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Subject: pulsating well water pressure


Author:
Sheila (sad)
[Edit]
Date Posted: 10:39:56 07/03/09 Fri
(207-225-154-201.mpls.qwest.net/207.225.154.201)
I have a 425' deep well that is now 16 years old. Recentely, the water pressure has started pulsating. What does this mean?

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Subject: wells


Author:
cynti (curious)
[Edit]
Date Posted: 18:07:46 06/28/09 Sun
(97-118-37-70.hlrn.qwest.net/97.118.37.70)
Does the government charge the land owner for having a water well?

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Replies:
Subject: Well in my basement


Author:
Matthew
[Edit]
Date Posted: 08:19:25 03/31/09 Tue
(ixrdemo.opm.gov/205.131.188.5)
I have a well in my basement and I was wondering if anyone knows how to fill this in. One problem is that my new well is about 25 ft. from this well and is only about 40' deeper than the one in the basement. I don't want this enormous concrete pipe in my basement for fear of children getting curious and falling in (it's covered but not hard to get open). Please any ideas?

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Replies:
Subject: Hand pump


Author:
Dave
[Edit]
Date Posted: 23:51:50 06/20/09 Sat
(cache-mtc-ae09.proxy.aol.com/64.12.117.13)
I have a 500 foot drilled well with 120 feet of 6" steel casing surrounding 220 feet of 4" PVC casing housing a submersible which rests at 300 feet + with a 1" pipe. Static level is approx 160 feet. I am trying to install a hand pump alongside my existing electrical pump. Drop pipe for hand pump is 1 1/4", cylinder is 2". Things were going good until I dropped to 120 feet. I hit something that gives like rubber, but can't pass that point. I applied limited pressure, but was afraid to force.

Any knowledge or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Dave

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Replies:
Subject: pressure and volume problem with well pump


Author:
Mike
[Edit]
Date Posted: 10:51:42 06/28/09 Sun
(75-104-192-54.cust.wildblue.net/75.104.192.54)
We have a submersible pump (do not know HP) and one bladder tank. We recently installed a Culligan water softening system. We are attempting to provide water for 2 households but are having difficulty maintaining pressure and volume. Any suggestions?

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Replies:
Subject: Deep well in sand in Florida


Author:
Harry (help)
[Edit]
Date Posted: 16:43:33 06/21/09 Sun
(c-98-244-227-204.hsd1.fl.comcast.net/98.244.227.204)
If I have water between 17' and 19' (19' during the dry season) in sand, and I want to install a deep well jet pump with the two pipe system, how far down should the 4" casing be and how far down should the foot valve be?

Thanks

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Replies:
Subject: Hand Pump


Author:
Dave
[Edit]
Date Posted: 00:57:38 06/22/09 Mon
(cache-mtc-ae09.proxy.aol.com/64.12.117.13)
Thanks for the great advice Vey. I think you nailed it on the arrestor. I wish I would have bought a gen rather than this pump!

With the $ investment already made in the pump....what do you think my risk is of attempting to push past the arrestor and finishing what I started???

Thanks again!

Dave

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Replies:
Subject: Which is better a 2 wire or 3 wire submersible pump?


Author:
CARLENE MILLS
[Edit]
Date Posted: 11:16:03 06/21/09 Sun
(ip72-199-203-175.sd.sd.cox.net/72.199.203.175)
Hi, I need to replace my submersible pump. I'm wondering which is better a 3 wire or a 2 wire pump. I have always used a 3 wire with the control box and all. But, I see that 2 wire pumps are much cheaper. Is there a down side to that?

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Replies:
Subject: Basic Information


Author:
Larry Johnson
[Edit]
Date Posted: 12:44:11 06/17/09 Wed
(adsl-69-209-124-66.dsl.klmzmi.ameritech.net/69.209.124.66)
I have installed a 1 1/4" well in my yard about two years ago and could never get it to work. I have about 21 1/2 feet of pipe in the ground. I have measured about 1 1/2 feet of water in the bottom just today. I would like to give this another try. I did purchase a new pump from my local farm supply store. Am I too deep for this pump! Since it's only 1 1/4" pipe, is it two small pipe for a deep well pump? How much water is needed in the pipe to make it work? I know, lots of questions. Any answers out there?

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Replies:
Subject: Point Cleaner


Author:
Jeffrey Stevens
[Edit]
Date Posted: 15:07:18 06/15/09 Mon
(dialup-4.159.50.81.Dial1.Chicago1.Level3.net/4.159.50.81)
My point is clogged and I am looking for a product called Johnsons Well Point Cleaner. Do you know where it can be found? Is it still on the market?

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Replies:
Subject: advice for working in a hand dug


Author:
David Whitesel
[Edit]
Date Posted: 13:31:20 06/09/09 Tue
(COX-DEDICATED-64-42-238-82.fuse.net/66.42.238.82)
I have an 18' deep hand dug well that is lined with stones. On the inside of the well there is a line that feeds water up into the house that goes through the side wall of the well and the other end of the pipe elbows down into the well and I believe there is a foot valve on the end of that pipe that needs to be replaced. To get this pipe loose, I am going to have to get into the well and loosen that pipe where it is connected at the elbow.

I have a ladder that is long enough to get me into the well to work, what advice can you give me about working inside that well? The pipe I have to get to is under water so I am thinking about pumping the water out to that connector so I am not working under water. What do you think?

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Replies:
Subject: Florida well challenges


Author:
Harry (wont give up)
[Edit]
Date Posted: 06:17:21 06/14/09 Sun
(c-76-29-144-202.hsd1.fl.comcast.net/76.29.144.202)
I am having some real challenges with getting water out of the ground here in Orlando. Soil is sand and the water table is at 17'. I tried a shallow well with no success (tried two different shallow well pumps). Went to plan B and sunk a 4" sleeve 19' down. I currently have a 1Hp deep well jet pump with a two pipe system. The top of the 1 1/4" dia 5'long s/s well point is at 23' (6' below water). on top of the well point is a check valve, then 2' of PVC then the deep well device. Then the two pipes up from there. I have made sure the entire system if full of water and tried the priming process over and over. It will pump a little (maybe 1/2 gal) then slow to a trickle, pump a little more, slow until it finally stops.
Any ideas?
Thanks in advance,
Harry - Orlando

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Subject: low water pressure had new pump installed


Author:
paul
[Edit]
Date Posted: 09:32:49 06/08/09 Mon
(29.91.203.68.cfl.res.rr.com/68.203.91.29)
hello. was wondering if anybody could help with this problem. 5 days ago, my pump quit working(submersible 1/2horse 2 wire). thru friends found a guy who works for his dad replacing pumps. he(not the father) pulled the old pump(truck crane)and in that process the old pump/motor broke @ the end of the pipe where its connected. he didnt act surprised and says that happens. he said best solution was to hammer it down further into the well then set the replacement a few feet above it. the well is 85 foot deep and the motor was set @45 feet. anyhow he did beat it down a few feet. he put in a gould used 1 horse (3 wire 03 model). then proceeds to reinstall all the 1" down pipe(galv)back down the well. once he arrived @ the top of the well he put the seal on ,a 1" m/a connects to the "joint" above the seal then procceeds as follows from right to left meaning from the right= my casing, to the left= my tank(bladder type is about 3 1/2 feet tall he said it was small). anyhow from the casing it goes to a 1"tee where my supply line to my home is located, next it goes into another 1"tee (back to back)this tee is pointing up with the pressure switch attached(we replaced the pressure switch and also added the controller for the 3 wire pump/motor.)from the end of the second tee it drops 6" to the tank. anyway bottom line is everything works but water pressure is funny..takes toilets longer to fill, washer, sinks. he did let it pump all the iron build up out or most i should say, but my question(finally) is, is the configuration of my house supply line location and pressure switch ok?he didnt put a tank fitting kit on so it basiclly runs from top of casing to tee(supply to house)
to another tee (pressure switch) then drops and deadends into the tank. so the pump pushes the water back thru the pressure switch to the supply to home then its only a few inches and its back down into the well it goes..does this configuration matter is this the reason the water pressure is lowish? im an electrician so i can assure you its not the pump or controller or switch or anything electrical. with that being said im dumb as a plum when it comes to wells.....ive tried to include everything i can remember in this but im sure i left something out..oh yeah there is no cycle stop valve or check valve above ground only the one on the motor,also the well casing is 4"...everything new except motor/pump...the whole set up looks very simple with the distance between the casing and tank being about 1 1/2' apart. was thinking i should put a tank fitting kit in and reconfigure set up....i dunno any advice is appreciated. also i understand that i got what i paid for but whats done is done.please post ur opinions!++++remembered this after i read the preview..i went up 1/2 a horse and also the configuration that i explained was very close to what was there before.well has been operational for 27 years(with crappy pressure) up to a few days ago. t/y

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Replies:
Subject: augered well w/ casing stopped at water table


Author:
Matthew
[Edit]
Date Posted: 18:11:30 06/03/09 Wed
(adsl-241-59-85.sdf.bellsouth.net/74.241.59.85)
Hello,

I've been working on a well to build a compressorless geothermal cooling system for my house and I could use some advice. Here goes: Using a hand auger with extentions that a friend and I built, I've dug down to the water table (32'). Along the way, we had some problems with cave ins and I happened across some soon to be discarded pvc pipe (6 inch internal diameter and very heavy duty). We've used this as well casing with the bottom 10' cut to serve as well screen and it now lines the full 32'. However, I seem to be stuck. Every time I send the auger down and pull it out the suction at the bottom of the well pulls more sand and gravel up into the tube so that the net result is that I am no longer getting anywhere though I presume I'm creating a cavity around the bottom of the pipe. Additionally, the casing may be bound up some and doesn't seem to be moving any further down (this may be because the casing is bound or because there is no where for the casing to drop down into since the vaccum draws up more sand and gravel under and into it). Ideally, I'd like to get the casing and screen another 20' down so that I have alot of water column. I have a submersible deep well pump that needs a minimum of 4'' casing but if I can't get the well casing down any further I'm not sure what my best option is. Finding a way to get my casing and screen down further would be ideal and driving a 2'' well inside my 6'' casing is a second best option. Any advice on what and how to proceed would be helpful. By the way the soil is all loose sand and gravel where the gravel is mostly less than 1'' in diameter but occasionally larger. Help?

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Replies:
Subject: cleaning old pit-dug well


Author:
Bernie (Thirsty)
[Edit]
Date Posted: 21:22:15 06/02/09 Tue
(69-57-92-31.dsl.dynamic.nccray.com/69.57.92.31)
I built a cabin overlooking the juncture of three coulees (ravines) and have discovered at the foot of the hill (80 feet below us) there is an old hand-dug brick lined pit well about 15-18 feet deep with 7-10 feet of water in it. There is electrical power nearby as well as a stock tank, so I dropped a sump pump down to 20 inches below the top surface, and turned it on - day & night - for three months at 1100 gallons per hour, and it only dropped the level 6 inches. Now the problem: The bottom of the well has 3 feet (perhaps more) of black slimy muddy muck (stinks) that I would like to clear out. Ideally, a sewar sucking truck would work perfectly, but the site is inaccessible to trucks. What if I bought a "dirty water" pump that can handle solids up to 5 mm, and pumps at 1800 gph, and just re-cycled the water in the well to "stir it all up into a soup, then pump it all out into the nearby creek,(if I can get ahead of the in-flow rate), or until it runs clear, then drop in 3 or 4 wheelbarrows of crushed inch rock onto the bottom? Would this hopefully eliminate the black stinky slim? Any suggestions? Would it be counter-productive to just drop the wheelbarrows full of crushed rock onto the existing black muck? I was told by an old well driller to NOT use pea gravel, as it can bind up and shut off any water in-flow. I don't know if the in-flow is coming from the bottom or sides. Of course I would then have it purified and tested, and also would rely on an expensive filter if I were ever inclined to drink it (which right now I'm not).

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Subject: How to make a drill


Author:
B.a. (thoughtful)
[Edit]
Date Posted: 23:15:38 06/01/09 Mon
(pool-71-115-114-180.sangtx.dsl-w.verizon.net/71.115.114.180)
I have been wanting to drill my own water well but I need to do it cheap but effective.I have seen several videos where people are drilling them in there own backyard with homemade expansion chambers and drills and they show you how to make everything you need but the expansion chamber and drill.So I was wondering if anyone had any ideas on how one could be made for cheap?

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Replies:
Subject: Shallow well problems in Florida


Author:
Harry Armstrong (challenged)
[Edit]
Date Posted: 17:39:28 05/27/09 Wed
(c-76-29-144-202.hsd1.fl.comcast.net/76.29.144.202)
I sunk a shallow well here in Orlando Florida and am having problems getting water out of it. Let me describe my situation. I used a 5', 1 1/4" dia stainless steel well point designed to be driven into the ground. I used PVC pipe on top of the well point (washed down, not driven)My water level is at 19' below the surface. The top of the well point is at 27' below the surface (8' below water level). Right on top of the well point is a brass check valve. I can fill the vertical pipe with water due to the check valve in the bottom and obviously fill the pump before running. I have tried a Harbor Freight shallow well pump:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=47906
and a 1Hp sprinkler pump from Lowes. I have not been able to get water out of either of them. I know I am priming well, I have water in the entire system from the well point to the pump.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Harry

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Subject: Well clanking


Author:
M. Moldan
[Edit]
Date Posted: 20:49:49 05/27/09 Wed
(NoHost/76.164.5.141)

The pressure guage doesn't appear to move at all when water isn't running. When my sprinkler system is on the guage hits 40 and the pump turns on until it gets to approximately 70 and then turns off. It clanks 4 times when it shuts off.

Any idea what is wrong with my well?

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Replies:
Subject: No H2O


Author:
Mike
[Edit]
Date Posted: 13:07:17 05/19/09 Tue
(pool-71-115-187-33.gdrpmi.dsl-w.verizon.net/71.115.187.33)
I have went through the process of sandsucking a 3" casing...got to very, very wet sand and sunk my 2" point into the 3" PVC and pulled the 3" up 4'! Got my pump hooked up and hard wired into my breaker box and turned her on....the h2o I put in the pump came right back up, but it took about 15 minutes for a bigger burst of H2O to come up and only ran for about 10sec and then nothing. This has happened 5 times after priming the pump. Any suggestions as to why it wont continue to pump up the H2O?

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Replies:
Subject: good advise needed


Author:
Richard Marsh (in waiting)
[Edit]
Date Posted: 17:41:45 05/17/09 Sun
(62.206.166.190.f.sta.codetel.net.do/190.166.206.62)
Dear friends.

I live in Republic Dominican , in the north coast , i have a house in the side of a mountain, the land is made up with a light colloured cream clay .
I have found a water vein near to my house , the nabour land is a little lower then my place , he is at a point where the water comes out of the land, so hes luckey he can tap into it, & it supplies him with all the water he needs .
Now above his land they constructed a road ,& all the time in line with his water suplie is part of the road is wet , i belive that when they scraped the area, with a bull dozer they cut the top part of the water vane, now for me to conect into this water, i have to go further up the mountain, about 80 mts the land is steep, so i recond that to be at the same hight of the road 8 to ten meters diffrence , thats if the water vain the leval or it might slope the same as the mountain , in that case the water would only be about 2 to3 mts below the surface .
My question is do i dig a well, & line it untill i get to the water , or if i use your system a drive a 2 or 3 inch pipe into the ground , if i do that what happens then i reach the water, & go further will it break the base of the water vane then nobody has water , because i see that everybody is talking about water tables but this is diffrent , Please pass some advise .

Look foreward to reciveing the info Richard Marsh/

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Subject: jet pump keeps recycling


Author:
Rick Allen
[Edit]
Date Posted: 11:01:19 05/17/09 Sun
(adsl-153-239-184.jax.bellsouth.net/70.153.239.184)
Jet pumps cycles all the time. My pressure switch is 20/40.
Once the pump hits cut-off, the guage keeps going down until it hits cut-in pressure. I have pulled the pipe out (40 ft), replaced foot valve, replaced pressure switch, and bladder tank. Problem continues.

I pulled the the pipe out twice to make sure the foot valve was put in properly, but I didn't check to see if there was a leak or crack in the pipe itself. Could this be my problem?

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Replies:
Subject: Cleaning the well?


Author:
Alandheer (curious)
[Edit]
Date Posted: 09:19:14 05/17/09 Sun
(99-53-219-111.lightspeed.gdrpmi.sbcglobal.net/99.53.219.111)
ok...got the well point down to about 22 feet ( I have about 5 feet of water in the pipe ) and put the pitcher pump on top. Began by priming the pump and started pumping. Got muddy, silty water up as I pumped but I began building up pressure in the pipe and I had to actually hold the pump handle down or else it wanted to suck right back up because there was so much pressure built up in the pipe. At first I thought there was something wrong with the valves in the pitcher pump, but now I just assume that I need to take some time to surge out the well? I have found that I have drilled into a fine sand and that the pounding of the point has probably clogged up the drill point mesh. With that being clogged I am creating a vaccume in the pipe by pumping it with the pitcher pump. This is a reasonable assumption?
This is a very remote area with not other hose to surge the well (or electricity). Which method of surging might work out best for me in this sandy well? Simply churning it till it cleans the mesh point...should I use the check valve on the end of a smaller pipe to surge it to help pull the small particles out...or just churn it and clean it out? I could rent a gas powered compressor to push air down the well to clean the point out too I suppose.

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Replies:
Subject: Broken pipes when pounding well.


Author:
A. Landheer
[Edit]
Date Posted: 16:22:11 05/11/09 Mon
(99-53-219-111.lightspeed.gdrpmi.sbcglobal.net/99.53.219.111)
ok...here is the problem. Pounding a 1 1/4 well pipe and sand point. I need to get down to about 20'. After hitting water the FIRST time, I realized that the pipe had split at the threads that had not gone into the coupling. I pulled out 10' of pipe and chalked it up to learning. I started over and got to the same depth (no rocks...just nice sand) and the SAME thing happened. It seems strange to me that the threads of the pipe do not totally twist into the coupling...there is plenty of space. What I fear is happening is the threads are taking all of the beating inside of the coupling. Shouldn't the two pipes in the coupling meet togather in the middle to help "cushion" the blows and transferr the pounding down to the sand point? I screwed teh pipes as far as they would go into the couplings! The exposed threads outside of the coupling are the weak point. I am using a 50 pound post driver over the top of the pipe to drive the whole thing. I was not pouring water into the pipe to soften the sand, so I will do that; but otherwise...what the heck am I doing wrong? Lighten up on the pounding?

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Replies:
Subject: primitive well digging


Author:
micah landry (determined)
[Edit]
Date Posted: 08:37:52 05/09/09 Sat
(99-195-4-133.dyn.centurytel.net/99.195.4.133)
I want to drill a water well like the settlers did, by hand. There are several methods I am finding out. I like the driven point system. How will I know when I have hit water?

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Replies:
Subject: Rookie well driller can't find water!


Author:
Kevin Williams
[Edit]
Date Posted: 18:45:10 05/08/09 Fri
(adsl-074-236-178-028.sip.shv.bellsouth.net/74.236.178.28)
I hope some of you can offer some advice - I think I may be in over my head. I live in central Louisiana. My neighbor and I went together and bought a portable well drilling rig which uses a 6 hp engine and 5' joints of 1" steel pipe along with a centrifical pump to drill wells at our homes. I have heard from some neighbors that the "good water" is deep - 200+ feet. So we embarked upon our project on a Thursday morning a couple of weeks ago with everything we needed to drill a 200' well. I have 200' of 4" casing and 10' of 4" PVC well screen. I drilled a 3" pilot hole with plans to ream it out to 6". The first day I drilled my pilot hole to 170' with relatively no problems. I found 15' of red dirt, and then fine, yellow sand until I hit 110'. Then I hit bluish gray clay. Friday I had all kinds of trouble with the mud pump, the deeper I got into the clay, the less circulation I had. Finally in the afternoon I rented a stronger pump. End of Friday, 210' still in the clay. On Saturday morning, I started drilling again having to go very slow to keep circulation and occasionally having to thin the drilling mud by wasting some and adding water. I would see a small amount of sand occasionally but still more clay. I ran out of pipe, determination, daylight and energy at 245' and still in the clay. I pulled all the pipe out of the hole, cleaned up, plugged the hole, and have been scratching my head ever since. I talked to a commercial well driller in my area who suggested I make a well in the sand that I found down to 110'. I am considering doing this, but I didn't notice anything that would suggest there was water in this sand. Of course I was mixing drilling mud into my water so maybe I sealed the walls? I would love to just stop at 100' but I'm not sure there is water there. Has anyone of you had a similar problem that can shed a bit of light on this? By the way, I found 2 wells within 5 miles of my house that are 300' deep (of course I find this out after). I don't think my small rig will go much deeper than 245'. The drill string is very heavy. Thanks for any advice you can give.

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Subject: how do i find out how deep my water table is " City hall ? " Maybe ?


Author:
mike honkoski
[Edit]
Date Posted: 13:07:33 05/07/09 Thu
(pool-71-109-74-147.lsanca.dsl-w.verizon.net/71.109.74.147)
I know that the city where i live " San Gabriel valley, ca. " has a ground water table but is there any way for me to find out how deep it is before i start. No one else on this street or anywhere else in the entire area hss the slightest idea. But i can see the san gabriel valley water department pump stations here and there around town, possibly i could ask one of them?

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Replies:
Subject: whats the next step


Author:
Jake
[Edit]
Date Posted: 10:29:47 05/02/09 Sat
(adsl-222-96-49.jan.bellsouth.net/68.222.96.49)
I have a different situation than most on this site. I live in south Mississippi and want to put in an irrigation well. I got a post hole digger and dug a hole in my front yard just to see what kind of soil was under there. I got three feet down and hit sand and water. What kind of well should I install? How do I know that I will have enough volume of water out of the well. I know there is water down there and it's not far, just don't know what the next step is. Thanks for your help.

Jake

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Replies:
Subject: Hand dug, brick-lined well full of dirt.


Author:
Darby Kane
[Edit]
Date Posted: 14:21:38 05/02/09 Sat
(h226.34.255.206.cable.lngv.cablelynx.com/206.255.34.226)
I live in East Texas in a 1930's house. I have a hand-dug, brick-lined well that some genius decided to throw yard clippings and dirt in 2 decades ago. This post is only about getting the dirt and muck out, the pump issues I will save for another day. So, the depth right now is 15 feet (the well is about 3' across). I can see water, but it's shallow. I want to know if anyone has a better idea (or has tried) to clean a well from the surface with a bucket or mud auger? The type that is turned by hand and pulled to the surface to clean it out. Yes, this is labor intensive, but I have time. I don't want to go down a ladder or pay someone to do it for safety/liability concerns. So, got any ideas about something that would do this job if not the hand auger? I am pretty sure it's just dirt down there, it's not like we are drilling a new well. The well must have been a producer at one time because it has a sizeable pump and tank. I just want to water the yard and flowers on the cheap.

Thank you in advance,

Darby Kane

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Subject: water flowing out of the well cap


Author:
Terry
[Edit]
Date Posted: 06:02:37 05/02/09 Sat
(69-179-105-205.dyn.centurytel.net/69.179.105.205)
We have a 4" in our front yard and water is flowing out of the cap. The water pressure is fine and the pumper turns off and on just fine. It has rained a lot and the ground is saturated, could that be it?

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Subject: Exposing the PVC Point on a Sand Sucked well!!!


Author:
Mike
[Edit]
Date Posted: 19:42:05 05/01/09 Fri
(pool-71-115-187-33.gdrpmi.dsl-w.verizon.net/71.115.187.33)
I just finished sand sucking my 3" PVC and sunk the 2" with the point on the end, but I can't pull up the 3" to expose the point without the 2" coming up with it. Do you have any suggestions as to how I can pull the 3" up without taking the 2" too?

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Replies:
Subject: water stops then starts back


Author:
mark james
[Edit]
Date Posted: 03:28:17 04/22/09 Wed
(host671420021130.direcway.com/67.142.130.21)
my shower will start and then it will stop for a minute then start back i have a drilled well , what would cause the well to start and stop.

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Replies:
Subject: Restore old well


Author:
Troy Duhe
[Edit]
Date Posted: 20:17:33 04/21/09 Tue
(adsl-074-170-146-220.sip.msy.bellsouth.net/74.170.146.220)
I purchase this property a few years ago and found where the old family home once was. I found the place where the old well once was also. There is a open hole with the casing still in it. The casing is a 8" terrycotter pipe. The well seems to be 55ft. deep and the water level seems to be only about 3ft. Is there any thing that you would recommend to do if I wanted to try something so I could use this well to water the garden? The water has a bad smell at this time. Is this well worth me trying to dig deeperin the same hole with a smaller pipe?

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Replies:
Subject: pump kicking on without turning on any water


Author:
john carper
[Edit]
Date Posted: 13:02:16 01/04/08 Fri
(adsl-99-164-42-106.dsl.akrnoh.sbcglobal.net/99.164.42.106)
my pump is kicking on about every hour without running the water ? and i can find no leak !what is up please help

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Replies:
Subject: Shallow Well Question


Author:
Tommy Williams
[Edit]
Date Posted: 14:42:42 07/20/08 Sun
(user-24-214-105-72.knology.net/24.214.105.72)
Hi,
I have a washed shallow well 26 ft deep with a 2" casing which is used to water my yard. I have a 2" well screen 5 ft in length on the end of the 2" casing. The total depth of the well screen and casing is 26 ft. I have a 1 1/4 supply line with a foot valve at 20 ft. My shallow well pump I purchased from Harbor Freight is a 3/4 pump with a pressure tank. I developed my well with air and began pumping water. The well was producing 5.5 gals of water per minute. The static water level is at 10ft. The pump ran fine for about 7 days and then it seemed to begin sucking some air. The water continued to flow but now it seems to be sucking more and more air. Now the water pressue is falling and more sucking of air, I guess. This means to me that the well is running out of water.?

Question:
1. Is the 1 1/4 supply line to large for the 2" casing?
The 1 1/4 coupling is a tight fit inside the 2" casing. Could this be blocking the flow of static water?

2. Should the 2" casing be used as supply line that is hooked up directly to the pump?

3. Could the well screen be stopped up? If so, how would I clean the screen?

I was getting very cool water but now it seems to be just warm water.
The well screen is open at the end. Is there a way to go deeper if possible?

Thanks for your suggestions!

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Replies:
Subject: Air pump stops.


Author:
Tim King (Confused.)
[Edit]
Date Posted: 18:43:09 04/06/09 Mon
(h9.117.155.207.dynamic.ip.windstream.net/207.155.117.9)
My well has an air pump that pumps air into the ground raising water into the settling tank. Yesterday the motor burned up and when I replaced it today it pressures up and then slows to a stop. It is holding pressure, but nothing is coming through the line. I welcome all ideas.

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Replies:
Subject: well pump suction piping


Author:
Mike Y.
[Edit]
Date Posted: 04:23:30 04/07/09 Tue
(ip70-161-121-129.hr.hr.cox.net/70.161.121.129)
The well pump/motor is siezed up and needs to be replaced. However, I see there are two supply pipes fitted to the bottom of the pump casing. I expected to see only the one from the well and of course the one pump discharge. Why would there be two pipes to the suction side of the pump?

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Replies:
Subject: Electric and pitcher pump plumbing?


Author:
Steve
[Edit]
Date Posted: 07:50:20 04/05/09 Sun
(63-230-10-178.slkc.qwest.net/63.230.10.178)
I would like to put both an electric pump for sprinkling yard I would like to put a pitcher pump for just a bucket here or there and for the grand kids to play with. Any so me the right way to plumb these. A picture helps a lot. Thanks

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Replies:
Subject: Fixing a failed attempt


Author:
Andy Thomson
[Edit]
Date Posted: 13:42:26 03/30/09 Mon
(bas3-toronto06-1177890497.dsl.bell.ca/70.53.46.193)
I drove a one and a quarter inch galvanized pipe with a point down 35 feet at the bottom on my root cellar (the floor was nine feet below surface)through pure sand until I hit water. However, I was unable to get the inertia pump to work so have two alternative(in my mind): either find a small enough jet pump-unsuccessful so far or pull the pipe up and start over with a four inch pipe so that I can drop a jet pump as there seem to be sizes within that range. A few questions: 1. could I use a fire pump with either an ABS or PVC pipe to drill through sand? Is there a point that would fit at the end or would I have to customize one as shown on your site? There may be other questions, so any help would be appreciated.
Thanks, Andy

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Replies:
Subject: booster pump 2 pump configuration


Author:
dustin (fusterated)
[Edit]
Date Posted: 14:19:45 03/30/09 Mon
(209-234-217-235.netptc.net/209.234.217.235)
i need a diagram to show me the right configuration of an in ground to a booster pump to a pressure tank to 3 different locations of water. where would my 3 water locations come into this diagram at. two locations are 200 ft from the pump and go 200 ft in elevation. one is 50 ft from the pump and 20ft in elevation. thanks for your time

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Subject: Where are aquafirs?


Author:
David
[Edit]
Date Posted: 12:27:58 03/24/09 Tue
(pool-72-75-136-57.atclnj.east.verizon.net/72.75.136.57)
Anyone have any information on where aquafirs are?
are they everywhere?

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Replies:
Subject: well problems


Author:
todd (frustrated)
[Edit]
Date Posted: 19:19:11 03/22/09 Sun
(c-76-122-155-79.hsd1.mi.comcast.net/76.122.155.79)
when i turn the water on it stuters and spits air. when i flush the toilet it makes a big bang. after a few seconds water flows . what can i do?

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Replies:
Subject: CAN PVC PIPE BE USED AST WELL CASING


Author:
ED
[Edit]
Date Posted: 16:11:54 09/25/08 Thu
(c-68-58-75-7.hsd1.in.comcast.net/68.58.75.7)
I am going to use the drive point method to build a well but today I found out that the galvanized schedule 40 pipe is $250 per 21 feet section. Can I put a PVC pipe on the drive point and hit that down or will it break.

Thanks

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Replies:
Subject: Well drive point?


Author:
Bob
[Edit]
Date Posted: 20:58:09 03/16/09 Mon
(ool-4571014c.dyn.optonline.net/69.113.1.76)
Does it matter what the drive point is made of? I have seen stainless steel and galvenized steel with stainless screen. I am driving down 25' in sand "no casing" Also once down what the right way to clean of sand and what ever from driving and developing the well for irrigation use. I also have seen different mesh and style of the drive pont screen.. Are the one from Norther Tool any good or is there a better place? Thank you and sorry for the long post

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Replies:
Subject: augmenting a natural spring


Author:
william
[Edit]
Date Posted: 16:37:32 03/12/09 Thu
(NoHost/74.221.151.193)
I have a spring on my property that flows to the surface at about 300 gpm. I can trace the groud deprssion up one side and out of about a 30 ft deep ravine this thing has carved over many many years. My plan is to follow the deprssion up to a point up stream from the surface outlet and drive/drill or wash in casing and screen big enough for a sub- pump that will give me 15+gpm. what is the best route to do this? I have had the water at the spring outlet tested it shows about 23 ppm tds and no traces of anything bad

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Replies:
Subject: Top of metal 4 " artesian well pipe rusted off, want to replace water cannot be shut off


Author:
brad anae
[Edit]
Date Posted: 13:47:53 03/11/09 Wed
(75-95-197-182.hon.clearwire-dns.net/75.95.197.182)
I want to replace 4" pipe on top of arteseain well, 300 gpm. I want to put a pipe in that will hope preasure to run 1" pvc 1000" to house for house use. How do I know how much preasure I have in the well. I just found it the other day, hiking. The pipe has been rusted off about two inches above the top metal cap. I dont want it to burst, it looks old but I would like to see if I could run the water 1000" laterally to my homestead. I cannot get any machinery to the site it is unaccessable. only by foot

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Replies:
Subject: how to draw faster the aquifer sand


Author:
kostas
[Edit]
Date Posted: 14:12:53 03/06/09 Fri
(jesproxy1.athensairport.gr/212.205.139.248)
i have dug a 15 cm bore hole 5.5 meters down in my home
property with hammer technic and a bailer for the mud.at
this level, 5.5 m from the ground ,i found aquifer sand .i
used mud inside the hole to draw the sand and small like
rice gravel with the bailer but the progress is very low.
the water level according to a neighbor's well is about
7 m now but later in summer falls at 9 to 10 m .any idea how to continue and how deep i need to dig?

Thanks
kostas from greece

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Replies:
Subject: Dig my own well


Author:
Mike
[Edit]
Date Posted: 15:26:26 03/04/09 Wed
(fl-67-235-141-222.dhcp.embarqhsd.net/67.235.141.222)
Trying to figure out the rules for NW Florida Water District. I would like to dig my own weel, but can't find out how deep i can dig. I am in Permit Area A, so it seems my conditions meet the exemptions not requiring a permit. It will be less than a 4 inch well for domestic and irrigation uses. Can I dig this myself, do I need a permit, at what point have I exceeded the shallow sand aquifer? According to neighbors, I may need to go through some rock. The ddepest neighbors well is 85 feet, others are less than 50. Any ideas?

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Replies:
Subject: Sand Seperators


Author:
Bob
[Edit]
Date Posted: 14:15:32 02/27/09 Fri
(c-71-228-112-112.hsd1.nm.comcast.net/71.228.112.112)
I have a deep well jet pump supplying a sprinkler system.
The output volume is low, about 2.5 gal/min. There is a SandMaster seperator between the pump and the output. Input line to the seperator is around 10 gal/min. It was my understanding that no service is required and the seperator is flushed by opening the valve to the bottom outlet.
What type of service is required?
Thanks for the help.

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Replies:
Subject: Opening up an old well maybe???????


Author:
Keith
[Edit]
Date Posted: 16:23:30 02/22/09 Sun
(dynamic-acs-24-239-195-191.zoominternet.net/24.239.195.191)
Thinking about opening up a water well that has been not operational for about 20 years. The 1955 "Myers" pump looks like has been moved over to the side and I peaked in the 6' well and it looks like the sucker rods were cut off and down about 11 feet and inside a piece of 2 inch pipe. Dropped a weight down and determined that there is 47 feet to water from ground level and then it seems to be at least 10-12 feet of water. Couldn't really figure where the bottom is. Well casing is 6 inches and it seems that there is room to slide a 1 inch pvc pipe beside the sucker rods and down to water. Is there a pump on the market that would suit my needs? This well would only be used for outside water outlets. We have city water for household supply needs.

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Replies:
Subject: water pressure fading


Author:
Torrey (ehh...)
[Edit]
Date Posted: 15:29:47 02/21/09 Sat
(stxika03.dngr.net/216.220.216.165)
Here's my problem... my water pressure seems for fade with alot of use. It also seems to be draining back into the well because my hot water heater is being fried by the lack of water... I have been replacing the pump switch... it seems to be constantly on and goes about every few months...

Went to home depot and the guy said it might be this metal piece at the bottom of the well... some cone like switch that stops the water from draining back into the well once the pump switches off... since the water is constantly falling then the pump is constantly pumping....

Here's my problem... how do I get into the well... it alls seems simple enough... pull everything out and replace the cone like switch... the drop everything back in there... but I don't see how to pull everything out...

The well itself was commerically put in... any suggestions just let me know

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Replies:
Subject: Auger extension help


Author:
Tim
[Edit]
Date Posted: 11:38:58 02/19/09 Thu
(zcce02cs1745-db20.houston.hp.com/15.203.233.79)
I need to put in a well at our remote property and want to put on in at our residence for irrigation. I've read the web page you refer to about all of the different ways to dig a well and have a 24hp Kubota tractor with a 6" auger, but have not been able to find a 4' extension (actually several of them) in order to dig deeper. I'm also wondering even if I do find lots of 4' extensions, how do I get the dirt out? I've looked at the hydra drill http://www.deeprock.com/diy.htm which is a few thousand dollars and am wondering if the tractor/auger idea would even work and if not, is this particular tool a good investment (anyone have one?). Thanks, Tim

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Replies:
Subject: pressure switch,and flow problems


Author:
Richard (discusted)
[Edit]
Date Posted: 20:11:04 02/15/09 Sun
(c-98-222-138-73.hsd1.in.comcast.net/98.222.138.73)
ok heres my delima,
I just installed a new pump after my old one went bad,with the same size pump.
1.my pressure never gets over 30psi on the guage,,my tank is charged at 38psi my switch never shuts the pump off.
2.I can turn the water on in the bath ,it runs for about 5 mins then fades to nothing 0psi the pump hasnt lost prime but if I turn the pump off and back on I can get about another five out of it but there is air at first.
I have a new foot valve ,pump,pressure switch,,,,,what could it be ?
I have faught this for 3 months and decided to buy all this new and I still have the same problem...
help please

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Replies:
Subject: Re: how to prime a deep water well pump


Author:
brent
[Edit]
Date Posted: 04:36:35 11/15/08 Sat
(adsl-065-081-095-214.sip.gsp.bellsouth.net/65.81.95.214)
How much pressure on the bladder tank and is there a way to prime the pressure?

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Replies:
Subject: Pump keeps coming on


Author:
Tina
[Edit]
Date Posted: 16:15:29 02/11/09 Wed
(75-134-101-245.dhcp.aldl.mi.charter.com/75.134.101.245)
Our pump keeps kicking on everytime we flush the toilet and with what seems like little water use. We cannot find a leak so have no idea why this is happening? Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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Replies:
Subject: how to make a private well a community well/


Author:
kevin
[Edit]
Date Posted: 03:02:13 02/14/09 Sat
(NoHost/205.132.110.2)
My question is how do you make a private well a community well. My mother recently passed and her house is being sold. The well on the property currently supplies my sisters home and my futer home. Each home is on it own plot of land. If some one buys this property we are afraid they will deny us water. The deed to the property is in my name and I would like to get this proplem resolved immediatly. thanks for your help. PS I live in Texas.

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Replies:
Subject: Well Information


Author:
Tracy
[Edit]
Date Posted: 22:54:09 02/13/09 Fri
(cache-ntc-ac07.proxy.aol.com/207.200.116.136)
Hello my name is Tracy I bought this property 3 years ago and there is a Well on the property, here is the deal I went down in the Well and replaced the pump then couldn't get it to stay primed so I replaced the injector the Well is 44 feet deep and when I measured it the water was at 39 feet. today I replaced the two lines with the injector on the end back into the Well primed the pump and got it to work ran a water holes out of the hole into the yard and watched the water come out it was very dirty and rusty , I just thought it was because the Well had sit dormant for so long then it quite pumping water. I removed the water lines again after trying to get the full again. it seems as if the Well is dry. If I where do use this driver point and hit water can I still use the lines and injector I have will the well fill back up if I were to hit water it 5 feet or ten feet will the water come back up to the point it was before or will I need to put in 2 new lines
If I used the drive point to hit water can I pull it out and will the water start up to where it was before. If not can you please give me so advise on how to do this and get it done.
I called a Well drilling company and they said I needed to have a new Well drilled I just don't have $7,000.00 dollars at this time thanks for you help.

Thanks Tracy Bentley Phone 720-620-3071

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Subject: Sand in well


Author:
M.Porter
[Edit]
Date Posted: 06:27:00 02/11/09 Wed
(host-64-72-55-228.classicnet.net/64.72.55.228)
Have a 90' 4" well open hole w/6' of screen (homemade & gravel packed # 3 blasting sand). 1 H.P. sub pump14.6 gpm set @ 85'. The well makes a small amount of sand ( gravel pack and water sand when started up and will clear up but there's still a few sand particles in it when running full open flow (14.6 gpm). Haven't pulled pump up any or put a sand filter on water tank. I've ran it for 2 hrs and it stays @ 18 psi and pumps 14.6 gpm all the time,still small sand particles in dicharge of well.How would you fix the sand problem?

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Replies:
Subject: Info for adding jet pump to submerged flood? pump.


Author:
R.P. Hodge
[Edit]
Date Posted: 21:30:04 02/10/09 Tue
(35.sub-75-251-3.myvzw.com/75.251.3.35)
Currently have submerged pump to run water to two ponds and new house with construction nearly completed. Want to add jet pump with bladder tank to current system. I want to be able to run water to the ponds but I need the jet and tank for consistant pressure in the house. Is it feasable to use the two pumps in this manner? If so, how should I set up the jet and tank? If not, what do you recommend?

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Replies:
Subject: Which drill system for ROCK and clay?


Author:
Karuna
[Edit]
Date Posted: 14:11:45 12/27/08 Sat
(NoHost/64.142.120.133)
Have funds available until end of DEC (3 days only) to purchase water well drill that I can use on my property to get water, possibly 100-200' down through rock and clay.
I've considered the following (just cause I happened to find them online):
1. Rockbuster R-77
2. "HowToDrillaWell.com" using air pressure (although their demo of rock drilling seemed to do nothing)
3. Rockmaster TX 450, or possibly bigger?
4. drillingfab.com R-77 magnum or is this the same as Rockbuster?
5. and possibly Hydra-jett also called hydra-fab.

I am disabled and on SSI but have done house construction in the past. If I hired a couple of helpers with muscle would any of the above, or something else, be suitable and reasonably likely to get me dependable water. I live on top of a knoll that is Merced or Wilson's Grove (geology terms) that has an interface, somewhere down the hill not too far with hard sandstone (Fransican). Although this is a very, very dry area generally, my immediate neighbors on the knoll have found water between 60' and 200'.

What do you suggest?
Thanks so much for your help.
Karuna

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Subject: homemade power auger


Author:
sticks22
[Edit]
Date Posted: 09:46:03 02/04/09 Wed
(ip-216-226-7-166.formysite.com/216.226.7.166)
Where can I find imfo on building a homemade power auger for boring a 4 inch well? Can I just use a store bought unit and make my own extensions? Will this work or is there a cheaper solution?

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Replies:
Subject: Sandpoint Water Fades to Nothing


Author:
Ken Doyle (Frustrated)
[Edit]
Date Posted: 23:31:12 02/01/09 Sun
(c-24-118-58-186.hsd1.mn.comcast.net/24.118.58.186)
Water from new sandpoint in Northeastern Wisconsin is fine sometimes, fades to nothing other times. Latest discovery is that when we put in a new filter, water flow is great but two or three days later it disappears. Seems that the filter gunks up that quickly, with grains of clay (?) apparently from the well (?). Will this problem go away by itself? How soon? Any way to make it go away fast?

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Replies:
Subject: first time to drill well?


Author:
mike
[Edit]
Date Posted: 20:27:41 01/22/09 Thu
(173-96-11-48.pools.spcsdns.net/173.96.11.48)
i am looking to drill or hammer a shallow well for my pond? I want to have a timer on the pump, what to use"? I would like to learn a brief start to finish way to do this, such as do I need casing, foot valve etc. on drive point. Was told the first table will be found between 40 and 80 feet. For this purpose what type of pump. Was also wondering about a rumor I heard about shallow wells, is that the water could be high in iron or sulfer and would kill the fish in the pond, plus livestock would not drink out of? Please help me,also my location is in south east Texas.

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Replies:
Subject: Frozen pipes!


Author:
Dave Hoekstra
[Edit]
Date Posted: 10:05:08 01/24/09 Sat
(adsl-76-235-165-33.dsl.klmzmi.sbcglobal.net/76.235.165.33)
A recent cold spell, -20 degrees, in Northern Michigan left us with a frozen inlet line in the crawl space at the cottage. We use the cabin most every weekend so we leave the heat around 50 degrees inside and shut off the well. Normaly this works, but not this time. My question, should I leave a faucet open after shutting off the well to let air into the lines or will this cause other pump problems?

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Replies:
Subject: Help with old well


Author:
Bob Kammerer
[Edit]
Date Posted: 18:55:47 01/23/09 Fri
(ool-4571014c.dyn.optonline.net/69.113.1.76)
I have a old sprinkler well about 23 years old. It is 23ft deep. Last season I couldn't get sa prime no matter what I trued. I told a garden hose and put it down the wellto flush it. It cleard the screen and the well worked fine for 2 mounths. At the end of the season same thing barley any water pumping. Should I try pulling the pipe and put a new drive point with screen and drive 5-10" deeper or what do you recomend? The pump sits on top and is 11/2" and is 1/2hp.Can I drive a 2" pipe and reduce to 1 1/2" at the pump? Thanks for any help.

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Replies:
Subject: sand point


Author:
Allan
[Edit]
Date Posted: 08:09:02 01/19/09 Mon
(209-202-54-23.static.mts.net/209.202.54.23)
I could use some advice on installing a sand point at my lake. Right now I seem to have a fresh water supply coming out of the ground about 3m from the lake. There use to be an old boat house at this spot at one time, but has been knock down many years ago. The old owners of the cabin use to pull water from this location by putting a foot value just a foot under the pool of water, with all kinds of frogs swimming around.
After I drive a sand point down into this pool of water should I try to back fill the area with clean fill or should I not be bother with it anymore because my new supply is deep underground. It’s has been about -30c to -38c for the past month at the lake and the water keeps lightly streaming towards the lake. The water is very clear and is very cold even during the hot summer months.
Thanks

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Replies:
Subject: preparing to JET a well


Author:
Arthur Newton (grateful)
[Edit]
Date Posted: 04:08:29 12/27/08 Sat
(softbank221026101136.bbtec.net/221.26.101.136)
I am in Japan, on an alluvial plain just a quarter mile from the ocean. According to the neighbors, its all sand as far down as you go. the water table is at just 2 feet down, but they recommend going down to 14 feet. They say that going too far down you will hit an acquifer that has high salt content form seawater incursion.
So for my casing I bought a 4inch diameter PVC pipe 4 meters (14feet) long, and a PVC coupling. I used my bench grinder to cut some teeth into the coupling, then glued it to the pipe. I have already dug a hole four feet deep 18 inches diameter by hand, lining it with sheet metal riveted together. Next I plan to stand the 4 meter pipe in the hole. My utility pump is a 120 liter per min discharge (don't know how that translates to KG/cm2)with a 1 1/2 inch outlet, to which I have connected a 10 foot long flex hose.
QUESTION: should I use a 1 1/2 pipe for my jet, since that is the diameter of my pump's dishcharge? or will decreasing the diameter of the jet give more digging power?
Q.2. I plan on using two 150 gallon AG tanks as my water source, I have already filled them with the water I have pumped out of the hole I dug so far, And will use these tanks to recycle the muddy water that comes out;
Does my plan seem feasible, or do I need to adjust or rethink some details?
Any wisdom or advice is greatly appreciated, thank you.

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Replies:
Subject: type of drill for rock and clay


Author:
karuna
[Edit]
Date Posted: 15:09:30 12/29/08 Mon
(NoHost/64.142.120.133)
Could you reply with your best personal opinion? I notice that you have been online and replied to the guy before me and I am really needing help. I would so appreciate it if you could reply to my post from 2-3 days ago. Thanks

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Replies:
Subject: pump prime problems


Author:
Richard
[Edit]
Date Posted: 21:55:41 12/24/08 Wed
(c-98-222-138-73.hsd1.in.comcast.net/98.222.138.73)
I am confused.when my discharch valve to the house is turned off the pump keeps prime,but as soon as I turn the valve on to the house the pressure drops to 0psi and wont pump water at all does anyone have any suggestions?

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Replies:
Subject: water fades away


Author:
Brad
[Edit]
Date Posted: 18:48:47 06/25/08 Wed
(dialup-4.159.5.26.Dial1.Chicago1.Level3.net/4.159.5.26)
When I turn on my shower I get about 5 min of water then it looses pressure and eventually no more water, I shut off the water and the pressure builds back up, takes about 20 min. I put in a new pump and no change. It's a shallow well don't know the depth, pump is a (shur-dri)1/2 HP, cutin 20 psi, cutout 40 psi, pressure tank set at 18 psi. I just bought the house that was in foreclosure. The pump is in the basement that is about 20 to 30 feet away from where the pipe goes down in the ground

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Replies:
Subject: Priming my well


Author:
Jessica (Frustrated)
[Edit]
Date Posted: 13:53:05 12/16/08 Tue
(cpe-70-117-152-182.gt.res.rr.com/70.117.152.182)
Please help. I am a mom of 4 who bought a piece of property that the well hasnt been used in 4 yrs. We replaced the pipes that were damaged during hurricane ike. We borrowed a genartater and the pump and motor both seemed to be working fine. We where told we needed to prime it but I don't have a clue where to begin Please help us.

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Replies:
Subject: natural springs, well point


Author:
Mark
[Edit]
Date Posted: 08:06:26 12/15/08 Mon
(ip68-2-166-153.ph.ph.cox.net/68.2.166.153)
Hello

I have land in NE washigton, that I'm in need to irrigate the newly planted trees, etc during the summer.

It has numerous natural springs which actually keep a pond filled until mid summer. Even thought the pond does close to dry, the surrounting area is always wet.

If I drive a 2" drive point down, since this area is saturated, do I have to hit a sandy area?

A rough thought is down about 15 feet. This would be only for irrigation.

Thanks

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Replies:
Subject: corrosion resistant well caps


Author:
Richard
[Edit]
Date Posted: 18:37:12 11/29/08 Sat
(cpe-72-179-199-45.stx.res.rr.com/72.179.199.45)
I have a well that is high in sulfur. Today I pulled the well cap off to check the well, after cleaning quite a bit of corrosion from the top of the cap I found that the part of the cap inside the well was nearly completely eaten away. This cap had been on the well approximately five years. Are there any caps out there that are more resistant?

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Subject: Rehabilitating a little used dug water


Author:
Ralph Tulis
[Edit]
Date Posted: 18:58:49 12/11/08 Thu
(24-177-252-31.dhcp.nwtn.ct.charter.com/24.177.252.31)
I have a rental property with a hand-laid stone lined dug well (about 3-4' diameter x 20' or so deep) that was the home I was raised in, and where my Dad lived until he died about 5 years ago. Since Dad's death, the well has hardly been used, until last Spring when I was able to rent the house. These tenents have left, leaving me with a well that I think got contaminated with dog excrement, based on the water test results and evidence found near the uphill side of the well. Iron and turbidity levels were high based upon CT potable water standards. The ground surface around the well shows evidence of either tunneling critters or rain water infiltrating the well. I have disinfected the well with 2 gallons of chlorine bleach, and will be taking new samples for testing next week.

Is there an economical way to rehabilitate a well like this and bring it back to the water quality level that I remember as a kid?

I expect to have to construct a concrete "seal" or collar at ground level around the well, extending out about 4' or so, to provide a better block to the infiltration of surface runoff. I will also replace the wooden "well house" cover with a gasketed & vented concrete cap. I would also expect that I'd have to find someone to suck out whatever "muck" has accumulated at the bottom of the well. I should note that the upper 3-4' of the stone lining had mortared joints, though the joints have opened up over time, hence my desire to construct the concrete collar.

Given these facts and and fact that ground water is relatively high in the area, are there methods to rehabilitate this well? This well is on a 14 acre site with no nearby (say within 750') homes or other probable sources of pollutants.

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Replies:
Subject: help with my well


Author:
David
[Edit]
Date Posted: 16:31:41 12/10/08 Wed
(NoHost/209.211.28.85)
We just bought this house in feb 08 and up to about mid august the well had water running out the overflow continues. Then about september it was almost empty so
I started to haul water and have been hauling water every week since then. The well is 5 foot in diameter and 20 feet deep the walls are concrete and have holes in them all the way around and about every 5 inches. I would of thought the spring would have came back buy know. Is their anything I can do to the well to make it come back sooner or not have to haul water next summer also.
the person we bought the house from has never lived in it so knows very little about it.

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Replies:
Subject: shallow well


Author:
pauline brodie
[Edit]
Date Posted: 15:38:17 12/10/08 Wed
(1Cust8139.an1.dca16.da.uu.net/63.27.31.203)
what does it mean when your water pump clicks off and on real fast when it reaches psi 50.

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Replies:
Subject: GREEN WATER


Author:
Keith (Stained)
[Edit]
Date Posted: 19:37:34 12/01/08 Mon
(NoHost/208.74.159.36)
New Construction and put PECS in the whole house - there of course are a couple of copper pipes to the Hot Water tank and to the Pressure Tank - very small amount. We installed a new Culligan Water Softner, and a treatment for Tannin. We have a very small amount of tannin, but enough they said we should treat, as the Iron will stick to it. Our Well does have a bit of Iron and a small smell, like an old dirty rusty metal pipe. We have a fairly large house and put in a 18GPM Tannin Filter, and they found out later the Water softner was only 8GPM. The water with this set-up was an aqua blue - very small color, and we had no staining. The backwash was with clorine. Then they came out and changed the water softner to an 18GPM but now we use Salt as the backwash. Now our water is very green and is leaving stains on the Tub and toliets. They seem to be stumped at Culligan. Any ideas I can try?

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Replies:
Subject: Pump takes a long time to turn on


Author:
Rich
[Edit]
Date Posted: 08:26:15 12/01/08 Mon
(NoHost/136.182.2.25)
My problem is, at any time, turning on the tap will result in the pressure dropping to no water, then after a few minutes I notice the pump will turn on, the water will start to flow at a good rate for about maybe 5 minutes then the pressure will drop agian, resulting in waiting for the pump to turn on.

I understand basically how a well system works, I have a pressure tank that was explained to me, keeps the water pressure constant.
How does the pump know when the pressure is dropping so it can turn itself "on" before the water stops flowing?

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Replies:
Subject: Adding water to well


Author:
Marc
[Edit]
Date Posted: 13:30:32 11/16/08 Sun
(adsl-144-78-80.ard.bellsouth.net/70.144.78.80)
If I add water to a well from the top, will the level of the water in the well rise, or will the water disappear into the water table?

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Replies:
Subject: well yield decreasing - acidizing -jetting questions


Author:
Richard
[Edit]
Date Posted: 17:28:25 11/29/08 Sat
(cpe-72-179-199-45.stx.res.rr.com/72.179.199.45)
Our well is yielding significantly less water than before. We recently had a month long river flood and the well seal was below water for a month.
Well is 4" cased drilled in bedrock, water enters from a crack at about 40 feet, total well depth is 65 ft, pump is about 5 ft of the bottom of well. Well is screened and gravel packed. Yield was 3-4 GPM, now is around 2 GPM. Water is of poor quality due to high mineral content - very hard, high TDS and sulfur. Ordinarily we use the river water but since we are interested in selling the property I need to have the well working to be able to sell and would like to have it in good shape since we also use it as a back up.

I would kike to hear from anyone who knows about acidizing a well and also anyone knowing how to jet a well with a compressor.After all of the expenses we incurred with the flood we don't have the cash for a well service so any good advice would be very much appreciated.

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Subject: very high turbitity


Author:
Larry
[Edit]
Date Posted: 18:16:59 11/24/08 Mon
(cpe-72-230-193-31.stny.res.rr.com/72.230.193.31)
my turbitity is at a 72 in my well, the city water supply is at a steady .03 i also have a very high sulfer smell well hasnt been in operation for about 15 years , any product i can use or install to get rid or minimize either of these problems?

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Replies:
Subject: Water treatment - Well Location - Geothermal questions


Author:
Paul (Happy to learn of inexpensive wells.)
[Edit]
Date Posted: 21:10:58 11/14/08 Fri
(NoHost/76.21.5.13)
My main house and my vacation house are both serviced from local community well associations which charges fees of about $800 per year. I have been seriously thinking of sinking a well for my entire household water needs.

Houses outside the community well area all seem to have large water pressure tanks with chlorine dosage equipment that look expensive and time consuming to maintain. I see no mention of water treatment your site. Are you implying a well sealed well does not need the chemical treatment equipment? Can those small 8 gallon pressure tanks really service an entire house?

My vacation home has a creek near it, running in winter and dry in the summer. I dug a fence post 2 feet down and 50 feet from the creek and hit a flowing stream of water at the bottom of the 2' hole. It looked like a garden hose running at the bottom of the hole but it did not fill up the hole. I imagine it would not be a good idea to sink a well in the center of the creek because of surface water contamination but is there a rule about how far away (or how high above the creek water level) that a well should be?

My main house is on a steep hill (will lots of clay and redwood trees) and it is unfortunately about 150 above and 300 feet away from a stream that flows even during the summer. My property starts 200 feet away from the stream but continues up the hill 200 feet. I imagine the water table will be rather hard to hit on the hill side. Does it matter if i try to sink the well higher on the hill or as low I can get to the stream? Is there a rule about how high above the house or how low below the house a well should be? For example is there a pumping issue if the house is 70 feet above the well or so?

I see inexpensive geothermal heating units that can use wells as the heat source by placing a looped hose in the well and pumping cold fluid down the well tube and getting ground temperature fluid out of the well tube. Can driven wells be used for this? Would a larger diameter than 2" be needed. Seems a series of driven wells might work.

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Replies:
Subject: BROWN WATER


Author:
CARLOS (SAD)
[Edit]
Date Posted: 22:04:01 11/15/08 Sat
(pool-96-250-176-175.nycmny.fios.verizon.net/96.250.176.175)
There is a well in the house I purchased and the water is brownish. I put a new filter and in a matter of minutes the filter was brown. I let the water run but it did not help. The well water was not use for 3 months or longer.
How long should I let the water run? What else could I do to fix this problem.
Thanks
Carlos

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Replies:
Subject: too much pressure


Author:
Dan
[Edit]
Date Posted: 20:58:40 11/15/08 Sat
(occm-198.dhcp.grp4-rng3.tnmmrl.infoave.net/206.74.242.198)
I have a open gound source heat pump. My well is quite deep. i used to run 2 units off the well but now only run 1. Recently my compressor on a new unit stopped working and had to be hard started. the hac guy noted the water pressure at the unit when the unit was off was 70psi. it did not use to be this high with the unit off. is this a problem? how do you diagnose and fix too much pump pressure?

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Subject: tapped into my well


Author:
L. Brooks (sad)
[Edit]
Date Posted: 19:59:15 11/11/08 Tue
(va-76-6-211-152.dhcp.embarqhsd.net/76.6.211.152)
My neighbor just dug a new well today. My well went out. No water at all is in my well. Mine is 75 ft & was fine (dug it about 5 years ago) neighbors went 280 feet. People seem to think that he tapped into my vein. If this is so, where do I stand? Is the company liable? Help! I am sick!!

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Replies:
Subject: NEW WELL OVERFLOW OR LEAK


Author:
Dolores Pierce
[Edit]
Date Posted: 04:08:40 11/06/08 Thu
(adsl-99-140-167-174.dsl.chcgil.sbcglobal.net/99.140.167.174)
I HAVE JUST HAD A WELL PUT IN AT MY SUMMER HOME.
THE WELL IS 108 FEET DEEP. IT WORKS FINE EXCEPT
THERE IS WATER CONSTANTLY COMING OUT LIKE AN OPEN
FAUCET. THE WATER IS GOING INTO A CREEK IN THE BACK
BUT I HAVE HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE CREEK OVERFLOWING
WHEN IT RAINS. THE CASING IS NOW 5 FEET HIGH AND IT
STILL HAS THE WATER COMING OUT. I HAVE NOT PAID
THE BILL COMPLETELY YET AND WANT TO KMOW WHAT THEY
CAN DO TO STOP IT. THE OTHER WELLS IN THE AREA DON'T
HAVE THIS PROBLEM. NEED ANSWER ASAP!!!!

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Replies:
Subject: New jet pump in old 2" deep well


Author:
Rodney
[Edit]
Date Posted: 19:52:37 11/03/08 Mon
(69-29-255-107.dyn.centurytel.net/69.29.255.107)
I have an old 120' deep 2" well that had the old lever type pump on it. The packing went bad, I pulled it and dropped in a 1 1/2" PVC with packer ejector and hooked up a 1/2hp jet pump to it. The problem is, I can't get the pump to prime. The pump will start to build pressure and then drops to 0. I turn the pump off and back on and it again starts to build pressure, and again drops to 0. I know that the 1 1/2" pipe is full of water. I have no way of knowing how full the area between the PVC and well casing is. I believe it is full. Any idea what I am doing wrong?

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Replies:
Subject: Cloudy water


Author:
Bruce
[Edit]
Date Posted: 22:24:00 10/25/08 Sat
(48.sub-70-193-1.myvzw.com/70.193.1.48)
I had a new well drilled this last spring (300'/6") & I have a continuous problem with murky water. The guy that drilled the well keeps telling me to run water through the spigot until it clears and all will be fine. This does work, but if there is no water flow for about 24 hrs it comes back. I had no problem during the summer because of my automatic sprinkler flow. Shocking the well did not fix the problem. After shocking I did get the expected dark rust muck; ran the water until it cleared, only to have the cloudy water return.

Thanks,
Bruce

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Replies:
Subject: air in the water lines


Author:
Helen (Spitting h20 in Ohio)
[Edit]
Date Posted: 18:03:31 10/26/08 Sun
(cpe-75-185-206-145.woh.res.rr.com/75.185.206.145)
We replaced a pipe going from our pump to the outside, now we have a lot of air in the line causing it to spit and then it will quit, if you turn it off for a moment it will come back on. we have the old type with the top mounted pump to a bladder tank, also we have very low water pressure. any ideas? Please?

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Replies:
Subject: standing water in yard over well


Author:
sharon
[Edit]
Date Posted: 20:38:05 10/21/08 Tue
(cpe-65-24-70-154.columbus.res.rr.com/65.24.70.154)
Hi,
I have standing water over where my water well is in my yard. I have lived at this house over 40 years, and have never seen this problem before. What could be the cause of this standing water? Am I going to have to re-do my well? Is there a crack in my well? Not sure how wells work, so i'm at a loss here.
thanks,
sharon

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Replies:
Subject: pump losing pressure - goes to zero


Author:
george
[Edit]
Date Posted: 19:31:54 10/20/08 Mon
(adsl-211-105-155.asm.bellsouth.net/68.211.105.155)
Water shuts off in house . pump is running . gauge shows 0 to 10 psi . stopping and starting pump 3-4 times restores pressure . this pump is a 1hp sears vertical jet pump . the regulator is missing the rubber valve seal.could an internal leak in the regulator caused by the seal being missing cause the problem?

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Replies:
Subject: What kind of pump do I need?


Author:
Wally
[Edit]
Date Posted: 19:10:19 10/14/08 Tue
(NoHost/70.253.125.1)
I have a 35' well down to first water, I have installed 2" PVC pipe with slots cut for a screen, I would like to use this well to fill my pond, what type of pump will work for this application? I prefer a gas pump.

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Replies:
Subject: sand point is giving water


Author:
David Kulinski
[Edit]
Date Posted: 16:55:51 10/14/08 Tue
(h69-131-20-167.nwblwi.broadband.dynamic.tds.net/69.131.20.167)
I have water with our sand point its about 22 feet water level at 12 feet. we are able to hand pump water, also will take water no problem,but can not with the electric pump its the type of pump we have used to pull from the previous point (screen went bad) is it the foot valve? tried priming 10 times 2 different occasions,but can't seem to get water to the pump? the pump is new. any suggestions?

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