Gravel Question for Well Liner

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John B H

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I need to put a 4" liner in an old 7" casing. I was told to put pea gravel between them up to about 5 ft from the top and finish with bentonite. My question is can I use crushed stone or does it have to be a rounded pea gravel. If crushed stone (clean limestone) is ok, what size shoud I use.
 

Reach4

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What size slots will your liner use?

Pea gravel would be much courser than what I suspect you would want to use.

Your liner will normally be below the pitless adapter.

What was your motivation for getting the liner? Sand, fine sediment, well collapsing?

I am not a pro, but I think your answers could be useful by the pros to answer your question.
 

Valveman

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You need gravel with uniformity. It needs to be sized large enough not to go through the screen or perf. But it needs to be small enough to make a media filter out of and catch the sand. Pea gravel will not stop the sand.
 

shane21

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While I am not familiar with the well construction rules in anywhere near every state, I am familiar with a a few of them and requirements for well liners I am familiar with generally indicate using enough bentonite, or some other approved grouting material, to make sure you are preventing non potable water from entering your well - and more specifically the surrounding ground water table.

If you have a hole in the 7" well casing, or the integrity of that well casing has been compromised in some other way, that is allowing surface water to enter then you want to seal that compromised section of the 7" well casing off with bentonite or some type of approved grout if possible. Do you happen to have a copy of the original well drilling log or report? If I, or maybe other people on this forum in the well drilling industry, knew the construction and formation of that original well it would be hugely beneficial for giving you helpful recommendations.
 

John B H

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The well is an old farm well about 30 ft deep. I'm planning on slotting some pvc pipe .060" for the liner/screen. I can get 3/8" crushed limestone, clean, locally.
My question is can I use crushed stone. Yes, I will put bentonite in the top few feet.
 

Reach4

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The well is an old farm well about 30 ft deep. I'm planning on slotting some pvc pipe .060" for the liner/screen. I can get 3/8" crushed limestone, clean, locally.
My question is can I use crushed stone. Yes, I will put bentonite in the top few feet.

  1. 0.06 is on the large side.
  2. gravel for well screens is much finer than what you picture when you hear the word "gravel". The right stuff will usually look more like course sand.
  3. You might look into stainless steel "screens" made for the purpose.
  4. I don't know about limestone as a material. I would think it could dissolve away with time.
  5. What was your motivation for getting the liner? Sand, fine sediment, well collapsing?
 
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