Place the garden hose into the well. Turn the water ON. Recirculate water. Continue to recirculate for about 30 minutes after you first smell bleach from the garden hose.
Connect the garden hose to an outdoor faucet close to the well. Place the garden hose into the well casing or into a funnel in your well's access point, depending on the size. Turn on the water and let it run for 30 minutes, or until you smell bleach from the water running into the well.
Once you get a positive test on all faucets, hot and cold, let the system rest for 24 hours. After 24 hours has past connect a hose to the drain on the well tank and run that until the water test with no chlorine is present. Usually, this takes twelve hours. Once the well tank is flushed, flush the house.
If your well is very deep, it may take a long time for the bleach to reach the taps. Let the bleach mixture sit in the well and pipes for at least 6 hours, or overnight if possible. Do not drink this water. After the waiting time has passed, turn on the electricity to the pump.
Some chlorine may persist in the system for 7-10 days. Water with a slight chlorine smell should be usable for most purposes. If the odor or taste is objectionable, simply let the water run until the chlorine dissipates.
Pumps should not run longer for 1 or 2 minutes. The reason is this could cause motor damage.
If you are sure your tap water contains chlorine and not chloramine, you can let the water sit for 1-5 days to allow all the chlorine to evaporate. To speed up the evaporation process, aerate the water with an air stone for 12-24 hours or boil the water for 15-20 minutes.
Very few wells will need more than one gallon of bleach. Using more bleach than necessary will not disinfect the water faster, may cause corrosion of the steel casing and will hinder the disinfection effectiveness. To calculate the amount of bleach needed, you need to know the well's depth and static water level.
Calcium hypochlorite tablets are recommended for the super-chlorination (disinfection) of your well. Chlorine must be distributed from the top to the bottom of the well. Liquid chlorine bleach or granular chlorine powder will usually not distribute chlorine over the entire water column.
Depending on the size and depth of the well and extent of contamination, pumping times will vary; it may take thirty minutes, or it could take several hours or days until the water runs clear.
The frequency of shock chlorination depends on several factors, including the type of well, water usage, and local environmental conditions. Generally, it is recommended to chlorinate your well at least once a year. However, certain situations may require more frequent chlorination.
Your state government probably maintains a database of drillers' logs that have water levels recorded when a well was drilled, and hydrologic consultants often have reports that contain water level data from shallow boreholes.
How Often Should I Shock My Well? It depends on the level of contamination. Generally, it should be done annually or when bacteria are detected. Since you can't see, smell, or taste bacteria in your water, you'll need to test your well water often.
Most shocks will take about 8–12 hours to work.
Open all faucets inside the home and run the water until you notice a strong odor of chlorine (bleach) at each faucet. Turn off all faucets and allow the solution to remain in the well and plumbing for at least 12 hours.
With shock chlorination, the entire system (from the water-bearing formation, through the well bore and the distribution system) is exposed to water that has a concentration of chlorine strong enough to kill iron and sulfate-reducing bacteria.
Shock is chlorine, in a high dose, meant to shock your pool and raise the chlorine level quickly. Chlorine tabs (placed in a chlorinator, floater, or skimmer basket) maintain a chlorine residual in the water. You do need to use both tabs and shock.
Natural Salts and Minerals. It should go without saying that, because well water comes from underground supplies, it is rich in many different minerals, including natural salts, calcium, iron and other minerals that will build up on the system. As minerals and salts build up, they obstruct the entire system gradually.
Once you have shocked a well, avoid bathing or doing laundry for at least 24 hours, if not longer. The amount of bleach needed to shock a well depends on the size of your well.
An annual well maintenance check, including a bacterial test, is recommended. Any source of drinking water should be checked any time there is a change in taste, odor or appearance, or anytime a water supply system is serviced.
There are three main ways to remove chlorine from tap water. Leave it to stand in the open air for up to 24 hours, boil the water, or install a drinking water filter or whole house water filter that contains a carbon block water filter cartridge.
According to AskingLot, if you put too much bleach in your well, it can destroy the good bacteria found in the well, which can be a significant problem! The company also says that you should dilute the bleach with water so the pipes do not get ruined.
Every well is different as far as how long it takes to clear. Some wells need only a few minutes, others can take days before it is back to normal. Very occasionally, intervention is needed, like a cartridge filter.