Iron bacteria

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NeilDavid

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This is my first time posting. Recently installed a shallow well down to about 15 feet. Directly on a river bank. Water comes out tinted and then after 20 minutes or so in a bucket it turns into orange sludge. If I go deeper will this fix the problem or do I need to get a certain variety of filter that will take care of this problem? Thank you
 

Reach4

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I don't know the answer to your questions, but I don't think fast effect you see is from bacteria. Iron bacteria are usually slow.

Could this be clay settling in the bucket? Try running water from the well onto the ground for a while to let stuff wash out. See if that gives clearer water.

Is this water for your house use? It can be treated. A drilled deep well will tap into deeper water, which could have more or less iron.
 
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NeilDavid

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I don't know the answer to your questions, but I don't think fast effect you see is not from bacteria. Iron bacteria are usually slow.

Could this be clay settling in the bucket? Try running water from the well onto the ground for a while to let stuff wash out. See if that gives clearer water.

Is this water for your house use? It can be treated. A drilled deep well will tap into deeper water, which could have more or less iron.
It's for our camper. I let the water run through a hose a hose for an hour. It runs through the faucet clearish. After ten minutes the sink is stained red. Very sandy soil. It may have been longer in the bucket.
 

NeilDavid

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I looked up an image of iron bacteria and it is exactly what it looks like.
 

Reach4

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Consider this experiment. If you stir a tablespoon of chlorine bleach into a gallon of water fresh from the well, that will stop bacteria. If the formation of the precipitate speeds up, then the rust colored precipitate is from oxidation.
 

NeilDavid

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Consider this experiment. If you stir a tablespoon of chlorine bleach into a gallon of water fresh from the well, that will stop bacteria. If the formation of the precipitate speeds up, then the rust colored precipitate is from oxidation.
 

NeilDavid

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When I added bleach to the water it went from slightly tinted to dark orange. Not sure what to do now. I don't want to invest huge amounts of money for a couple uses a year.
 

Boycedrilling

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You have clear water iron. Also known as FERROUS iron. The iron is completely dissolved in the water and is clear. On exposure to oxygen, and chlorine is a very powerful oxygenating source, the iron is converted to FERRIC iron. This is what discolored the water.

It is very difficult to remove clear water or ferrous iron. Usually you will convert it to ferric iron so that it can be precipitated out.
 

Boycedrilling

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Now IRB, or iron reducing bacteria is a whole other thing. Iron bacteria live on the dissolved iron in water. They can produce slime and buildups of growth under water. Iron bacteria can many times be controlled with periodic applications of a sanitizing substance to a well. It might be vinegar, chlorine liquid or gas, carbon dioxide vapor or liquid, heat, or a number of other methods.
 

NeilDavid

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Well I'm hoping that by adding a couple more sections of pipe and going about 10 foot deeper that I can get into some perhaps better water. I just don't want to over death the power of my 3/4 horsepower pump the other people on the river near me that have shallow wells do not seem to have this issue. So it might just be a depth thing. At least that's my hope.
 
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