Deep well iron problem

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mot9112

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Our well was drilled in 2003.
840 ft. deep
Pump set at 560 ft.
4.5 inch PVC casing
1.5inch PVC schedule 120 pipe
Lab tested the well - Pure water, PH 8.2 no iron – just good drinking water.
Only issue in the past was hydrogen sulfide smell under high usage during summer watering season. We chlorinate the well a couple times a year. Testing for bacterial show negative results.

Over the years we have had a couple tanks fail, start capacitor, pressure switch and this last time we had a broken PVC pipe a few feet above the pump. On recommendation from the service company the PVC was changed to 1.5 inch galvanized pipe because of the PVC crack.

Since the well was repaired we have had terrible problems with Iron in the water.
If we open a hose and flush about 100 gallons then no iron is detected. After a couple days and the iron is back.

We bought a lab iron kit and we can watch the iron climb from 0 – 0.6 scale on the kit. The water starts smelling, has a greenish haze and the taste is bad. Flush about 100 gallons through the system (3-4 pump cycles) and all is good.

Until we put the steel pipe in we haven’t seen this iron problem. I would assume that for many years steel galvanized pipe has been use with water with no problems.

It’s $7000 to change the pipe back to PVC and that’s a lots not knowing for sure that will fix this problem. To top this off the local guy is trying to sell us an $5000 Iron filter system.

I am at wits end on what to do.
Any advice?
 

Reach4

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I like my iron filter, and it removes sulfur and iron. It uses Centaur Carbon. It knocks out my 4 PPM of iron. It did wonders with the sulfur smell and colors.

That bit about switching to galvanized is sad. $7000 sound like a lot. It may be overpriced or you may have big house. Check a plumber or two. Also PEX is often used today. You would not have the pipe changed to PVC but to CPVC maybe. I will PM you.
 

Craigpump

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A couple of tanks in 11 years? Something is wrong there. What type/brand/size tank are they installing? If you had a galvanized tank with an air maker/ air volume control your H2S smell might go away.

$7000.00 to pull and replace the steel pipe with sch 120 PVC is highway robbery, is this guy related to Jesse James?

We dont run a lot of 1.25 PVC so I'm not current on the price, BUT, 1.25 galv lists for about $6.00 a foot around here, so you would be looking at about $3300 for steel and PVC is less expensive than steel. Labor to pull and set 560' should be 4-5 hours max, so maybe a $1000.00 for labor plus the hoist truck at $750.00. Throw in 1/2 dozen torque arrestors, splice kits and tape, you should be in the $5300.00 range for steel. PVC would be substantially less.

As for Pex and CPVC, forget that idea. Pex doesn't have anywhere near the integrity to suspend a pump in a well, (although I have seen it done) & CPVC is a light, thin wall material used for indoor plumbing.
 
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mot9112

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Thanks,
I felt it was on the high side.
I guess one of the questions I keep going back to in my head is galvanized steel shouldn’t be giving a neutral PH water an iron problem. Or am I wrong? It’s the only change we can see.

I am not good chemistry but I have seen galvanized steel pipe with water systems for years. Again thank you for your thoughts.
 

Reach4

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pH 8.4 is not neutral. It is somewhat alkaline. That would go with less rusting than neutral.

Pop. You are referring to galvanized steel inside the well! I was thinking you meant through the house; it was late. I think you need the steel pipe for strength. I think that a couple big blue housings would help with sediment and ferric iron=rust. The water softener with some cleaning and often-enough regens should take care of your iron in the house. Even better would be a front-end backwashing filter, such as I PMed you about. That would take care of the sulfur smell too. A backwashing filter can take out stuff mechanically in addition to the things it deals with chemically. I follow my backwashing filter with a 50...5 micron spun polypropylene filter element and a 1 micron wound element. It is probably overkill after the backwashing filter.

Greenish haze ..... now that is something else. I have no clue what that could be. Do you maybe run your water through pipe or a tank where light can penetrate and grow algae? That seems unlikely.

I am a homeowner with a well.
 
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