Contact a professional for well rehabilitation when performance drops by 25%
The water well at your house should be like an old friend: steady, dependable and there for you when you need it most. But if you have no water coming from your well or the water isn’t reliable you may need to contact a professional for a water well rehabilitation.
So if you have water pressure problems or low yield, what kind of options for well rehabilitation do you have?
To solve a problem with low flow or low pressure from your well, you have identify the underlying problem first. Low flow or no water issues can have several causes, each calling for its kind of well rehabilitation. The two main reasons for low flow are less water in the aquifer and blockages in the aquifer's feeder ducts or the well itself.
Less water in the underground channels that feed your well, known as the aquifer, can be the result of a drought or additional drain on the aquifer. If you have new neighbors nearby who have added wells, they could be drawing on the same aquifer that you are. Or, Mother Nature may be the culprit: check with your local meteorological society to see if your region is classified as a drought area and how severe it is. Obviously, you don’t have control over how much rain falls (unless you're a rainmaker), so you should contact a well professional at Skillings & Sons to assess whether an additional water source may be needed.
The second reason for slowed water –a blockage – can be more complicated to diagnose. You can get a blockage from sediment made of silt and clay that gradually builds up over the years. Another source of blockage are substances that are leeched from the underground rocks and build up scale-like substances on the well walls known as encrustation. Finally, blockages can also come from bacteria that grows in dense colonies.
Get Expert Advice on Well Rehabilitation Methods
Well contractors often begin the process of well rehabilitation by placing a camera known as a borescope into your well so you can see what is stopping up the works. This is best down by an expert. Don’t just duct tape your uncle’s camera to a rope and lower it in; contact Skillings & Sons. Our team uses specialized tools to do this work. The camera survey can provide a up-close look at the well casing and screens as well as identify either encrustation or a bacteria colony.
In addition to the camera review, your water professional will most likely take water samples to test your well water. That can be compared to the baseline test that was done when your well was first dug to see if there has been any increase of elements that may be causing the scaling.
There are different options for well rehabilitation when the blockage is caused by encrustation. Your water professional will guide you in choosing the right combination of chemicals, whether they are acids, neutralizers, detergents or biocides that will help dissolve blockages. This kind of work will is combined with a form of agitation of the water within the well. Getting the water moving can help the chemicals get into the aquifer to scrub out scaling or bacteria.
Another option is a process that increases the water pressure in the well called hydrofracturing. This can help loosen an encrusted blockage. Another way to get the water agitated involves water jets and adding some pumping. Again, it is best to have a professional guide you in each scenario.
Once you have found the right water contractor to handle your well rehabilitation, you should discuss all the options and all the costs associated. Fixing your slow flow problems within the well will surely be less expensive than digging another well. Then, you and your well can once again enjoy that smooth flowing relationship.
