The Importance Of Yearly Sanitizing Your Well.
Your Homes Well Water System. You turn on the water at your kitchen faucet. The water empties from your well system storage / pressure tank.
At a pre-set pressure point the well pump turns on and water from the pumping level area of your well is drawn into the submersible pump or the jet pumps foot valve.
Water travels through all the connecting pipes, through the well water tank. Then the water flows through your filtering or purification system.
Your processed drinking water then flows through your homes domestic water lines to your faucet. The glass fills and your ready for a cool, refreshing drink of natures life supporting liquid, water.
Under standing the "path-way" your drinking water takes helps you to under stand the importance of keeping that "source" (your well) and it delivery system sanitary.
From the bottom of your well then to the bottom of your glass. Your drinking water passes through, against, along, many different surface type areas. Those areas may or may not be prone to accumulating a number of breeding media for bacteria and a variety of other organic / in-organic matter.
Knowing this, we can also under stand the issues that may arise from sources that may allow the production of bacteria.
Sanitizing your well with a proper chlorinating agent and flushing the water through your domestic plumbing. (chlorine water may not be compatible with some types of filtration media, you may need to by-pass that unit for well system sanitizing) Allowing it to wait in the pipes for a while then flushing it out helps maintain the sanitary integrity of your well water system.
Chlorine / chloride residual that may be left behind after the sanitation process is also helpful in maintaining the sanitary integrity of your drinking well water system.
Your home may have a "On Site" septic system. It is crucial that proper maintenance of your septic system and the proper usage of that system be constantly evaluated. Over-working the septic system or lack of maintenance and ignoring periodic solids tank pumping usually result in the failure of the septic system. Contamination of septic liquids into your drinking water are usually the resulting consequence.
Please remember this, sanitizing your well is not a correction for solving the bacteria laden drinking water that has flowed into the wells water source.
Chlorinating your well before having the water tested is not going to solve a pre-existing contamination issue.
Only proper over-all system maintenance and under standing the "Big Picture" of events that take place for your water source is the correct answer for a Proper Potable Drinking Water Source & Delivery System.
A direct link to various Internet sights are part of this web site we have created. We strongly recommend you view some of those sights to fully under stand in greater detail, your well water system. The Pa dept of environmental resource (PA-DER) has many fact sheets available for your review.
From our planets "Hydro-logic Cycle" to all the farms and industry and homes and to the individuals who each are a part of our community's inter-connecting life styles. Our Drinking Water, our Precious Life
needs to be always considered and safe guarded against the magnitude of issues that threaten our precious life source, water.
Every 3 Years, "Tune-Up" Your Well Water Pumping System.
Reading the above section on the importance of sanitizing your well, should of familiarized you with the process of water being electro-mechanically moved from the water source (your well) into your homes domestic water system.
The constant cycling of the individual components used within the water pumping and its system of deliver do eventually wear these components out. The calibration levels are effected to the point where the standard levels of performance is altered.
Like an automobile or a home appliance, your well water system also needs to be adjusted, maintained, and worn parts replaced. The erratic balancing of the pumping system causes chain effects of failures. Failures resulting in expensive pre-mature failure of the system components.
The pressure control switch is connected into the water side of your storage vessel (well water tank). It turns on and off the pump as required. It is calibrated at certain set points that match the cut in and cut out levels of the working air cushion within the water storage tank.
Check valves that are in there proper place within your water delivery system prevent back flow of the water that is "staged" within the water system. Worn out or missing check valves, over work the system. The result is often pre-mature failure of the pump it self.
Having your system "tuned up" keeps these components with the normal cycling and balancing of the off and on set points. Pressure levels are maintained, flow rates are maintained, efficiency is maintained and the wearing of major components are greatly reduced. Saving you the additional expense of major component failure long before its normal life expectancy.
On residential water systems, the process of tuning up the components within the system may be some thing you would want to do your self. Providing you are the type of person who is mechanically inclined and are able to read instructions and follow procedure. If you are not this type of individual then have a professional do the service for you.
In most cases changing the pressure control switch. Installing a new pressure gage. Cleaning the pipe nipple that is connected to the pressure switch. Re-charging the air cushion to its proper range on the well tank. Replacing the check valve at the tank. Is the normal maintenance we recommend your home well water pumping system have done every three years.
Often is the case, many home owners experience immediate improvements in the systems over-all ability to provide better pressure and a better volume of water being supplied to the waters point of use.
I would like to remind you of another issue, your water purification system. If you have a water purification system, such as a softener or conditioner many of these systems do have to have the units internal filtering media replaced. After years the media (zeolite, berm, carbon media, etc..) has worn out and loose there full ability to do the ion exchange that take place within.
We are all aware of the importance of keeping the solution tanks filled or the brine tanks filled in order for the systems to properly regenerate / clean them selfs. Many systems incorporate jets, nozzles, screens, diaphragms, etc.. to make them work. Normal maintenance of your purification system is also very important.
Replacing Or Changing Your Well Pump ? Don't Forget To Post Sanitize The Well.
Your well water pump or the check valves or foot valves inside your well or bore hole has failed. A water systems contractor has come to your home and removed the worn out pump or check valve or foot valve. They have replaced the worn component and now the water is back on and all seems fine, or is it ???
The well, the bore hole of the well was stirred up during the process of having the work done. Because of this the water is running dirty from your faucets and now the toilet valves are not allowing water to re-fill the toilet tank and the washing machine won't fill and only water is dripping from the faucets.
The culprit, dirt. Working on the water system and fixing components or replacing components within the wells bore hole stirred up the sides of the bore hole and now the system needs to be flushed out and allowed to settle out. It happens most of the time. Some times it may only take a few hour for the water to run clear or it could take days for the water to run clear.
When the drop pipe was out of the bore hole and lying on the ground the likely hood of it becoming in contact with dirt and bacteria is very likely. Animal waste, leaves, grass what-ever has now rubbed against the piping and collected bacteria. The hands or the gloves from the men working on the piping probably has some sort of bacteria on them.
Proper flushing of the well and the water system is required after the work is done. Reducing the amount of dirty water that now flows into your home is a consideration a good water systems contractor has taken into account. He has flushed the well out side from the bore hole before connecting the pipe to the house. Greatly reducing the amount of dirty water from flowing into the supply.
Sanitizing the well. Proper chlorine sanitizing of the well is necessary after the work has been completed. It will sterilize the bacteria that was introduced into your water supply after the work as done.
A Water Boil Advisory Notice and Post Well Sanitizing Instructions should of been provided to you. This is all part of doing a good job and protecting the health of your family.
Leaving the bacteria in the well or on the pipes does not mean it will go away eventually. In fact bacteria will probably breed and multiply and the seemingly clear water now has high levels of bacteria.
Sanitizing your well after work has been done is a must ! A very good ideal to protect your family's health is to have the water checked for total bacteria many days after the smell of chlorine is no longer present from the water.
A Good Water Systems Contractor will sanitize your well, provide you with post instructions and a water boil advisory notice and a sterile testing bottle you can later fill and take to the laboratory for water purity testing.
Its The water. Thanks for the reading. Bruce
Down Load A Fact Sheet From The Pennsylvania Department Environmental Protection (PA DEP)on Sanitizing your well. Key Word Directory Water Wells / Fact Sheet.
Click Here. Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
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