Water filter and lightening strike!!!!

[banjobj]

I need to intall a system for hard water and Manganese, what is a good price for such a system and any brand names would be appreciated. I also had lightening strike and burn out my new well pump last week. (200 ft. drilled well) Has anyone else experienced this?

 

[MikePA]

<font color="blue"> also had lightening strike and burn out my new well pump last week. (200 ft. drilled well) Has anyone else experienced this? </font>
Yep. Our well pump was hit a few years ago, although they couldn't confirm the lightening strike until they pulled the pump out of the well (about as deep as yours) and looked at the wires. My homeowner's insurance covered everything but the deductible.

 

[Junkman]

At my old home, the lightning strikes took out so many pumps that I lost count. At first, I put the claim into the insurance company, but after the 3rd claim, they suggested that I go to a different type of pump system that wouldn't get hit by lightning. That was an impossible task, so I just started to replace them at my expense. Sold the home and haven't heard from the new owners if they are still having the problem. A neighbor also would loose his at the same time, so we must have been on the same water vein. The only solution that I ever heard of, was to shut off the power to the well when there is a lightning storm. Don't know if this is a old wives tale or not, but after doing this, I never had any additional problems with lightning strikes.

 

[PineRidge]

A 200 foot deep well casing makes for an extremely good ground rod for lightening to do its damage. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[SPIKER]

not many caseings go very deep, but yep, they will get hit by lightning, best way into the ground is the least amount of resistance, try adding a lightnig rod with a deep driven pipe, use some galv pipe 1.5" or 2" and drill tip to get it down 30' and add some pipe to the top and some guide wire. not sure if I would do it NOW but I sure would if it ever happened again! place it back far enough to keep it away from the house & well... maybe talk insurance co into buying the materials??? creating you're own lightning rod then the galv pipe will stand up to repeated strikes make sure it is above the level of the highest point close to the house. make it as a flag pole affair to keep it from becomming a destraction. I would use several guid wires, low enough to keep a flag going on top with out getting caught. Not sure if you like the idea, but I know what a pain it is to change them pumps and not to mention the cost... if you pull it you're self then insurance probably won't pay becasue you will have to have a PRO state it was lightning damage for them to accept a claim I'm sure...

Mark M

 

[PineRidge]

<font color="blue"> not many caseings go very deep, </font>

I'm not a well man but I always assumed (hate to use this word) that steel well casings went the full depth of the well itself. Now I'm curious as to what would prevent a collapse of the well if they don't. I remember when I was a young man helping to pull out a damaged pump and in the process one of us (hopefully not me) accidentally kicked a small stone in the casing. It immediately jammed the pump against the side of the steel casing making it impossible to pull the pump out or even lower it back down the well. I don't want to talk about what happened next but it wasn't pleasant. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

 

[KubotaSteve]

In the great state of West Virginia, we have been blessed with an abundance of limestone rock. When they drilled my well 2 years ago, they hit rock at around 10 feet then hit a spot of dirt at around 25 feet then solid rock all the way down to 455 feet. They only put casing down 40 feet which would catch the void of dirt at 25 feet. The solid rock basically acts as a well casing. I think they put something around the sides of the well casing to keep anything from getting down inside. It is similar to concrete but lighter.
I hope I never have to pull that well out for a very long time. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[MicroPilot]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I need to intall a system for hard water and Manganese, what is a good price for such a system and any brand names would be appreciated. ...)</font>

Check Sears for water softeners. Theirs are highly rated and usually less expensive than other brands. Cost depends on how hard your water is and how much you use. You can get free water hardness test kits, or take a fresh sample to the softener dealer and they can test it for you.

 

[AndyM]

<font color="blue"> I'm not a well man but I always assumed (hate to use this word) that steel well casings went the full depth of the well itself. Now I'm curious as to what would prevent a collapse of the well if they don't. </font>

The steel casing only goes down until the ground is solid enough that it's not needed any more, like when they drill through rock that's solid enough that acts as its own casing.

Since you live in Ohio, you can find out how deep your well is, and how deep the casing is, by going to this website...

Water Well Log

It also tells you what kind of soil or rock they found at each level of drilling. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

My casing is only 78 feet, while the total depth of my well is 197 feet.
Yellow Clay 0 to 15 feet
Blue Clay 15 to 70 feet
Shale 70 to 160 feet
White Sandstone 160 to 197 feet

 

[Inspector507]

My casing goes the full depth. They hit Clay from 0-47 feet and Sand&Gravel from 47-62 feet. Casing is 62 feet.

 

[PineRidge]

Well Andy I learned from your supplied information that my well is 95 foot deep while my well casing is only 53 foot deep.

This just goes to prove the value of free information available at the TBN site. Thanks for teaching an old dog a few new tricks! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[SPIKER]

yep: that is a good link I looked up my well like 6 months back. I forget what depth it is , but not cased all way either, only so far. ohio listes county and orrigal owner/contractor ect. anyhow off to watch some TV.

SPIKER

 

[banjobj]

I have 170 ft. of casing (200 foot total depth of well). I guess I'll have to think about the lightening protection you suggest. I talked to my insurance adjuster and he said the pump installer had to sign an affitdavit stating lightening caused the damage. The original system was installed less than a month ago. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif I got the bill for the lightening damage $1100.00. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[banjobj]

Thanks for the info.

 

[jinman]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The steel casing only goes down until the ground is solid enough that it's not needed any more, like when they drill through rock that's solid enough that acts as its own casing. )</font>

I'm surprised that so many well casings are steel pipe. My well is about five years old and has a PVC casing. The pipe going down to the pump is also schedule 80 PVC. I watched the whole process, and I know the casing went down 380 feet and the pump sits at 360 feet. My well installer put pea gravel around the casing (almost two yards) and then poured cement in to seal around the casing to stop water from higher levels seeping into the main pool. The only metal going all the distance to the pump is the power cable.

I've never had a bit of trouble with my well (knock on wood) and lightning strikes are very common here. I guess I should just feel lucky. My water is also very good. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[skent]

The new well we put in at the farm two years ago went 130 feet with 50 feet of solid casing and 80 feet beyond that of a silt screen casing. Around here they call this a screened well. Once they got throught the rock at 50 feet, they hit loose gravel around 70 feet. Pleanty of water though. So they ended up putting in the silt screen casing and backfill with peagravel. Then they grout the upper casing. The screening added $2300 to the price of the well, but after paying for a 450 foot dry hole, I didn't want to take a chance. That was during the drought we had and they pumped at 20 GPM with no problem.

Attached are pics.

 

[skent]

pic of the site of the 450' dry hole. cost me $1950.00.

 

[skent]

Another view of the rig in operation. very loud!

 

[skent]

a wonderful sight! water !

 

[SPIKER]

I went and checked my well again, here is the info


Borehole Diameter: Depth to Bedrock: Total Depth: 70 ft.
Casing Diameter: 4 in. Casing Thickness: Casing Length: 27 ft.
Well Use: Screen Length: Date of Completion: 8/1/85
Aquifer Type: SHALE Driller's Name: FINLEY PUMP & DRILLING

pretty OLD, the casting is rusty enough to cause the water to have the yellow tint of rust, if it sets for a few days with out running the water down... I've bleached the well many times with little success...

if it is run regularly the rust is greatly diminished, anyone know of a way (besides pulling the caseing and putting in a PVC) one to stop the rust?

mine is only cased to 27' pretty shallow but the creek out back is probably THAT deep and there is water that runs out along the rock walls nearly constantly. very clear looking dripping into the creek bed. there is also about 6 springs on the 22 acres some of which are a PAIN as they are right where my tractor paths are and simply stay muddy year round or hold water for skitter pits. the crawdads LOVE the holes as do the frogs, sallimanders & toads. I can take a 4'x4' creek bottom and there will be 20 small crawdads in there 1~2" or less. none of the BIG 4+" ones I was used to as a kid but then the creek does stop running every now and again...


Mark M