Water In; Water Out

Chillimau · May 30, 2001

Anybody have any experience with a lagoon? I like the benefits of the aerobic system, water for grass etc, but the cost is more than twice that of a lagoon plus the yearly maintenence and repairs. Lagoon is considered to have a fifty year life span, what about the aerobic system? Most everybody around me has a lagoon and is considered the norm. From what the neighbors say it will smell ocassionally but not often.

Alan L. · May 30, 2001

According to my log, the driller screened in some shale between two sands and that might be where my cloudiness is coming from. I just hope it clears up for good. If you dropped maybe 4 drops of milk into a glass of water and stirred it up, thats what it looks like sometimes.

Alan L., TX

Bird · May 30, 2001

Alan, I'm a little curious about the cloudy, or milky, water. Do you know what's causing it. If you draw up a glass of it and let it sit for awhile, does it clear up, and if so, is there any sediment in it. We're on a community water system instead of a well, and our water quite frequently will look milky for a couple of days (every time they fix a leak or have a little problem with a pump station). My wife really doesn't like that milky look, but it's just air in the lines; let it sit for a few minutes and it clears up.

Bird

StoneHeartFarm · May 30, 2001

Can't say for sure. Mine was red like rust. At first I thought it was the chlorine causing rusting in the few inches of galvanized pipe. (The rest of it appears to be some kind of high pressure rubber hose). The problem with that theory is that it settles into kind of a mud in the bottom of the toilet. (That's all we have hooked up so far). It HAS cleared considerably in the past couple of weeks /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif and now appears to be just an occasional situation. I think THAT has to do with watering the new trees and leaving the hose run for about an hour.

My log says the driller pumped the well at 40 gpm for 1 hour. THAT may have sucked up some mud.

SHF

jinman · May 30, 2001

Bird, you'd complain if someone shot you with a new pistol! /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif ...so would I, come to think of it. But, I don't think $200 for a house and shop electric bill will find you too much sympathy. Sure, my house in town has natural gas heat and hot water, so my winter bill is cheaper there than in my cabin where everthing is electric. I think you are doing pretty good, but I guess we always want to save a few bucks for more tractor toys./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

JimI

jinman · May 30, 2001

SHF - My system has three tanks in one large concrete container, with each being sealed from the other except for the designed flow piping. The final tank (with the black riser)is on the clear water collection tank (500 gallons). It has a submersible pump and a float valve that turns on the sprinklers between the 250 and 300 gallon level. I you go to http://www.norweco.com you can check out more detail on the Singulair system which mine is. In their brochure, they do not show the clear water collection tank.

I think the shallow wells take longer to clear up and are likely to have periodic clouding. I had a well near Norfolk, Va which was very shallow (less than 50') and it was terrible. It was very hard and so much iron that it was a constant hassle keeping our white fixtures from turning red./w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif
I hope you have good luck with your well. If that is the standard depth for your neighbors in your area, I wouldn't worry about it.

JimI

jinman · May 30, 2001

Gary, can you describe that "lagoon" system for us? If it's what it sounds like... maybe I won't go there. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
I have a cousin in Pauls Valley (Paoli actually) and I will ask her what kind of system she has.
BTW - Wasn't Moore the place hit by the tornado a couple of years back?

JimI

Bird · May 31, 2001

Gary, you're in the area in which I grew up (but moved to Texas in '56). I don't recall ever seeing anyone using a lagoon; just regular old septic systems with lateral lines and leach fields.

Bird

StoneHeartFarm · May 31, 2001

JimI

Actually, at 126', my well is about mid range on depth. I've heard of some going down 300', but that's usually only on hill tops or if the higher aquifers are polluted. The shallowest I've run across was 16'. Usually, at that depth the water smells like fish. The State won't pass wells less than 60' anymore. Which is good because the stuff less than 30' tends to dry up after a few dry summers. I expect my well will work out okay. The driller is my new next door neighbor. (It works out, or I'm the neighbor from heck).

I do have one more question about these fancy septic systems though. "Is there an isolation distance between well and septic?" Here, the County requires at least 50'. I know FHA is specifying (in the absence of a County Health Code) 100'. Does this isolation requirement apply to these basically sealed systems?

SHF

StoneHeartFarm · May 31, 2001

Bird,

How many kilowatts and how much per kilowatt? I don't want to rub it in, but I'm crying when my bill hits $45.00. That's only because my brother in law has been averaging $16.00, electric water heater, washer, dryer and all. (I have GOTTA figure out how he's doing that!) /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif