Shock the well - no where to pour it

   / Shock the well - no where to pour it #1  

Alan L.

Elite Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2000
Messages
3,227
Location
Grayson County, TX
Tractor
Kubota B2710
After 7 years with no problems I believe we have iron bacteria in our well water. The water smells like a cross between diesel and sewer and there is a brown slime in the toilet tanks. This starters a few weeks ago, since some big floods we had a few months back. The water got to within 20 feet or so of the wellhead but not up to it.

Anyway, seems the control is to shock the well with chlorine. However the top of my well has a steel plate on it and the weight of the 399 feet of pipe and pump are on top of this plate. The plate has a hole in the top, but the hole is pretty much filled with the big wire that goes down to the pump.

Bottom line, there is nowhere to pour chlorine down the well.

I was thinking of rigging something whereby I could pick up the column of pipe and pump with the FEL on my tractor. Just need a few inches to expose the top opening of the well casing. Has anyone done this? There are 19 sections of 1.5" galvanized pipe, with the pump and pump motor on the end, plus the weight of the wire. The well is 500' feet deep but the pump is at 399'. My B2710 FEL is rated 850 pounds or so.
 
   / Shock the well - no where to pour it #2  
Alan, the easiest way would probably be to drill a new hole in the plate and plug it when you get done. You might be able to drill a hole in the side of the well casing if it is 4" PVC like mine. Is the pipe going down to your pump iron or PVC? With either one, you will probably need to dilute the chlorine so it doesn't damage something. What form of cholorine are you planning to use? I remember as a kid there was a special mixture my mom and dad used to treat a shallow well. I guess your well driller or well service company might be able to tell you exactly what to use and not use.
 
   / Shock the well - no where to pour it #3  
You want to use vinegar and chlorine for it to be effective. I will try and remember to see tonight if I have the mixture details. Vinegar is needed to buffer the pH in the correct range for the chlorine to be effective and to keep everything in solution.

Our county gave a special presentation on it a few years ago. The infor is probably on the web also.

Ken
 
   / Shock the well - no where to pour it #4  
It's very hard to tell just how your wellhead looks and is set up.

But, forget the tractor to lift. Use a tripod and chain hoist.:D

Or follow Jinman's suggestion. You may even want to tap a hole you drill and add a valve to give access.
 
   / Shock the well - no where to pour it #5  
A well that deep should have a submersible pump, yet you state that the weight of the pump and casing is on the top plate, which I don't understand. On my well, which is 400 feet deep, there is just a cap which can be easilly removed. Shocking it would simply be a matter or pouring the bleach solution in.

Can you post a picture of the top of your well?
 
   / Shock the well - no where to pour it #6  
Any chance on getting to the line itself? Maybe you can cut it and put a T in it?

I just did this a few months ago, I did not want to mess with the well cap or anything directly coming out of it. So I tapped the line a few feet away and stuck a hose down into the well.

-Mike Z.
 
   / Shock the well - no where to pour it #7  
SnowRidge said:
A well that deep should have a submersible pump, yet you state that the weight of the pump and casing is on the top plate, which I don't understand. On my well, which is 400 feet deep, there is just a cap which can be easilly removed. Shocking it would simply be a matter or pouring the bleach solution in.
This is the way my well is too and what you describe is what I did to shock my well several years ago.

Also, I don't see how cutting into the line would work. On my well there are check valves at the tank and at the pump so somehow getting bleach into the line might shock the pressure tank (once the contents of the line got pumped into the tank), but do nothing for the well.
 
   / Shock the well - no where to pour it #8  
When I had my submersible pump replaced a few years back the guy dumped a bag of granular pool chlorine in rather than liquid. Don't know if that was correct or not:cool:
 
   / Shock the well - no where to pour it #9  
Alan
Give A L Moser Drilling (903-786-2861) a call. Alex can tell you how to do it, or send his crew back out to do it for you.
Marty
 
   / Shock the well - no where to pour it
  • Thread Starter
#10  
MartyAnderson said:
Alan
Give A L Moser Drilling (903-786-2861) a call. Alex can tell you how to do it, or send his crew back out to do it for you.
Marty

Moser is the that did the well orignially and has serviced it. I know from experience that it will be major $$$ for them to show up, but I should probably call them anyway.

The weight of the pump and piping is on top of the seal plate because it is wider above the plate and then the pipe goes down through the hole. The plate keeps the pipe from falling down in the hole, thus it is holding it up and puts the entire weight on the plate.

Tying in to the 1.25" PVC coming out of the well might work if I could somehow fish something up into the well casing to deliver the chlorine. As to what kind of chlorine I had not yet considered what to do.

We are still using the water, it tastes fine and is clear but would like to get this taken care of before it starts plugging the screen.
 
 
Top