Well Water Has Suddenly Gone Brown

[Emainiac]

Sounds to me like sediment on the bottom of the well has risen up over time, as it does on some wells. Assuming the pump was set about 20' off the bottom, every time the pimp kicks on, it stirs up the sediment and causes the discoloration. You will need to raise the pump 10-15'. You may want to check your tank inside too. If it hasn't been flushed in a couple years, there is likely some sediment in there too.

My well was drilled in 1988 and a couple years ago, I had a similar problem, and it came on very suddenly. Very fine silt being brought into the well from the fractures in the rock had built up and I needed to raise my pump. I put in a new pump at the same time since the pump was already 20 years old.

I you have at least a few GPM, raising the pump should not be a problem. If you have a drilled well with a metal casing hammered into bedrock, rain water will not affect your water unless it is not sealed properly..

 

[ponytug]

Sounds to me like sediment on the bottom of the well has risen up over time, as it does on some wells. Assuming the pump was set about 20' off the bottom, every time the pimp kicks on, it stirs up the sediment and causes the discoloration. You will need to raise the pump 10-15'. You may want to check your tank inside too. If it hasn't been flushed in a couple years, there is likely some sediment in there too.

My well was drilled in 1988 and a couple years ago, I had a similar problem, and it came on very suddenly. Very fine silt being brought into the well from the fractures in the rock had built up and I needed to raise my pump. I put in a new pump at the same time since the pump was already 20 years old.

I you have at least a few GPM, raising the pump should not be a problem.

Often the best practice depends on your local aquifer geology, but if sediment is an issue, and you are putting in a new pump, I would have suggested cleaning the well as a first step. With the old pump pulled, it is generally fairly quick and straightforward.

Raising the pump cuts into the draw down capacity of the well, i.e. how much water can be pumped out at one time. Depending on the water table height relative to the pump, and the flow of your aquifer, that may, or may not be an issue.

All the best,

Peter

 

[Travelover]

OP here. Coincidentally (I hope), my well quit today and I had the pump guy out to fix it. It was a bad capacitor in the control box. I bent his ear about the sediment. His recommendation was to wait a bit and see if it clears itself and if not, it may be a pin hole leak in the drop pipe squirting on the casing wall and stirring up sediment. That would require pulling the pump and probably replacing the pump at the same time given the labor cost.

 

[steve tym]

A bad capacitor may have been causing the tank to "bottom out". There is always sediment on the bottom of the tank and when it bottoms out it will push some of it out.
If there is no check valve on the tank, when you shut the pump off and drain the system, it will pull a vacuum back to the well. If you open the boiler drain at the bottom and put your finger over it, it will pull a vacuum. Also, when you shut the pump off the water will run back and the pressure will go down. Test is best performed with the valve off to the house.
If there is a check valve on the tank, this test will not work and you'll have to lift the pump out of the pitless adapter and see if the water goes down.
I think you found the problem with the control box. - Steve

 

[steve tym]

I'm going to add to the above: It will only draw a vacuum if the water level in the well is lower than the boiler drain on the tank.
Can you post a picture of the tank?

 

[tradosaurus]

Depending upon how old is your pump it might be a good idea to pull it and replace it. Also have your pressure tank tested.
I moved in to my place about 6 yrs ago and the pump had to have been at least 20 yrs in age. When replacing the pump we found the pressure tank was leaking.

 

[Valveman]

OP here. Coincidentally (I hope), my well quit today and I had the pump guy out to fix it. It was a bad capacitor in the control box. I bent his ear about the sediment. His recommendation was to wait a bit and see if it clears itself and if not, it may be a pin hole leak in the drop pipe squirting on the casing wall and stirring up sediment. That would require pulling the pump and probably replacing the pump at the same time given the labor cost.

OK, so do you know what causes a starting capacitor to go bad? Too much starting or "cycling". Cycling can also stir up sediment in the well, destroy tank bladders, check valves, pressure switches, and most expensively the pump/motor itself.

As steve tym said, unless there is a second check valve at the pressure tank, a hole in the pipe will cause the water in the drop pipe to drain out when the pump is off. If there is a check valve at the tank, remove it, as it should not be there, and then you can test for a leak in the drop pipe.

If there is no hole in the drop pipe, the well may just need to be pumped out for a few hours to get rid of the sediment. If pumping it out doesn't work, the pump may need to be raised a few feet, and/or the well bailed clean.

Nearly every problem with a well or booster pump is caused by the pump cycling on and off too much, which is easy to fix.

 

[bdhsfz6]

I had sediment in one of my wells after a heavy rain. It would clear after a few dry days. The problem turned out to be ground water leaking into the well due to a faulty seal between the pitless adapter and casing. Eventually, the adapter failed and the pump fell to the bottom of the well. Had to dig the whole thing up and it was a real mess.

You can read the whole story here:

How to Recover a Lost Submersible Well Pump

I suddenly lost all pressure and water began collecting around the well head. The well is +/- 500' deep with a 3/4 hp. submersible pump in a 6" casing. I dug out and exposed the pipe where it connects to the casing and found water spraying out around the pit-less adapter. I removed the pipe...

www.tractorbynet.com

 

[steve tym]

Air charge in your tank is critical to the life expectancy of every (most) componant of your system.
BTW, I'm not a fan of cyclestop valves.

 

[Valveman]

BTW, I'm not a fan of cyclestop valves.

And I thought you knew what you were talking about. Lol! There is no logical reason to "not be a fan" of Cycle Stop Valves. If you have any doubts, you just need more education on how pumps work as there isn't a fly in the ointment of a Cycle Stop Valve. If you have any specific claims besides just not being a fan, I would be glad to explain it to you. In over 30 years no one has ever proven that a Cycle Stop Valve does anything but make pump systems last longer and deliver stronger constant pressure than any other method. Pump manufacturers don't call the CSV a "disruptive product" for nothing. They know the CSV solves nearly every problem related to a pump system, which makes pumps last longer and use smaller tanks, they just hope you don't figure it out.