Well . . . I Gotta Problem

ByronBob · Nov 19, 2004

My neighbors well actually collapsed at the bottom of the well. The well was 80 feet and had head on it up to 50 feet. The submersible was at 72 feet when it collapsed. Then the whole system filled with sediment.
He had to rebuild the bottom of the well by putting in a new pump at 56 feet.
If something in the cavity wall gave way it might have stirred things up. The question I have for you is where is the pump in relation to the bottom of the well. How much head do you have from the pump to the bottom. If it's shallow enough maybe your sucking sediment up.
Chances are the neighbor had nothing to do with it.
As was mentioned. Pull the filters out of the water. Run that water for a few solid hours until it's flushed well. If you know where the pump is compared to the bottom you might want to move the pump up 3-4 feet if this continues. A well repair man could be of some use if you can find who drilled it.

Just my comments. May not be the problem at all. Just another angle on the situation

Kevin_in_VA · Nov 19, 2004

Thanks for the reply. I have some people looking into it, and they have mentioned that posibility. I should know something in a few days, but right now the problem seems to have passed.

We have had problems with sediment in the past, typically after heavy and/or particularly long periods of rain. It usually manifests itself by a discoloration of the water at the tap, and is why I initially installed our RO unit a few years ago. This time there was no warning. Water was clear and then there was none at the tap. It was apparently a sudden short-lived event which leads me to believe that it was predicated by recent events, the only significant one of which was the neighbors new well. But I am not an expert in such matters and so will defer to the experts when they present me with their findings. In the meantime I am in the market for some whole-house filtration. So if anyone has any suggestions as to manufacturers/dealers it would be appreciated.

Kevin

bczoom · Nov 19, 2004

( In the meantime I am in the market for some whole-house filtration. So if anyone has any suggestions as to manufacturers/dealers it would be appreciated.

Kevin )

Kevin,

I have a whole-house unit from Rainsoft. Very good unit, but... a but pricy and if/when you need something, you have to get it from a particular dealer (each dealer has a pre-defined territory).

Brian

rambler · Nov 19, 2004

( ( these wells are 30 inches in diameter with concrete sleeving, so there is little chance of them filling in. )

I've often wondered about kids falling into wells - most wells in our area are 4-5" diameter - you say the well is 30" in diameter. Why so big?
)

Everyone used to have big shallow wells like that here. They are outlawed now, too much chance of contamination.

You bore down 30-90 feet, typically 50 feet around here, and the water table is high enough for water to seep into your well. It is 'so big' because it is not very deep, so it can store enough water for you to use. With that much more surface area around the outside, more water can seep into the well.

Works well in high water table areas. The problem is that anything spilled on the ground in the area, including what rainwater washes your way will show up in the well pretty quickly.......

I guess the sand-point or puonded in shallow wells are about the same thing, but in sandy soil the water shifts over to the small pipe pretty quickly? In heavy clay soils like around here, you need all the surface area for the water table to seep out of....

Now there are deep wells, 150-400 feet around here, tap into the deep aquafer of 100 year old water, pump it up to the surface.

--->Paul

mrcaptainbob · Nov 22, 2004

In south east Michigan we had a house with a whole house filter. Every spring the filter would clog up within two days. This would last for maybe a week or two. It was a 50 foot well with the pump at 45. It appeared as if the spring melt affected it. Years later the filters started jamming up. Installed a new one and it silted SOLID in about twenty minutes of continous use! After flushing it several times, it just continued happening. Turned out the well casing had developed a crack some where below the pitless adapter. I relined it with PVC between the 7 foot and 40 foot marks and used a three inch pump from then on with no more problems.

BigEddy · Nov 22, 2004

Surprised no-one mentioned the retaining wall. - Where did you put the dirt you took off their hands, and did it rain after you moved it. If you have a shallow well and are getting groundwater in, then any large rain might have washed some of that loose material into the well - will happen a few times until the soil settles and you get some groundcover established.

Kevin_in_VA · Nov 22, 2004

Thanks,

It's about 250ft away from the well downhill from it.

Junkman · Nov 23, 2004

My well is 450' deep and the pump is located 50' from the bottom. I still get sediment in my water and it has finally ruined my water heater by putting enough at the bottom that it now rumbles when the flame goes on. I would not run the water without the filters in place. The sediment can cause other problems such as damaging the water control valves in washing machines, toilets, dishwasher, etc. I purchased a whole house sediment filter that doesn't use a cartridge, but a fine metal screen. There is a drain at the bottom to remove the sediment. I have no idea as to the cause of your problem, but I can tell you that if you don't have the filters in place, there can be other problems that are worse than a clogged filter. Filters are cheap compared to water heaters and washing machine valves. If you search the forums for "whole house water filter", you will probably find my old posts. I think it is in rural living... Junk....

LKGuy · Nov 24, 2004

Kevin, ususally the first place to start looking to figure this problem out is to get a copy of your or your neighbors well drilling log. Second, make sure your well and your neighbors well are developed in the same aquifer. If the wells are in the same aquifer, look to see what type of aquifer it is. If the aquifer is comprised of uncosolidated material, such as sand and gravel, ground water can travel pretty fast under the right circumstances. The circumstances is the next thing to look at. Are you down gradient, meaning is ground water flowing from your neighbors house towards your house. If you aren't down gradient, it's tough to blame the activity at you neighbors house. The other thing that bothers me is that you said that when you get a really big rain, you see sediment in your water. This indicates you may be getting direct surface infiltration into your well which is never a good thing. You might want a well driller or engineer to look at your well casing and surface collar to make sure they are not cracked or loose. Direct surface infiltration can bring in contamination. Hope this helps.

Tenwalker · Nov 27, 2004

I agree with the whole house filter, I have one but on the cold water only. The water heater is the best filter that you can have. Cold water comes in to the bottom, hot water comes out of the top, BUT to keep from having to replace the bottom element in an electric WH some spring and fall maintenance need to be done. Twice a year I hook a garden hose to my WH, turn the AC off to it and flush. Some nasty looking stuff comes out at first. Unhook the hose, turn the AC back on to the WH. County/city water is as dirty or more so than well water if the well is installed properly. I am blessed to be in an area with good geology and good water table, thats why I tell everyone that they should hood onto county water, a little selfish I guess, but I'm just trying to do them a favor. My well is 3" pvc, 32 feet down and you cannot pump it dry. TIP of the day. If you want good tasting ice, hook your ice maker to the hot water line.
TW