Home well systems?

[spazzyfry123]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

Urban Defender from Sweetwater. Primary sediment filtration that I change the filter about every other month and it comes out all red and nasty. The main tank is full of carbon mini balls. Can replace those, but generally I replace the whole system about every decade.

The wife complains when I don't replace the pre-filter often enough. She starts to detect water spots. We have pretty hard water.

It's not a personal well, about 150 of us share the system. At teh well head, we only inject chlorine to CA-mandated standards. The Defender filters that out, and would protect from the MTBE, should that cloud ever reach our aquafer.

Mine is being drilled (I think) next week or the week after. No tests or anything done of course, so not sure what we do/don't need. I've been looking at a few brands and systems. Not sure what we'll need, but getting prepped.

[UncleWede]

Originally Posted by spazzyfry123

Mine is being drilled (I think) next week or the week after. No tests or anything done of course, so not sure what we do/don't need. I've been looking at a few brands and systems. Not sure what we'll need, but getting prepped.

Your driller will also test the water once they hit it? I think I would want that done before they installed the pipe and well head. Certainly don't need to pump non-potable water out of the ground.

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

It bears mentioning that our SC retirement tree farm on the motorboat lake has municipal water and gigabit Internet fiber sitting at the curb when we decide to build. My DW is tired of working the private water plant in our basement dungeon.....

Oh, it doesn't bode well for noobs like me when you have an expert at home and she's had enough of trying to purify the well.

[spazzyfry123]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

Your driller will also test the water once they hit it? I think I would want that done before they installed the pipe and well head. Certainly don't need to pump non-potable water out of the ground.

Fair point! I honestly don’t know.

[vreihen16]

Originally Posted by tranquility

Oh, it doesn't bode well for noobs like me when you have an expert at home and she's had enough of trying to purify the well.

Key word is RETIREMENT house, and I don't blame her for not wanting to do one of her many former careers.....

[spazzyfry123]

As a follow up, we drilled today.

265 feet and 20 gallons a minute.

[vreihen16]

Originally Posted by spazzyfry123

As a follow up, we drilled today.

265 feet and 20 gallons a minute.

Out of curiosity, what was the total cost?????

[Weather Man]

160 feet down for my well, going on 23 years. Replaced pump once. Make sure you get a big enough pump to support lawn irrigation. I have a big yard with 22 zones and have run a 1 HP pump since the get go. My water is iron free, but I do have manganese that has to be run through a softener designed for it. I also use a regular salt-based softener. If the well hits water shallow that has bad iron, they can keep drilling and often find better water deeper. Make sure you use a good-sized pressure tank, it helps with the softening. Good luck!

[spazzyfry123]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

Out of curiosity, what was the total cost?????

Should be somewhere around $9k all in. Drilling, pump, tank, sediment filter, all connections, electrical, etc.

I'll be addressing full home filtration independently pending water testing.

[UncleWede]

Cost me ~$60 to re-cover the abandoned well at my dad's cabin this past weekend. 1/2 sheet of plywood, some deck screws, and a pint of mis-mixed leftover paint at the hardware store. I DID have to shovel a metric-fak-tonne of roof slide snow that fell on the old cover and broke it. I've seen wood that came off a 17th century galleon that was in better shape than that previous cover.

Our shared home well is at ~45 feet right now, with all the rain SoCal has been getting.

Pressure tanks need care, painting/inspection about every 5 years.

[spazzyfry123]

Curious on best approach here. New well has been doing great. Sediment filter has been getting worked out with my third one about to go in. Cool water seems to be where we need it. Hot water is still coming in brown, telling me we’ve got it in the two hot water tanks.

Is there a best practice to flush? Just keep running water? We’re a couple weeks being into the new house.

[vreihen16]

Is your sediment filter in front of the hot water heater(s)? If so, the hot water should be as clear as the cold water.....

[spazzyfry123]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

Is your sediment filter in front of the hot water heater(s)? If so, the hot water should be as clear as the cold water.....

It is. Pressure tank straight to sediment filter. Everything is thereafter.

My assumption is that the hot tanks are holding sediment that made it past the filter whereas just constant use flushed anything out of the cold lines. We've got two 50gal tanks. We've certainly ran enough to get it out, so something is just "stuck" in there. Wondering if there's a flush option. Brand new everything.

[vreihen16]

I would stop after the quick flush if both tanks are new and the water runs clean out of the drain hose:

https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-dra...heater-2719055

[spazzyfry123]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

I would stop after the quick flush if both tanks are new and the water runs clean out of the drain hose:

https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-dra...heater-2719055

Went through the whole gig. My two heaters are in series.

Drained the second, drained the first. Filled them both back up. Drained the second and flushed the second. Drained the first and flushed the first. Both showed clear water. Filled back up and turned the heaters back on. Back to brown hot water again. Cold is still clear. I’m lost.

Calling well dudes tomorrow.

[tranquility]

I've come to realize that given the replies here, esp from someone whose spouse is a water expert and wanting to take a break, that I'm just gonna leave this water thing to the city.

Septic tank is the furthest I'm going to go, I don't have a prb w stuff exiting my home but coming in is another story haha.

[vreihen16]

Originally Posted by tranquility

Septic tank is the further I'm going to go, I don't have a prb w stuff exiting my home but coming in is another story haha.

Ironically, my DW and I just returned from a short trip down to our tree farm. Met with a soil engineer, to draw the septic system and leach field designs for the state permit. Being on the lake, the requirements are a bit stricter to keep both runoff silt and effluent from reaching the shore bank.....

[UncleWede]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

Ironically, my DW and I just returned from a short trip down to our tree farm. Met with a soil engineer, to draw the septic system and leach field designs for the state permit. Being on the lake, the requirements are a bit stricter to keep both runoff silt and effluent from reaching the shore bank.....

effluent runoff into a lake is under-rated for promotion of algae and mosquito.

[vreihen16]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

effluent runoff into a lake is under-rated for promotion of algae and mosquito.

That's *not* a Baby Ruth bar floating in the lake!!!!!

[spazzyfry123]

Coincidentally enough I just had a full home water filtration system installed for our well. Plumbers left about an hour ago

[omasou]

Avoid the pressure tank and spend more for a constant pressure pump, e.g. Grunfos, 15SQE10-250.

It's like having public water.

Make sure to have the well company place the pump wires inside of plastic conduit (the same black piping they use to protect the wire underground from the pump to the house.

When the pump spins up it rubs the wires against the well sleeve and in my case after 9 years wore through wire's sleeve and shorted out.

[RockCrusher]

You water well owners might find this of some interest:

https://www.youtube.com/@h2omechanic