Well Issues

[dj1701]

My well on occasion would overflow and make the area around very wet. I installed a drain hose to divert the water away and it worked like a charm. Now it's doing it again, but the level is not getting up to the drain hose. I don't know where the water is coming from?

Thanks
Dave

 

[seville009]

I assume you’re talking about the well head out in the yard?

If so, open the well cap and see if the water is overflowing out of that.

 

[dj1701]

I assume you’re talking about the well head out in the yard?

If so, open the well cap and see if the water is overflowing out of that.

Yes, the well head. It's not even coming up to the drain hose I installed 6" from the top.

 

[seville009]

Maybe dig out the dirt around the wellhead a few feet and see if you see any holes in the casing that water could escape from.

If there was a break in the pipe casing lower than that, it probably would not come to the surface unless there was alot of force pushing it up.

Is the water coming into the house normal? Does the well pump seem to run alot more than normal (ie: if it was pumping water through a break somewhere, instead of just into the house).

If you shine a flashlight down the wellhead, can you see the top of the water?

 

[dj1701]

I see the water, it's only about 2' down. Looks like the water has movement and is not still. Water to the house seems normal.

 

[JJT]

Our well has gone artisian twice in 30 years, a neighbor's drilled well overflows year round. He plumbed his overflow to a drainage ditch, probably 2 - 3 gallons a minute. If you are concerned, simply install a drain line 3-4' from the top. Hopefully you have some place for the water to run. I'd love to have that flowing into my pond.....

 

[dj1701]

Our well has gone artisian twice in 30 years, a neighbor's drilled well overflows year round. He plumbed his overflow to a drainage ditch, probably 2 - 3 gallons a minute. If you are concerned, simply install a drain line 3-4' from the top. Hopefully you have some place for the water to run. I'd love to have that flowing into my pond.....

I did have it drain into my pond. Now it appears it coming up the outside of the well pipe.

 

[nyone]

Turn the breaker off for the pump to see if it stops

 

[Sportsman762]

There could be several causes for your well over flowing. Do your neighbors have high water levels in their wells? Did the well always flow over? How old is the well?

If the aquifer your in has a high static water level it could cause the well go go artisian. Depending on the weather it might over flow. However the well should be sealed to the top. the fact that it is flowing out lower suggests your underground discharge is not sealed up to the casing, or your casing has a breach.

If you have abnormally high water in your well your submersible pump could be clogged in at the top. If a leak would occur in the drop pipe the water would not be able to flow past the pump causing it to back up and over flow. Since it is not over flowing the top my comment above applies about a breached casing or a leaky discharge.

The third option is that your have a crack in the line running from the underground discharge in the well to the house. It is common in areas with frost for the ground to move and pull on the line. This is why good drillers will put the line on an elbow to allow for some movement. Often when the ground moves the line it will separate near the well head. Your water in the house will be good. But every time the well turns on the line separates and some of the water leaks off into the ground. I have been to customer houses were the water was bubbling up out of the ground it was so bad, yet their water in the house was just fine.

When installing flowing wells we would either extend them up so they would stop flowing (great flag pole), or seal them up with special well covers.

 

[Valveman]

It is not good if the ground is wet and the water in the well is not getting up to the drain port. That means either the seal around the casing is bad or the casing has a hole or crack. Make sure the water is not coming from the pitless or the underground pipe to the house when the pump is running. Might need to run a camera down the well to look for casing problems.