Disinfecting a well

The Junk Drawer is for those Off Topical discussions where we can ask questions of the community that we feel might have the ability to help out.

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warmstrong1955
Posts: 3568
Joined: Thu Mar 18, 2010 2:05 pm
Location: Northern Nevada

Re: Disinfecting a well

Post by warmstrong1955 »

A reverse osmosis filter will take care of that.
Drinking water, and for anything you drink like makin' coffee or, you may be into the Koolaid.....that's the way to go.

Bill
Today's solutions are tomorrow's problems.
DavidF
Posts: 282
Joined: Wed May 14, 2014 12:28 pm
Location: Delaware

Re: Disinfecting a well

Post by DavidF »

curtis cutter wrote: Fri Jun 01, 2018 12:54 pm Harold was correct. The 8% bleach solution (jug from the store) played havoc on the aluminum overnight. It left the float, needle valve and brass portion unscathed.

Next is to have one of my sons 3D plastic print a "container" that has the volume I need and mount ability of the float and needle valve.
Ever think about why they use anodes on a boat and exactly what an anode does? You are blindly playing with fire. Good luck buddy.
curtis cutter
Posts: 559
Joined: Fri May 18, 2012 11:46 pm
Location: Curtis, WA

Re: Disinfecting a well

Post by curtis cutter »

DavidF wrote: Mon Jun 04, 2018 9:55 pm
curtis cutter wrote: Fri Jun 01, 2018 12:54 pm Harold was correct. The 8% bleach solution (jug from the store) played havoc on the aluminum overnight. It left the float, needle valve and brass portion unscathed.

Next is to have one of my sons 3D plastic print a "container" that has the volume I need and mount ability of the float and needle valve.
Ever think about why they use anodes on a boat and exactly what an anode does? You are blindly playing with fire. Good luck buddy.
Cathodic protection is used in municipal water systems and hot water tanks as well as boats. We had them in all of our fire engines that had steel tanks and now that the tanks are poly they are in the form of suction strainers for our large 6" intake strainers. It is amazing how fast they will deteriorate due to electrolysis.
Gregg
Just let go of it, it will eventually unplug itself.
Rwilliams
Posts: 1048
Joined: Thu Dec 22, 2005 2:45 pm
Location: Central California

Re: Disinfecting a well

Post by Rwilliams »

Disinfecting the well is only part of the battle. Keeping the water in the system constantly moving is another part of the game plan to eliminate stagnant conditions and possible algae build up in the dead areas of the system. Most municipal water systems are designed in a circular fashion so the water supply is always in constant movement. I had a long system out in the country where the well was 3/4 mile from the house. Usually only there once or twice a week, stagnation was a problem. No reason to put in a return line to the well as that was too much cost and hard work.

I elected to just open the farthermost hose bib in the house just a tiny amount and let the small almost drip condition create a nice wet spot away from the house at the end of a hose. It was amazing how well the grass would grow in the hot summer weather. The gophers moved out of the yard and to the only damp soil in more than a mile. The gopher activity drew the attention of the bobcats and coyotes. The birds found nice juicy worms. The hawks had a few ground squirrels for a happy meal on the day shift. The bunny rabbets seemed to be more in number and helped to keep some of the weeds around the house nipped down. In fact, the green area became a nice draw for some of the biggest bucks I have ever seen in my entire life. It was amazing what the small amount of water did for the local wild life population. All because I needed a very slight constant flow of water to eliminate stagnation in the water system. The cost in electricity was minimal and the water never gave trouble again.

One thing I did learn was that the check valve at the well is something that can get gummed up with some nasty looking gunk. I found that cleaning the check valve once a year with Clorox solution kept it clean and let me keep track of its condition. Over time the check valves will begin to deteriorate and exhibit minor cracks where things might want to grow. Time to replace the check valve.

Having your own water system is to keep an good eye one it for the minor problems that could creep up. A good bacteria test at an approved testing lab every two years is also a good idea.
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