reach4

Well-Known Member
Messages
38,749
Reaction score
4,400
Points
113
Location
IL
One thing to consider is removing the accumulated sand. A big diesel compressor blowing air can do it fast (think geyser), and an air lift pump can do it slower.

Another thing would be to raise the pump, if the static level of the water is high enough.
 

preppypyro

New Member
Messages
11
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
I forgot to mention...

There was a neighbor that tried to airlift the sand out of their well, and they lifted 15 feet out of i understood correctly, and the next day it was back at the same point.

We tried lifting the pump, but the water itself is very sandy. We started off lifting it 6 feet, then 14 feet, and the water was just as sandy as at 30 feet.
 

Reach4

Well-Known Member
Messages
38,749
Reaction score
4,400
Points
113
Location
IL
Your well was OK for how many years? Maybe you would just need to lift sand every few years.

It won't help the pump, but maybe a sandmaster would help. A twist2clean works after the pressure tank.

http://www.lakos.com/groundwater.htm
 

preppypyro

New Member
Messages
11
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
I think the issue is more so that the non proper "screen" that was installed years ago, has finally failed, and from talking to others, it seems like lifting is just a temporary solution as the sand just replenish's itself quickly.

We do have one of those twist clean dealios, but Im more looking into if there is anything i can do in the well end of things.
 

Valveman

Cary Austin
Staff member
Messages
14,583
Reaction score
1,296
Points
113
Location
Lubbock, Texas
Website
cyclestopvalves.com
The sand point idea might work. As long as the water doesn't pull down deeper than about 20' a shallow well jet should lift it. With a 1/2HP you will want a high pressure jet like the Goulds J5SH in case the water level does pull down. As long as the o-ring in the pitless will hold a vacuum, that should work also. Maybe you could put the check valve below the pitless?
 

preppypyro

New Member
Messages
11
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
As for the check valve, I have no idea! If you guys think it would be a good idea, I would try it with one.

Good point about the o-ring holding vacuum, I BELIEVE it should. I guess that is one thing I would find out pretty quick haha.
 

preppypyro

New Member
Messages
11
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
I had no idea about installing another screen, thanks for mentioning that!

I should have taken a picture of the casing, its not like the newer 4 inch wells, its a very narrow 4 inchs! Our 3.5 pump barely slides past where the pitless adapter is installed. And when I installed the pitless, I had to be careful not to squish the pipe.

I know what we should do is just get a new 6 inch well done, but we are also contemplating building a new cabin on a different lot, so in that sense we dont want to sink a bunch of cash into this one.
 

Reach4

Well-Known Member
Messages
38,749
Reaction score
4,400
Points
113
Location
IL
I should have taken a picture of the casing, its not like the newer 4 inch wells, its a very narrow 4 inchs! Our 3.5 pump barely slides past where the pitless adapter is installed. And when I installed the pitless, I had to be careful not to squish the pipe.

I suggest that you measure the outside diameter or circumference. Can you tell us about the pitless? You usually cannot get a "4 inch" pump down a 4 inch casing unless you have a through-way pitless. If you have a through-way pitless, that would not make it harder to pass a pump.

It may be that your casing only goes down 30 ft or something. In that case, there is no screen at the bottom.

Despite your neighbor's experience, it could be that a good cleanout could last years.
 
Last edited:

preppypyro

New Member
Messages
11
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Outside of the well casing is 4 inch. Pit less adapter is the kind that "wrap around" thenough casing. I'm not sure of the technical name of it but it mounts on the outside of the casing, and has bolts that wrap around and a seal and you tighten it to the casing. Why it makes the pump harder to get past, is the drillers back in the day didn't use the same kind of casing that is used now, it's black casing and thin. So when you tighten up the pit less adapter, it squishes the pipe a little, making it narrow.

There are multiple people that have tried cleaning the sand out of their wells out by air lifting, and all have had the same result. It just keeps filling back up. I have talked to a driller that drills up there and he confirmed it with me today. He also said that the driller back in the day did some kind of slot cutting in the casing for a screen (i didnt totally grasp the concept), and stuck a wood plug down in the bottom, and although it worked that way for quite awhile, the wood finally rotted and no more "screen" system.

He of course said to drill a new well and would be happy to do it haha.

I'm just thinking that we still have a well (I do not know how deep or how deep the casing goes) and there must be a way to use it even with the Sandy water, rather than drilling a new well.

Thats sort of why I was thinking of using the well point as a "filter" so to speak.

Locally we can get a 1/2 or 3/4 hp convertible pump that are good for either deep or shallow wells, and we can get 1 1/4 x 36 well points with 80? screen.
 
Last edited:

Texas Wellman

In the Trades
Messages
1,035
Reaction score
59
Points
48
Location
SE Texas-Coastal
We put 2.5" screens in 4" wells all the time but it's not something you can do without equipment.

My advice is to abandon the 30' well and have another one drilled. In the long run it will save you a lot of trouble.
 

Valveman

Cary Austin
Staff member
Messages
14,583
Reaction score
1,296
Points
113
Location
Lubbock, Texas
Website
cyclestopvalves.com
If it cost very much to have a new well drilled, I think the well point would be worth a try. But a 30' well should not be very expensive, and anything else is just a Band Aid.
 

preppypyro

New Member
Messages
11
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Hey guys, just wanted to update this.

So what we ended up buying, was a 1 1/4x36 well point with 80 mesh. We put brass fittings to get to a 1 inch water line, and ran the line to our pitless adapter.

On the inside of the cabin we installed a 1/2 convertible jet pump. Nothing special about the hook up, just wired it to 110, plumbed it normally.

Primed the pump and water came out perfect. The only thing i had to adjust is the pressure switch from 40/60, to 30/50. AND we got even finer silt in the water. Tried flushing it for awhile and it only got a little better.

Put a fine water filer in our filter housing, and it wasnt quite fine enough. At this point we were just glad to have our water back going, and we left it for the night.

Next morning we were packing up to go, and the wife tried the water for cleaning up, and it was crystal clear.

So Im assuming the fine stuff in the water just settled, or maybe we had finally flushed it out at this point.

But its looking like it will work, just have to get a finer water filter. As well, I still have that spin down filter separator deal with the 140mesh filter in it to install if needed. So far it has cost us around 450 bucks. So if it holds up working, its much much cheaper than a $5000 minimum well!

We are talking about building a new cabin in the future and at that time we will likely look into a better well anyways.

Thanks for all the opinions and discussion, and advice.
 
Top
Hey, wait a minute.

This is awkward, but...

It looks like you're using an ad blocker. We get it, but (1) terrylove.com can't live without ads, and (2) ad blockers can cause issues with videos and comments. If you'd like to support the site, please allow ads.

If any particular ad is your REASON for blocking ads, please let us know. We might be able to do something about it. Thanks.
I've Disabled AdBlock    No Thanks