Need some help fixing my well.

[Egon]

Bacterial iron.

 

[Firemanbuck82]

City Farmer,

You don't need a driller, you need someone to service the pump/well. Have them check it out first. Much cheaper.

 

[Gator6x4]

Consider installing a settling tank and a good filtering system. Not one of the two inch filter type either. If you currently have a filtering system. Check the filter. A defective carbon filter will produce the problems you are experiencing.

 

[LouNY]

Have you sent a sample of water and the black sediment out to a water lab for analysis?
Untill it is known what you are dealing with every thing is just a guessing game.
You are in a shallow aquifer it could be many things; dirt, sand, minerals, contamination, bacterial, sludge.

 

[Stimw]

Is it steel casing? could be the casing is failing and you are getting what is coming off of it. ???
I had a 90' 2" steel casing fail and the well started pumping sand from the rotted couplings.

 

[PILOON]

Had a similar problem with fine particles entering my system.
Normal filters would simply clog up weekly and I resorted to using a fine mesh pool filter with appropriate adapters (pool systems use large plumbing).
The end result is I only need to clean/flush the filter 2-3 times a year and now always have nice clear water.
If I recall the pool mesh is 100 and serves me just great.
Have had this in line for some 20 years now with no regrets.

Heck I even rigged it such that I could 'back flush' the pool filter. (if I remember, LOL) but to remove and wash out is a minimal chore.

 

[Redneck in training]

I would focus on the pipe from the well to the house and the pressure tank. What material iare they made from. If it is galvanized steel my guess is the inside galvanizing is gone and the water gets black when sitting in the pipe.

 

[City Farmer]

Thanks for all the ideas and help guys. I got a guy over there with a scope last night and the steel casing is failing. I’m heading down to get a well permit today and should have the new well installed by Monday. I do all the digging, hook up the electric and supply lines for $2500. I think that’s a reasonable price.

Andy

 

[Valveman]

45 years is not bad for steel casing. I prefer PVC casing and perf when possible. Here we use .035 perf and pack around it with very small (almost sand) type gravel. Makes for and excellent media filter. Some areas just use a finer screen and no gravel.

 

[Cord]

I've been here before. Can you double check to make sure you have silt? Draw off the sampling faucet into a clear glass. Does the black stuff look oily and does it smear on the side of the glass? Does it stink? If so, then you have iron bacteria. Sounds nasty, but it really isn't. Actually poses no health risks and given some time the water will clear up. Throwing a couple pool chlorine tables down the casing will help. Just don't put too much down or you'll kill the softener. Honestly, there is no permanent fix but an iron filter will help deliver good household water. I attached some pics of our well water when we first bought the house. It's been 4 years now and the water is much clearer.

Now if the water in the glass settles out to a grit, then you have a silt problem. Aagain, there is no permanent fix as the problem is between either the gravel pack or the well screen. Unfortunately, neither is repairable; the solution is to drill a new well. As a work around, you can add a whole house sediment filter. I actually run two 20" blue filters in parallel because we pump a ton of silt. That said, I've never had to change the filter and it's going on two years now. You'll want to install the filter before the softeners to protect them.

I know what you mean about having to replace a good productive well, but that's what you're looking at for a permanent fix. That said, I've been able to filter and condition my water to a point where the end product is actually crystal clear and quite tasty. Way better option than punching a new hole in.