Cleaning spin down filter once A WEEK

[Paul R Gesche]

My well has gone for long periods without the need, until the last month or so, to clean my spin down filter located in my crawl space under the house. I am not sure if my well is filling up with sand or if this is normal. I have had the well since 2004. I am not experienced in wells. Here are the specs though: Well depth: 180 ft., Type: Mud Rotary, Casing 4" PVC to 160 ft depth, Screen: .012 PVC, Static water level: 120 ft, Artificial Filter 150 -180 ft, Well grouted? yes - Neat cement. Perhaps I need a larger filter. Just worried that something may be happening to my well. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
Paul

 

[Valveman]

You may have a hole in the pipe at the pump, the pump could be cycling too much, or you may have a well screen problem. Any of those things could stir up more sediment. Bigger filter is just a Bandaid. You need to figure out the real problem.

I would try pumping the well hard for a few hours.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reach4]

If your spindown filter does not feed one of your outside spigots, use that spigot for working the pump hard.

What does the filter collect, sand?

Maybe add a Twist II Clean filter earlier in an easier-to-access spot. http://www.twistiiclean.com/ Does it freeze there?

 

[PumpMd]

Open up a faucet and go to where your pressure tank & pressure switch is located to see if your pressure switch is turning on/off rapidly.

 

[Paul R Gesche]

Thanks for your replies. Yes my filter is full of sand. My well guy said to go the well, shut off the water supply to the house and see if the pump is recycling. He said if it did, it was most likely the check valve. No it did not recycle at all after turning the water supply to the house. Waited for ten minutes. I believe you are telling me to keep the water supply on and open a faucet and see if the pressure switch is turning on/off rapidly. Thanks, I will try that. I took a picture of my filter full of sand and another after cleaning it. That may help.

 

[Paul R Gesche]

Again, thank you for the tips. I had the well checked out. It seems that the bladder in my water tank is bad. They will have to replace the tank. To bad they just cant replace the bladder in the tank. I guess the sand filling my filter was a good thing as left alone my pump would burn out.
The pump house was built when the house was built in'04. Will have to take the roof off to replace the tank. No hooks were installed on the roof to lift it off. I will contact a carpenter to install some large hooks or eyes to remove roof. It appears this will have to be reinforced as the roof is extremely heavy. Another new experience to fill up my day . Thanks again.
PS any tips on taking off the punp house roof would be appreciated.

 

[Cacher_Chick]

You only need an access hatch in the roof about 12" x12". Anyone that does roofing can set that up for you.

 

[Paul R Gesche]

The tank that needs to be removed is much larger than that. I am guessing about 3' in diameter. But thank you for the tip.

 

[Valveman]

If you replace the tank with one of these you can just leave the old tank in there. Your old bladder broke from too much cycling, the sand is caused by even more cycling from the broken bladder. Isn't it time to eliminate the cycling?

 

[Paul R Gesche]

Interesting, tell me more about that very small tank! I have yet to see my pump cycling. How do I test for that?

 

[PumpMd]

What is your excuse on why a tank goes out on a CSV system?

 

[Valveman]

Interesting, tell me more about that very small tank! I have yet to see my pump cycling. How do I test for that?

When the bladder in the tank is good, the pump should cycle every minute or two. When the bladder is bad, the pump should cycle much faster. Turn on something small like a shower or kitchen sink (2-3 GPM) and time how long it takes for the pump to build pressure and shut off. Then time how long it takes for the pressure to drop and the pump to start.

The small tank in the picture is a 4.5 gallon size tank. When used with a CSV the water goes right past the tank to the faucet, so it doesn't matter if it is a 1 gallon or a million gallon tank. The CSV makes the amount coming from the pump match the amount being used, so there is no extra water to fill the tank and cause cycling. The only time the tank fills and the pump shuts off is when you stop using water. As long as you are using more than 1 GPM, the CSV keeps the pump running continuously, which is a good thing.

 

[Valveman]

What is your excuse on why a tank goes out on a CSV system?

Abrasives like sand in the tank, freezing, or just a bad tank design like those with bags instead of diaphragms.

 

[PumpMd]

This is what I think the problem was, Preventive Maintenance was never done on the tank to keep the proper Precharge in the tank, which caused the pump to short cycle and stirred the well up to pick of the abrasives, then your bladder got a hole in it from the abrasives.