well water discoloration

Users who are viewing this thread

cjreed

New Member
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
USA
Hi,

I just built an ice skating rink for my kids, and filled the rink with water this afternoon. I ran the water for about 1 hour out of the garden hose. This evening my wife ran a bath for the kids and the water is discolored like a very diluted tea color. (and yes, it was that way before the kids got in. :)

I figure, that from running the well filling up the rink, this did something to discolor the water? Did I run the well low, or damage the pump or liner? The pump is only two years old this Thanksgiving. We have about three inches of snow on the ground and it has been melting over the last few days, and we've had some rain this afternoon too. Don't know if this is the problem, but it seems that there is a connection between me running the well since I've never have discolored water until tonight.

Anyway, and thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks, CJ
 

Waterwelldude

Well driller,pump repair. and septic installer
Messages
303
Reaction score
1
Points
0
Location
Texas
From my experience, this is not a big deal. The amount of water you used for the rink, changed the normal coarse of the water flow.

All you did was knock some minerals off the pipes when the water went back to its normal flow.
It should clear up in a few minutes or an hour or so.

I don't think you have anything to worry about.



Travis
 

cjreed

New Member
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
USA
From my experience, this is not a big deal. The amount of water you used for the rink, changed the normal coarse of the water flow.

All you did was knock some minerals off the pipes when the water went back to its normal flow.
It should clear up in a few minutes or an hour or so.

I don't think you have anything to worry about.



Travis

Thanks for your reply Travis. This morning we're still getting the discoloration. It's the same very diluted tea color. We've used the shower several times, flushed toilets as normal and it appears to be the same color. I'll give it a few days to clear, and then I'll start getting concerned.

What are the signs of a low well? Would the water become discolored? The well is about 15 years old, the pump is two years old.
 

Stonecutter

Natural Stone
Messages
20
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Maryland
Website
pages.areaguides.com
CJ,

I get that kind of discoloration often after using a lot of water. My well is deep, around 600' IIRC. It is drilled this deep in order to create a reservoir to compensate for a very low groundwater output.

I had my pump replaced a couple years back, and watched the well guys. The amount of rust looking sediment on the upper 100 to 150 feet of pipe was pretty gross. The well guys acted like this was pretty typical in a steel casing deep well.

Anyway, I attribute the colored water after high usage to this sediment on the walls of the well & drop line becoming dislodged as the water level goes up & down.
 

cjreed

New Member
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
USA
Stonecutter,
your problem is more than likely caused by the water being lowered in the well deeper than usual. Every household has a certain amount of regular water use. Durring this time the drawdown in the well will be within a certain amount of feet. Beyond that footage you have alot of imineral that can build up on the inside walls of the casing and the rock. If you drawdown the water deeper than the level that is normal for your water usage, a lot of that mi neral will drop into the water, causing the discoloration.

In order for the water to clear, you would need to let the well recover after the heavy usage and then run it again at the same rate. You may have to do it a few times but it should eventualy clear up. If not, you may have other issues with the well, such as an undeveloped seem or a bad grout seal.

aquaman

Thanks guys. The water did clear, and just as you said aquaman, it cleared after I ran the well the following to fill the rink some more.
 

Nofears67

New Member
Messages
186
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Possibly the large demand to fill the ice rink lowered the level of your well down such that water was cascading down the casing. This cascading of water could either stir up sediment at the bottom of the well or break off particles of rust, etc from the casing as it dropped down the well.

Either scenario (or both) would contribute to your issue. Try running your well off to atmosphere at a normal rate (5-10 gpm) to see if this helps remove the suspended particles and colored water from your well.

BTW, what are your normal pump well demands and what rate do you think you were running while filling the rink and for how long?

Can you listen to see if water is cascading down your casing?
 
Top
Hey, wait a minute.

This is awkward, but...

It looks like you're using an ad blocker. We get it, but (1) terrylove.com can't live without ads, and (2) ad blockers can cause issues with videos and comments. If you'd like to support the site, please allow ads.

If any particular ad is your REASON for blocking ads, please let us know. We might be able to do something about it. Thanks.
I've Disabled AdBlock    No Thanks