Filtering water from deep well (700 feet)

[Gary51]

I'm in NE Tex also and my well is 700' into the Wilcox water. My static level is 50' with the pump at 150'. I don't use any filters at all on my system but I have a air over water pressure tank (no rubber bladder). That allows the small amount of iron to oxidize out of the water and also for the sulfide gas to vent out through the tank. I used to have a shallow well that required all the filters and treatment tanks and I don't want to go through that ever again.

 

[tractortom55]

I am a little more south and as my well guy says in deferent system. He said I would not need any filter but am having it tested anyway. If they ever get it drilled as rain is keeping field to wet for rig to get in place.

 

[jinman]

Econometrics, you haven't mentioned much about the type of pipe down to your pump or the HP of the pump or brand. I know this often gets a lot of side discussion that has nothing to do with water quality, but I'd imagine your 700' well probably needs at least 1/2 more HP than my 386' well. My pipe is Schedule 80 PVC with Schedule 80 PVC unions on 20' sections. My pump is a 3/4 HP Goulds pump that has done nothing but work perfectly for 13 years. I pump a measured 17 gpm sustained out of my house's outside hose bibs. I've never measured right at the wellhouse, but I'm sure it would be much more there.

I have an 80 gallon galvanized tank (no bladder) with a float operated air pressure bleed built into the tank. There is a checkvalve on the the pump side of the tank and a Schrader valve on the well head. At the bottom of the first 20 ft of pipe, the driller placed a pin hole. When the pump shuts off, the pin hole spews water and the schrader valve allows the water in the pipe to go down to the pin hole level while drawing in air. That way, only the water column in the pipe is head pressure on the pump when it starts again. The slug of air is injected into the tank where it collects at the top. With enough air at the top of the tank, the float valve will bleed off the excess air so that a constant air buffer is maintained.

 

[RobertN]

Our well is 450', pump at 425'. Our water is pretty yucky; at the well head if you turn the spigot on it runs with red tinge(iron). All of our neighbors are the same. Ours tested at 14GPM, but we pump at 8; a pump for that depth, combined with the wire gauge needed for depth of the well and the 300' to the house would make it cost prohibitive to pump more gpm(Well was existing when we bought house; cost to rewire would be too much).

Our well had appeared to slow down about same time neighbors did; they had to drill deeper and still got minimal improvement. We feared it was issue in qualifier. Then our well went out...

We decided to put in 2500gal tank with booster pump, and get well repaired. Turned out our issue was with pump; the hard iron water just takes it toll on pumps around here. Our 10 year old pump was shot.... Now the well works properly, and we have 2500gal emergency storage.

Our system is a tad different, because it feeds our house and our Granny Flat. The water distribution and power is at the site of previous well.

We now pump from the well in to tank right next to well. It the booster pumps to the old well house, which has original pressure tank, sediment filter, and Kinetico dual tank softener. Both houses have RO in the kitchen for drinking water. We have separate system from the storage tank/pump for irrigation.

I check/replace our filters every three-4 months; they come out silted and "muddy". We have the well checked yearly, water analysis. Have had to bleach it twice in 20 years.

 

[mikim]

I sent my water sample in to A&M for testing. There was a small charge for it (maybe $10) but I wanted a third party test. It came back good for bio but hard and I have issues with the rotten egg smell (H2s) so I decided to filter and soften in the interest of saving the household fixtures. (clothes washer, dish washer, ice maker,water heater, etc) I have 2 sediment filters, a chlorinator, a UV light, and a 7 element resin tank with softner brine tank. It's a bit overboard having 2 sediment filters, and 2 bio cleansers but I'm really hoping it will pay off saving the appliances and faucets. The resin tank just went bad on me so I called the people I bought the system from (online) and they are shipping me a new one for $250 including shipping. I found a new one at sears for $1600 ....so they are evidently honoring the 10 yr warranty - It's been 7 years since I put it in. He gave me the option to rebuild it and they would send me the media and instructions for free. Empty out media from tank, place new media inside, ...through a 4" neck on top....I'll pay the 250 and not take the risk of screwing the job up. I bought most of the system from them in a package deal that ran $2000 for all. A lot cheaper than I found anywhere else and they're standing behind their product. They are Atlanta Water Group...DBA Aqua Clear H2o...at cleanmywater.com and considering the customer service I received then and now I do recommend them. If you need to communicate with them though ...they want a call...they don't pay a lot of attention to email off their website.

 

[econometrics]

Econometrics, you haven't mentioned much about the type of pipe down to your pump or the HP of the pump or brand. I know this often gets a lot of side discussion that has nothing to do with water quality, but I'd imagine your 700' well probably needs at least 1/2 more HP than my 386' well. My pipe is Schedule 80 PVC with Schedule 80 PVC unions on 20' sections. My pump is a 3/4 HP Goulds pump that has done nothing but work perfectly for 13 years. I pump a measured 17 gpm sustained out of my house's outside hose bibs. I've never measured right at the wellhouse, but I'm sure it would be much more there.

I have an 80 gallon galvanized tank (no bladder) with a float operated air pressure bleed built into the tank. There is a checkvalve on the the pump side of the tank and a Schrader valve on the well head. At the bottom of the first 20 ft of pipe, the driller placed a pin hole. When the pump shuts off, the pin hole spews water and the schrader valve allows the water in the pipe to go down to the pin hole level while drawing in air. That way, only the water column in the pipe is head pressure on the pump when it starts again. The slug of air is injected into the tank where it collects at the top. With enough air at the top of the tank, the float valve will bleed off the excess air so that a constant air buffer is maintained.

Good questions, Jim. It's a 3HP Franklin Legend submersible that does 15gpm. We have 1.25" schedule 80 PVC for the well line, and that's what I ran down to the house as well. Reducing it to 1" just before hooking onto the house. I put a couple of valves in the water line along the way for future irrigation, etc. Our pressure tank is an 80-gallon Flexlite.

Judging from the few short times I've run the pump, I think it's doing more than 15gpm. I'll have to measure it whenever we get moved.

Got the water line to the house trenched and run 165' yesterday. The plumber is connecting it all and doing a valve / connection test today.

 

[TheGoose]

Background: I am a licensed well driller/pump installer here in Tx.

You should trust your driller. A properly developed and drilled well should not need any "sediment" filters. If the water is hard you can consider a softner but I wouldn't do anything until you have had a chance to use the water and see how it reacts to your fixtures and piping. You'll know pretty soon whether or not you need any kind of filter.

 

[Cat_Driver]

Number one TRUST NO ONE. Even if you get the well tested today and it perfect tomorrow something can drop into the well to contaminate it - no matter how well it's sealed.

Anyone that thinks ANY well water is safe is delusional. No well is 100% protected in a "clean room" environment. I don't worry about the water COMING UP - I worry about what has fallen DOWN the well to contaminate it. Anyone ever heard of the Hantavirus, just to mention one. And all of use have mice and rats in and around our wells.
Pay close attention to the EATING OR DRINKING part of this:
Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome - catch, body, viral, contagious, causes

For a few hundred bucks to get a great filter why wouldn't anyone do it.

 

[TheGoose]

And how many people do you know or have ever known to get hanta virus? How many wells have you worked on and opened up through the years?

The worst thing I have ever found in a well ( 4" casing) was ants that were at the very top......the pump is hundreds of feet below that. No filter will remove viruses.

Is your city water "100 % safe"? What about bottled water (well water IS springwater.....you're just tapping the spring!)?

This is not a large hard to seal picturesque well....this is a 4" pipe with a seal on the top and a pump under hundreds of feet of water.

Number one TRUST NO ONE. Even if you get the well tested today and it perfect tomorrow something can drop into the well to contaminate it - no matter how well it's sealed.

Anyone that thinks ANY well water is safe is delusional. No well is 100% protected in a "clean room" environment. I don't worry about the water COMING UP - I worry about what has fallen DOWN the well to contaminate it. Anyone ever heard of the Hantavirus, just to mention one. And all of use have mice and rats in and around our wells.
Pay close attention to the EATING OR DRINKING part of this:
Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome - catch, body, viral, contagious, causes

For a few hundred bucks to get a great filter why wouldn't anyone do it.

 

[farmer2009]

Is your city water "100 % safe"? What about bottled water (well water IS springwater.....you're just tapping the spring!)?

Speaking of safe water. I get a notice every month from the county water department that says that they failed the water test at least one day during the month. Usually it's because they had to add to much of something and the residues were too high and it might cause cancer.

 

[Midniteoyl]

My last home was in a village where they had to flush the mains for 12 hrs min. every month due to organics. Nastiest, rustiest water I have ever had..

 

[farmer2009]

Good questions, Jim. It's a 3HP Franklin Legend submersible that does 15gpm. We have 1.25" schedule 80 PVC for the well line, and that's what I ran down to the house as well. Reducing it to 1" just before hooking onto the house. I put a couple of valves in the water line along the way for future irrigation, etc. Our pressure tank is an 80-gallon Flexlite.

Judging from the few short times I've run the pump, I think it's doing more than 15gpm. I'll have to measure it whenever we get moved.

Got the water line to the house trenched and run 165' yesterday. The plumber is connecting it all and doing a valve / connection test today.

Wow sounds low on flow around here we get 40 gpm out of 2 hp pumps with 2" lines. The guys running 3 hp pumps also have a 3" line. Don't know their flow. We are using deep well pumps floated about 5' deep in lakes to water livestock. Some have over 1000' to control boxes. With 2 120 gallon pressure tanks (35 gallons of draw down on each). With chlorinator (gas or liquid). Some have kill tanks just big resin tanks to let water set in then filtered through large filters with meada tailored to water test. I have 2-21"x54" filters that regenerate every night. Pumps last us about 5-8 years.

 

[turnkey4099]

Number one TRUST NO ONE. Even if you get the well tested today and it perfect tomorrow something can drop into the well to contaminate it - no matter how well it's sealed.

Anyone that thinks ANY well water is safe is delusional. No well is 100% protected in a "clean room" environment. I don't worry about the water COMING UP - I worry about what has fallen DOWN the well to contaminate it. Anyone ever heard of the Hantavirus, just to mention one. And all of use have mice and rats in and around our wells.
Pay close attention to the EATING OR DRINKING part of this:
Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome - catch, body, viral, contagious, causes

For a few hundred bucks to get a great filter why wouldn't anyone do it.

That is over-the-top paranoid!! Great way to promote business for the people selling filters tho

Harry K

Harry K

 

[econometrics]

Wow sounds low on flow around here we get 40 gpm out of 2 hp pumps with 2" lines. The guys running 3 hp pumps also have a 3" line. Don't know their flow. We are using deep well pumps floated about 5' deep in lakes to water livestock. Some have over 1000' to control boxes. With 2 120 gallon pressure tanks (35 gallons of draw down on each). With chlorinator (gas or liquid). Some have kill tanks just big resin tanks to let water set in then filtered through large filters with meada tailored to water test. I have 2-21"x54" filters that regenerate every night. Pumps last us about 5-8 years.

Well, keep in mind that this thing is pumping water vertically 580 feet. It takes a lot of power just to get the water to the surface.

I have a 250' well further away that has a 2hp pump (1hp smaller than my deep well) that does 25gpm.

From what I read, most homes on city water have average around 8gpm flow. So I think we'll be a-okay.

 

[econometrics]

That is over-the-top paranoid!! Great way to promote business for the people selling filters tho Harry K Harry K

Haha, I think his concern is valid but yeah... Very low probability.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Well, keep in mind that this thing is pumping water vertically 580 feet. It takes a lot of power just to get the water to the surface.

I have a 250' well further away that has a 2hp pump (1hp smaller than my deep well) that does 25gpm.

From what I read, most homes on city water have average around 8gpm flow. So I think we'll be a-okay.

Ya.. 8-12gpm is the norm..

 

[dacoonz]

We're getting ready to drill a well just south of Seguin Tx. We've talked to a couple of drillers and have gotten one estimate. This is the first well we've drilled. Any suggestions on how to select a driller? How much should we expect it to cost? The estimate runs $7700 to $8200 depending on the size of the pump motor. We're also building an outbuilding and plan to have the well next to the building and the storage tank, filters etc inside. Our neighbor has a filter (don't know what kind) and has to change it every 2-3 weeks. Any kindly advice to the totally ignorant is welcome.

 

[turnkey4099]

Well, keep in mind that this thing is pumping water vertically 580 feet. It takes a lot of power just to get the water to the surface.

I have a 250' well further away that has a 2hp pump (1hp smaller than my deep well) that does 25gpm.

From what I read, most homes on city water have average around 8gpm flow. So I think we'll be a-okay.

It isn't how deep the well is or even how far the pump is down that determines the lift. The lift is from the static level of the well with a fudge factor for drawdown while it is pumping. My well is 65', pump at 50', static level 10' so my lift is only 10' (23gpm so no need to fudge the drawdown).

Harry K

 

[econometrics]

It isn't how deep the well is or even how far the pump is down that determines the lift. The lift is from the static level of the well with a fudge factor for drawdown while it is pumping. My well is 65', pump at 50', static level 10' so my lift is only 10' (23gpm so no need to fudge the drawdown).

Harry K

I see, thank you. But the idea is basically the same... the longer the lift, the higher the HP needed? My lift on the 700' well is 120 feet. My lift on the shallow well is 20 feet. I guess that's why I need a 3hp on the 700' well, and a 2hp will do on the 250 footer.

 

[econometrics]

We're getting ready to drill a well just south of Seguin Tx. We've talked to a couple of drillers and have gotten one estimate. This is the first well we've drilled. Any suggestions on how to select a driller? How much should we expect it to cost? The estimate runs $7700 to $8200 depending on the size of the pump motor. We're also building an outbuilding and plan to have the well next to the building and the storage tank, filters etc inside. Our neighbor has a filter (don't know what kind) and has to change it every 2-3 weeks. Any kindly advice to the totally ignorant is welcome.

Wells can be a scary thing to wade into. I know firsthand because I just had to do it! :laughing:

I would call 3-4 drillers in your area that you can get some references on. Ask around with realtors, or nurseries, or farmers - most all of them know well drillers and have worked with at least one in the area.

I called 4 different drillers and basically just went with the lowest price. However, my driller had drilled numerous wells for my grandfather, so I knew I could trust him.

The high side drillers were telling me $20-$25 per foot (depending on how deep you drill. The deeper, the cheaper they charge per foot as their higher fixed costs are marginalized as you go further down (pumps, pressure tanks, etc. - stuff ALL wells have to have)). I think my well was drilled for about $17 per foot.

Let me know if you have any other questions!