Dear Folks,
I am in central Florida, and have recently begun having a problem with sediment in my water. The home was built in ’67, and has a 335’ well with an AO Smith C48K2FC11 [R1072] 3/4HP 3450 RPM, 230V, 7.4 amp vertical pump mounted next to a steel water tank about 20” wide and 64” high so I estimate ~80 gallons; and a Brady AV100 Air Volume Control in a small pump house in the carport. No water or air leaks. Pressure is good, and the pump cycles fine.
We've lived here for 10 years and the water was fine, although hard until about a month ago. It was the end of a very long dry spell, and the monsoon rains thankfully came early around the middle of May, and a lot of it. Then the water began getting a lot of sediment and discoloration in it. We can see it in glasses, tubs, toilets, dog dishes, etc. It does not change the taste of the water. This lasted for about two weeks, then diminished a great deal, but there still is some sediment in it. For those first two weeks we had to clean toilets daily. Now it's more like 1 or 2 times a week which we normally do anyway. Now we can see sediment where before we didn't, and we have to use filtered water for things like the coffeemaker. I figured I may need to add a large sand or other filter cartridge that could be backwashed for the whole house.
My wife called the health department, who said the probable cause was a cracked well casing, and probably is causing a cross-contamination of the aquifer which is a big no-no in the state. The lady said to have a well driller come out and look at it, and that we would probably need to have a new well put in.
I thought before I called a well driller to look at my well for what is now a nuisance, but workable amount of sediment, maybe I should get the water tested and ask you folks what you would recommend. Seems I recall having sediment come and go from time to time in other homes with wells over the years. What tests should I have done on the water? Should I go ahead and find a driller and have them come out to look at it? Couldn't a small amount of sediment be handled a little less drastically than a new well... is it that abnormal?
Thank you very much for your time and help. I hope to hear from you soon.
Best Regards,
- Chuck |
Sediment in water
Posted - 06/17/2009 : 13:00:27
