Shock a Water Well. WtF?

[ThePenIsMightier]

Pour a gallon of poisonous bleach directly into my drinking water well. Run the taps to circulate it through my system and let it sit. Run taps "for awhile" and then start drinking it again.

How The Fuck is this a thoroughly recommended and frequently used procedure!???!

If I'm drinking shit, I don't think cleaning my straw before I drink more shit is going to do much.

What do others know that I don't?

[spike98]

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Pour a gallon of poisonous bleach directly into my drinking water well. Run the taps to circulate it through my system and let it sit. Run taps "for awhile" and then start drinking it again.

How The Fuck is this a thoroughly recommended and frequently used procedure!???!

If I'm drinking shit, I don't think cleaning my straw before I drink more shit is going to do much.

What do others know that I don't?

Bleach at very low concentrations won't be harmful however the very low concentration can also sanitize quite effectively. I do this in my RV fresh water tank every year to sanitize my water system. I add 1/2 cup for my 60 gal. tank.

[2Legit2Quit]

PEI life

[ExtraSlow]

I think the concept is that while the aquifer may have some low level of microbial contamination, it is more able to grow and multiply in the well itself and in the house plumbing due to warmer temps are higher oxygen levels. So "cleaning the straw" as you say, is actually a reasonably periodic bit of maintenance.

Now best procedure and chemicals for that process I will leave to experts. I've only visited properties with water wells, and the owners have never discussed their processes with me.

[Tik-Tok]

Why wipe your ass if shits going to come out of it anyways?

[AndyL]

Chlorine is used in all municipal water systems to keep bacterial and algae growth controlled...

Chlorinated water and all... Add a bit of ammonia and you get chloramine if you need that effect to have a longer half life...

It's not so crazy

[tirebob]

Totally normal. Also helps with the build up of iron bacteria, which while not really a health hazard, it does affect water pressure performance etc and staining.

[HHURICANE1]

We just did it to our system. Iron was becoming a real problem. After the shock it's much better now.

[digi355]

Standard practice accross the water treatment industry. If you've ever drank water out of any sort of portable water tank (food trucks, construction offices, CoC temp water), the same practice is followed.

[zechs]

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Pour a gallon of poisonous bleach directly into my drinking water well. Run the taps to circulate it through my system and let it sit. Run taps "for awhile" and then start drinking it again.

How The Fuck is this a thoroughly recommended and frequently used procedure!???!

If I'm drinking shit, I don't think cleaning my straw before I drink more shit is going to do much.

What do others know that I don't?

A gallon?

Not nearly enough for almost any well. I guess if it was 100% pure maybe.

And your fire hydrants in cities are attached to the potable water system. You know when they open them up in the summer? Thats to get chlorinated water to go to dead loops and areas with low flow.

Its pretty incredible how spotless just little amounts of chlorine keeps everything.

[mr2mike]

My dad does this at least once a year growing up on the acreage with well water. Finally had to yell at him to give everyone the heads up before he did it.
Concentration camp showers for a day or two.
Or I skipped until the smell dropped off.

- - - Updated - - -

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Totally normal. Also helps with the build up of iron bacteria, which while not really a health hazard, it does affect water pressure performance etc and staining.

Keep telling yourself the toilet ring is "iron in the water"

I don't miss those days of heavy iron stains all over anything water related.

[killramos]

Where did OP run off too?

[mr2mike]

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Where did OP run off too?

Robbing the Southland Leisure Center's chlorine supplies?

[ExtraSlow]

Mill River Aquaplex?

[mr2mike]

Maybe he's comparing his water with the Indus Arena shower water.

[ThePenIsMightier]

Was busy. Chose beach over bleach.
I like ES's logic to some extent. AndyL should realize that I comprehend potable, chlorinated water... My issue is more with the similarities to #TidePodChallenge when experts literally say "just pour Javex into your drinking water come out hole". How about someone invent a consumer chlorine chemical that's a little more advanced than a jug of sodium hypochlorite with a picture of a t-shirt on it and laundry instructions beside it's skull & crossbones! It's a common issue.

So if it's all about my dirty, dirty, dirty pipes that are all hot & bothered and room temp & shit - why bother pouring it into the well?

[ExtraSlow]

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I like ES's logic to some extent.

That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me. Sniff.

[mr2mike]

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That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me. Sniff.

Dirty pipes... You found your man in ES.
Unless it's hydrates.

[zechs]

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So if it's all about my dirty, dirty, dirty pipes that are all hot & bothered and room temp & shit - why bother pouring it into the well?

Its not. Its about your well. In the comparison to a water treatment plant, the plant is the well, and its got lots of chlorine (among other things) added.

You dump a calculated amount of chlorine in for the spring and fall shocks, then you are supposed to circulate it from a hose faucet back to the well.

When you smell chlorine, then you flush it through your lines in the house individually to kill off any bacteria in there. Realistically, this step isn't for the actual lines, PEX isn't going to let stuff grow on it easily if the lines are ever used.

Well shocking is not nearly as necessary on modern wells, its much more an annual requirement on steel cased wells. And uh, fuck mine, the water is always abysmal. But doing a proper shock twice a year helps a lot.

And it depends on your water source/aquifer. If you have a lot of organics, shocking will be a lot more necessary.

If you have rust issues, chlorine can help as it knocks the rust out.

So yea, I think that covers it all. Your well is basically a petri dish with almost perfect growing conditions in it. Treatment is necessary even if not drinking the water, as it will make your life miserable (skunky water, rusty water, salty water, etc) if you don't keep on top of chlorinating it.

Finally, I don't recommend paying someone to do it. This seemed like a good idea one year, total ripoff. Only difference is the guy had a tote of prechlorinated water to basically replace the water in the well. Did sweet f-all.

I figured I would add, since your water system is effectively closed, once rust/corrosion issues happen, it can be VERY difficult to fix that short of pulling a lot of plumbing.

[Maxt]

You just don't go pouring bleach down the well. You need to figure out the depth and volume of the well, and mix up a batch of treatment water to flood the well. The formula for strength is on the government websites. Rhe idea is to put enough volume back down to flood the surrounding rock to clean out the bacteria all around the well, and to clean out the well casing perferations. On bothe wells I have had, the Gpm of the wells increased after shocking. My old well was a 2 barrell flood, the one I have now is 3 barrels. I fill up the barrels over a couple days, then let the well stabilze, put chlorine in the barrel water, isolate the well, and dump all the barrels as quickly as possible down the well, then let is sit for a few hours. While the solution is still strong, I take a garden hose from the house, and wash the casing down from the top. I have a big cannister 2 micron filter I capture all the gunk in. I then let it sit for 24 hours before going back to normal usage. Its hard to do with a family, I usually did it on a Saturday and then took the family to Banff for the sunday so the well could sit. Some of the people I know with really bad water use those big square totes or rent a water truck.