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.
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.
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.
Homeowners with private wells should have their well water tested every 3 to 5 years for some contaminants, including bacteria. If these tests turn up positive for bacteria, chlorinating the well may be a way to resolve the problem.
Firstly, excess bleach can overwhelm the water's chemistry. It reacts with organic materials naturally present in the water or pipes, forming potentially hazardous by-products. This is less 'kill 99% of germs' and more 'create a chemical lab in your backyard'.
Run the water to flush the bleach solution out of the well. Monitor the process, it can take 30 minutes to 24 hours or more to flush all of the bleach solution from the well. Use a chlorine test strip to verify that water coming from the outside faucet or yard hydrant is free from any bleach solution.
Note: Liquid bleach should not be used with a steel well casing; it can break loose accumulated corrosion and cause pump failure.
You can shock chlorinate your own well or you can hire a licensed water well driller to do the procedure.
Pumps should not run longer for 1 or 2 minutes. The reason is this could cause motor damage.
Wells should be shock chlorinated when a well water sample result shows that there is bacteria in the water. Any time a well is opened for repair it must be disinfected.
This problem is caused by chlorine reacting with iron and/or manganese in your water. This reaction creates a colored precipitate that can stain your clothing and plumbing fixtures.
Answer. Well water with very high iron and sodium hypochlorite bleach are just not very compatible. The bleach active reacts with the iron and changes it to the chemical form as rust. This new yellow/red discoloration then deposits on clothes, causing discoloration.
You should not add chlorine and shock at the same time, as it's largely redundant to do so. Ideally, you should shock your pool at night, so the sun cannot interfere and destroy the active chemicals before they can do their job.
if well water becomes muddy or cloudy after a rain. if the well has iron bacteria or sulfur-reducing bacteria symptoms like slime (biofilm) or odor.
If you plan to use liquid chlorine, for example, a well 5 feet in diameter would require 4-1/2 cups of bleach per foot of water. If the well is 30 feet deep, multiply 4-1/2 by 30 to determine the total cups of bleach required (4-1/2 X 30 = 135); 135 cups = 8.44 gallons (16 cups = 1 gallon). Use 8.44 gallons.
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.
The recharge rate for residential wells averages five gallons per minute. If yours can't keep up, it could be a bad sign. So, let's explore the most common causes of slower refill times and what to do if your well runs dry.
A well is considered 'abandoned' or permanently inactive if it has not been used for one year, unless the owner demonstrates intention to use the well again.
If you allow a dry pump to continue running, it will soon lead to overheating and other serious forms of damage. If you do not know the protocol for priming your pump, contact a plumber as soon as possible. A well pump that repeatedly loses its prime likely has underlying problems.
If you have performed a water test that has come back positive for coliform bacteria, then it's time to chlorinate your well. If you haven't tested your well in a few years, it's a good idea to test your water. But homeowners often wait until signs of a problem surface before testing their water.
Once the chlorinated water has reached all the appliances, fixtures and faucets, let the chlorinated water stand in the well and plumbing system for 8 hours. WHILE THE CHLORINE IS IN THE SYSTEM DO NOT DRINK THE WATER.
Drilling your own well can work for shallow wells, but it's best to bring in a pro for deeper wells. The ability to drill on your property also depends on your state and municipal regulations. Depth, ground type, and well location influence drilling difficulty.
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.
Overall, hydrogen peroxide is more expensive than chlorine and works best when iron and sulfur are present in the water supply. Since it works faster than chlorine, no contact tank is required. Additionally, H2O2 is effective at a more comprehensive pH range, meaning that it is more effective on more types of water.
For wells 4” in diameter or less, we recommend that one quart of common household bleach or two cups of pool chlorine be poured down the well casing for each 20' of depth. 5. For wells 6” or 8” in diameter, one gallon of bleach or ½ gallon of pool chlorine should be poured down the well casing for each 20' of depth.