Our well system has a number of recurring problems and I'm trying to figure out whether they're related and how to solve them. I don't know anything about wells, and am having trouble following most of the threads because of the technical language used. The man who drilled our well is no longer living; we don't have a good, reliable well-professional to call. If anyone could point me towards some basic, relevant information, or tell me where/how to start looking for a solution, I would be so grateful.
Background: Well was drilled in 2003. They hit a stream at 280', then drilled 30' more for a total depth of 310'. They put in 58' of casing. The water came up to 80' from ground level for a total of 230' of water in the well. It was great; the water was clean with excellent taste. Only a little sediment, mostly slate, which was easily removed with a small filter in the wellhouse. I lived alone and had no problems with the well until...
November 2011: (I had recently married, so now we were using 2x the water.) The electric line to the pump broke inside the well; the pump was pulled and the line repaired. The pump was dropped back to about 180' deep, where it hit some kind of blockage & they couldn't get it to go any deeper. Estimated water level at this time was about 50' from ground surface. The water was not quite as clear at this depth, and the water filters needed changing more often.
January 2012 (two months later): Well bladder broken and well tank replaced. They said there was "a lot of sediment in it."
March 2017: Well pump electric line broke again; pump pulled and line repaired again. I expressed concern that this was the second time; they assured me that they were repairing it in a much more thorough manner than previously. Afterwards, the water had significantly more sediment in it. Even with the filter in the wellhouse, slate sludge is still collecting in the toilet tank and we use brita pitchers to improve the taste for drinking. Unlike last time, the sediment didn't clear after a couple months.
November 2018 (this week): Electric line broke again; pump pulled and repaired. Plumber told us the bladder was broken and we'd need another new tank.
Are these problems related? Are they just regular, expected issues? (i.e. Should we just budget for a new well tank every 5-6 years?) What on earth is wrong with the electric line?
Will it ever be possible to get the well pump back down deep where it used to be when the water was good?
Obviously, if the sediment remains this bad, we need a better filtration system. What other things could use a reasonable upgrade? (I've heard of PVC pipe instead of the black flexible pipe in the well--how much & in what way would this help?)
How does one go about finding a good well-man? What qualities/qualifications do we look for? What should we expect him to be able to do (and cost)?
Background: Well was drilled in 2003. They hit a stream at 280', then drilled 30' more for a total depth of 310'. They put in 58' of casing. The water came up to 80' from ground level for a total of 230' of water in the well. It was great; the water was clean with excellent taste. Only a little sediment, mostly slate, which was easily removed with a small filter in the wellhouse. I lived alone and had no problems with the well until...
November 2011: (I had recently married, so now we were using 2x the water.) The electric line to the pump broke inside the well; the pump was pulled and the line repaired. The pump was dropped back to about 180' deep, where it hit some kind of blockage & they couldn't get it to go any deeper. Estimated water level at this time was about 50' from ground surface. The water was not quite as clear at this depth, and the water filters needed changing more often.
January 2012 (two months later): Well bladder broken and well tank replaced. They said there was "a lot of sediment in it."
March 2017: Well pump electric line broke again; pump pulled and line repaired again. I expressed concern that this was the second time; they assured me that they were repairing it in a much more thorough manner than previously. Afterwards, the water had significantly more sediment in it. Even with the filter in the wellhouse, slate sludge is still collecting in the toilet tank and we use brita pitchers to improve the taste for drinking. Unlike last time, the sediment didn't clear after a couple months.
November 2018 (this week): Electric line broke again; pump pulled and repaired. Plumber told us the bladder was broken and we'd need another new tank.
Are these problems related? Are they just regular, expected issues? (i.e. Should we just budget for a new well tank every 5-6 years?) What on earth is wrong with the electric line?
Will it ever be possible to get the well pump back down deep where it used to be when the water was good?
Obviously, if the sediment remains this bad, we need a better filtration system. What other things could use a reasonable upgrade? (I've heard of PVC pipe instead of the black flexible pipe in the well--how much & in what way would this help?)
How does one go about finding a good well-man? What qualities/qualifications do we look for? What should we expect him to be able to do (and cost)?