well water

imported_botelj · #1 IP: 64.12.96.40 July 2nd, 2003, 04:51 PM

My well water was tested not too long ago but found nothing wrong with it. I have a whole house filter which is odor iron and somthing else. lately i have to change the filter once a month because of the smell of the water. someone told me i have to shock the well. he told me i had to pour 2 gallons of bleach in it and leave it for a day then run a outside sprinkler for a few hours. this to me does not sound right. any suggestions?
thank you in advance

imported_marako · #2 IP: 12.32.197.131 July 8th, 2003, 07:15 AM

When I bought my house the well was tested and it came up high for something (coliform???). I thought this was going to be a big problem and every one said "nah, they just throw some bleach down the well and clean it out"

Does this mean that bleach is OK for the well, or that it will fix your problem..... Got me, but at least two people think you can throw bleach down the well.

Good luck

bettykay · #3 IP: 205.188.208.70 July 18th, 2003, 05:08 PM

I know this is kinda late, but both of you are exactly right. When a new well is dug, they "flush" it with chlorine to kill bacteria, like coliforms, its the fecal coliforms that you need to worry about, not that any coliform bacteria is good. As far as odor however, flushing the well with bleach or another form of chlorine may not solve the problem. Sulfer in the water can give a rotten egg smell. you might want to have your water tested by a lab for more than just bacteria. It might be expensive, but it will help you narrow down exactly what is causing the odor.
Betykay

**Wgoodrich** · #4 IP: 148.78.243.122 July 18th, 2003, 06:02 PM

Great seeing you again BettyKay !!!

Guys what this gal is saying is as good as money in the bank. Wish I had some of that too in the bank, Ha Ha.

Good advice from a pro.

Thanks Betty Kay

Wg

bettykay · #5 IP: 152.163.252.65 July 19th, 2003, 05:50 AM

i forgot to mention on my last post that liquid swimming pool chlorine is sometimes used instead of regular bleach. It has a higher concentration of chlorine so you don't have to use as much to chlorinate the well. Don't use any product that contains dichlor or trichlor though, use the stuff they sell to "shock" the pool. Dichlor and trichol have cyanuric acid in them, which is used to keep chlorine from dissipitating out of outdoor swimming pools. High levels of cyanuric acid can lead to kidney and liver problems, so you don't want to put it in your drinking water!!! There is a formula to calculate how much chlorine to add to the well depending on the volume of the well, but I can' remember it at the moment. A well driller or a local health department would know. Also, becareful when draining out the chlorinated water, flushing the well, the chlorine can kill your grass and dumping it into a septic system could kill the bacteria that breaks down sewage. this is probably more information than you ever wanted to know.
Bettykay

6pack · #6 IP: 65.73.69.251 July 23rd, 2003, 05:14 AM

Being new to country living wells ,pumps, septic, ETC. Thanks also for your time and input. As far as I'm concerned any time you want to take time and post anything on these sujects at random will be greatly appreciated. Thanks again never to old to learn .TY