inspectorD

I'm just going to add a little more information for you. We all know that clorine is going to work , however once you work it back out of the well, you have lost your protection from it comming back. And I can tell you from experience with wells, it is comming back.
I would install a uv lamp. It is a cylinder with a uv light that will kill all the bacteria....all the time.
Here is a good link for what your dealing with.

http://www.aquatell.com/knowledge-center/coliform-bacteria-drinking-water

Good luck!!

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Just My
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jmc0319

Thanks. Isn't continuous chlorination another option?

inspectorD

Sure, but how often do you want to have to test the water....or deal with the bleach and all the ill effects it has on you and your stuff.
I'm just suggesting this is another , option with NO clorine to worry about....like the Oh darn...I forgot to pick up bleach yesterday....should we drink the water?
Just plug it in.

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Just My
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jmc0319

Don't misread me. I do appreciate the input immensely. Where do you plug it in?

inspectorD

No problem, The internet always sounds worse when you can't add in the sarcasm.
It attaches to your well line and you plug into an outlet. As the water passes through it gets the UV light ...and kills the bugs.

I would talk to your local well company for more info, but here is a good read into what these systems can do, and cannot do. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultraviolet_germicidal_irradiation

Every private well situation is different, water runnoff and proximity to polutants is always a factor.
This is why for this I would just at least have someone come out and talk to you in person about your options.
Good luck.

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bud16415

When I have my water tested they don’t have the equipment in that lab to spell out exactly what bugs are in the water but they will recommend treating the water and then a repeat testing based on the count. The amount of chlorine needed and how long it will take to dissipate is based on how much water is in the well. In my case my casing is 8 foot and 32 foot deep and is surrounded with 12 tri-axle loads of baseball size stones. The lab will be able to recommend how much to add. In my case I had to put 14 large jugs of Clorox in. With really large capacity wells like mine it might be better to use tablets but they break down slower and might make the wait period longer. The recommended process with this type of well is to rinse the inside of the casing as well with a hose when circulating the water. We use the water right away but don’t do laundry for at least a week and hold off drinking the water until all smell is gone. It does make for a really clean shower that first week.

Many people use a chlorination system. And others the UV system mentioned above. One drawback to the UV is if you have anything in the water that will build up on the glass tube it will block the light.

inspectorD

Yes, and the drawback is that the light does not get to the bacteria because they are "hiding" behind stuff as they go through. So sometimes you need a pre filter before the UV to keep the "turbidity" out.

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Just My
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bud16415

Turbidity is one problem and filtration can help. There is also iron and calcium and such that will build up on the glass tubes. I have several friends with UV setups and they just have a routine plan to service the units.

Speedbump

I know most people don't want to hear it, but I refuse to work on wells of this type or hand driven wells in our area. The chemical content from large Farms is worse than the bacteria problem. The amount of filters that would be needed to make the water safe for drinking and bathing, would cost more than a good deep well without either problem.

Drilling a new well the right way is the best solution and maybe the cheapest if you truly want good water.

Unless you have pristine water free of calcium, magnesium, iron, sulphur etc. Pre filtration will be needed with the UV light.

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FAQ's

bud16415

Most people assume shallow wells are just collecting ground water and in many cases that is true. Agricultural runoff is always a concern along with all kinds of non-agricultural contamination that can affect deep wells also. Where I live on the shore of the great lakes many people drill much deeper than the lake level only to come up dry. My shallow well is into an aquifer that is made of blue clay, that holds a huge amount of water but gives it up very slow. Thus the need for a larger cistern. In my case the 12 tri-axle loads of stone replaced the blue clay and the clay was used to cap the ground above the cistern.

All well owners deep and shallow should be aware of what is going into their water. City water is tested for you but it’s not always the best.