Cloudy well water

[dennis t]

we have a drilled well about 200 ft deep. the well was installed 2007 but wasn't used much until 2014. For the last three years the water has been cloudy. I contacted the company that drilled the well, and was told to flush the well for a few hours which cleared it up. then a week later it was cloudy again. I was told to run it for a day , then 2 days, but a week later it was cloudy again. I've been flushing it once a week into a plastic 5 gal pail. It takes about an hour to run clear. That was for 2 years , then it was every day for a hour . Now its twice a day. The cloudiness seems to be from clay , but i get some sand in the bottom of the pail. I installed 2 filters the first one is a 2x10 1 micron it stops the sand . the second one is a 4x10 .5 micron it slows down the clay but doesn't stop it. My question is do you think it could be a cracked casing? the well is a 9 inch PVC outer casing, and the iner is a 5 inch

 

[Valveman]

That clay is so fine it is hard to filter. I don't think the casing is cracked. Sometimes the well needs to be surged up and down to wash off clay like that. So you may need to run it on a timer for a while where it comes on for say 30 minutes and off for 30 minutes. Every time the water level comes back up in the well it washes off more of the clay from above. Hopefully it will clear up after a few days of this.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reach4]

Pour cloudy water into a glass jar. If the cloudiness rises with time, it is air bubbles. Seems unlikely that is what you have, but it is worth checking.

If cloudiness settles down overnight, it is probably filterable.

 

[dennis t]

That clay is so fine it is hard to filter. I don't think the casing is cracked. Sometimes the well needs to be surged up and down to wash off clay like that. So you may need to run it on a timer for a while where it comes on for say 30 minutes and off for 30 minutes. Every time the water level comes back up in the well it washes off more of the clay from above. Hopefully it will clear up after a few days of this.

T

That clay is so fine it is hard to filter. I don't think the casing is cracked. Sometimes the well needs to be surged up and down to wash off clay like that. So you may need to run it on a timer for a while where it comes on for say 30 minutes and off for 30 minutes. Every time the water level comes back up in the well it washes off more of the clay from above. Hopefully it will clear up after a few days of this.

thanks for the reply. I’ve talked to well driller about it and he said that the clay is glacial silt witch makes sense. What I’m worried about is the sand. It can’t be good for the pump. I get about a teaspoon or tablespoon every time that I run it for a hour.

 

[Reach4]

clay silt sand ... matter of particle size.

 

[Midriller]

Most of the time in Mi we have screened wells in Sand and gravel. A Bad pressure tank can pulsate your well and drive fines through the screen. Try checking the air on your pressure tank (Turn Off well, Drain all water and leave tap open, Air charge should be 2 lbs below Switch cut in, wait 5-10 mins. and recheck to see if air pressure drops if so Bad tank if not, fire well back up) Tank should feel empty and not hear any water This is where i would start.

Daniel Siebenaler
A+ Well Services
(269)350-4331