Brown water....worried

[Craigpump]

Yep, the pump can stay in the hole.

Don't need rain. Just run a hose over to the well area and run the water to replicate a rain storm.

 

[Ballvalve]

"I know you feel I shouldn't invest in a new pump as this may not be the issue, but I can't fight city hall (my husband). I'm too nice to challenge the issue with the driller if it turns out he is wrong, however, my husband is not and he won't be pleasant about it. By the way, this driller has been around a long time, his father and mine were good friends, and I remember him and his brothers used to come out to our family farm and help bale hay when we were all teenagers. In other words, I have reasonable faith that he isn't out to rip us off."

Even if this gentleman well driller baled hay with your family, and even rolled in the hayloft with you and your sisters after hours, it does not speak to his ethics NOW. Maybe his kids have big tuition or he gambles online.... pick your poison.

Okay, your pump was 27 years old - pretty amazing. So that was a bit suspect. But it would not have anything to do with brown water. Sounds like he wasn't too interested in a full troubleshoot like the boys here typing for FREE! First suspect for me is a bad bladder in the pressure tank - you get all kind of colored vomit in the water for a long time if so. Hopefully they ruled that out. But if your well makes some air, as mine do, you could still have a "working" tank that puts some nasty stuff into your water. IF it is a pre-pressurized tank and its 27 years old, its history and likely your brown maker.

NEW brown water after 30 years is unusual. Unless the well has silted in and the pump is now your well cleaner. Did they test the depth of the well before setting a new pump? New pipe on the pump?

Have earthquakes here all the time and never lost a well yet. Welcome to the club. That dollar or more you are saving on gasoline and natural gas every day will pay for your pump in no time at all. Pray for more fricking fracking!

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Prelude]

"I know you feel I shouldn't invest in a new pump as this may not be the issue, but I can't fight city hall (my husband). I'm too nice to challenge the issue with the driller if it turns out he is wrong, however, my husband is not and he won't be pleasant about it. By the way, this driller has been around a long time, his father and mine were good friends, and I remember him and his brothers used to come out to our family farm and help bale hay when we were all teenagers. In other words, I have reasonable faith that he isn't out to rip us off."

Even if this gentleman well driller baled hay with your family, and even rolled in the hayloft with you and your sisters after hours, it does not speak to his ethics NOW. Maybe his kids have big tuition or he gambles online.... pick your poison.

Okay, your pump was 27 years old - pretty amazing. So that was a bit suspect. But it would not have anything to do with brown water. Sounds like he wasn't too interested in a full troubleshoot like the boys here typing for FREE! First suspect for me is a bad bladder in the pressure tank - you get all kind of colored vomit in the water for a long time if so. Hopefully they ruled that out. But if your well makes some air, as mine do, you could still have a "working" tank that puts some nasty stuff into your water. IF it is a pre-pressurized tank and its 27 years old, its history and likely your brown maker.

NEW brown water after 30 years is unusual. Unless the well has silted in and the pump is now your well cleaner. Did they test the depth of the well before setting a new pump? New pipe on the pump?

Have earthquakes here all the time and never lost a well yet. Welcome to the club. That dollar or more you are saving on gasoline and natural gas every day will pay for your pump in no time at all. Pray for more fricking fracking!

 

[Prelude]

"I know you feel I shouldn't invest in a new pump as this may not be the issue, but I can't fight city hall (my husband). I'm too nice to challenge the issue with the driller if it turns out he is wrong, however, my husband is not and he won't be pleasant about it. By the way, this driller has been around a long time, his father and mine were good friends, and I remember him and his brothers used to come out to our family farm and help bale hay when we were all teenagers. In other words, I have reasonable faith that he isn't out to rip us off."

Even if this gentleman well driller baled hay with your family, and even rolled in the hayloft with you and your sisters after hours, it does not speak to his ethics NOW. Maybe his kids have big tuition or he gambles online.... pick your poison.

Okay, your pump was 27 years old - pretty amazing. So that was a bit suspect. But it would not have anything to do with brown water. Sounds like he wasn't too interested in a full troubleshoot like the boys here typing for FREE! First suspect for me is a bad bladder in the pressure tank - you get all kind of colored vomit in the water for a long time if so. Hopefully they ruled that out. But if your well makes some air, as mine do, you could still have a "working" tank that puts some nasty stuff into your water. IF it is a pre-pressurized tank and its 27 years old, its history and likely your brown maker.

NEW brown water after 30 years is unusual. Unless the well has silted in and the pump is now your well cleaner. Did they test the depth of the well before setting a new pump? New pipe on the pump?

Have earthquakes here all the time and never lost a well yet. Welcome to the club. That dollar or more you are saving on gasoline and natural gas every day will pay for your pump in no time at all. Pray for more fricking fracking!

 

[Prelude]

ballvalve, I must say I like your style. A lot of what you wrote has crossed my mind. Yes, this person we had out is a BSer and since he no longer is physically able to drill wells any longer, analyzing the mechanics is his mainstay. Did he troubleshoot to my satisfaction, "No". But I am a female and you know nothing is ever good enough for us.

He and his son spent quite a bit of time watching that pressure valve. We have an Amtrol Wellxtrol pressurized tank, and yes the bladder has occurred to me also. I mean 27 years of highly mineralized water going in there has to accumulate crap. We've been draining it twice daily and flushing it also. Color of water has improved greatly, but still seeing very light gray/purplish output with very small granulation, which may or not be manganese. We are taking samples in for testing tomorrow.

As you may recall this whole issue started after days of torrential rain fall, then cleared up, then another episode of torrential rain and issue returned. But these conditions have happened in past years and not affected our well.

Interesting point you mention about the well silting. I don't like the fact that our new pump may become a well cleaner, seems to me that would lead to early death.

Yes they did test the depth of the well before setting the pump. New pipe on the pump, not to my knowledge.

Re fracking. I am still on the fence about it. There have been issues here in Western PA with wells being contaminated and rendered useless due to fracking, or should I say the processes involved during fracking. Please don't blast me, but my thought is we can only stretch the limits of our environment so far before it comes back to bite us.

 

[Prelude]

We just started having earthquakes in Oklahoma, I didn't grow up with them. I still remember my first one, it was late at night and I was playing my video games, then out of nowhere everything started shaking around like crazy, I was thinking to myself (Holly Shit Batman what the hell was that, maybe it was a earthquake). The next moring nobody believed me, then it happen again later that day. They became believers real quick lol, now they wont stop.

We do have some small ones occasionally in Pennsylvania, can barely feel them. You know, I don't remember any growing up here either. First major quake I felt was in Maui, 6.8. So freaked out I called home and told family I loved them in the event I didn't see them again.

 

[Prelude]

If they start doing this in your area, the way to prove they contaminated your well water is to get a water test before and after or they will probably do nothing for you these days.

Yes, agree. The regulations here are if they are fracking within 1000 feet of your well, they must contact you and they cover their butts by doing water testing pre drilling. However a wise homeowner will get their water tested even if they are further out than 1000 feet.

 

[Prelude]

Wow, 6.8 that's a big one! Mine was only in the 4's but still scared the hell out me.

Yes, it was quite interesting to say the least it happened at 7:30 in the am. Husband was in the shower and I was banging on the door that we had to leave, told him to forget clothes and just grab a towel. It didn't help that we were on the top floor of the building as it swayed more. It was a nightmare getting our flight out. There was even scare of a possible tsunami. It is a vacation I never will forget.

 

[Prelude]

I want to extend a sincere thank you to all who posted here to give me insight as to what may be going on with our well.

Today took samples of our water to an independent testing lab to analyze for bacteria and separate testing for metals. We have been draining and flushing the pressurized holding tank no less than twice daily. Water coloration is almost back to what was previous to this episode. But today after a downpour the water is starting to gray again. Heavy rain is predicted again tonight so it will be interesting to see how this affects the well water.

The driller is returning Thursday to remove our culligan water softer which we donated to him. We plan on getting a filtration system regardless, but I am still adamant to determine what has changed with our well system and will have someone else come in to diagnosis it.

 

[Ballvalve]

I want to extend a sincere thank you to all who posted here to give me insight as to what may be going on with our well.

Today took samples of our water to an independent testing lab to analyze for bacteria and separate testing for metals. We have been draining and flushing the pressurized holding tank no less than twice daily. Water coloration is almost back to what was previous to this episode. But today after a downpour the water is starting to gray again. Heavy rain is predicted again tonight so it will be interesting to see how this affects the well water.

The driller is returning Thursday to remove our culligan water softer which we donated to him. We plan on getting a filtration system regardless, but I am still adamant to determine what has changed with our well system and will have someone else come in to diagnosis it.

First, a 27 year old diaphragm tank is most likely bad. Replace it. But a few SIMPLE tests will decide that. And its not about looking at the pressure gauge. After that, and still brown water, look for a bad well seal [almost impossible to diagnose by the local yokels] and then if your well may be caving in or throwing new junk into the crevices after your earthquake. Filtering - not with some filter company - is a good interim solution. Go to filters fast online and get a few tall filter bodies and put 5 micron units in them. Very small investment that is good no matter the final solution. Then you can pull the filters and get out your magnifying glass and microscope to see what is lurking in the well.