Switched Back to Well Water

[mrbstephens]

We bought our house just this past fall. We're living on top of an aquifer where the water and area is protected, the water, I believe is also collected and sold. Most of my neighbors are using the ground water, but our house was switched to town water (I say town, you say city........we're in the country). The pump and everything was still in the basement and my neighbor recommended we switch back to well water which tested pristine, but slightly acidic. Today, I had the well drilling company come. He turned the pump back on and got it working. The only thing connected to it right now is one outdoor spigot. I'll have to ha ve a plumber come to connect it to the rest of the house.
This evening, I went to use the water from the well to water the chickens and the water was coming out kinda yucky. Lots of sediment, but after a bit it started looking a little clearer. The well guy said the well is cast iron and will go bad eventually. So my question is, will this sediment last or will it clear up completely and how long does a cast iron well last really?

Also, I was wondering about putting a hand pump on there for those times we lose electricity. How do I go about installing one of those?

 

[lazyday]

We, had to have our pump replaced last year and if I remember correctly the water was mucky and we let it run to clear all the muck out. If you are not sure it is safe to drink after it is clear you can take a sample to see if it is safe to drink. I can't remember where we sent ours but I am sure someone on the forum can help answer this question. Good luck

 

[mrbstephens]

I'm having the plumber come back this weekend to switch the house over to the well. Something is wrong with the outdoor faucet and the pressure is not good. I hope it's just the faucet and not something else at this point. The water still comes out dirty and I'm hoping it will clear up before the house is hooked up.

 

[mrbstephens]

Checked on the well water again.....pressure is really low and water is coming out rust color. Advise needed please!

 

[Beekissed]

Could be why the former owner switched to town water...maybe the well isn't so great for a good supply but might work well as an auxiliary supply for watering livestock, watering the garden, etc.

 

[FarmerChick]

X2 what Bee said. The reason the water was switched was the well was bad for some reason.

I would be super duper sure before switching that the well is safe and good without tons of $$ sunk into it for fixes.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

It might be that the pump is old and needs to be replaced. Possibly also the above ground pressurized storage tank for the water needs replacement. A well drilling company should be able to tell you how much water is in the well, if you are concerned about that, and also they should be able to tell what might be wrong with the pump and/or tank.

Edited to say: the rust in the water makes me very suspicious that the tank might be rusted out. That would explain pressure problems too.

 

[mrbstephens]

I have the well guy coming back. He left here saying it was working fine but the pump would eventually need replacing because it's cast iron. Most of my neighbors are using the ground water which is really clean. I live on top of an aquifer. The soil here does have a lot of iron in it so maybe that's the cause, but not sure about the pressure (could just be the bad faucet that now, I can't turn off all the way).

 

[mrbstephens]

Without coming back over to my house, the well guy said over the phone that he thinks we'd need a new well which would cost us over $4,000. First, how does he know that for sure? Isn't it possible that we just need a new pump? I think I need to get a second opinion. Thoughts?

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Is this the same guy that came to hook it back up?

Hard to say, but I would think he would have said something at the time he came last. You might try another company. See if someone you know recommends one.