Bleach in Well?

[PeterK]

I moved seven times in eighteen years with my previous employer (petroleum pipeline on easct coast). The company I worked for purchased my home fot eh majority of these moves. One condition of sale was a water quality test. The professionals who tested these wells all suggested pouring a gallon or two of bleach in the well whenever it failed, or on a yearly basisi to keep bacteria in check. One told me that even one dead cricket that has fallen into the well can conataminate the water and send the levels high.

I routinely pour a gallon of bleach in the well yearly. I then rum all the faucets in the house UNTIL I can smell bleach. Then I let it set in the pipes all day. (the pipes will colect bacteria also). I then turn all the faucets in the house on and let the water flow until I no longer smell bleach. We cook and drink bottled water for a few days until the taste is back to normal.

Absolutely. Not only are your sanitizing your well pump and water in the well pipe but just as important, the pipes in your house. That's why you run the faucet until you can smell the bleach and leave it closed afterwards overnight, then flush until you can't immediately smell bleach. Got to treat the whole system at the same time. I've had 3 houses with well and always followed the same protocol, yearly or bi-yearly.

 

[deanocraft]

The plumber who installed a well for me advised a little Clorox once in a while as well. He said to be sure and only use the unscented variety. He claimed the others were poisonous. My well water developed an odor at one point and we dumped a small bottle down the well. It did the job and did not poison us.

I have also heard that a smell in the water could be from the hot water heater... Something about the sacrificial anode... I am vague on the topic. Anyone know if there is any truth to this rumor?

 

[gary49]

The plumber who installed a well for me advised a little Clorox once in a while as well. He said to be sure and only use the unscented variety. He claimed the others were poisonous. My well water developed an odor at one point and we dumped a small bottle down the well. It did the job and did not poison us.

I have also heard that a smell in the water could be from the hot water heater... Something about the sacrificial anode... I am vague on the topic. Anyone know if there is any truth to this rumor?

If you smell something that is reminiscent of rotten eggs from the hot water tap only, you have a problem with the anode rod reacting with the water to produce sulfur dioxide. This usually shows up when the heater is new. Frequently it can be fixed by replacing the anode with one made with a different alloy. Ask for a "stink rod" from your local plumbing supplier.

 

[LouNY]

I have chlorinated my well a couple of times in 20 years, it is a 150' well with a static level about 15' down from the top.
Because of the large volume of water in the casing, the pipe run to the house and the interior plumbing it takes a lot of Clorox,
what I do is run a hose from my outside hydrant to the well and turn it on, then start pouring the Clorox in till the water from
the hose as a chlorine odor then drop the hose in the well add a couple more gallons and then go in the house and making
sure that my water heater is off I'll run the last hot water tap till I smell it then the cold till the same then all the other legs
and shut it down for a couple of hours. After a few hours I'll start purging the system and tanks it takes a lot of water to clear
the system out. I don't do it often as I'm sure that the chlorine isn't good for the bladder tanks in the system.
The chlorine contact time doesn't need to be that long it is a fast acting sanitizer.

 

[polo1665]

Another 17 year old thread is resurrected. Interesting topic though.

 

[Doofy]

Clorox is also great for "shocking" iron bacteria in the well. I know when this is needed by my brown/orange colored water filters.

 

[check]

Another 17 year old thread is resurrected. Interesting topic though.

Yes. We ste about to sterilize our rental cottage wayer system for the season

 

[WVBill]

We were selling our house in West Virginia and needed the well tested. Inspector was coming on Monday, so Saturday I dumped the gallon of bleach down the well, ran the water 'till we smelled bleach and then we went out to dinner, planning to run the water to clear the bleach when we returned.
After dinner, I turned the water on to clear the bleach and as soon as the pressure tank bled down, the water stopped. The 15 year old pump had died.
Now, if the inspection isn't done on Monday, we can't close on Friday so I found a well company that would do an emergency call on Sunday morning and they pulled the pump. They found that the original installer had not properly secured the electric cable running down the well and it had an intermittent short that they said burned out the pump. So they replaced the pump and the cable.
When the closed the well back up they poured granulated chlorine down the well and we re-did the run-water until clear of chlorine smell.
We passed the inspection on Monday and the new owners got a free brand new well pump...

 

[MarkF48]

I use Clorox every so often in my well, but usually keep the amount small as I've read that chlorine can deteriorate the rubber bladder in the storage tank.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

We were selling our house in West Virginia and needed the well tested. Inspector was coming on Monday, so Saturday I dumped the gallon of bleach down the well, ran the water 'till we smelled bleach and then we went out to dinner, planning to run the water to clear the bleach when we returned.
After dinner, I turned the water on to clear the bleach and as soon as the pressure tank bled down, the water stopped. The 15 year old pump had died.
Now, if the inspection isn't done on Monday, we can't close on Friday so I found a well company that would do an emergency call on Sunday morning and they pulled the pump. They found that the original installer had not properly secured the electric cable running down the well and it had an intermittent short that they said burned out the pump. So they replaced the pump and the cable.
When the closed the well back up they poured granulated chlorine down the well and we re-did the run-water until clear of chlorine smell.
We passed the inspection on Monday and the new owners got a free brand new well pump...

I shocked my well with bleach and shortly afterwards the diaphragm on my 10-year-old shallow well pump failed. I suspect -- without proof-- that the chlorine attacked the rubber and caused it to fail.

Pros seem to use the crystals on new pipes and whenever a system is opened. Same active ingredient as bleach.