Chlorine tablets well water once per year?

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Qwertyjjj

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I shock treated my well a couple of years ago as it had some coliforms in it. Think it was sulphur bacteria given the smell but it was a cottage which was left unused for many weeks in the 25 years before and the well never treated.
I occasionally smell sulphur but really really faint.
Is it possible to occasionally add chlorine tablets to the water as a maintenance rather than shock treating it?
 

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Possible. There are systems that drop a chlorine pellet down the casing based on water use to chlorinate on a continual basis. How would you get rid of the chlorine?

I have a "4 inch pump" in a 4 inch casing, so I cannot drop chlorine pellets to the bottom.

Is your sulfur smell on cold water too, or just hot?

http://www.moravecwaterwells.com/index.php/maintainance/disinfection-and-testing is my favorite shocking/sanitizing method.
 

Qwertyjjj

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Possible. There are systems that drop a chlorine pellet down the casing based on water use to chlorinate on a continual basis. How would you get rid of the chlorine?

I have a "4 inch pump" in a 4 inch casing, so I cannot drop chlorine pellets to the bottom.

Is your sulfur smell on cold water too, or just hot?

http://www.moravecwaterwells.com/index.php/maintainance/disinfection-and-testing is my favorite shocking/sanitizing method.
I don't want to shock or sanitise though - that's a one off. I was looking for a way to occasionally chlorinate the water like pool or tap water bit still use it to shower, cook with etc.

Sulphur is cold only but I can barely smell anything most days. I think it's when the well is left stagnant for 1 week.
 

Reach4

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Is it possible to occasionally add chlorine tablets to the water as a maintenance rather than shock treating it?
Once per year vs occasionally... seems rather different to me.
Possible. There are systems that drop a chlorine pellet down the casing based on water use to chlorinate on a continual basis. How would you get rid of the chlorine?
I don't want to shock or sanitise though - that's a one off. I was looking for a way to occasionally chlorinate the water like pool or tap water bit still use it to shower, cook with etc.
I think to maintain a 0.5 to 3 ppm chlorine level coming into your house, you could not just drop big chlorinating slow-release pellets into the casing once per year. You would have to measure and adjust -- like people with pools do. You would need to use sensitive chlorine test paper and adjust your actions as you learn.

You are unlikely to be able to keep the level that tightly controlled, so a backwashing GAC tank is usually used to remove chlorine.

I suggested the sanitizing method, with the pH control and flooding volume, as a way to make sanitizing every year or two to be more effective than your prior efforts.
 

Qwertyjjj

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Possible. There are systems that drop a chlorine pellet down the casing based on water use to chlorinate on a continual basis. How would you get rid of the chlorine?

I have a "4 inch pump" in a 4 inch casing, so I cannot drop chlorine pellets to the bottom.

Is your sulfur smell on cold water too, or just hot?

http://www.moravecwaterwells.com/index.php/maintainance/disinfection-and-testing is my favorite shocking/sanitizing method.
I should add that we live near a small river/stream and have a septic tank so I have nowhere to really dump the chlorinated water after 24hrs of shocking. 2 years ago I just emptied everything into the septic tank but neither is ideal as emptying it into the land results in it entering the river.
 

Reach4

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I should add that we live near a small river/stream and have a septic tank so I have nowhere to really dump the chlorinated water after 24hrs of shocking. 2 years ago I just emptied everything into the septic tank but neither is ideal as emptying it into the land results in it entering the river.

This is just talking about the sanitizing.

You are right about the septic. I will be very careful to limit how much goes into my septic tank. I will empty the well to the ditch. I have a small utility pump that I expect to press into service for when I drain the chlorine from the water heater. I could just use well water to flush that through, but it seems to me that running the maybe 50 ppm water I plan to fill the WH with could go directly without doing a longer mixed water flush. I may or may not pump water to the ditch from the laundry tub after running a chlorinated wash cycle... over-cautious, but I have the pump and hose anyway. However the septic tank can deal with some bleach. https://www.clorox.com/dr-laundry/septic-tanks-and-bleach/

It is not good for grass, but some people have a ditch which is not quite grass-- often just weeds. Any chlorine entering the river would become diluted very quickly in the river, presuming the river flows.

Back to your main topic... If you had a 6 inch casing, you might be able to drop a couple 1 inch slow-release pool tablets to the bottom. Then watch your water with a chlorine test sensitive to 0.25 ppm chlorine to make sure that you are getting some chlorine but making sure you don't get excessive chlorine. With 5 inch casing, it seems to me that the tablets are much less likely to make it to the bottom, and they may not make it with 6 inch. Very experimental I think. And certainly up to professional standards.
 
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