Bleach Gel in Private Well

[Aerindel]

It is called "shocking the well (spring)". It is done to kill any nasty stuff that is growing in the well.

Ben

Hmmm....I don't think I would trust a well that things could grow in, shocked or not. It would have to mean it was gettin contaminated somehow. Things can only grow if they have sunlight...or biomass to eat. You shouldn't have either in a clean well. Was this well tested and found contaminated with something?

 

[Caribou]

Hmmm....I don't think I would trust a well that things could grow in, shocked or not. It would have to mean it was gettin contaminated somehow. Things can only grow if they have sunlight...or biomass to eat. You shouldn't have either in a clean well. Was this well tested and found contaminated with something?

Actually it is a not uncommon thing to do. We shocked our well when we moved in. We still have a R/O filter for our drinking water.

 

[Terri9630]

Hmmm....I don't think I would trust a well that things could grow in, shocked or not. It would have to mean it was gettin contaminated somehow. Things can only grow if they have sunlight...or biomass to eat. You shouldn't have either in a clean well. Was this well tested and found contaminated with something?

Bacteria and viruses live in the soil and get carried down into wells by the water.

 

[Aerindel]

........

 

[Duncan]

It's also considered a good way to knock out any coliform bacteria which might have seeped into the aquifer. We're sitting o top of the Snake River aquifer, one of the best in the country. My well has a static levezl of abouit 120 feet, and, with lots of dairy farms/feedlots around, you know the coliform is going to be a problem.

We tested our well when we got here in 2018 and found it positive for coliform (but not e. coli, which is a good thing). Our well people told us to pop off the well-head cover pour in a gallon of bleach, open all the hose-bibs and faucets and pump until things didn't smell like bleach anymore. We took a sample back to the lab and no coliform found. Now we do it every six months to avoid any re-infection.

EDIT: ... and we do have an RO unit, too; but I'd rather err on the side of caution!

 

[Spikedriver]

Agreed with all those who advocate for shocking the well. It's a cheap and relatively easy way the protect your water supply.

 

[Aerindel]

I'm just generally not a believer in doing omething unless you know you need to do it...and if you do need to do it....its for a reason and you need to test afterwords to see if it worked and figure out how to keep it from happening again.

That and it just seems kinda sacrilegious to pour chemicals down a well.

But you do you.

 

[The Lazy L]

I'm just generally not a believer in doing omething unless you know you need to do it...and if you do need to do it....its for a reason and you need to test afterwords to see if it worked and figure out how to keep it from happening again.

That and it just seems kinda sacrilegious to pour chemicals down a well.

But you do you.

I agree with you. I wonder if those that "shock" their well routinely have shallow wells?

Around here the only time a well would be "shocked" would be to kill off iron bacteria that was accidentally introduced during the well drilling process.

 

[phideaux]

An ounce of prevention...
Is worth a pound of cure..

Chlorine my deep well once every year.

Just precaution.

Jim

 

[hiwall]

We lived in our first house for almost 30 years. We never did anything with the deep well.
I have also pounded down many shallow wells for others. Never shocked any of those either.
But new wells that are drilled by a professional are Always shocked before use.

 

[SheepDog]

New wells have to be "shocked" or cleared before use because contamination has direct and indirect entry into the well as it is drilled. After it is sealed and closed up it is unlikely to become contaminated and less likely the deeper the well.

 

[The Lazy L]

An ounce of prevention...
Is worth a pound of cure..

Chlorine my deep well once every year.

Just precaution.

Jim

Rule #1. If it ain't busted, don't fix it.
Rule #2. Is "fixing" it worth the risk of busting it?
Rule #3. What is Rule #1?