MYTHS AND FACTS
Trust the experts. Not all advice is accurate.
Water Well Myths and Facts.
We here at Wolverine Drilling Inc. drill water wells with the intent of a well having a long life with little to no irregularities. We use superior materials and the driller is skilled to monitor lithology formations. All this can be undone very quickly by plumbing mistakes, know or unknown. Drillers will leave detailed information as to specific characteristics of your aquifer formation. The driller will always outline the plumbing system that the aquifer requires operating to the best of its ability for the longevity of the aquifer. A new water well means the driller has pumped it and encouraged it to produce by a process of backflushing, jetting, serge blocking, and airlifting. A driller has already established the well to produce at its maximum rate of gal per min. The driller has also established the recovery time and with this, the safe perimeters (a set of conditions for operation) are established and written on the water well drillers report and shared with the owner. It is up to the owner to ensure that the safe perimeters are followed.
Below are five ways to damage water wells.
OVER SIZING YOUR PUMP: MYTH
“If 5 is good, then 7 is better”
If the plumber chooses to ignore pump requirements by installing a pump larger than the maximum requirements, the pump will over pump the aquifer, draw sand from a greater distance, increase sand in the well, sand can bridge around the screens making water moving into the screens more difficult and sand can even change the internal water seams by depositing into areas of the aquifer that slows water production and reducing your pump rate long term.
DOLE VALUE (IF PRESCRIBED AND NOT INSTALLED): MYTH”
“Waste of time, the well will regulate itself”
The plumber is unlikely to be an experienced water well driller. Plumbers are often unfamiliar with aquifer formations and did not participate in the drilling of the well. Dole values work to reduce water flow to a safe level, so sand is less likely to migrate within the aquifer if the water usage is high. The water well will regulate itself in extreme cases by sanding off and not working as efficiently.
SAND FILTER (IF ONE HAS BEEN PRESCRIBED): MYTH
“Waste of money, and your going to need to wash out the filter.”
Sand filters are often precautionary and preventative. Some aquifers will produce ultra fine sand, similar to road dust. This sand migrates easily due to it’s size and weight and over time it will reduce and stop after months – years of use. If an aquifer is known to produce this ultra fine dust the driller will recommend a sand filter. It is true you may have to wash the filter; this will save this ultra fine sand from entering your household system. In extreme cases if a sand filter is not installed or water is by passed the filter for some reason, toilets will leak, taps will not turn off, water tanks will fill with sand etc.
OVERPUMPING: MYTH
“It is GOOD to let a well run at maximum production, for extended times.”
Overpumping is when more water is removed from the aquifer than the aquifer can deliver. This might be from over sizing your pump, even installing the 5 gal pump in a 5 gal per min recommended well can over pump a well because of the head pressure that the pump was designed for. For example: 5 gal pump with 50ft head pressure is different than a 5 gal pump with 350ft head pressure. The plumper must understand the pump rate curve between gal per min and pressure. An aquifer is a formation with space between the particles that contain water at a specific pressure. If the water is pulled away from the particles for too long, the space between the particles can collapse and not allow water to pass through anymore. Fine sand can also migrate into the spaces, not allowing water in the space or the less water into the space between particles, changing the pump rate of the well.
FOREIGN MATERIALS: MYTH
“Cleaning the lines, pump and shock chlorinating the well does not matter it just takes extra time. “
Pulling the pump and laying it in the grass, can add foreign materials and organic material to the well. Even though the water in the well is cold, it can grow bacteria that have been introduced. Once the water well is damaged, it can be un-repairable or very expensive for the well owner to repair.
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