Depending on your well’s location, depth and many other factors there might be times after it is installed that you need to treat your well for best quality water. The most common problems that aren’t normally handled by particulate or charcoal filtration are high bacteria levels E.Coli is one thing you might see in your well report. Ah yes well reports are something we should talk about before we get into treatment.
Testing your well water should be done on a regular basis. Most professionals will suggest that you run a water quality test at least once a year and this is very important if you are raising animals for processing, milk or dairy or poultry for eggs or meat. Having healthy water to drink in these cases is normally a government regulation not just good practice.
You can call your local water company and ask if they know any reputable labs in the area or you can call your county or state water board and they should have a list. Your well digger will also know but you could have purchased the home long after the well was dug. Prepare your sample carefully and never touch the inside of the container. Small amounts of chemicals are being tested for so being very careful with your sample is important.
When Should You Use Shock Chlorination To Disinfect Your Well?
If your test comes back with high levels of bacteria then the company may suggest what product to use to disinfect the well. If they don’t then it is normal practice to use a 5% bleach to shock the well. This normally takes from 12 to 24 hours for the bleach to disinfect the well.
Wells should be treated whenever they are brought back into service after an extended period of being dormant.
Wells should be treated whenever the area has gone through a Flood.
Wells should be treated whenever your water report shows high levels of bacteria.
If the water is cloudy or muddy after heavy rains you should disinfect the well and have the water tested after you have flushed the system. This is more likely to happen on a shallow well but it could be an indication that you need an inspection.
Is Chlorine Well Treatment Always Effective?
Unfortunately Chlorine Treatment is not always effective to reduce or eliminate contamination.
If you have a malfunctioning septic treatment system that is located too close or is improperly designed it may be contaminating your well water.
If you have cracked well casing.
If you have other problems with your well such as a missing or malfunctioning well cap.
If you treat your well and flush it properly and can not cure the problem then you should seek professional help.
Chlorine Shock Treatment should not be something that is required regularly and on going.
A UV Light Filter can reduce harmful bacteria in your water and you should consider using one.
How Much And What Kind Of Chlorine Should Be Used To Treat A Well?
The type of chlorine you should use is 5% household bleach without any other additives. It is not normally necessary to use high concentration pool chemicals for treatment.
The amount of bleach that you use will be based on the diameter of the well casing and its depth.
A 5″ well will hold 1 gallon per foot.
A 7″ well will hold 2 gallons per foot.
A 9″ well will hold just over 3 gallons per foot.
A 10″ well will hold 4 gallons of water per foot.
Find a calculation chart and figure out how many gallons your well holds and then add 3 pints of bleach for every 100 gallons and to your final number add an additional 3 pints of bleach to treat your plumbing, water heater, pipes.
This is the suggested method for most situations but your situation will be unique so you must consult a local professional for advise. They may want to come out and treat your system and if they do take note of what they do and keep records. The cost should not be too high and you will be able to ask as many questions about your system as needed.
Final Note
When you have a well water system for your home or your animals you become the water company. That means you must keep up on the quality of water that you are using. Often over time we will become complacent and forget to do these tests and disinfection methods but if you do your health or the health of the animals you raise could be in jeopardy.
What you can do as a home owner is get good advice from a well company when your well is installed. If you buy a home with a well even if it has gone through pre-purchase inspection you need to keep up on the testing and monitoring of your system.
It is not a bad idea to call a professional if you need advice or if you have never treated a system yourself.