Well problems

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donmac

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Our well sits on an iron bed and I was told to get the rust blown out as it's a country home which has been barely used during the past 5 years. It failed a water test last year due to E-coli and coliform, 6 gals of bleach were added and ran the water after. Have not retested the water as yet as the house is closed for the winter. Would a water softener help or should I get the well cleaned?
 

Reach4

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Our well sits on an iron bed and I was told to get the rust blown out as it's a country home which has been barely used during the past 5 years. It failed a water test last year due to E-coli and coliform, 6 gals of bleach were added and ran the water after. Have not retested the water as yet as the house is closed for the winter. Would a water softener help or should I get the well cleaned?

I like kit 90 from http://www.karlabs.com/watertestkit/

With the test results you can know what you will need. A softener will probably be needed, but other things may be needed or at least desirable.

Many well service companies can blow air down the well which blows iron and more solids up and out.

The first line of https://terrylove.com/forums/index....izing-extra-attention-to-4-inch-casing.65845/ has a link to a nice sanitizing article, but then I go into my possibly-overkill extension. By doing sanitizing after the other work, you can sanitize what you might have introduced during the earlier steps.
 

Craigpump

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Here we go again....

Forget those mail service water testing labs. Because snail mail is unreliable and notoriously slow, your bacteria sample may not get set within the specified time frame. The lab we use requires the water be kept chilled and the bacteria set before the close of business the day the water is sampled. pH should be tested immediately after sampling for the most accurate results. Locate a state certified lab in your area that you can rely on for the most accurate results.

If you have an ongoing bacteria issue that you can't resolve through chlorination or repairs to the well, a UV system can be installed.
 

CountryBumkin

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I bought one of the those internet water test kits. http://www.ntllabs.com/ The kit requires "next day delivery" of the water samples (so you need to take the sample in the morning and get shipped out by afternoon). The return packing includes a Styrofoam cooler (and I think it had cooler pack that you chill overnight).
 

Craigpump

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How do know it gets there? Mail has gotten "lost" for weeks before it was delivered. I suppose you could do return receipt requested, but you haven't saved anything.

I stand by my original statement, find a local lab.
 

Reach4

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How do know it gets there? Mail has gotten "lost" for weeks before it was delivered. I suppose you could do return receipt requested, but you haven't saved anything.
If you are actually asking, you go to https://www.usps.com/ and enter the big (22 digit I think) tracking number from the prepaid mailing label. No extra charge. You also get an email from the lab when the sample arrives.

I stand by my original statement, find a local lab.
I have rhetorical question:

How much would such a test that includes iron, manganese, arsenic, hardness, pH and more cost somebody who lives near Beacon Falls, CT, and how would that person find the place to pick up the sample kit and to deliver the samples to? Does that local test give an H2S number (a test that does not work through the mail)?
 

Craigpump

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Bacteria, VOC & chemical analysis, about $150.00.

Multiple labs, one in Newtown, one in Manchester, one in Watertown, one in New Haven. In other words, no reason to rely on the USPS.
 

Smooky

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I know the frustration of getting bad water samples. I guess most of us use bleach in one form or another to sanitize a well to get rid of coliform. I use to get frustrated and dump in gallons of bleach. What I didn’t know was too much bleach, increases the pH and then the chlorine is less effective. Depending on the size of the well and depth of the water, 6 gallons of bleach could raise the pH in the well to a level that the bleach is not effective and does not kill all of the bacteria.

Here is one of Reach4’s links that explains it pretty good. It is a little out of date since most bleach I’ve been buying is about 8.25 % ‎Sodium hypochlorite instead of 5.25%. They recommend adding white vinegar to the well to lower the pH so it is in the range of 6-7.

http://www.moravecwaterwells.com/maintainence/disinfection-and-testing

After I connect a hose to the top of the well head and let the water circulate for a while, I use test strips to check the strength of the chlorine and pH papers so I can get the pH adjusted.

http://stores.baileysteststripsandthermometers.com/chlorine-tape/

http://stores.baileysteststripsandthermometers.com/ph-0-13-tape/

I always take my samples to the county health department. They have a certified lab. The price is reasonable and I can get the results within a day or two. For a small fee they will come out and take the sample.
 
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