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

 

[Ridgewalker]

My land is in the St. Francios Mtn area of Missouri, about 1/2 mile from the Castor river which runs very clear. It's a lot of granite and other rock with red clay mixed in for fun. I do have about 1/2" of Ozark topsoil.*

I am going to pop the faucet head off and let it clear its throat and then I will try the "let 'er trickle" method and see what happens.

The water is very clear when settled, I just can't get rid of the dirt (mostly reddish for the clay)

It doesn't help that it only gets ran every couple of weeks, I think that is half the problem.

Thanks for tips, I knew I would learn something here!

*I have a logger on my property who worked when it was wet, he left 4' deep ruts in the bottom of my hollows where he crossed...It was 4' of good topsoil that had washed in from the tops of my ridges. Sure wish I had a way to relocate that dirt back to the top. Evidently my hollows were way steeper way back when.

 

[Egon]

If you are going to reduce the well flow maybe change your pump settings so the pump runs continuously while your test is going on.

Note: The flow rate must be set so that it is less than the recharge rate of your aquifer.

You might also want to hold a match beside the faucet when it is open. If the water lights off you have gas present and this may be the source of the bad oder.

 

[TheGoose]

Some interesting replies to this thread.

First off, the worst thing you can do to a well is to let it sit. The water has natural minerals and gasses in it that will come out of solution if it sits long enough. Also, sometimes bladder tanks that keep the air and water in a separate compartment can sometimes amplify the problem of smelly water.

It sounds like from your description that your well is a slow producer and the pump is capable of pumping more than the well can produce. This is very bad for your pump and can cause your pump/motor to overheat resulting in a destroyed pump/motor or a melted casing if your casing is made with PVC.

I would immediately check into a device like a pumptec which can detect a no load situation and shut the pump down so that it cannot run dry, or for much lower cost and low tech a low pressure cut off switch. The low pressure cut off switch will not completely solve the problem but it's better than nothing. Pumptec is made by Franklin, which is probably the type of motor in your well. Either way it should work.

As for your sediment problems you should let the well run. Pinch back the flow from a hose or faucet so that the pump never runs out of water. If you can isolate the pump from the tank so that the pump never shuts off this is ideal. Let it pump for several hours. If after pumping a lot of volume of water through the well the water is still dirty I would seek professional help.

Good luck.

 

[SPIKER]

It sounds like the low use it the main problem like others said.

Running the water will remove some of not all of the issues under normal use type usage.

Problem being that the when you run the water flow to try & clear it up will run to re-fill the well rinsing in the mud dirtying up the water and bring in more contaminants so then you end up with a nearly empty well with dirty water running into the well each time you will get closer to cleaning out the well though when it sets it will all start over with the sulfur smell building up in between runs.

the smell can be from many sources bacteria is primary problem in areas like MO and the Midwest in general. high iron content in the water is fed on by several types of bacteria that is usually only distasteful to US humans but worse smell and can buildup more as it sets...

It can make pipes and water tanks hot water ect act up as it builds up in the system...

shocking the well will help for a little while let the bleach stand a day or so in the well and pump it dry several times keeping eye on not running the pump long if water flow slows down, (well going dry.) Most submersible pumps have the motors on the bottom of the pump so the motor stays cool in the water while the pump spins with water staying in the pump body is the real problem of burning the pump up not the motor on the [pump] ASSEMBLY.

ok as far as solving the problem regular use it best way to clear it out.

Mark

 

[Ridgewalker]

Update: Since my pump is at 150' with water at 100' it never entered my mind I could pump it dry.

With that I spent the day down on the farm and let the hose run for the day. I let it run slow for a hour or so then filled up a 5 gal bucket full blast. I did that sequence 4-5 times and by the end of the day it was running clear and cold.

It still has a little bit of a skunky taste so I may shock it again and see what happens.

I am thinking of getting a mechanical timer and setting up a hose to water a wild blackberry patch. I would benefit by getting some big berries and letting the well run once a day.

Anyone work with mechanical timers before?

 

[lakngulf]

My thought was the timer set so the water runs at several intervals while you are not there. Give that a try.

Also, while I am on a water system now, my well was once my water source, and I still have it in good working order. I never had your water color problem but often had (and still have) the sulphur smell. Well digger told me to pour in some chlorox, let it sit then pump some out. That works for awhile but must be repeated. The water tastes great, much better than the water system water, but you have to deal with the smell.

I did some research at the time and found a device that you put on the well that will dispense chlorine tablets based on water usage. That is an option as well. Even with regular water usage, the smell will be there.

 

[The Dougster]

Perhaps I can be of assistance... to the fellow near Houston... Your County, Harris County, has some of the most extensive well records within State of Texas. Check with the Texas Water Development Board. They have a library of references for Harris County, which includes well locations, well construction (depths, etc) that should serve you well. Another source would be the Harris County Subsidence District. I'm betting your well is listed on one of the groundwater reports. TWDB has maintained water well drillers logs for ages. Give it a try.
Ridgewalker:
You have been getting some really great information and some bad information. Hey, we are tractor owners.. right? Do you have a copy of the drillers log indicating well construction? Almost all States regulate water wells drillers and require logs showing the well construction to be filed. It is highly unlikely that you have contamination from surface water. In the groundwater business, that is a major no-no.
You mention granite formations in your area. That alone tells me you have low permeability... low permeability means that groundwater flows slowly thru the rock. Your mention of pumping the water out of the well substantiates the low permeability assumption. You are pumping water out faster that groundwater can recharge the well.
Since you have low permeability, the water, as it migrates thru the rock formation, tends to pick up minerals more easily than in highly permeable rock formations, thus the high levels of H2S.
It is quite possible, that when the well was drilled, it was not properly cleaned of drilling fluids, etc. Most well contractors spend a great deal of time agitating a well in attempts to clean it completely.
My first suggestion would be to contact a contractor, preferably the original well driller,explain your problem and see what he thinks about your problem. It's possible to have him pull the pump and re-clean the well. Good luck with your problem. Let me know if I can be of assistance.

As an FYI: Let me describe my circumstance and what I did to resolve it. At our ranch, we have two bathrooms, each serviced by their own hot water heaters. One WH see's a lot of action every weekend, while the other one seldom gets used. The one seldom used always reeked of sulphur... when someone washed their hands in that bath, the whole house then smelled awful... to resolve that problem, I put a water filter to the inlet side of the WH and then introduced a big bottle of H2O2.. plain old hydrogen peroxide from Wal Mart. That completely solved the problem. Now, whenever we get a hint of H2S oder, approximately every 5-6 months, I spend another dollar and give it a dose of H2O2.. cheap and effective solution.

 

[TheGoose]

Actually all of the well logs can be found here:

Driller's Report Main Menu

You can pull up a map of your area and see all the wells around you.

Also I would not worry about your existing well unless it is not PVC. The wells in that area SHOULD be PVC. If your well is galvanized you should look into getting it replaced. If your well is PVC it should be good but you are probably nearing the end of the life span of your pump. No need to drill a new well if there is nothing wrong with your old one.

Perhaps I can be of assistance... to the fellow near Houston... Your County, Harris County, has some of the most extensive well records within State of Texas. Check with the Texas Water Development Board. They have a library of references for Harris County, which includes well locations, well construction (depths, etc) that should serve you well. Another source would be the Harris County Subsidence District. I'm betting your well is listed on one of the groundwater reports. TWDB has maintained water well drillers logs for ages. Give it a try.
Ridgewalker:

 

[MikeD74T]

Dougster, Have you searched for "rotten egg smell"? Sounds like you need to change the anode in the offending HWH from a magnesium type to a zinc alloy type. MikeD74T

 

[The Dougster]

Goose, that's a wonderful link and I really appreciate your input.. I have found the TWDB web site to be incredibly complex. Unfortunately, due to budget cuts, the map doesn't have all the wells located. There are many drillers logs submitted that never seem to make it to the maps. As best I can tell, the link you suggest contain only wells that have been given a State well Number, aka, located well data. These are wells that have been field located on the ground by TWDB staff and these wells should contain data pertaining to well construction, static water levels and water quality data. Again, I appreciate the info.

I have tried to change the anode rod but cannot get enough leverage. The WH is located in a closet. To change the anode would entail removing the entire WH, and I'm way too lazy for that. lol