Well trouble

[Ridgewalker]

I have a well that is 250' deep with a submersible at 200', the water table is at 150'. (+-)

It only gets ran on the odd weekend and not for long then. It's connected to a freeze proof faucet out in a field.

The issues are twofold, the first, it always smells like sulpher. I tried shocking it but that didn't seem to help.

The bigger issue is that is runs cloudy to dirty to clear and then back to cloudy. If I leave the faucet open for a while eventually I loss almost all water pressure. If I shut it off it will build pressure but the water stays pretty dirty.

Anyone have any ideas as to what may be going on? There don't seem to be too many folks who know anything about wells down where my land is.

The pump is about 2 years old, I had it and the pressure tank replaced at the same time.

TIA.

 

[s78wingrider]

Sulphur probably building up in pipes and everything from not being used all the time

 

[dave1949]

Have you checked the air bladder in the pressure tank? Also, check the cut-in and cut-out adjustments on the pressure switch. I would start with the basics first, need looking at now and then anyways.
Dave.

 

[Steve_Miller]

Sulpher is usually a sign of hard water. Dirt can usually be cleared up by running the tap contiuously for a few weeks if that's possible. Just open the faucet enough that the pump can build pressure then shut off for a minute or so then start again, this way the roiled up water will be pumped out and eventually gotten rid of. The dirt is usually just from the drilling process and runs out of the seams. If the pump only runs sparingly for short bursts the water will rile up then when the usage stops the dirt will settle back to the bottom again awaiting the next cycle to rile it again. Then again there are wells that never clear, not what you want to hear but there's always hope.

Steve

 

[Mousefield]

What type of ground is it drilled through?

This will help us give you better answers. In our area lots of wells have a Sulpher smell. My well is drilled 160 feet through shale; we used to get grey water sometime so bad you could not see your finger in the middle of a glass of it and that was using a 1 micron filter. They called it rock flower or shale water. Had to finally put in a $6,000.00 filter system.
Now we have clear water. :cool2:

 

[Egon]

Sounds like all is normal. You are getting some H2S into the well bore from a water seam and you are also getting some clays from the water seam.

The H2S is nothing uncommon. In some places the folks can light the water/gas coming out of a faucet.

You pump is capable of pumping more water than the recharge capability of the water bearing seam.

 

[Ken]

What size of pump do you have. and pump at 200 ft. water level at 150 you only have a column of water the size of the well. and a well developes a cavity the size of usage so if only for a few hundred gallon every other week. the sedimate fills the unused cavity.
I have pulled the sub. pump of wells less then year in constant use and the pump pipe tank was full of mineral from the type of rock at water level. Red sludge is the look.
The only way to correct was to put in a liner to stop the surface water running into the well.
Take a water sample to be tested to see what is getting into the water.
ken

 

[Egon]

The only way to correct was to put in a liner to stop the surface water running into the well.

Does not the well driller cement off the surface water ?

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

I'm worried about our well. We have had a tenant and us on here, us for 20 years, both of us for 11 of those. I am a heavy water user. I think its been the one and only well drilled here since its in a well house. It has to be at least 30 years old.We have no idea how deep it is, I tried to find out but the driller whose number was on the old tank said back when it was drilled they didn't have to keep extensive records so he had no idea or no idea if he even drilled it.

We are drilling a new one this year. Not only because they are yelling for everyone to start using surface water and we are afraid we will have trouble drilling one later but because it gets more expensive each year.

Our water tastes very good, has some sand when I clean the faucet fillters every few months but I can't beleive its still going.

I too worry that we will end up with not so good water when we have to drill a new one. We have really been fortunate. I hope you can get that problem cleared up.

 

[Ken]

Does not the well driller cement off the surface water ?

Egon usually the well driller puts in a 20 /40 ' of liner cememted in Now if he drills through a seam at 100' that is surface water contaminated by what ever. then continues to 200' puts in pump at 180' and water rises to the 100' mark when used the flow at 180' is constant and builds a cavity for size of normal usage. The 100' surface water is also running in and mineral or sand is filling the unused well so when needed again the cavity is smaller. I have seen wells that the liner was a 3' of concrete pipe no cement to seal.
Also a good well can be ruined by neighbor miles away putting in a well and intercepting the flow of good water then you get the waterback flowing toward the increased use some where else. This help?
ken