Water rusty and full of sediment after new submersable well pump was installed

[rob742]

My home is 12 years old. I live in a rural area and so I have a well and a pressure tank in my crawl space. My water pressure was low so I had a plumber come out to investigate. He found the pressure tank was bad. So it was replaced. Then he found the well pump was kicking out and the thermal was tripping on the motor. He said it went bad because of the bad pressure tank. He replaced the well pump but he cut 15 ' off the hose and wiring to the new pump because the 15' of wiring was going bad insulation was coming off. My well is 290' deep. So he said this would not make any difference. After the well pump was installed and I turned on the bathtub and sink faucet, I noticed rust color water and fine black pieces of sediment coming out of the faucets. This had never happened in the 12 years I have lived in this home. He told me that by pulling the old pump out and installing the new pump it had stirred up much sediment and scraped sediment from the casing . He told me not to run the water for 2 days and the sediment would settle, It has been 2 days and it is exactly the same rust and sediment. AS I said for 12 years I have had clear water with no sediment. What could have happened? Should I run the outside garden faucet until the water clears up?It has already cost me so much money to replace the pressure tank and well pump. I am having an anxiety attack thinking of what he will tell me next. I don't think I now need a filter but now I am worried that is what he will tell me. How can water be clear one day and then the next day be rust colored and full of fine black sediment? It should have gotten better with a new pump and a new pressure tank.

 

[LLigetfa]

It is fairly common to reverse the wire after pulling the pump. By reverse, I mean top to bottom.

The new pump may be moving more GPM than the old one was and that in and of itself could churn up some crud. Start slow and increase the flow on your outside hosebibs until it runs clear.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[rob742]

It is fairly common to reverse the wire after pulling the pump. By reverse, I mean top to bottom.

The new pump may be moving more GPM than the old one was and that in and of itself could churn up some crud. Start slow and increase the flow on your outside hosebibs until it runs clear.


hi LLigetfa, Thanks for your reply. I dont follow what you meant about reversing the wire, The pump has a 240volt single phase motor. Are you referring to this. The original motor had a red ,black and green ground wire. The new motor had 2 black wires and the green ground. Is your reference to these wires on the motor. Since the plumber cut about 15 feet of hose and wire off the original pump,the new pump is 15 feet higher from the bottom of the well. I would think it is further away from the sludge at the bottom of the well. I did notice the 280 foot hose that connects to the pump was coated with iron rust, But this had been this way for some time and I never had sediment and rusty water before. I will do as you suggested and turn on the outside hose bib and hope it runs clear. I am going to shock treat the well with chlorine tablets. BuT i am thinking I should wait until this issue is resolved first.

Thanks for your Ideas Rob

 

[Cacher_Chick]

Shocking the well will make it appear even worse. Sometimes the pump needs to run for a few days to really flush out the solids that are suspended in the well.

 

[Craigpump]

Cacher is right, it will go away, but it is difficult to predict how long it will take. Every well is different.

What happens is that when the water rises and falls during the wells usage, oxidation is created. This oxidation is disturbed when the pump is pulled and replaced. Having the pump hung on poly pipe or hose can scrape or disturb even more stuff due the curl in the pipe. Adding chlorine will further oxidize the iron making it seem even worse. I don't know about Pa law & code, but state law in Ct requires the installer to chlorinate the well after servicing it. Just imagine all the bacteria that 280' of pipe picked laying on the ground!!!!

Cutting the bottom of the wire off tells me the pump didn't have the proper protection to keep it from torquing when it started and stopped. Reversing the wire is a half assed way of doing the job, but I suppose there are some out there who do it......

 

[rob742]

Cacher is right, it will go away, but it is difficult to predict how long it will take. Every well is different.

What happens is that when the water rises and falls during the wells usage, oxidation is created. This oxidation is disturbed when the pump is pulled and replaced. Having the pump hung on poly pipe or hose can scrape or disturb even more stuff due the curl in the pipe. Adding chlorine will further oxidize the iron making it seem even worse. I don't know about Pa law & code, but state law in Ct requires the installer to chlorinate the well after servicing it. Just imagine all the bacteria that 280' of pipe picked laying on the ground!!!!

Cutting the bottom of the wire off tells me the pump didn't have the proper protection to keep it from torquing when it started and stopped. Reversing the wire is a half assed way of doing the job, but I suppose there are some out there who do it......

 

[rob742]

There are only 2 wires to the pump and the ground wire. Are you talking about switching the wires that goes to the pump on the pressure switch on the pressure tank?

 

[rob742]

Cacher is right, it will go away, but it is difficult to predict how long it will take. Every well is different.

What happens is that when the water rises and falls during the wells usage, oxidation is created. This oxidation is disturbed when the pump is pulled and replaced. Having the pump hung on poly pipe or hose can scrape or disturb even more stuff due the curl in the pipe. Adding chlorine will further oxidize the iron making it seem even worse. I don't know about Pa law & code, but state law in Ct requires the installer to chlorinate the well after servicing it. Just imagine all the bacteria that 280' of pipe picked laying on the ground!!!!

Cutting the bottom of the wire off tells me the pump didn't have the proper protection to keep it from torquing when it started and stopped. Reversing the wire is a half assed way of doing the job, but I suppose there are some out there who do it......

I plan on shocking the well but I need this rust and sediment to go away first.

 

[Craigpump]

You mean the plumber didn't chlorinate the well when he was done?

Don't be surprised if the water turns rusty looking when you "shock" the well.

 

[JohnjH2o1]

You mean the plumber didn't chlorinate the well when he was done?

Don't be surprised if the water turns rusty looking when you "shock" the well.

I know just what your thinking Craig. (dam plumbers)

John

 

[rob742]

Hi everyone, I still need an explanation about what reversing the wire means. Can someone please explain this? I have also now noticed on the hose going to the old pump are some round white plastic pieces close to the old pump. Are these for torque reduction. When he cut the 15' of hose and wiring to the old pump he did not remove these white plastic pieces and put them on the hose near to the new pump. Could this be a problem? This plumber had every tool and part in his truck and says he has been in business for 26 years and has done many pump replacements. On his business card the first topic is 24/7 pump service-Well, septic and sump.
But now I don't know what to do if the water does not clear up? I am afraid he is going to tell me the well is the problem and I need to buy a filter. But the water was clear until he changed the pump.

 

[rob742]

Hi everyone what does reversing the wire mean? Is this done on the pressure switch on the pressure Tank?

 

[rob742]

I also noticed that when he cut the 15' of hose and bad wiring going to the old pump there were some round pieces of white plastic rings on the hose next to the pump and another a few feet further away. He did not install these on the hose going to the new pump. Does anyone know the function of these? Could they be for torque reduction? He has been in business since 1987. On his business card the first entry is 24/7 Pump service-Well, Septic &Sump . He has a A+ rating with the BBB. I am afraid if the water does not clear up he will tell me it is a problem with my well. Then he will try to tell me I need a filter. But This is a new construction house that I have lived in for 12 years and I have had no problems.
The water has always been clear even after I have shock treated the well over the years. It just became dirty after he put the new pump in. I don't know what to do. He had just told me to not run water for 48 hours and it should clear up. But it is still not clear

 

[LLigetfa]

Reversing means flipping it end for end, so what was at the bottom is now at the top. We are talking about the section of wire that is down the hole.

 

[Craigpump]

@ John, I know some plumbers that know their pump work. I wasnt demeaning plumbers at all.

I wonder are the tools he used on your water pump the same ones he uses for septic work? Hopefully he sterilized them?

The white plastic things you saw are called wire guides, basically they keep the wire from rubbing on the wall of the well and getting bare spots. They do nothing to stabilize the pump in the well though.

Flipping the wire from end to end is a cheap ass way of doing things IMO.

I suppose there are two schools of thought, running the water vs letting it sit. I advise people to run the water 15 minutes and off for an hour to clear sediment and chlorine. It may take a few days for the water to clear, be patient.

 

[VAWellDriller]

I'm with Craig, you need to run the well to clear it.....letting it sit will do nothing, as you are experiencing. Flush as much as the well can produce if you know the yield. It will clear.

 

[rob742]

Hi, I had run water until it became clear. But now when I turn on two faucets in house the water pressure drops way down. What could be the problem now?

 

[LLigetfa]

If you have any inline filters, they probably need to be backwashed or replaced. If the pressure drop is only on the hot water, suspect the heat traps are sticking.

 

[Craigpump]

What did your plumber say about the pressure drop?

 

[rob742]

he said my acid neutralizer was probably clogged and I should try putting it in backwash. I tried backwashing but it did not work. Plumber told me to try it a couple of more times. He said if this did not work whole tank would have to be emptied and refilled.