Pour bleach into well, is it safe??
Question:We just moved into a new house that has well water. We havent drank any of it because it doesnt look or smell good. Today I did laundry for the first time here, when I took the clothes out of the washer they had rust colored spots on most of them. I talked to my grandma and she said to pour bleach into the well. I dont know if this is safe or not. And if its ok then how to do it or how much to pour. The water is also very dirty, sometimes when we turn the faucets on a bunch of black gunk comes out. We talked to a neighbor and she told us that there hasnt been anyone living in the house for some time.
Any advice or suggestions of what I can do?
Answers:
I have lived on well water my entire life, 52+ years, and your Grandma is right on the money. I would use about a gallon of bleach, and let it sit overnight, then pump it through the system. Don't drink it for a few days for sure. You should be able to smell the bleach, which means it getting through the system. Once it clears up, then get it tested like the other person said. You might also need to change the pressure tank. If it is a captive air tank, the bladder may have gone bad, and that will give you some ugly black water. I just replaced mine again this past week. Depending on use, lawn watering, etc. I only get about 10 years out of the tank before the bladder goes bad.
Hope this helps.
I would run the water for a while and see if that helps. It sounds like the water in the well has sat for some time but I wouldn't pour bleach into the well because don't you drink the water? I'd just let the water run for a couple of hours and see if it gets any clearer. If not I'd talk to a plummer or have the water tested.
Have the professional well drillers come out and check this out.You may need an indoor water fliter.
Also get your septic checked.This should have been done before you bought the house.
Good luck
You have to turn on all taps and run water for a good half a hr. to get rust out of pipes.Have water tested and check water level The well may be going dry.Hope its just rust in the pipes Good luck
Geez, look like you have a problem with the well. You need to have someone determine what is wrong with the well /water.
Maybe you can run the water for a while and see if it clears, if it doesn't then get someone to come out and take a look at it.
Let the water run for a while to clear it up. Take a quart sample to your county health department and have them analyze it for bacteria and mold. Have them test for tannins, also. This will tell you if there is decaying organic matter in the well. Do not pour bleach into the well until you know what your well capacity is and how quickly it will regenerate. If you overdo it, you will contaminate the well for a long time. You may need to put some iron and sulfur filters on the main line coming into the house, but find out what's in it, first.
Yes the bleach will disinfect the water. But it sounds like the well is drying up you may need to dig a new one. Or that you need to flush the pipes, to do this turn on all the faucets till the water runs clear should take no longer than 1/2 an hour.
u should send sample of water, pre bleached, to test for contaminates, i know in alabama that would be local co-op, yes u can pour bleach in well dont reccomend drinking from that well for some time, unless u boil water first. also running water thru pipe system for weeks b4 it is safe again
Yes, you can pour bleach directly in your well ! It is no different than chlorinated city water. When I had a well dug that was the first thing I did. It helps sanitize the pipes. They do sell chlorinated tablets made for wells but it is no different than bleach. You will want to run the water for a while to flush out the bacteria. I would not drink the water until you have sent a sample to the Health Dept. They require testing of all new wells and even though yours is not new it sounds like there could be some bad bacteria that you want to be sure are all gone before you drink it. The kits are not very expensive around $15 in my area and you just collect a sample from your sink and mail it to the lab.
About the rust, my water is VERY rusty. Clothes would come out of the washer with spots all over from the plastic wash tub. All you can do is install a water softener or use iron out with your laundry detergent, but whatever you do never mix iron out with bleach.
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