5 ms·

How deep are the water wells? I was told that the deeper the well, the more expensive everything gets, from the pumps to the filtration systems. My well is 20

by OldHand2018 5y ago

How deep are the water wells? I was told that the deeper the well, the more expensive everything gets, from the pumps to the filtration systems. My well is 200’ deep and I get great water with just a carbon+ozone chemical-free treatment system and a basic water softener. The bags of salt are only like $6 and I use maybe 2 per month.

sandworm101 5y ago
Wells are 100% determined by local conditions. In the pacific northwest you will hit water very quickly and find lots of it. Arsenic and other contaminants are an issue, but if you follow the health codes most people find perfectly good water strait out of the ground without treatment or even filtration. Whether your water is hard or soft depends on the nature of the rock your are drilling though. Most off grid houses these days opt for large holding tanks and a relatively small pump. There are some great well pumps specifically designed to run directly off of solar. No batteries or inverters required. I can recommend these pumps. I know of a couple that have been running for 10+ years off of solar without any issues. https://product-selection.grundfos.com/ca/products/sqflex https://product-selection.grundfos.com/ca/products/sqflex Find the local authority and get the water tested properly. And it doesn't hurt to "shock" your system with a bucket of bleach every few months.
- pa7ch 5y ago
  Could you explain this bleach process? Are you saying people add bleach to the well?
  - throwawayboise 5y ago
    You add it to your storage tank (assuming you have one). Also done if you collect rainwater.
  - sandworm101 5y ago
    Yes. I have personally done exactly that. When a well is first drilled it can have contamination from the drilling equipment. A few liters of chlorine bleach poured down the well kills everything. Holding tanks can also benefit from the occasional bleaching. You run the taps for a few hours and the diluted bleach passes through the system sanitizing everything along the way. It isn't really dangerous but you probably want to hold off on doing dark laundry during the process.
    - DrPhish 5y ago
      You also want to drop a hose from an outside tap down the top of the well casing after pouring the bleach down to really circulate it through the whole casing. High concentration bleach is also better than household. Then once you’ve opened all your taps and gotten bleachy water out of each, close the taps and leave it in the lines for as long as you can. Days if possible

sandworm101 5y ago

Wells are 100% determined by local conditions. In the pacific northwest you will hit water very quickly and find lots of it. Arsenic and other contaminants are an issue, but if you follow the health codes most people find perfectly good water strait out of the ground without treatment or even filtration. Whether your water is hard or soft depends on the nature of the rock your are drilling though. Most off grid houses these days opt for large holding tanks and a relatively small pump. There are some great well pumps specifically designed to run directly off of solar. No batteries or inverters required. I can recommend these pumps. I know of a couple that have been running for 10+ years off of solar without any issues. https://product-selection.grundfos.com/ca/products/sqflex https://product-selection.grundfos.com/ca/products/sqflex Find the local authority and get the water tested properly. And it doesn't hurt to "shock" your system with a bucket of bleach every few months.

pa7ch 5y ago
Could you explain this bleach process? Are you saying people add bleach to the well?
- throwawayboise 5y ago
  You add it to your storage tank (assuming you have one). Also done if you collect rainwater.
- sandworm101 5y ago
  Yes. I have personally done exactly that. When a well is first drilled it can have contamination from the drilling equipment. A few liters of chlorine bleach poured down the well kills everything. Holding tanks can also benefit from the occasional bleaching. You run the taps for a few hours and the diluted bleach passes through the system sanitizing everything along the way. It isn't really dangerous but you probably want to hold off on doing dark laundry during the process.
  - DrPhish 5y ago
    You also want to drop a hose from an outside tap down the top of the well casing after pouring the bleach down to really circulate it through the whole casing. High concentration bleach is also better than household. Then once you’ve opened all your taps and gotten bleachy water out of each, close the taps and leave it in the lines for as long as you can. Days if possible