Shocking a well ?????

[WV Hillbilly]

Several people seem to think shocking a well with chlorine can cause problems . I realize it is important to rinse the chlorine off the inside of the well casing , drop pipe & pump wires . What other problems is shocking a well likely to cause ? Thanks in advance .

 

[Sjsmithjr]

Several people seem to think shocking a well with chlorine can cause problems . I realize it is important to rinse the chlorine off the inside of the well casing , drop pipe & pump wires . What other problems is shocking a well likely to cause ? Thanks in advance .

There are times when it is appropriate to shock a well; potential problems aside. Do you think you need to shock your well at this time, or are you just asking?

 

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[Speedbump]

I agree, it is something that can solve a lot of problems. Iron bacteria for one. I have seen only a few instances of IRB in my area, but chlorinating took care of it permanently. As long as (like you said) you rinse the residual off the casing, droppipe, wire etc, your in good shape.

Every new well drilled in my County must be chlorinated. If it doesn't pass the bacteria test performed by the County, it must be done again until it does pass. If it doesn't pass (I have not had this happen to me) a chlorinator must be installed.

The biggest problem with our County (not that it's the only one) is that they tell you how to do this yourself. By removing the 1/4" plug from the well seal and pouring several gallons of bleach through a funnel into the casing. No mention of rinsing is mentioned by the genius who authored this paper.

bob...

 

[WV Hillbilly]

I had a problem with my well water getting slightly muddy looking after a heavy rain . I bought a maytag / ge homespring whole house water filter & installed it with a bypass plumbed in . Before I ran the water through the filter I tested it with one of those test kits like lowe's sells . There was a lot of bacteria growing in the petrie dish . I put chlorine in the well & rinsed with a garden hose . I then ran all faucets till I could smell the chlorine at each faucet . I then let the system set for 24 hours & then flushed all plumbing untill the chlorine smell was gone . I then closed the bypass valve & ran the water through the filter . Bacteria is not supposed to pass through the membrane type filter I installed . I did another test & there was still some bacteria growing in the petrie dish although not near as much as before . When I chlorinated the well I did not drain the pressure tank or water heater & I forgot to run the washing machine pipes to let the bleach through them . I also didn't do anything with the ice maker line . I am thinking of rechlorinating the whole system including the filter this time . Any reason I shouldn't ??
Thanks again
By the way the filter keeps my water crystal clear so I solved the muddy water problem .Now I need to address the bacteria problem . The manual that came with the filter says that you can put chlorine in it to clean it so chlorine shouldn't hurt the membrane filter .

 

[Sjsmithjr]

Need a little more information. Where are you WV? Can you follow up with some specifics about your well? Age, condition, cased, open hole, screened, etc? Nearby agricultural activity? Proximity or septic system to wellhead? Evidence of iron staining. Odors?

How did you determine how much chlorine to add to your well?

 

[WV Hillbilly]

I'm in West Virginia . Well is about 8 years old , 43 1/2 feet deep , 28 feet of water in well , casing is 6 inch pvc . No agriculture nearby , septic system about 300 feet downslope of well , no odor or evidence of iron . Read on another website to use 1 pint of bleach for every 50 feet of water in the well .

 

[Sjsmithjr]

The short answer is that shallow groundwater is getting into your well - that is why it becomes slightly muddy after a heavy rain (turbidity increases) and why you are seeing the bacteria. Wells drilled to a depth of less than 50 feet can be particularly susceptible to the problems you're having. It is also possible that the casing was not set properly.

That's answers the why. I've got to get to work for a bit this morning but I'll swing back by after while. If no one else stops by to go over the details of disinfecting the well and the system I'll go over it and a couple of other things then.

 

[Speedbump]

I would be looking at drilling a better well. One that doesn't let surface water directly into my well.

That is a dangerous situation that all the bleach in the world can't cure. Next rain, here come the little critters.

bob...

 

[Sjsmithjr]

I would be looking at drilling a better well. One that doesn't let surface water directly into my well.

That is a dangerous situation that all the bleach in the world can't cure. Next rain, here come the little critters.

bob...

Yeah, I was going to get to that, but wanted to let him down easy. Nothing wrong with being direct though. You are correct that he has a dangerous situation on his hands and a new well may just be the best way to go. Especially if this has been an ongoing problem and not just the result of say abnormally heavy rainfall or flooding.

If he still wants to know the right way to disinfect the system I'll run through it.

If I were going to drill a new well, I'd want it drilled to a greater depth, at least 50 feet away from the existing well, and with a longer casing string. (I'm not a big fan of PVC surface casing as I find it's too easy to damage.) I'd have the existing well abandoned by pulling or overdrilling the casing and grouting to the surface. Around here, we would disinfect the existing well just prior to abandonment.

 

[WV Hillbilly]

Google G E Homespring Water Filter . These filters are not supposed to let bacteria through the membranes in them . They are also used for surface water applications such as ponds , lakes , ect . In my area a well without iron or sulphur is hard to get . I have neither problem . I filled a thousand gallon septic tank nonstop so this well produces water faster than I can pump it out . After installing the homespring filter my water is always crystal clear . I realize the well will still possibly get bacteria in it but it shouldn't pass through the filter .
Since I have plenty of clear water with no odor or iron problems I would think about U V or chlorination or some type of treatment before I considered drilling a new well with all the potential problems I could run into . All that being said I want your thoughts and appreciate your help & feedback . I will repeat one last time that if the homespring filter works as advertized I shouldn't have bacteria in the house water . These filters cost over $3,000 .

 

[Speedbump]

Yeah, I was going to get to that, but wanted to let him down easy. Nothing wrong with being direct though.

My wife always said I was a little too direct. Oh well, saves time.

These filters cost over $3,000 .

You could have put in a very nice well for around that amount of money and you wouldn't have needed that over priced filter.

bob...

 

[WV Hillbilly]

As I stated before a lot of wells in my area have iron or sulphur problems or both . I could very well be looking for treatment equipment for those problems if I had a new well drilled .

 

[Speedbump]

I don't think your new filter will handle either the iron or the sulphur. From what you have indicated, it's a cartridge type filter.

My biggest concern is with having a shallow well like yours changing clarity during heavy rains means that things other than just bacteria can get into the well water. Chemicals can not be removed with a filter like yours either. That's the danger in using your present well. I just wouldn't feel all warm and fuzzy using that well. I know drilling a deep well is a gamble as far as minerals are concerned, but they are at least not harmful.

bob...