Well sediment issue...maybe

[Uncle Redhead]

I have a 305 foot, 20 gpm 6" drilled well with an 80 ft casing. Submersible in the hole. Lived in the house 3 years and during that time I have changed out the 5 micron whole house 10" filter about once every 6 months. Just in the past week or so I am getting a lot more sediment. Usually I get a black mica looking coarser sediment in the bottom of the housing with a tan colored light coating of "mud" on the filter itself. Great tasting water with very little iron. The black material is also common since most of the wells here are in rock. The new coarse sediment is white quartz sand with some thin layers of the black material. No real increase in the mud looking stuff so far. This winter/spring we have had a lot of rain with some gully washers lately. I am friends with the previous owner and he told me something similar happened about 5 years ago, lots of rain, well level rose way up. He raised the pump 10 feet and that took care of it. My first thought is wait a few weeks and see if it slows down, maybe the rains have done something. I took a water sample from the outside hose spigot upstream of the filter a week ago and you could see visible sediment. Took one yesterday and almost no sediment. Seems to come and go. I have a small 25 gallon pressure tank which has never been drained since I have been here. So is giving it some time a good plan for now? Other than raising the pump is there anything that can be done like sucking the sediment out of the well even though eventually it may return. I could get a better filter system but what about all the sediment going through the pump, is that bad? Thanks for any help.

 

[Reach4]

I have a small 25 gallon pressure tank which has never been drained since I have been here.

Do that now.

So for the well, I don't know. Do you get the well cleaned out, raise the pump another 10 or 20 ft? Put in a TwistIIclean filter in front of your cartridge, put in a PVC liner, put in a Lakos Sub-K? I don't know. I would probably go with the TwistIIclean after the pressure tank and before the cartridge filter for now. I would wait to see if things settle down. If you ever do pull the pump, I would put a flow inducer sleeve on the pump, unless you went with the superior sub-k.

The sand may be coming from above or to the side of the pump. The Sub-K or flow inducer sleeve can protect you from that. Plus it makes the pump motor run significantly cooler.

If the increased sand persists, maybe one the more intense cures would be needed. I would start with the TwistIIclean for now.

For removing accumulated sand from a deep well, you use a high CFM (maybe 275) compressor blowing air down some PVC pipe. The debris comes up like a geyser. Budget maybe $1000 in addition to the other services being performed. If the static level was high enough, a DIY air lift pump could lift sand with time. However I suspect your static level is not high enough. They need an appreciable amount of the lifting to be through standing water.

I am not a pro. I only know what I read.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Uncle Redhead]

Thanks for the reply. Lots of useful info.

 

[LLigetfa]

Having a 6 inch bore allows for a flow inducer sleeve which could help if the sand comes in from above. Make the sleeve extra long so that it goes well past the end of the motor. Probably not worth the effort if only needing to change the filter twice a year. While you say the last two weeks produce a lot more sediment, you don't say how much more. If it means changing the filter 4 or even 12 times a year, it is still cheaper than pulling the pump.

If raising the pump the first time actually solved it and wasn't just apophenia then that suggests an accumulation below the pump. You did not provide details as to the depth the pump is set to or the static water level so not sure raising it again is the best course of action. To air lift out the accumulation from a 6 inch or larger bore hole takes a lot of CFM.

Some folks make their own sand separator from a galvanized HP tank where the water goes in the high side port and exits the top. Periodically they purge the tank by opening the bottom draincock.

Slowing down the GPM of the pump is another possibility to reduce sediment uptake. That can be done with a dole valve. Another possibility is to use a CSV to reduce the pumping rate closer to the draw rate.

 

[Uncle Redhead]

Don't know the depth of the pump or the static water level. The info I had came from the well head tag. It do have a registration number which maybe I can get more info with. I have a 10" valve in head watts clear filter housing (I love this thing as it is easy to open, beefy, and has on, off, bypass mode) with a 5 micron blown polyethylene filter in it. After a week I have about 1/2" of sediment now in the bottom accumulated and whatever is in the filter although it does not look real dirty. The problem does not seem to be getting worse. I have been monitoring what happens during certain usage and it appears when the pump has to cycle more say when washing clothes or taking a shower it draws more sediment. When it only cycles once and no more it draws very little sediment. At this rate I figure my filter will go a month...maybe more...maybe less I am not an expert. Filters cost me 3-4 bucks and very easy to install. As I said the material in the filter is more white now where as in the past it was black when I was changing the filter once every six months. My hopeful logic here is a new fissure is dumping stuff in my well since the water table has risen a lot and maybe when it drys out it will go away. My fear part is the well has filled with the white sand like material which is heavier than the black stuff and I am pulling it up as the pump runs. Can any of you guys tell me the mechanics of the well and casing. In my area there is a layer of dirt/clay/decomposed rock and then hard solid rock. All I see on top of the ground is a white 6" pipe well head. What happens beyond this? I know the tag says casing is 80 feet which in my mind says they run this until they get to hard rock. Thanks guys.

 

[Uncle Redhead]

Oh when the guy raised the pump he said he was changing his filter out every week and there had been a lot of rain.

 

[Uncle Redhead]

And another thing which may have to do with how they construct wells in my area which is mountainous. The well water is drawn from a fissure or fissures in the rock. You can drill a well around here and get no water. They do hydrofracture around here sometimes if people can't find water. The guy drilled my well 800 feet from my house and down the hill as there was another well for the neighboring property 100 feet away. When they hit water for the neighboring property I was told it shoot out of the ground (is that possible?)

 

[Valveman]

Yep. A pressurize aquifer will squirt water up when you hit it. Turns into an Artesian well.

 

[Atomic1]

One other thing that can happen is if the check valve at the pump starts to fail and you get backflow, it can stir things up. But if the previous owner is saying this temporarily happened in the past, it sounds more geological.

 

[Atomic1]

This is a good read as well https://www.des.nh.gov/organization/commissioner/pip/factsheets/dwgb/documents/dwgb-3-14.pdf

 

[LLigetfa]

A well that has a propensity to make sediment will make more sediment when the pump cycles a lot such as when you use more water. Reducing the cycling by reducing the flow rate with a CSV can help reduce sediment.

 

[Uncle Redhead]

Thanks for all the replies. I will let everyone know what the final outcome is. I am in wait and see mode with the sediment. With the 5 micron filter it seems the larger sediment just falls to the bottom of the housing (I guess). Looks like I am getting more of that than really fine sediment that gets in the filter. Kinda looks like a layer cake with white and small zones of black. I have clay soil here so this stuff must be coming from the deep rock. It seems the latest stuff now if mixed and bigger particles. After almost 2 weeks it is about 3/4"-1" deep in the bottom of the housing. Not getting any worse but not getting any better. I do have a serious issue with several 12" pine trees that are very close to the well head on one side. Need to cut these down ASAP.

 

[Uncle Redhead]

Here is what the sediment looks like

 

[Reach4]

Kinda pretty sediment strata if it were not causing you grief.

You could probably benefit from an easy-clean filter before the cartridge filter, such as the TwistIIClean or Filtri Hydra. https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?threads/deleted.69063/#post-512522

 

[Valveman]

Tree roots get into everything.

 

[Uncle Redhead]

I use it for my salt and pepper shakers I guess the pines were not that big back in 2000 when the well was drilled. They are only 15 feet away.....not good! I read about the TwistIIClean and some folks had issues with parts breaking. There is another one out there that was brass and that looked more durable but it may have issues too. Kinda crazy how I get the layers. Having a time getting a spare O Ring for this Watts Model PWORVIHHSG housing. It is more a commercial grade but I love it. Just has a weird O-Ring size and I may just need to measure and order one that way from an O-Ring store. I like having spare parts before I need them especially if they are a bear to get.

 

[Reach4]

Having a time getting a spare O Ring for this Watts Model PWORVIHHSG housing.

I don't find a reference to your model number. Do you have a URL?

Also, see https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?threads/atlas-filtri-hydra-video.69789/

 

[Uncle Redhead]

That was actually the O-Ring model number. Sorry. The filter housing model is a Watts PWHIB34VIH.

 

[Reach4]

That was actually the O-Ring model number. Sorry. The filter housing model is a Watts PWHIB34VIH.

I think that has a valve in the head, which I interpreted as a shutoff and not a bypass.

Could it be the same as the one used on 4 inch Pentek Big Blue housings?

Pentek O-ring 151122
Culligan OR-100
Ace Hardware 4001756 http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1275796
Ace Hardware 49561
American Plumber W 10-OR and 152032. 151122, UPC 33663005082, OR-100.
approximately 5.465 inch (inside diameter).​

 

[Uncle Redhead]

Yea its got a shutoff and bypass in the head. I got some O-Rings on order through Watts but it will be a few weeks. They were noted as "made to order" in their catalog. That's pretty strange. I need to measure one if nothing else. It is a pretty beefy housing and never had an issue getting it open after relieving pressure. Some other ones out there can be a bear.