About To Drill Well - Have Some Questions

[sriddle1]

Pulled my 2013 Well Info after reading this thread. The Drill Depth = 1505 ft., 6 Casing Depth = 120 ft., GPM: 1.75 @ Static Height 60 ft., PUMP: EJ SCHAEFER 7 GPM 3200 Series 1 HP, Model: 7FR0754-2W230, Drop Pipe: 1 200 PSI BLUE, Pump Depth: 600 ft. with Collar/Shoe. TANK: FLEX LITE FL-12 203, GRAND TOTAL: $17, 395.00
WHOLE HOUSE FILTERS - When they started the drill the Well Company went thru 90 ft of granite rock so I had my Plumber install two Big Blue (BB) Filter Housings off the Flex Lite Tank Line before the water hits the House Supply. The first BB Housing contains a 5 Micron Spun Sediment Filter and for the second BB Housing I purchased a WATTS RC-C-BB-975-50 reusable Cartridge that I stuff with carbon media. After 3 years I'm still replacing the Spun Filters every 45 days, lots of granite fines being captured, don't want that getting into the plumbing valves or drinking water for that matter (pardon the pun).......

 

[PILOON]

In this area everybody uses a blue 1/4" wall Poly B pipe for wells.
The pressure rating is fairly high and it simply won't kink either.
Usually stocked in 1" and 1.5" and has a high pressure rating.
They use it in wells as deep as 500ft!
Our city allows it for connecting to the city mains as well.
Oddly enough stainless steel barb fittings are now less costly that traditional brass, I'd NEVER use plastic or steel either, also I'd always use double clamps on every barbed fittings as I found that while stainless the screw that applies the clamping force is usually plain carbon steel, probably due to fact that SS is not as strong and strips easily.
I also like to apply mild heat to the inside of my poly pipe prior to clamping the fitting thus making the fitting to really grab into the poly pipe.

 

[Pettrix]

Pulled my 2013 Well Info after reading this thread. The Drill Depth = 1505 ft., 6 Casing Depth = 120 ft., GPM: 1.75 @ Static Height 60 ft., PUMP: EJ SCHAEFER 7 GPM 3200 Series 1 HP, Model: 7FR0754-2W230, Drop Pipe: 1 200 PSI BLUE, Pump Depth: 600 ft. with Collar/Shoe. TANK: FLEX LITE FL-12 203, GRAND TOTAL: $17, 395.00

Wow, that's a deep well. I didn't think they would drill deeper than 1,200 feet for domestic wells.

That's why it's always hit and miss with wells. You can be in a rainy climate and get nothing and a desert climate will get 100gpm. It's all hydrology and geology.

What state are you in?

 

[Pettrix]

Pettrix,

I designed and installed my own well system and it's not quite like you are contemplating, but it works very well. You might think about some of this before you commit.

Storage tanks are a good idea but in hot climates they breed bacteria and diseases. Unless they are underground or stored in a cool environment (below 50F), they will breed bacteria. That's why municipalities will add chlorine and do regular testing if they have above ground storage tanks.

A larger pressure tank is not necessary with a VFD pump. Instead of buying multiple $1k storage tanks, the VFD requires a small tank. That is how the technology is based. The VFD pump doesn't mind frequent starts because it is designed to soft start and soft stomp since it is 3 phase and adjusts the Hz. The Goulds pumps are designed that way.

A buddy went with two 120-gallon pressure tanks which hold 32 gallons of water each (50 psi). It cost him $2,000 plus install or around $2,400 total in bladder storage tanks. That gives him 64 gallons of water reserve (if both tanks are full when the power goes out - which is usually NOT the case). Even then the stored water in the bladder tank water gets warm sitting inside the garage. He has to purge the system in summer if it sits for a while when he is gone on travel.

It's a toss up in the end. A VFD has advantages as does a standard well pump system with large bladder tanks. If the well is shallow then a standard pump with large bladder tanks (two 120 gallon tanks) is a good system. Deep wells with limited storage room makes a VFD with a small bladder tank (20 gallons) a good option.

 

[Qapla]

Fortunately, since I am in Florida, I do not have to worry about being in a "really hot climate" I mention this because it is quite common to find sulfur in wells here. Keep in mind, sulfur is not harmful in your drinking water, but you have to hold your nose to get it down.

To help with the odor, it is also common to have an "aerator" tank. This is a non-pressure holding tank. It has a "removable" lid with screen vents. As the water is pumped from the ground, the aerator has a spray mechanism for adding the water to the tank. This helps remove much of the sulfur smell the water as it is added to the tank. As the water sits in the tank, even more sulfur smell "evaporates" from the tank.

A small above ground pump (jet pump) is used to send the water into the house. Many of these installations use a small bladder tank to start and stop the above ground tank. The pump will run while water is being used - and, yes, many of these installations use a CSV valve (but I do not want to get back into that discussion).

These types of installation have been used for decades here and no one has problems with the water breeding bacteria and it is common for these tanks to hold 200 gal. or more.

 

[Raspy]

Some of your assumptions don't sound quite right. With a bladder tank as storage you never know when the system fails until you don't have water. An excessively large bladder tank doesn't offer much reserve at all and isn'r designed to do so. Warm storage tanks can, in theory promote bacteria growth, but mine is inside and after ten years it has never been a problem. A couple of my neighbors have even larger ones outside with no complaints, although I wouldn't do that. Multiple $1,000 storage tanks? Mine cost about $300. and gives me 300 gallons of water isolated from the well. $2,400 for two bladder tanks? Sheesh. Somebody got ripped off.

I still don't like a system that must start the well pump so often and must provide the worst case full flow you'll ever see. And one that during a power failure is helpless or breaks and leaves me with nothing. Sounds like you've picked out a system you want. Good luck with it. I wanted a system that gave me reserve water with simple off the shelf parts and was not running the well all the time. Reserve water is mostly in case the well pump fails. Power failures are not an issue because they are short or can be fixed with a generator.

 

[cqaigy2]

Our well uses a large plastic cistern 1100 gallon capacity, if i remember correctly and i think it was around $800 for the tank. In the bottom of the cistern is a small pump into pressure tank. We lose power pretty often that has lasted as long as 15 days. Fortunately the system is far enough up hill from our house that we have sufficient pressure at the house to take a cold shower and fill the toilet. Twenty years so far with out problems, other then replacing the cartridge filter. After reading and getting educated with this thread, i wish i had paid more attention when it went in.

 

[sriddle1]

Wow, that's a deep well. I didn't think they would drill deeper than 1,200 feet for domestic wells.

That's why it's always hit and miss with wells. You can be in a rainy climate and get nothing and a desert climate will get 100gpm. It's all hydrology and geology.

What state are you in?

Pettrix, New Hampshire the "Granite State" and the first 90 ft solid ledge.....As I stood watching the rig in action I thought the same thing after signing an initial "all inclusive" package for 500' drill depth then the feet/cost kept adding up (visualizing a Taxi Meter) and after all that a lower GPM but on a good note if there is one, I have lots of reserve with the Pump at 600' depth pump and water level up to 90' depth. Again, glad I had those Big Blue Filter Housings installed, still lots of granite fines in there........

 

[the old grind]

Can't have too many filters IMO, and five mic filtering is next to reverse osmosis. :laughing: Gotta check, change 'em out as needed, but cheaper in the long run than a new water heater every few years ... that are 'cheapened' (what isn't anymore?) so as not to last much longer than the warranty. Now there is someone (many) who just want to sell more products. That said, it's good to have service work when it's too cold to punch & pour for new builds.

Calcium, salt, and a bit of arsenic to test for when you drill to any depth around here, and shallow wells are no longer allowed.

 

[Pettrix]

Pettrix, New Hampshire the "Granite State" and the first 90 ft solid ledge.....As I stood watching the rig in action I thought the same thing after signing an initial "all inclusive" package for 500' drill depth then the feet/cost kept adding up (visualizing a Taxi Meter) and after all that a lower GPM but on a good note if there is one, I have lots of reserve with the Pump at 600' depth pump and water level up to 90' depth. Again, glad I had those Big Blue Filter Housings installed, still lots of granite fines in there........

We get granite areas out here also. They make for great foundations but make for horrible well water and septic disposal areas. Most wells out here in granite areas need to go down 1,100 feet and then it's only 1-3 GPM and sometimes they have to do hydro-fracking to break a water vain. More noticeable arsenic levels (naturally occurring) are found in granite areas. Also, radon is a problem out here in granite areas.