Can I Redrill My Water Well????

[scesnick]

I built my house in Western Md. 5 years ago and the well is 270 ft. I have terrible water and have went through all the pains of the water filtration companies promises. None of them seem to work for more than a few months and then I am right back to where I started.
I have a VERY high iron count but the water is not hard water. I was wondering if simply drilling my well deeper would possibly fix my problem. And if it is even possible to redrill an existing well in the first place.
I know I am not guaranteed to get good water by going deeper but there is another well for my fathers hunting cabin only about 300 ft. from my well and his water is fine.
I really don't want to pay yet another water treatment company that claims they can fix my iron problem only to find out in 6 months they didn't fix anything.

 

[jcotta]

I had my well redrilled about 4 months ago. The original well was 99 feet and produced about 3 gal per minute. Over the years (40+) the well output dropped to 1/2 gal per minute. The original well driller came in and used the same well and casing and went another 120 feet. At 220 feet the well now produces seven gallons per minute. The well driller used a pounder both times. The redrilled well is about the same depth and capacity of two wells close by drilled in the last year. Hope this helps.

jcotta

 

[RayH]

Sure, you can have someone come in and drill deeper. You may get more GPM , but I dont think it'll fix your iron problem, you will still have the same seem filling your well. How bad is the iron, does it taste bad or just leave stains? I may be wrong but iron seem like an easy fix.

 

[scesnick]

My iron is REALLY bad. I can't remember the exact number. I have it written down somewhere. I thought it was an easy fix also. I was wrong. The filters work well for a few months and then it gets bad again. it is so bad when you draw a bath the water is tannish brown.
I have thrown abround $6,000 at this problem and nothing has worked for any amount of time. Any suggestions?

 

[midlf]

Can you run a line 300' to your father's well? That would seem to be a sure thing vs the unknown.

 

[bill177]

We have high iron here also. I put in a large in-line filter unit for the whole house. Not expensive like others recommend/sell.

The unit is similar to this: Aqua-Pure AP101T Whole House Water Filter System

I change the filter when a water pressure drop is noticed. I use the particulate/sedimate 5 micron filters (ordered on line a case at a time for about $100 annual cost).

In wet times the filters go 1 to 2 months. In very dry times the filters last only a couple of weeks.

This system has been in use for 16 years and completely keeps the orange out of the whites ion the laundry. No rust stains in the shower or sinks, and clear water at the tap. However, we do distill the drinking water.

If I wanted to get fancy, I could add a second filter at the 1 micron level after the first filter. But, there has never been a need.

The initial investment was under $100 and total time to install was about an hour. Annual filter costs run to a max of $100. To me, that is cheap.

 

[Egon]

Does your Fathers well have the same usage as your own well?

Check the other local wells, ask well drillers, see if there are Goverment well records for your area and also check out the geology[ aquifiers ] of your local area. It all may aid in making a decision.

For example:
At our former location we were able to get soft water at the edge of a well mapped aquifier. People a quarter mile away did not have access to this aquifer.

At our present location Govt. Data indicates about 120 feet is all that is required. Any more is a waste of money as the bedrock is many feet of slate.

 

[scott_vt]

Mornin Scesnic,
Well I had iron problems in my Ct well before I redrilled it and I still have iron problems after The filtration system takes care of it nicely, we use potassium rather than sodium !

The Vt house just has great water and cold too Keep tellin the wife we need to relocate to Vt for better drinking water

 

[CurlyDave]

I don't think redrilling would solve the iron problem -- the best you could hope for is to tap a new aquifer and dilute the iron in your well.

Why do the solutions you have bought stop working ? Sounds to me like something needs to be recharged or maintained in the systems periodically, insted of getting a whole new system.

As a last resort, consider a new well, closer to where your father's is.

Possibly he would let you run a line from his well to your house, for a low-cost solution to the problem.

 

[Highbeam]

I'm with Dave, well, except for messing with a new well.

The installed iron removal systems are not maintenance free. The fact that they worked for several months is indication that the technology is effective on your problem. First step, call the system installer/manufacturer to inquire about the loss of iron removal.

300 feet of line for a sure good water source is cheap. I would have done that before messing with the iron well. Maybe do that regardless for a secondary source so long as your father is willing to allow it.