Sand in domestic well water problem (1 Viewer)

[Capt. Jim]

Just recently, I started getting sand in my well water. Put a particulate filter just after the pump and it became almost half full of sand within a couple of hours.

My well is as old as my house, which I built about 22 years ago. Domestic wells here in Florida are simply a 2" galvanized pipe hammered into the the ground with a wellpoint on the end. Mine is about 60' deep. The pump and pressure tank are located above ground.

I have always had great water, with no filtering required. My thoughts are the 2" galvanized pipe has corroded through somewhere allowing water and sand to be drawn into the pipe at this breach. Our water table here is approximately 4 to 6 feet below the surface, which would allow for sand/water to be drawn in almost anywhere along the casing.

I'm looking for a cheap/easy fix here. My first thought is to remove the cap on the top of the 2" galvanized and insert a 1.5 or 2 inch schedule 80 PVC pipe with a PVC wellpoint into the existing pipe, and then connecting my pump to it. Although it would be a smaller I.D., my thoughts are this would work.

Any thoughts/recommendations before I try this or call a well company?

 

[fsusteve]

it's called a collapsing well, usually they have to be drilled and grouted again. Basically your theory is spot on, it depends on how deep your well was dug and where the pipe has rotted out at, you could possibly make your plan work. New code here is a 4" casing of PVC.

 

[Michael Hanson]

Pipes gone, might can just recase. MIke

 

[WarDamnEagle]

You will loose a lot of suction head if you drop the suction side pipe down. 2" schedule 40 galvanized pipe has an ID of 2.070". You would have to use 1.5" schedule 40 PVC which has an OD of 1.900" and an ID of 1.610". I think that's too much restriction but someone would have to look at the pump curve and the system layout at least through the discharge side of the pump to confirm.

You will also still have a small gap between the PVC and the steel pipe which could allow sand infiltration.

I would have it redrilled and do it right. No water is a bitch...just ask Boone.

 

[Mace]

If it started out as a piece of 2" galvanized pipe I'd be pretty sure it'd just be cheaper to pound another drive well into the ground than try any sort of sleeving method.

2" is tiny, what pump are you using to get water out of it? Jet? Or ust something along the lines of a trash pump?

Big holding tank?

 

[Capt. Jim]

Finally back on line with the internet after switching to U-Verse. Took them 7 days to get it working.

My well problem sort of fixed itself, however, it set off a chain reaction of failures that left me with low pressure/no pressure for the past several days.

After trouble-shooting the system, I had to rebuild the jet pump. The impeller and housing were destroyed by the sand it was pumping. There was also an inlet nozzle filter on the pump that had a large piece of debris in it restricting flow. The check valve had failed, although I don't know if this was related to my sand problem. And lastly, the filter I installed after the pump became clogged in an un-servicable part of the filter housing.

After fixing all this, my water is back to normal. I still don't know why it suddenly began to pump sand. It sux to be without running water.

 

[Lake Rat]

Usually, if you notice sand in the water and there hasn't been previously, several things could account for it. If the well was short cycling (switching on and off, like the presuure tank is water logged), this would cause sand and debris that you have not previously seen, break lose and come throught the system (and clog things up). That may (just a guess, I don't know your system) have been the start of the problems. Deterioated casing (2" pipe) definitely will do it. If the water level flucuates quite a bit during pumping will also cause a sand problem. But, I would say, you found all this out the hard way.

If it's really old galvanized casing, it would be better to have PVC casing as it will not deteriorate like galvanized if you have a new well drilled.

 

[Capt. Jim]

Thanks Lake Rat. My pump actually was cycling rapidly prior to my problems. All is still good.