Revive an old well...need help
#1
05-06-18, 05:15 PM
Revive an old well...need help
I am in need of some expert advice. I have an old water well I want to primarily use to only water my garden. The well was drilled around the 40’s and has a 2” galvanized pipe that is 8” above ground. Record shows it was drilled at 225’ deep. The water level is 9’ deep below ground. Last year I measured the depth with a weight on end of a fishing rod and it went 189’ deep. The set up I used was a 1 hp Lion pump, connected to a 60 gallon galvanized tank. For a drop line I used a 1” x 20’ pvc pipe with a foot valve on the end. First pump worked well but was pumping way too much sand. Last month I disconnected the lines and emptied about 6 gallons of sand out of the galvanized tank. I contacted and explained the situation to a local water well man and he suggested I need to run an air hose down and pump the sand out to clear the well. A few months has now gone by and today I remeasured the depth of the well. It now reads only 74’ deep. I am assuming the casing must be broken somewhere in the well and when the pump is on it’s sucking the sand near the foot valve and sand is settling on the bottom of the well. I’ve tried calling the local water well man to see if he would come blow out the well but he’s not returning my calls. I’m determined to get this well working again. Dragging my water hose across the street to water my garden everyday is getting really old.
My question is:
Could the water well casing be broken? If so, is that what is creating all the sand coming out of the well. Can the well still work once the sand is pumped out?
I'm also wondering if the 1 hp Lion pump has too much suction and is creating a pocket near the foot valve. Should I try a smaller pump (maybe a 1/2 hp) that will not create so much suction at the foot valve?
Some expert advice would be highly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
My question is:
Could the water well casing be broken? If so, is that what is creating all the sand coming out of the well. Can the well still work once the sand is pumped out?
I'm also wondering if the 1 hp Lion pump has too much suction and is creating a pocket near the foot valve. Should I try a smaller pump (maybe a 1/2 hp) that will not create so much suction at the foot valve?
Some expert advice would be highly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
#2
05-06-18, 07:41 PM
Group Moderator
Not an expert but I will comment. 
You dropped in a 20' line and the water column starts at 9', that should put you well into the water column. I wouldn't think you should get any sand there unless the casing is broken/failed or the screens are shot. Either way you likely need a new well.
If you are just going to water a garden I would just drive in a new sand point well.
You dropped in a 20' line and the water column starts at 9', that should put you well into the water column. I wouldn't think you should get any sand there unless the casing is broken/failed or the screens are shot. Either way you likely need a new well.
If you are just going to water a garden I would just drive in a new sand point well.
#3
05-07-18, 05:18 AM
Group Moderator
You have a 2" diameter well that's 225' deep?
A static water level of 9' and you put the intake down only 20' in a 225' deep well?
Then re-measuring only puts the well depth at 74'?
Too many things just don't add up. Where are you located? I suspect it might be a sand point well and is much shallower than your measurements indicate.
A static water level of 9' and you put the intake down only 20' in a 225' deep well?
Then re-measuring only puts the well depth at 74'?
Too many things just don't add up. Where are you located? I suspect it might be a sand point well and is much shallower than your measurements indicate.
#4
05-08-18, 08:56 AM
Originally Posted by Pilot Dane
a 2" diameter well that's 225' deep?
Fairly standard way to do things in the 40's.
Unless you're in coastal sand, drilled well casings normally only extend down 20' to 30' to keep surface water out.
I'll make a guess about what is happening.
If you have water at 9' yet the well was drilled to 225' then you have slow recharge.
The well was drilled extra deep to store water in the bore.
I also suspect that the 2" pipe was put there as a vent.
If the well is actually buried then it's effectively going to be air tight.
so the vent to lets air in, to make it easier for the pump to pull the water out.
When the pump kicks on and removes water that creates a partial vacuum,
I'll guess that the PVC pipe inside the 2" galvanized is restricting air flow,
when the pump comes on, it is not just sucking out, but sucking sand into the well bore.
I'm curious how the well functioned initially-
Any indication that the well was initially used with a submersible pump, e.g.
is there any indication of a depression leading from the well to the house?
Are there a pair of sealed off pipes sticking out of the basement wall somewhere?
If there are underground pipes, you may have a few options on reuse-blowing out the sand.
So, if I were you, I'd consider replacing the foot valve with a sand point to take in water from a longer verticle profile , and also extend the PVC down as far as you can so that you're pulling water from the bore of the well, rathan then sucking water and sand into the well.
Filling up with sand from 189' to 74' seems odd, perhaps possible,
but more likely, a chunk of rock has spalled off or part of the casing has rusted and wedged in at 74'.
You'll have to try a good sized air compressor, 200' of air hose, and a screw a pipe onto the end of the hose to give it weight, try
#5
05-08-18, 11:56 AM
Thank you both so much for your replies. The only thing I know about the well is the owners in the 40's had it drilled and it hasn't been used for the past 10 years. The 2" galvanized pipe sticks up about 8" above ground in the middle of a 6' x 6' slab of concrete. I live about 30 miles from the Gulf of Mexico and 10 miles from the bay. Where I live new wells cannot be drilled. So I either have to revive it or forget it. If the 2" well casing is broken is it worth trying to revive it? ...by pumping it out with a deep air hose? ...or hopeless? All I want is to get water for my small garden. I thought trying to use a smaller pump that could pump about 300-400 mph. The 1 hp Lion I have really sucks the water and sand fast. Thanks again for all your help..
#6
05-08-18, 05:53 PM
Group Moderator
#7
05-09-18, 05:14 AM
Group Moderator
In the delta it's possible that you have a driven or sand point well. How confident are you about the 225' and 74' depths? It's possible that the well is much shallower.
Specifically what pump are you using? If it's a single hose centrifugal pump it will only be able to draw water up from about 30' at the maximum.
Specifically what pump are you using? If it's a single hose centrifugal pump it will only be able to draw water up from about 30' at the maximum.
