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Shocking a well

poncho62

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I get my well water tested every spring, been good for years. I have iron filter, water softener, UV light/filter and RO drinking water filter system. I send in a sample from the RO drinking water. Got test result this morning. They say theat I have bacteria in my water that makes it so they can't test for ecoli until that bacteria is cleared up. I read online today that wells should be shocked/chlorinated eveery 3-5 years....I never have in 12 years I have been here. Good idea?...Experiences with this.
 
I havent done it but it could take a lot more than a cup of bleach. Research it, but you should know your well casing and wetted filter pack (if any) volume. A cup of 7% bleach in 20 feet of water column of 4-inch well is not the same as a cup in a 100 feet of 6-inch water column. And you can test the CL- with a simple pool test kit to monitor the residual left until better for drinking or house use.

https://inspectapedia.com/water/Well..._Procedure.php
 
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There's no reason not to do it. Toss a cup of bleach in, let it sit for the day while you're gone, then run the well for a couple hours watering the grass/trees/whatever. It will not hurt.

I read also that you should put the bleach in, run it up through the system and then let is sit , then flush out. I take it that is what you mean.
 
I read also that you should put the bleach in, run it up through the system and then let is sit , then flush out. I take it that is what you mean.

Yeah, if you run it a bit right away it will get into the pump, pipe, pressure tank, etc. Which will kill anything in there. So that's definitely worth doing at that point. Just make sure you let it sit for long enough, and then flush the shit out of everything afterwards. You need to make sure you've completely cycled the water in the well a couple times.
 
Make sure the bacteria isn't from a fouled filter. Definitely want to disinfect the entire system up to the RO. Seems odd that the lab said they couldn't test for E.Coli though. Do you have a copy of the results? Maybe the result was Total Coliform positive but E.Coli negative? Details please and thank you :grinpimp:
 
Another thought, make sure some varmit like field mice or similar havent fallen in and spoiled the party. Any opening with any access will be used when it's hot out. Unlikely as you have had the same set up for years . . . ..
 
I go through about 4-5 of these treatment packs a year. Drop 1/2 the pellets in for long term release, then the powder in before bed for immediate treatment. Once the powder is in we open all the faucets in the house and when we smell it coming out turn them off to sit in the lines overnight.
 
I had to shock my well before I bought this house, as it failed the ecoli test. Shut the water off to the water softener and the RO system, poured a gallon of bleach into the well, and flushed all the toilets, ran all the faucets till I smelled bleach coming out, then shut them all off. I let it sit for 24 hours, went back out, and ran the hose outside till I couldn't smell bleach anymore, then went in and flushed out my lines inside, then turned the RO A
and water softener back on ( by turned on, I had bypassed them with the bypass valves) bleach will kill an RO and screw up a water softener system. Tested again, and it was good.
 
I feel like those well water managing companies are sorta selling snake oil to some folks. I have a weird system with a bunch of filters and a UV filter, the UV filter had an alarm saying it was -ast due to change so I took it out and looked up a new one and 100 bucks,,, fuck that was 2 years ago, water tastes the same :flipoff2:
 
I feel like those well water managing companies are sorta selling snake oil to some folks. I have a weird system with a bunch of filters and a UV filter, the UV filter had an alarm saying it was -ast due to change so I took it out and looked up a new one and 100 bucks,,, fuck that was 2 years ago, water tastes the same :flipoff2:

You can't taste bacteria :flipoff2:
 
Hell Yes, do it. It can help with the Iron bacteria as well. This is the way I use to do it when I worked in well service.

 
Did not read the thread!
have worked h2o treatment We use pool chlorine...
1-2 gal big\deep = more!
Dump in , and circulate thru the systems and back into the well head.
Half a day (it's gunna knock the shit outta your filters.
purge the house till ya smell chlorine, let sit .
Flush well into yard FIRST.
Then rinse the house out.
Your carbon filters are DEAD!
Recycle your equipment twice back 2 back!

Try a sample from the raw water and finish water first and after, inform the facility how and why you are doing this!
Are you doing a 502?
 
Did not read the thread!
have worked h2o treatment We use pool chlorine...
1-2 gal big\deep = more!
Dump in , and circulate thru the systems and back into the well head.
Half a day (it's gunna knock the shit outta your filters.
purge the house till ya smell chlorine, let sit .
Flush well into yard FIRST.
Then rinse the house out.
Your carbon filters are DEAD!
Recycle your equipment twice back 2 back!

Try a sample from the raw water and finish water first and after, inform the facility how and why you are doing this!
Are you doing a 502?

Old timer hillbilly way I was taught growing up was you dump a gallon or two of bleach down the hole followed by what amounted to about half a 5 gallon bucket of dry ice and walk away. Later in the day, maybe 6 to 8 hours run the well until the bleach smell/dirt/ crap was all out and then repeat the next morning.
 
Dry ice causes an explosion. It may open the perforations or collapse well Casing. Read my link.
If properly constructed wells don't just get contaminated.
to properly 'shock' a well and disturbution system you put the correct amount of dry calorie down the well and then a couple of gallons of liquid chlorine. Drive it to the pump by recruiting water down the well until you have a strong residual. Next you set up a injection pump that runs off of the pump side of the pressure switch so it runs while the pump is running. Run every faucet until strong residual is achieved starting at the closest outside faucet then inside let the hot water run cold. Flush after 8 hours outside first 3-4 hours or until the strong smell is gone then the inside, chlorine smell might last a couple of weeks.
 
Use chlorine not bleach.

By this I assume you mean calcium hypochlorite vs. sodium hypochlorite? The dry will have a greater concentration of chlorine, but as such is more difficult to dose correctly for small applications. Yeah, you'll shock the hell outta the well, but you may also cause unintended issues with your well, plumbing and even pets and people if they catch a swig of the stuff before the residual has dropped to acceptable levels.
 
Dry ice causes an explosion. It may open the perforations or collapse well Casing. Read my link.
If properly constructed wells don't just get contaminated.
to properly 'shock' a well and disturbution system you put the correct amount of dry calorie down the well and then a couple of gallons of liquid chlorine. Drive it to the pump by recruiting water down the well until you have a strong residual. Next you set up a injection pump that runs off of the pump side of the pressure switch so it runs while the pump is running. Run every faucet until strong residual is achieved starting at the closest outside faucet then inside let the hot water run cold. Flush after 8 hours outside first 3-4 hours or until the strong smell is gone then the inside, chlorine smell might last a couple of weeks.

This is a good approach. My only concern would be how stable your well production is. In other words, if your well production is marginal, you run the risk of running it dry, then have to wait for it to recover so you can flush etc.
 
Damn 2big bronco aint heard thattun inna coons age.
translation for the Yankees
Have not heard one speak of that processes in a long time.:lmao:
 
By this I assume you mean calcium hypochlorite vs. sodium hypochlorite? The dry will have a greater concentration of chlorine, but as such is more difficult to dose correctly for small applications. Yeah, you'll shock the hell outta the well, but you may also cause unintended issues with your well, plumbing and even pets and people if they catch a swig of the stuff before the residual has dropped to acceptable levels.

I used liquid chlorine from HD. Used approx 1/2gal the 1st time. Poured it down the casing, then ran water from the hose into the casing until I could smell chlorine. Turned on all the faucets in the house until we smelled it, then off for I think 12hrs, then ran all the lines till the smell dissipated to an exceptable level.

I had to do this to control a strong sulphur smell in the water. After the initial half gallon, I could do like a quart every few weeks to kill the odor. I never did test the water quality, so I dont know if the smell was from a sulphur pocket, which is very common in our area, or if it was bacteria. I always assumed it was a sulphur pocket because it was reoccurring.

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Thanks guys.....No problem with running dry with flushing it. I have filled a backyard pool a couple of times, running for 6 or 7 hrs at a time. On the link on post 3, it says to use about 3 cups of bleach for a well my size and depth. Going to do this and retest next week.
 
Thanks guys.....No problem with running dry with flushing it. I have filled a backyard pool a couple of times, running for 6 or 7 hrs at a time. On the link on post 3, it says to use about 3 cups of bleach for a well my size and depth. Going to do this and retest next week.

Did you use bleach in your swimming pool? Why would you use it in your well?
 
This is a good approach. My only concern would be how stable your well production is. In other words, if your well production is marginal, you run the risk of running it dry, then have to wait for it to recover so you can flush etc.

We don't have weak production wells around here.
You do bring up a good point though. The low production wells that I have seen pump into a storage tank open to the atmosphere and have a booster pump to feed the house. If this is the case you should have a chlorine injection pump to keep some residual in the water or a u.v. filter matched to the size of your system to kill bacteria and other water born pathogens.
 
Thanks guys.....No problem with running dry with flushing it. I have filled a backyard pool a couple of times, running for 6 or 7 hrs at a time. On the link on post 3, it says to use about 3 cups of bleach for a well my size and depth. Going to do this and retest next week.

Remember the bacteria is also in your pipes you need chlorine throughout your whole system to kill it if not it will slowly spread and you'll be doing this again.
 
I pour bleach down the hole... don't do your laundry right away. flush the system and move on with life. don't over complicate it.

I once used a gallon and couldn't use the well for a week... :homer:
 
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