Adding storage tank to residential water well

[Jecsd1]

Hi, this is my first post and I don't have very much experience with water wells.

I recently moved to the countryside in Central TX where I had a water well drilled for residential use. The basic system has an in ground pump, some sort of controller box and an 85 gallon storage tank.

We have not had any sort of volume problems with the system whatsoever and I believe the driller/installer told me that the well tested at 13-15 gpm capability but that I was limited to a 10 gpm pump to stay classified as "residential"

I installed a whole house filter between the pressure tank and the house and overall I'm satisfied with the system.

What I am not happy with is the smell. There is a distinct rotten egg smell that, I am told from a few neighbors, is common in this part of the state and emanates from a Hydrogen gas in the water. I am also told that the solution is to add a storage tank to allow the Hydrogen gas to "off gas"

This solution is agreeable to me except for the cost of the install. The company that drilled/installed our well wants another $5000 for this. After what the initial well cost was and all the other things that have come along with living in the country, we just don't have that cash right now.

I am an ASE Master Mechanic and as such am very mechanically inclined. I have tackled and succeeded at most jobs that a homeowner would dare.

Is this something that I can accomplish on my own???

If so, I have no problem buying quality components necessary and doing all the plumbing and electrical wiring myself. Really, I need assistance with selecting the right components to complement my existing system and make the entire setup reliable and relatively trouble free.

Am I asking for trouble?

Thank You!!

 

[Reach4]

What I am not happy with is the smell. There is a distinct rotten egg smell that, I am told from a few neighbors, is common in this part of the state and emanates from a Hydrogen gas in the water. I am also told that the solution is to add a storage tank to allow the Hydrogen gas to "off gas"

There are other ways to get rid of H2S without having to have an atmospheric tank and a pressure pump.

If you are interested in something like that, you might post into the softener forum, which covers various water treatments.

You could, for example, inject H2O2 solution, feed into a contact tank, and follow that with a backwashing filter with the right media. The treatment could also remove iron at the same time.

It is also possible to inject air, and let the excess bleed off with an air release valve on a no-diaphragm "conventional" pressure tank. That would be something that could be considered more well stuff rather than treatment stuff.

My iron+H2S filter works well for me, but my H2S levels are fairly low. (It is hard to quantify H2S from a well.) Still, the H2S was my major motivation.

 

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[Valveman]

And since you are in Texas, where it doesn't freeze that much, you might like a Sulfur Eliminator.
http://www.wellwaterstinks.com/

It connect to a faucet and sends about 1.5 gallons of aerated water an hour down the well from a hose. The hose would freeze if you lived up north. I think it would be an easy fix for you. Check out the link above. Several people told me it works very well.

 

[Jecsd1]

Thanks so much for the information!

Reach4, would you mind giving a few more specifics on your particular setup and what part of the country you're in?

Valve man, I will definitely look over that site. Thanks! The positive reviews you've heard a out that product...what part of the country are those folks in?

 

[Reach4]

Note that what works for me may not work for you. It may be that my water has enough dissolved oxygen, and does not need an extra oxidizer added to the water being treated.

My media tank is 10x54 inches. It holds 1.5 cuft of Centaur Carbon. The media is said to last maybe 7 years or so. This is not GAC. I bought mine in 2012. No deterioration noted yet. I bought mine because a friend had bought a system like that, and had success. My system is in the basement, where it is protected from freezing.

My system regenerates every 3 days. It draws from a 15 gallon solution tank. I add 1 gallon of bleach, and top off with water. I marked the solution level after each regeneration (3 days). I get 12 doses, it turns out. I refill every 33 days. The bleach solution is rinsed out before the filter is put back into service.

I believe that Centaur Carbon is not the same as generic "catalytic carbon". It is a catalytic carbon, however. It only uses 5 gpm for backwash, because it is fairly light media. Katalox Light did not exist when I bought my system. But I also read some posts of people who use KL with no injection and no bleach solution during backwash who are not getting good results. I wonder if that would work better with a chlorine bleach solution during regeneration. Putting H2O2 metered injection before the media would provide oxygen if the incoming water does not have enough water.

Katalox Light might need about 8 gpm to backwash an 8 inch tank, and more to do a 12 inch diameter tank. You probably have enough pump for that. You could try it without any injection, and add injection if needed.

http://mazzei.net/sites/default/files/files/Tech Bulletin 3_Removal of Hydrogen Sulfide by Aeration_v01-2011.pdf talks of the reaction that happens when you aerate the water. When the H2S get oxidized, it leaves sulfur, which could be elemental, or could combine with iron. These would precipitate into the well with the Sulfur Eliminator. This may be very low volume, so may not be consequential.

 

[Jecsd1]

Reach, Thanks for all that info! I have to admit, some of it is a bit over my head but I will continue to research.

 

[Jecsd1]

Just as a follow up, because I hate forum threads that have no follow up.

I ordered the Sulfur Eliminator because I figured it was worth a try. I installed it per their instructions and to my surprise, in about 7-8 hours, the smell had noticeably decresaed. This was on December 23rd. The next day, the 24th, I installed the mist nozzle, also per their insrtructions. My Christmas day the smell was gone and it has not returned since.

So far, the system seems to be doing what it claims to be doing.

Install was a breeze after a trip to Lowe's for about $20 in brass fittings and a petcock.

Thanks for the idea!

 

[Valveman]

Just as a follow up, because I hate forum threads that have no follow up.

I ordered the Sulfur Eliminator because I figured it was worth a try. I installed it per their instructions and to my surprise, in about 7-8 hours, the smell had noticeably decresaed. This was on December 23rd. The next day, the 24th, I installed the mist nozzle, also per their insrtructions. My Christmas day the smell was gone and it has not returned since.

So far, the system seems to be doing what it claims to be doing.

Install was a breeze after a trip to Lowe's for about $20 in brass fittings and a petcock.

Thanks for the idea!

Wow! Thanks for the follow up. Guess I will be recommending more of those.

 

[k-n]

When you said you added a mister, was that part of the original setup or an add on? It seems to me that injecting water to the top of a well head is a bad idea. It's "dry" down to the pump and pumping water in there seems like it would add minerals, corrosion, etc. to all of the components above the water line. That seems like it could create an expensive repair bill after a few years.

 

[Jecsd1]

When you said you added a mister, was that part of the original setup or an add on? It seems to me that injecting water to the top of a well head is a bad idea. It's "dry" down to the pump and pumping water in there seems like it would add minerals, corrosion, etc. to all of the components above the water line. That seems like it could create an expensive repair bill after a few years.

I am not an expert by any means but my well is fully cased with 4.5" ID PVC well casing and the piping is 1 1/4" sch 120 with all stainless couplings so I'm hoping that means chances for corrosion is minimal.

As far as being part of the original setup, I'm assuming you're asking if it was part of the aerator unit that I installed. If that's the case then yes, it was part of the kit.