Yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyep!
Last Poster #6
- Thread starter jks9199
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Hope all goes well bud!
the bad thing about well water.
Somebody else blowing the bottom out of the aquifer, you are screwed!
They don't frack nearby, do they?
dvcochran
Grandmaster
Has the water been clean the whole time before it stopped flowing? Also how old is the casing?
Many years ago we had a well a little over 300' that we thought had lost it's bottom and went dry. It would pump water for a bit then stop. Limped along for a couple of weeks. We figured out that when it would pump the water never cleared out like usual. It turned out the casing was 'falling' in on itself (rusting out)impeding the flow. Being such a deep well the casing was more that the pump but it did fix the problem.
If memory serves, they performed some type(s) of compressed air test to isolate the problem. Could be cheaper just to replace 80' of casing to serve as the test? Just spit ballin'.
I would suggest discussing this with your well repair crew and price replacement if they think it is a quality diagnostic tool.
Should I offer congratulations or condolences?
I'll let you know afterwards....lol.
I've worked it for years but this year will be my first as a supervisor.
AngryHobbit
Senior Master
There is no casing. So, there is nothing to replace. It's drilled into solid rock.
AngryHobbit
Senior Master
I've never been. Take lots of good pictures.
AngryHobbit
Senior Master
Not that I know of.
AngryHobbit
Senior Master
And right now, we are running a special - you can run up and down the driveway carrying 5-gallon buckets of water.That sounds just delightful!
Will absolutely do that next time
AngryHobbit
Senior Master
And yes, the water was fine the entire time.
AngryHobbit
Senior Master
First snow! The picture on the right is my current water source. I have to lean down from the crossing to hold the bucket under that little waterfall, then haul it up with one arm.
WOW! Can't pass on that deal! Where do I sign?? I wonder if a surprise mudrun is included...
dvcochran
Grandmaster
Have you been able to figure out the problem?
dvcochran
Grandmaster
That is tough. I went back and re-read your posts and have a little better understanding.
Our farm on the north end of the county has a spring that comes up essentially in the corner of a rock bank. The water there has the filter bag type conical filtered intake on/near the surface of the bedrock and is usually clean and very cold. It has hardly ever frozen completely up. When we get a lot of rain the level gets around 3' deep when sediment comes in from ground water and it gets silty.
I don't know if that is any kind of option for you, temporary or otherwise, but it is an inexpensive and pretty simple solution for water that has been there for over 100 years. Everything has required repair/replacements over the years and was even a hand pump originally (still works if I valve in in but the piping is rusty).
There are also some pretty cool 'bush' systems out there.
I hope this is somehow helpful. I wish there was some way I could do more to help y'all out.
Hope all goes well. I suppose getting them out is a good sign, at least.
Don't give her ideas.
Apparently, it's a mystery even to the well folks. They were asking if there was any recent significant construction or well-digging in the area. With me home a lot (until 2 weeks ago), I'd have heard the noise if either was the case, so I doubt it. I suppose someone could have dropped a new well last week while nobody was home. Other than that, they can't figure why it would suddenly go dry like that.
We are looking into some backup systems. Even if we had to use surface water (creek water) in the area, it's reasonably clean. Good enough for flushing and washing with silt removal, and with standard hiking equipment (boiling, iodine, filter, etc.) potable. In the short term, I'm looking at something to get us water for flushing from the sump pump we had to install about a year ago, when a spring sprung up behind our house and started flooding the basement.
AngryHobbit
Senior Master
It's funny you should mention this - we are looking at the same things. We have a creek that I've been using to get non-potable water. Plus, there is a spring literally behind a retaining wall at our house. There is a sump pump in the basement to keep that one from flooding us out. So... too bad you can't pop over here - we need a friend who knows how to hook up these things to use for backup water.
dvcochran
Grandmaster
I wish I could be there.
Do you have a filtration system at the house for the incoming water and a surge/storage tank? If so, the main concern is an acceptable level of water clarity coming to the house filtration system. There should be a tag on the house filtration tank(s)/canister(s) giving a minimum recommended inlet rating, probably in microns. ***The 'average' potable water is filtered to 1-5 microns for small particle/clay reduction, and chemicals (Iodine & Chlorine) are added to offset this and other effects. In your scenario (assuming you have a filter system at the house) this value will not change for you. Thus, your main concern should be clarity coming to the filtration system to minimize filter cleaning frequency/issues.
There are tons of various inlet filtration systems that can be fit/retrofit to your inlet pump or piping. Ours like many is cobble up to fit our application. it largely comes down to demand. The nice thing about conical sock filters is they are easily changed and can be washed and reused. You just match the inlet filter micron size to the inlet requirements of your house filtration system. Just make sure you are getting media that filters from the Outside to the Inside.
We also built a simple system with a flow switch in the pump outlet line and logic to monitor inlet flow that serves multiple purposes.
1.) It gives a source for an indicator light at the house to know when there is no flow (clogged filter or other problem). We have it set up so the light comes on when the pump is calling to run but there is no flow after a specific time. Of course no available water is usually the first indication of a problem.
2.) To keep from burning up the pump from zero water flow).
I hope this is of some help. If you did in fact loose the bottom of your well (sounds like it) you are back to 'rolling of dice' on well drilling, if the surface/near surface solution is not adequate.
I read where someone asked if there has been any drilling or fracking near you. When I was pretty young I saw the effects of a rock quarry blasting down to the water table. The quarry flooded and 3 local ponds/lakes (1 of ours) lost their bottom and went dry. I hope this is not your situation.
I wish for a quick and easy solution. Please let me know how it goes.
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