A few weeks ago I wrote on here about a problem I'm having with my well pump. I used to have a jet pump in my basement with a foot valve in the well. The foot valve went bad so with the help from my pal, a plumber, we instead installed a submersible pump but since then I have water that is cloudy from the dirt in the well. We tried to fix it by pulling it out. When we got the well line and pump out I could see the 1" plastic pipe was almost covered with dirt. My plumber pal figured if we crack the valve for the incoming line only half open it might fix the problem. It didn't. Today I spoke with another friend's son, who used to work for a well and pump business. He told me what I should do is go to an outside faucet, get a blank cap for the spigot, drill a 1/8" hole into the cap, and turn on the water to relieve some of the pressure from the submersible. He also said if that doesn't work I should get an anti-vibration connection to put on the pipe where it connects to the submersible. He said the pump is stronger than the foot valve and it not only sucks up more water but it also jumps a lot when it is turned on, which in turn stirs up the dirt and comes into my home. My question is, does all that sound correct. I am not doubting my friend's son but I want to know it might work if I do that. Thanks. Rich

 

I'm no expert, but I think if the submersible pump is too close to the bottom of the well it can suck up sediment. Probably is OK since you did a replacement and knew how deep the foot valve was, but just thought I'd mention that - just in case.

 

You can't restrict down the output from a submersible pump. My first thought is that it's down too low and stirring up and sucking off the bottom. Typically spacers are installed on the well line to keep it centered in the bore and not shake around. I can't see how an anti-vibration ? fitting between the pump and the line could help.

Was the water ever clear after the installation ?
It could take a while to purge out all the dirt and sand in the water.

The other guys will stop thru and offer their opinions too.

 

I understand your thoughts that the pump is down too low. I thought the same thing. After we pulled the pump back up last week I noticed the black plastic pipe was coated with dirt. We then measured the well by sending down a string with a brass elbow attached to it and the string ran out at 55 feet and never touched bottom. Just the other day I found some literature from a local pump guy from 1987 that said me well is 93 feet deep. So after seeing that I don't think the pump is near the bottom even though it seems like it is. The water has not shown clear since we put in the submersible pump. I don't recall much sediment with the foot valve. The anti-vibration gadget might be called something else but the idea for it is to prevent the submersible from jerking around so much and stirring up the dirt. It all sounds so clear to me but I am no expert. I just knows I don't like that dirty water. Thanks for your reply.

 

How deep is your well? How deep is your pump?

All wells have "stuff" in them. Every well I have ever pulled has been a slimy muddy mess. So, your pipe being covered in mud is normal.

The anti-torque fitting they mention won't do much. They are used in deep wells to prevent the starting torque of the pump from twisting the pipe and wiring. In your case it won't hurt but I don't think it will help.

The pump being located too low is the most common cause of muddy or sediment in the water. Pumps are usually well off the bottom of the well. Mine is about 20' above the bottom.

What is your well casing made of? If it's steel it's possible it has rusted through and is allowing surface water into the well. Mud and silt is also sorta common with old, shallow wells as they don't have solid casings down to bedrock. Heavy rains, droughts or basically any change in the weather can cause sediment to be drawn into the well.

 

This stuff is very foreign to me but I will try to explain what I have here. The original part of the home was built in 1880 and way back when they used a cistern type water tank that would send the water into the house by a pipe to the basement. I have documentation that states that in 1987 a local pump business installed a new shallow well pump with a 6 1/4" casing and 34 feet deep. It also states that the well depth is 93 feet and depth to bedrock is 34 feet. It says to water bearing zones is 65 feet to the first, 85 feet to the second, and 88 feet to the third. I was fine with that set up until my foot valve went south and then my pal suggested I put in a submersible pump that meant I would no longer have that loud jet pump in my basement. It all sounded great until I see the water is cloudy. I don't know what the casing is made of. The submersible is about 34 feet down and when we measured the depth of the well we came up with 55 feet but never touched bottom, and now when I see the depth is actually 93 feet I am sure the pump is not down near the bottom. Another friend, who used to work for a well repair company, said he has seen that many times before and he suggested I buy a solid cap for an outside faucet, drill a 1/8" hole in the cap, and turn it on. He said that will relieve the pump of so much pressure. He also said the anti-torque fitting would prevent to pump from jerking around and stirring up the dirt. So, that's where I stand. I'm not sure what to do but I would like to get it fixed so I wouldn't have to keep buying bottled spring water. Other than the dirt in the water my water has always tested as very good. Thanks. Rich

 

Get a new friend. The only thing drilling a hole will do is allow your water to leak out. Did your friend say why letting the pressure out was a good thing??? When the water leaks out the pressure will drop and the pressure switch will turn the pump on bringing the pressure back up. You are just endlessly pumping water out onto the ground.

You can install a torque arrestor. I don't think it will help but it will not hurt.

 

I also do not like the idea of running that water through the cap with the hole. He said I might have to do it for a week or a week and a half. I opened up that faucet last week and ran it for a solid 4 hours letting the water just go onto the ground. Then I did it again for 2 hours the next day to try to bleed the cloudiness from the water as it was suggested I do. That's the third time I ran the hose but I still have cloudy water. I compared the cloudy water to store bought spring water and there is a noticeable difference. I won't drink my well water and when I look in a toilet the bowl is light brown from the cloudy water. Perhaps what I need to do is put an extension onto the plastic well water line and lower it about 20 feet or so. Thanks, Dane.

 

Lining the well casing will only help if your current casing has rusted through.

 

Thanks again, Dane. Have a wonderful Christmas!

 

I will not attempt to guess what your basic problem is but have you considered filtering the water? I have a bored well about 50 feet deep with a normal water level of 20 feet and have a jet pump to pump the water to the surface. I run the water through two whole house filters which remove all the grit and provide clear water. Now, after a hard rain I do get cloudy water for a day or two even with the filters-I guess the sediment is just too fine to filter. I use two micron filter elements I buy in bulk over the internet at a much lower cost than at a big box store. No pressure reduction problems.

Personally, I would filter any well water regardless of clarity.