Need help with Water well.

[valley]

Greetings, We just bought a house with a well less than a mile from a home own, it should be that same water table. There is no pump in the well. The well was said to be dry, another store was that the well pulled down and wouldn't hold pressure and burned out the pump.
We dropped a line in the well, there is 45' of standing water, and the well is 310' deep.

I'm thinking the slots in the casing could be rusted over or clogged. I have heard of vinegar and chlorine being used to clean the slots and clear bioclogging. Sure would like to hear what you know.

The house hasn't cleared escrow yet. I plan to install the pump. Thanks, Richard

 

[Mickey_Fx]

Are you saying static water level is ~260' down the well? One can never know water availability based on another well in the general area.

Yrs ago where I worked, it was one the valley floor, ~200' elevation and several of the folks I worked with all but had no water on wells that were approx 200' deep yet another worker lived up in the hills outside town, about 500' higher elevation and he had plenty of water from a well no more than 200' deep. Ya just never know.

How much knowledge do you have about this well? Cased all the way down? Some kind of screen at the bottom? If you're not REALLY sure, you may need to contact a well driller. They'd have the best knowledge about water availability in the area, and how best to get the well flowing again.

Personally don't have a lot 1st hand knowledge about deep wells. Have been blessed with water depths a lot closer to the surface. Prior home, ground water could be had a ft down during the winter ( 1 shovel deep and hole would be full of water within a min or two) and 20' in late summer (well was a lot deeper but that is where the water level was).

 

[valley]

Yes, there is water standing at 45' above the bottom of the well. Cased all the way down. This well would be, I'm sure, in the same water table. I can see the house from here. There is a house next to it, also with a well, haven't talked to him yet.

But, you haven't heard of using vinegar and chlorine.

 

[Cpjlube]

I use chlorine pellets to keep my well clean but I'm not sure how reliable it is to clean one that is clogged. If it were mine and I was going to plan on using the well. I would just put a pump in it and run it flat out. This will be the only reliable way to find out the condition and flow. You will know really quick. If its anything like my area, you have to have a well, there isn't an alternative. So it's either this well or you drill another. Buy the pump and try the existing well.

Chuck

 

[The kid]

Yes, there is water standing at 45' above the bottom of the well. Cased all the way down. This well would be, I'm sure, in the same water table. I can see the house from here. There is a house next to it, also with a well, haven't talked to him yet.

But, you haven't heard of using vinegar and chlorine.

Casing is normally down to the rock layer and used primarily to keep dirt from filling the hole. It would be unusual to have a 300 ft well with casing all the way down. I have an 800 ft well and casing only to the rock layer. My pump sat at 650 ft. Wells that deep are called Knox wells and seldom go dry. My water was at 60 ft. How did you determine the well is clogged? Check your local enviormental laws before pouring anything down the hole.

 

[jpm1]

I'm not one for dumping chemicals down a well. I would try something less drastic, Check with a local well driller and see if they can "Blow the well" They put a cap on it above ground and put compressed air in and blow the crud and water out the top. Several people on my road have had this done with excelent results, and with a resonable cost at that. Just a thought . . .John

 

[hosspuller]

Yes, there is water standing at 45' above the bottom of the well. Cased all the way down.

Get a well driller out pronto. Before you close ... Casing a well 300 feet is unusual. Is there contamination of the water table in this area? I was required to case a well 100 feet because of ground water contamination. Not a good situation if so ...

 

[boggen]

water contamination can be a problem. make sure you get the water tested. a couple times each year, if you can use it.

wells even within 1/4mile of each other, can be in completely different veins of water. or in different layers of were they get water.

pending on were the water comes from that feeds the well. your water can change drastically every couple months throughout the year.

it has been way to long ago. to remember, but i want to say, you should be able to find records of when the well was drilled. and who drilled it. it is one of them goberment offices.

to note it, the well may need to be exercised. as in pump water out of it. let it refill, pump water out of it, let it refill, and repeat and repeat, over a couple weeks. pumping the water out, causes a low pressure in the surrounding water table. and it can take time for the water seeping into the well. to create larger cracks, and work its way around things. other words kinda like how run off water can cause erosion on a hillside, same like thing in exercising the well can happen. and the exercising, is trying to cause the slight erosion within the ground. to let more water flow into the well.

as far as what to dump down the well as far as chemicals... get water tests done first. and go from there. until then ya just guessing and assuming.

 

[CurlyDave]

In our neck of the woods, well drillers will often put their own pump down a well and pump it to determine flow rate.

This seems a lot better than your own pump, because theirs are frequently very high capacity. They will match the depth and flow rate to recommend a pump/motor combination. This worked very nicely for us.

 

[Egon]

Drop in a pump and see what happens. Then make decisions based on observations.