Sand / sediment in water - need help resolving

[Pete147]

Hi all,

This is my first post and want to say that this forum has been tremendously useful. I built a new house and moved in last October and had a well drilled. The well is 300 feet deep, my submersible pump is 120 feet up from the bottom and the well produces a healthy 15 gpm. The issue is that I have hard water and noticed sand and large sediment particles. The budget was tight so unfortunately had to wait on getting a water softener and filtration system.

Fast forward to March (5 months after moving in) and the water pressure in my faucets diminished considerably. So I removed all aerators and sure enough had plenty of sediment in them. I then purchased a Fleck water softener and had it installed last month. I also purchased a Big Blue triple filtration system (20" x 4.5" filters - one of them being a 10 micron pleated sediment filter). Even after installing the filtration system over a month ago, I still see sand and sediment in the bath tub and in the aerators of the faucets - although not quite as much as before but it's still there. I called the company where I purchased the filtration system from and they said there was no way that large sand particles and sediment were getting through three of the filters.

I also ended up buying a Lakos Sandmaster and installed it between the well pump and the water expansion tank. A few days later, I still have some sand in the tub.

I called the well company who drilled my well and explained the situation and they said there is no way that sand and sediment is still getting through the sand separator and triple filtration system. Their conclusion is that my pipes likely still have some sediment in them. I figured after a month of use that they would've cleared themselves out but maybe that isn't the case.

So my question to the experts is - what do you think is going on? Is it likely residual sand and sediment that is trapped in the pipes that I'm seeing? How do I get rid of it? I've heard of back flushing and also flushing out the pipes with compressed air but admittedly know very little about this and how effective it is.

Please help. I keep spending money on this situation and I'm still not completely satisfied with the results. I've attached a couple pictures of my water system, a plugged aerator with large sediment and the bottom of the tub from last week. Thank you.

 

[Pete147]

 

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[Reach4]

So my question to the experts is - what do you think is going on? Is it likely residual sand and sediment that is trapped in the pipes that I'm seeing?

Pipes and WH I am thinking.

I am not an expert, but I have flushed my hot water tank. Impressive amount of dirt, sand, and small rock that got there before I added my filtering. Maybe your sand is being dispensed by the WH. Probably yours does not look like this one:

Flushing a WH is not just draining. You want to drain, and then cause water to spray in with a lot of turbulence. Drain. Spray water with turbulence. Repeat. It is useful to monitor what flushes out so you know when to stop.

 

[Pete147]

I have a Rinnai tankless water heater and have cleaned out the filter/screen inside of it a few different times so I'm confident the water heater should be clean. So does it sounds like I still may have residual sand/sediment in the pipes throughout the house? So how do I best go about clearing them out?

 

[Valveman]

I don't think anything could be getting past those filters. So the lines are probably half full of sand. You have to get the velocity up to get the lines cleaned out. I would disconnect the line on the house side of the filters, and blow air back through each faucet to clean the lines. You can use a Schrader valve like goes into a tubeless tire. Hold the rubber end up to the open faucet and blow air back towards the filters. With only one faucet open at at time, the air velocity should be enough to blow the sediment back out the open line after the filter.

 

[Pete147]

Thanks valveman - that is helpful. In a typical 2.5 bath home, how many hours do you think a plumber would require to flush out the lines? I'm trying to estimate the cost. Also - it wasn't mentioned, all of my piping is PEX; not sure if that tends to hold more sediment than copper, doubtful, but wanted to mention that just in case.

 

[Valveman]

Air will clean them out pretty quick. You just have to get the velocity of air or water fast enough to move the sand out. Otherwise the sand just stays in the bottom of the pipe and the water gently flows over the top of it and takes a little with it to your faucets. If you can get good air flow, it only takes about 10 seconds to blow the sand out of each line.

 

[Pete147]

Awesome - thanks for the info! I'll give my plumber a call.

 

[Craigpump]

Sand is going to accumulate at the shoulders of the fittings when PEX is used, so you're going to have to get really good flow to create turbulence to get that stuff flushed out.

 

[Pete147]

Thanks Craigpump - that makes sense. So as recommended in a prior post, it sounds like flushing the lines with compressed air would be the most effective solution?

 

[Craigpump]

Air and water.

Too late now but I would have have gone with a Lakos Sub K that installs over the pump.

 

[Pete147]

Air and water.

Too late now but I would have have gone with a Lakos Sub K that installs over the pump.

I thought about that but wanted a DIY project and the Sandmaster was more straight forward. I've been thinking about putting a sock over my pump. My well water installer quoted me $500 which seems a little crazy.

 

[Craigpump]

A sock?

The downside to the Sandmaster is that the sand is abrasive and will eventually eat through the housing. The pvc Sub K seems to be more abrasion resistant.

 

[Pete147]

I'm assuming the sand separator even with the sand spinning and hitting the inside that it has to be good for at least a decade if not longer. The Sandmaster is coated in a durable paint what from I could tell.

Yeah, I thought a "sock" was funny. I believe it's a bag that the pump sits inside of. I asked my well company for the exact type and model of sock so I can read up on it but haven't heard back yet. Not sure if it's something like this:

http://www.wackywillysweb.com/proddetail.php?prod=SubmersibleSumpPumpFilterBag

 

[Valveman]

I'm assuming the sand separator even with the sand spinning and hitting the inside that it has to be good for at least a decade if not longer. The Sandmaster is coated in a durable paint what from I could tell.

Yeah, I thought a "sock" was funny. I believe it's a bag that the pump sits inside of. I asked my well company for the exact type and model of sock so I can read up on it but haven't heard back yet. Not sure if it's something like this:

http://www.wackywillysweb.com/proddetail.php?prod=SubmersibleSumpPumpFilterBag

Yeah a sock is not a good idea for a well pump. If the sock is needed and catches debris, it will get clogged up and stave the pump for water. Pumps don't last long when the suction is restricted.

 

[PumpMd]

I have seen a Pantyhose used before but never a sock.