Well help

[cretin]

Hopefully it's ok to post this here, and it's the right place.

As some of you know, I recently purchased my first home. The property uses a well, and I am new to having a well. I want to do the bleach treatment to it, but I'm a but unsure of what to do on my specific well. My well head looks different then the photos of others I've seen, so I want to make sure I'm doing it right.

My first issue is that I don't know what breaker my pump control is on, and the pump control doesn't have a switch on it. I've got to figure that part on my own.

Next, on my well, I'm not sure where I should open it to measure depth, and pour in the bleach. My guess is taking the cap off the pipe that's coming out of the white plate bolted to the concrete?

I'm also kind of confused why there are ropes coming out of that white plate. Any ideas on that?

 

[Pluribus]

Before dumping the bleach into the well, I'd test it. No reason to do it, unless you have a necessity for doing it.

Not a well expert, but I'm wondering if the ropes are there to either pull up the pump, or to keep it from dropping. As for depth, does your state keep well logs? Rather than putting something (potentially with bacteria-then you'll HAVE to bleach it) into your well to measure it, you might be able to get the information online (like in WA state) or by making a phone call.

 

[ard]

Hmmm. I guess no well inspection prior to purchase?

The metal plate fits into a PVC well casing. Looks like someone poured a slab right up to the top of the pipe? I dont recall, but that should be some distance above grade- like 12-18 inches.

If you can fit a funnel into the hole where the rope is, that works for bleach. Why are you doing a bleach treatment?????

You might find the original well drillers report with the county. Depth, static water level, GPM rating (take it with a grain of salt, for sure)

my 2 cents

The rope is a safety rope to hold the pump if the pipe it is attached to breaks- so you can still pull it out. Make sure it is SECURELY fastened to something.

 

[log man]

That rope looks like regular hemp from what I think I see. Normally they are polypropylene which will last in a wet environment. If you do need to add bleach thru that hole, dilute it substantially first so its not so corrosive. It will get diluted anyway.

 

[Bretny]

The rope is there to help hold/pull the pump. You must have a prety deep well to need a rope. If its regular hemp and not some poly it prob to rotted to use.

Personaly i would drop a string with a nut or something down there to see how deep and static level of water. From there you can measure how much bleach you will need. Its not a bad idea to shock the well even if it dosnt need it. It can kill bacteria in your house also.

 

[stingry]

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Next, on my well, I'm not sure where I should open it to measure depth, and pour in the bleach. My guess is taking the cap off the pipe that's coming out of the white plate bolted to the concrete

Removing the plug will do you no good. That is the drop pipe going to the pump. The small hole with the rope is the only access you have to the well itself. Agree with others, no need to bleach unless you have a bacteria problem. Test first.

 

[BillK]

Personally I would think it would be a good investment to pay for a service call by a local well company and have them tell you what you have and how it all works. Might save you a lot of money in the future. Also like the others said, just about every locality should have records on file from when your well was installed. Especially since it all looks pretty new.

 

[mike93lx]

Personally I would think it would be a good investment to pay for a service call by a local well company and have them tell you what you have and how it all works. Might save you a lot of money in the future. Also like the others said, just about every locality should have records on file from when your well was installed. Especially since it all looks pretty new.

This is the right answer, IMO.

 

[cretin]

Thanks guys, Yea I'm thinking I'm going to have a local well company come out for this first time, so that they can familiarize me with everything.

To answer some of the other questions, one reason I want to clean the well is because it is a new well to me, I don't know when it was last cleaned, and if I clean it now, I know it's clean and when it was last done.
I did have the water tested. There was no E. coli, but Total Coliform was above standard, but below the EPA enforceable MCL. That is the other reason I want to clean it.

It makes sense to have the company come out, at least the first time.

 

[nh_yota]

Some of that looks like DIY work so yeah I'd get a consultation from a local well company.

 

[JCQuick]

I don't understand the "bleach treatment" ? I'm in Florida and on a well my water treatment system use to pump chlorine into a holding tank then the water went thru filters to remove it. That broke a few years ago and i by passed the entire system. my well is sunk 120' and in a really nice spring water aquifer.

 

[kbs2244]

I am surprised at this install.
Any PVC casing is a relatively new well and should have been done to current national code.

The main concern is the floor flush with the well top.
That lets any surface water drain down into it.

Any professional is not going to touch his name to that well unless the floor is on a hilltop at least 24 inches above the local land.

More PICs would help.

 

[scottydosnntkno]

I don’t know if it’s new, seeing as it’s etched “Baker 1966” in the concrete. OP, is your house as old as 1966(or older?)

 

[PNWguy]

Bleach??? I've been on well water since '72 and have never heard of that.
Bleach will not do good things for your septic system in large volume. The septic is full of microbes and creatures that convert the liquid & solid waste into water (fats, oils and insoluble stuff gets pumped out every so often). Too much bleach kills the little guys.

The rope is pur pulling the pump out of the well.

Lake Hughes? You know a guy named Jet? He's usually at Lucky's or The Rock after work or the weekends he's in town. Hell of a fabricator/mechanic.

 

[cretin]

I don’t know if it’s new, seeing as it’s etched “Baker 1966” in the concrete. OP, is your house as old as 1966(or older?)

Originally built in 1928. I don't have info on the well, I'm going to have to look into that.

Bleach??? I've been on well water since '72 and have never heard of that.
Bleach will not do good things for your septic system in large volume. The septic is full of microbes and creatures that convert the liquid & solid waste into water (fats, oils and insoluble stuff gets pumped out every so often). Too much bleach kills the little guys.

The rope is pur pulling the pump out of the well.

Lake Hughes? You know a guy named Jet? He's usually at Lucky's or The Rock after work or the weekends he's in town. Hell of a fabricator/mechanic.

Chlorinating the system doesn't put the chlorine/bleach into the septic tank, so I'm not worried there.

I'm still moving in, and haven't met anybody from the area yet, but I'll keep an eye out for another fellow fabricator.

I am surprised at this install.
Any PVC casing is a relatively new well and should have been done to current national code.

The main concern is the floor flush with the well top.
That lets any surface water drain down into it.

Any professional is not going to touch his name to that well unless the floor is on a hilltop at least 24 inches above the local land.

More PICs would help.

I have a guy coming out on Wed. to take a look at everything and Chlorinate it. We'll see what he says.

 

[mike93lx]

Bleach??? I've been on well water since '72 and have never heard of that.
Bleach will not do good things for your septic system in large volume. The septic is full of microbes and creatures that convert the liquid & solid waste into water (fats, oils and insoluble stuff gets pumped out every so often). Too much bleach kills the little guys.

The rope is pur pulling the pump out of the well.

Lake Hughes? You know a guy named Jet? He's usually at Lucky's or The Rock after work or the weekends he's in town. Hell of a fabricator/mechanic.

small amounts of bleach will not harm a septic. if there was enough bleach going into the water to cause a septic problem, it would not be potable anymore.

 

[dfiler2]

The first thing i would do is to extend the casing and put a proper cap on it, it looks to me like mice could get in along the wire and I'm sure they have.

 

[rburke65]

Yes to the service call. He .... she....can show you how to do the bleach treatment. Ask questions when they are there. What you are paying for is the education in “well”. Been here. I didn’t know anything about a well. No expert now, but....you’ll feel better with some understanding on how it all works. Good luck