Chrisreyn

Have any of you guys had any experience with the pellet chlorinators that drop pellets directly into the well?
We started having a problem with hydrogen sulfite in the well after it went dry this summer during the drought, and its getting progressively worse.
Anybody using one of these, if so which one and what are your impressions of it? I am looking into getting one and am unsure of it, and since they arent cheap( $600 and up), would appreciate any info at all.

Raspy

I can't see how that would work on my well as the water is traveling by underground, not just sitting there waiting for me to pump it up. If it is just a stationary pocket how do you know how much is down there so you'd know how much chlorine to add?

Another thing is the pump, the wire, the centering clips, the anti torque boot, the pipe with check valves and the rope are all in there too. How many tablets will land on something and never make it to the water?

Then, of course, anything you add gets shared by anyone else using the same ground water.

Sounds ridiculous to me. Just clorinate it after you pump it up. This can be done automatically too. In my case I have a non pressurized tank so it's easy, but you could get a chlorine injector that only ran when the pump was on for instance. Then you'd know what you had and not be just guessing or contaminating the well.


John

patdaly

I hit my well about once a year with 3M brand well sanitizer ( concentrated chlorine ). I used to have a pretty strong smell, but after 3 years it is getting better. I don't know if it is because of the chlorination, or because of a change in water supply, but to me, it would be worth shocking your well.

I think it cost 25 bucks for the can, and with my well ( 680 feet, 6" casing ) I need 3 capfulls, so the can will last a long time.

Chrisreyn

We are in NE KS, on a 200 foot well. The property here was used as a pig farm for generations and then sat vacant for about 20 years before we bought it. the Well is located about half way "up" the property in elevation and about 400 yds uphill from the RR tracks.
We have a BAD hydrogen sulfide problem and even with the sanitizer system, can not get rid of the smell and taste in the house water.
The well sits a few yard away from where they attempted to dig a storm shelter and hit an artesian well. The sump in the storm shelter is about 20 gallons, and cycles about every ten minutes. This water is blood red, and I have gone through 3 sump pumps in a year,due to them clogging from the iron sediment( large waste capable pumps too).
I am considering adding a pellet chlorinator to the well head in an attempt to resolve the hydrogen sulfate problem, and want input into the quality and effectivness of these systems.

During the drought this summer, we managed to empty the well shaft, and the problems became much worse following that..
I am considering routing the sump discharge so that it will empty into the well shaft to help prevent draining it in the future( its the same water right?)
Raspy, the water "sits" in teh well shaft until pumped...that is suppossedly teh "contact period' with the chlorine.
And what is the anti-torque boot???? nothing liek that on mine.....is there suppossed to be?
Here is a diagram of my set up:

Raspy

The anti torque boot is just a big rubber piece thet sits around the pipe near the pump that keeps the motor starting torque from unscrewing the pipe or keeps the pump from moving around in the casing and wearing something out, like the wiring or lift rope.

It sounds like your sump water is different than the well water. Why would you pour the dirty red water down the well?

You know your system better than me but I am touchy about adding contaminants to a well and mixing water from different strata. I don't know about hydrogen sulfide and how chlorine helps with it. If so then patdaly might have a good idea as a temporary fix. Then you'll have to do something to get back to the right chlorine level at the house.

John

stickbow

I have a dry pellet chlorinator at my place. My well is roughly 180' deep. I have strong sulphur. Mine takes the sulphur out pretty good. The only time you smell it is when the chlorinator runs out of pellets. It depends on how much water you use. I use alot of water fast so I have the timer dropping pellets fast. The pellets fall down a long tube so they make there way to the bottom of the well.

Dont worry about the torque arrestor, that is mounted on top of the pump and should be submerged in water anyway. The pellets dissolve rather quickly there smaller than a dime.

you may have iron bacteria. It smells the same as sulphur. The dry pellet is great for iron bacteria also. I shock chlorinate my well at my parents due to iron bacteria, work for about a year or so.

If you put one in I would put a backwashing carbon filter in the basement to take out the chlorine. Its hard to regulate the amount thats in the water.

I would check out www.wellowner.org for all your waterwell needs

Rednecktastic

I'm thinking about dumping a half gallon or so of chlorine down a shallow well we have on my land. When I don't use it for awhile it comes out blood red and smells pretty nasty.

Anyone do this? The water isn't for drinking just faucet, shower etc.

Chrisreyn

I replaced the pump in the well when we bought the property about two years ago, and there was nothing on the pump or piping like a torque arrestor..
there wasn't even a recovery rope on the pump, I had to raise it by hand, pulling the pipe up one section at a time..
was a real PITA and took two days.... don't want to do that again..but I do know for certain how deep the pump sits! 190 foot exactly....

The sanitizer system we have installed( Water-Right ASC-2) is supposed to take care of nitrates and nitrites, coliform and turbidity, and reduce the sulfur and hydrogen sulfite levels, it is a back washing system and I additionally have a whole house sediment and carbon filter.... I have also replaced the sacrificial anode in the water heater to an aluminum one.
We still have the smell though, and the outside hydrants that aren't on the sanitizer are getting so bad , I am worried that the livestock are gonna stop drinking, so I need to find a better solution that will treat the whole well.
hence the interest in the pellet systems. I also recently learned that excessive Nitrate levels can slowly "poison" the horses, so need to correct that.
Shock treating the system has lowered the levels for a year at your folks????? I did not think it worked for that long.....
What has been the cost of operating the pellet system, and I am gathering from your post you are happy with it?

FiverBob

Chris,
You need an aereator for hydrogen. I had bad water at my last house even though it was an artesian, and, as with a lot of salt water-front property wells, the stench was pretty bad. Using the aereator along with reverse osmosis for drinking and a mild chlorinator, we ended up with great water. And, you don't want to dump sump water back into your well. I would use a sediment filter in front of that sump pump - - there is one that is a self reversing unit that will purge itself as often as you set it up to do so. Works very good - - my friend has one on his well in NC that also pumps red. The purge is discarded outside thru a bypass valve.
Bob

ktpauley

I regulate public drinking water facilities in Pa. Here is a booklet that might help. Pellet feeders can, and do screw up. I had to investigate a complaint at a restaurant. The pressure switch stuck on the closed position. The result was water that had more chlorine in it than would be allowed in a pool. If you use chlorine use a peristalic pump, and sodium hypochlorite ( liquid chlorine). It typically takes a small amount of chlorine to oxidize hydrogen sulfide. If you have any questions fell free to PM me. If I don't have the answer in from of me I can get it at work.

Keith

Chrisreyn

Thanks Keith, that was very helpfull!
Like I have said, teh two big issues arfe teh hydrogen sulfite and the bacteria load.

an example would be the automatic waterer I have for teh horses, it is drawn directly from teh wellwithout treatment.
It requires cleaning about once a week or more( placed ina shady overhang, out of direct sunlight) It is constructed of plastic. Ussually it take a week for teh water in it to be black and have 4-6 inches of algae growth..
The horse willdrink it, but I am concerned that if it continues to get worse, they wont. The sanitizer in teh house seems to be doing its job on everything but a trace of teh sulfite smell, which I could live with, but if i am gonna do somethign to correct the one problem, i might as welltry to correct both.
I am awaiting the test results from teh well water and will post them when they get here......

tbarbee1

Chris I cant help you on the well situation but Keep us posted on how the horses like the switch to clorinated water my bet is they balk at it until they are super thirsty, then eventually get used to it. We water using well water and when we have to take horses somewhere that has chlorinated water they seldom drink the first day. Its not a question of if they will drink just how long it takes them to drink.

Chrisreyn

One of the things that got me started thinking about this was noticing that when itook tehm to Salina the third weekend of Oct adn them to Collins, Mo the next weekend, tehy were both drinking about twice what they do here at home.......

Chrisreyn

Ok, I got a call from the lab while I was typing that last post...
I have iron bacteria count way off the scale.. above 1.0 mg/L which is the highest the test will show....( with payign for an additional testing)

.003ppm E.Coli(sp) bacteria, which is high...
total coliforms are 3.0%( not sure what that means, good or bad)
the nirite levels are .04mg/L and the Nitrates are 2mg/L..

everythign else was within standards or acceptable levels..
so i guess teh chlorination system is a MUST HAVE now instead of a "maybe"...

anyoen know where to get one cheap

patdaly

Chris,
Mine is beginning to make sense, perhaps yours is the same man.

If it is bacteria that is out of control, perhaps you should shock it, then see how your current system holds up.

I am thinking i need to shock mine 2X a year instead of 1X. My well guys suggested 2X, but I had been only doing it 1X to save on Chlorine........ Maybe 2X will completely cure it.

Shocking it with Chlorine will also clear up the Coliform so long as you run all outlets while the Chlorine is still strong.