WELL DISINFECTION PROCEDURE

Problems of sulfate reducing bacteria, iron bacteria, and organic tastes and odors can often be eliminated by a complete chlorination of the well and distribution piping.

The procedure for chlorination of a well follows.   You will need:

• Liquid bleach (standard household bleach, such as Clorox, unscented).  The correct quantity is 1.5 quarts for every 100’ of water in a drilled well.  If you do not know the depth of the well, start with one half gallon of bleach.
• Garden hose
• OTO, which is a pool chlorine detection chemical available from a pool supply store or Secondwind Water Systems.  This is not mandatory, but helps.

1.  Put any water treatment equipment on bypass. Remove any cartridges from filter housings.

2.  Open the cap of the well. Pour the liquid bleach into the well.

3.  Run water from a garden hose into the well. Leave the hose pointed into the well. Let the hose run until chlorine is detected in the water stream. You detect the chlorine by filling a white cup with the water and dropping a few drops of OTO into the cup. If the drops turn yellow or orange, you have chlorine. (If you do not have OTO you will have to rely on your nose.) This will take from 30 minutes to an hour depending upon the amount of water in the well.  If you do not have chlorine present after an hour, add more bleach, approximately one quart at a time.  Keep running the water for approximately 15 minutes each time after adding more bleach to see if you now have enough, before then adding more. 

4.  When you have chlorine at the hose, rinse the inside walls of the well with the hose for a few minutes. Then turn off the hose, reattach the cap of the well. NOTE that if you have iron in the water, the water will become yellow or rusty colored during this time. Disinfecting a well can also stir up sediment, so be prepared that aerators may become plugged.

IN THE HOUSE

5.  Run water at each faucet, testing for chlorine presence.  Turn off each faucet once chlorine is present. For complete disinfection, run some water into the dishwasher and washing machine and flush all toilets. If you have a tank-type hot water system, it will take a while to get chlorine through the hot water.

6.  Allow the chlorine to sit in the plumbing at least 24 hours. You may flush the toilet during this time, but do not shower in the water or use it for cooking or drinking. It is a good idea to run each faucet a little bit a few times each day to keep the chlorine fresh.

AFTER 24 HOURS

7.  Flush the well by pointing your garden hose to the woods or a gravel or sandy area. Run the hose until the chlorine is gone. During this time you should stay around and check on the water stream every now and then to make sure you don’t temporarily run the level of water in the well down below the pump. Should the water stream drop down to a trickle, turn off the hose for a few hours.

8.  If you wish to disinfect your water filter or softener, wait until the chlorine strength has dropped to a slightly detectable level. Put your system back on line and run water through until you detect chlorine at the kitchen sink. If you have a Kinetico, be sure to run some water through both sides by moving the black dot on the top of the valve, and running water again at the sink. After you have done this, put the systems back on bypass until the disinfection flushing is complete. (This will prevent systems from becoming fouled due to a higher than normal level of sediment.)

9.  When the chlorine is gone and any turbidity stirred up by the process has dissipated, you may put your water treatment equipment back on line, and replace any cartridges.

INTERNAL DISTRIBUTION DISINFECTION

A build-up of sulfate reducing bacteria, iron bacteria, and organic bio-films in the plumbing of a home can cause unpleasant tastes and odors. While these growths are coming from the well and a complete well disinfection or full treatment system may be necessary, in some cases the problem can be lessened by disinfecting the internal house plumbing. The procedure for chlorination of internal plumbing follows.  

In order to perform this procedure, you must have a cartridge style or Vu-flow style filter in place. You will need a small amount of liquid bleach (standard household bleach, such as Clorox, unscented)
 
Perform this procedure just before going to bed or before going away for the weekend.

1.  If the cartridge precedes a water softener or filter, put the softener or filter on bypass.

2.  Turn the water off before and after the cartridge or Vu-flow using the ball valves installed.

3.   Depressurize by pressing the red button on the top of the cartridge housing until no more water comes out, or if a Vu-flow, by turning the knob on the bottom, with a bucket below. Remove the existing cartridge filter (if any), and pour out the water.

4.  Fill the cartridge housing or Vu-flow sump with liquid bleach.  Be careful not to spill onto hands or face.

5.  Replace the housing and hand tighten.

6.  Turn the water back on, before and after the cartridge or Vu-flow, check for leaks.

7.  Go to the faucets where the odor is a problem and run water until you can smell bleach. Turn off faucet and leave chlorinated water in plumbing. If you are treating several locations in the house, or if hot water is a major problem, you may have to refill the cartridge a few times to get adequate bleach to all locations.

8.  MARK OR COVER ALL CHLORINATED FAUCETS TO BE SURE NO ONE USES THE CHLORINATED WATER.

9.  After the overnight or weekend waiting period, flush water out of the faucet until the chlorine smell is gone.

10.  Put water treatment equipment back on line, replace cartridge if any.

NOTE:  For areas with strong bio-film, it may be necessary to rechlorinate several times to completely kill the growth. If the odor starts to return later, the sooner you rechlorinate, the better. If you are having to do this procedure on a frequent basis, treatment equipment may be necessary.

MANUAL REGENERATION OF KINETICO WATER SOFTENER OR FILTER

Follow these steps to perform a manual regeneration process for a Kinetico water softener or filter. This might be recommended if you ran out of salt or if your well experienced a larger than usual burst of sediment or ferric iron.

On top of the control valve (the round black part on top of one of the two twin tanks), you will see a clear plastic disk with a small depression in the middle. Look down at the disk, and locate the black mark on the inside of the meter control disk inside the clear disk. This will be near the 6:00 or 12:00 position on the disk.

Using a Phillips screwdriver, push down on the screw in the small depression, and turn slowly clockwise, pushing down while you turn. Advance the black mark to the closest “BRINE” position on the disk.  You will begin to hear a trickle of water that indicates you have triggered the regeneration.

If you wish to manually regenerate both sides, wait until the regeneration is done.   You will know the unit has completed the process because the sound of water will stop, and the black mark will be at either the 6:00 position or the 12:00 position.

RESTARTING A CLEARADON RADON WATER TREATMENT

If you have no water and the Clearadon pressure gauge reads 0, the Clearadon “low-flow cut-out” pressure switch (which turns the pump off in the event of low water flow) has tripped. The most common causes of low flow, and their remedy are:

1.  Power outage. When a power outage occurs and you continue to use the water in the Clearadon’s storage tank, no water enters the system as your well pump doesn’t run. This trips the low-flow cut-out. When power is restored, see last paragraph.

2.  Clogged pre-filter. If you have a cartridge or vu-flow filter ahead of your Clearadon, clean or change it, it may be blocked with iron or sand. If you have a backwashing filter, it may have become blocked with a burst of sediment, or its backwash function may not be operating. Put it on bypass temporarily. Then see last paragraph.

3.  Low water volume from well. If you have been using a great deal of water, or are watering your lawn, you may have temporarily reduced the available water from the well. This can result in the well pump delivering less than the Clearadon requires. Put the Clearadon on bypass (and unplug) and give your well some time to recover, then put the system back on line and see last paragraph.

4.  No water from well. There may be a malfunction of your well pump or its controls. Check your well pump’s pressure gauge, if it is at 0, then call your well pump company. Put your entire water treatment system on bypass and unplug until any well work is completed and sediment is flushed out. Then put the system back on line and see last paragraph.

5.  A malfunction of the Clearadon controls. The problem could reside with the floats, solenoids or pressure switch of the Clearadon. Call Secondwind Water Systems.

LAST PARAGRAPH:  
Put the system in service and plug in. Wait until the blowers stop running, then restart the Clearadon as follows: Locate the small metal lever that sticks out of the side of the Clearadon pressure switch box (small gray or navy blue box with a nut on top). Pull the lever up part way until you hear the pump start.  (You will feel some resistance.) Hold the lever in that position until the pressure on the Clearadon pressure gauge reaches approximately 40 psi then release the lever.  The pump should continue. If the pump starts then stops, you may have pulled the lever too far, try again.

CHANGING A CARTRIDGE FILTER

A cartridge filter needs to be changed when you notice a pressure drop, or 3 times per year if no pressure drop is noted. Color alone does not necessarily signify the cartridge needs changing.

1.  Turn off the water before and after the filter. Note: A ball valve is in the off position when the handle is perpendicular to the pipe it is on.

2.  You will need to depressurize the plumbing before opening the cartridge. If a faucet has been installed next to your filter, hold a bucket under the faucet and open the faucet; the water should stop shortly. If no faucet is present, press the red button on top of the filter to depressurize.  

3.  Have a bucket handy; place or hold it underneath the filter if possible. Using the wrench supplied, turn the clear plastic or blue holder (the “sump”) right to left, which is clockwise (facing top view down), 1-2 turns. Unscrew the remainder by hand.

4.  Drain the sump and replace the cartridge, adding one teaspoon of chlorine bleach (unscented Clorox) to the sump.

5.  Screw the holder back on, making sure the “O” ring is in place, and hand tighten. Follow up with a half turn or turn with the wrench, but do not over tighten.

6.  Turn on the water slowly on the incoming side to fill the filter. A leak at this stage indicates either a missing “O” ring or some grit or sand along the edge of the housing or “O” ring.

7.  Turn on the water on the outgoing side. 

8.  Any questions or concerns, call!

CLEANING A VU-FLOW SCREEN TYPE FILTER

The Vu-flow is a centrifugal / screen type filter that is intended to trap hard particles of sand or mica. The particles drop to the bottom and can be purged out by turning the knob on the bottom of the filter. Occasionally the screen itself will become fouled with a sticky iron or clay like material. When this happens the screen must be removed to be cleaned. To do this:

1. Before you turn the water off, put some water in a small bucket or pan. You will need a small amount of bleach for this procedure and a small brush.

1. Turn the water off before and after the filter by turning the ball valves to the closed (perpendicular) position.

2.  Depressurize the filter by turning the knob on the bottom, with the tube in a bucket. If there is no tube attached to the bottom of the filter, hold the bucket close.

3.  Unscrew the bottom (clear) sump.

4.  Remove the filter element by pushing it to the side.It is held in by an o-ring, and is not threaded.

5.  Clean the filter element in a small bucket or pan using a toothbrush dipped in bleach.

6.  Reinstall the filter element by pushing it up into the space in the top of the filter cap.

7.  Make sure the filter sump still has its o-ring.  Holding the filter sump, pour in a small amount of household bleach (approx 1-2 tablespoons), and re attach it to the cap of the unit, hand tightening only.

8.  Slowly repressurize by opening the ball valves and check for leaks.

WATER SOFTENER MAINTENANCE TIPS

Water softeners work through a process of ion exchange where the positively charged ions of iron, manganese and calcium are exchanged for a similar amount of ions of sodium.  The sodium remains soluble even in hot water and therefore the soft water is much more usable within the home.

Some tips for water softener maintenance:

Water softeners should have a pre-filter installed to keep sand, grit or ferric iron out of the softener.  If your pre-filter is a cartridge style, be sure to change this pre-filter every 3-4 months, or when a pressure drop is noted.  If the pre-filter becomes plugged with sediment the softener’s regeneration cycle may be affected.  The softener may not get a proper rinse, resulting in salty tasting water.

Most manufacturers prefer salt in pellets or “pellens”.  This is a more pure salt and is less likely to have bits of grit that might impact the brining system.  For sites where iron is being removed by ion exchange, use the salt with an iron cleaning agent in it; most manufacturers put this in a green bag.

Make sure you do not run out of salt, but do not fill the brine tank much more than 1/3 full.  In our humid climate over filling of a brine tank can lead to “salt bridging” where the salt melts and then reforms into a hard brick.

If you experience hard water or iron staining, check your salt level, and your ball valves and bypass valve to make sure they are in the proper position.

Check for salt bridging by gently pushing the end of a broom handle into the salt and stirring it within the pellets; make sure the pellets are loose.  If bridging has occurred you may notice the salt level drop when the salt bridge is broken up.

If you run out of salt, replenish the supply, give it a few hours to dissolve in the water, then run a manual regeneration or two to clean the resin.

If you have an electric softener you must correct the clock after a power outage or when we change clocks.  This will prevent the system from backwashing at an improper time.

A preventive maintenance procedure involving running some “Iron-out” iron removal chemical through the softener by adding it to the brine tank may make sense on extreme high iron sites.  Customer service can provide instructions for this procedure.

Water softeners have “screens and injectors” that can be impacted by the impurities in the water.  Be sure to have your water softener professionally maintained to keep it running correctly and to avoid bleed-through of the hardness, iron or manganese that the unit is designed to remove from your water.  Frequency of cleaning will depend on the style or brand of softener and the contaminants in your water.

BACKWASHING FILTER MAINTENANCE TIPS

Backwashing filters have a media inside that was chosen by your water specialist to treat the conditions present in your home.  These medias may be inert and simply used to remove particles, or they may be catalytic or sacrificial, causing a change in the water chemistry.  Your water specialist can explain what media was used in your system.

Severe pressure drop can be caused by a malfunction in the backwash.  Over a period of time this will cause particles to build up inside the media, leading to a blockage that causes pressure drop across the filter.

If your well has a low recovery rate and/or your well pump is weak or failing, the system may not be able to do a full backwash.  This can lead to a build up of particles in the media.

A one time “event” can occur where a well sends up a large amount of sediment due to geologic or local factors.  This heavy surge of solids can overpower the backwashing filter.  When this occurs, the untreated water should be run to flush the excess material from the well.  Once the well water is running fairly clear, some extra backwashes of the filter may clear the media.  If a pressure drop is still present after running the extra backwashes, call for service.

If you have an electric filter you must correct the clock after a power outage or when we change clocks.  This will prevent the system from backwashing at an improper time.

NEUTRALIZER MAINTENANCE TIPS

Neutralizers are used to raise the pH of acidic water by dissolving a small amount of calcium carbonate “calcite” media into the water stream.  The media must be replenished or “topped off” periodically. 

If blue green staining appears, your calcite level may have dropped too low and you should call for a recharge.  If blue green staining remains after a recharge, make sure all ball valves and bypass valves are in the proper position.  An ongoing problem may mean that the neutralizer is not large enough for the water flow rate or acidity of your water.  In addition, the presence of chlorides (usually from road salting) can aggravate a corrosive condition, leading to blue green staining even when a neutralizer is present.

An upflow neutralizer, which is a non-backwashing neutralizer, will be configured with a post filter to trap any media fines that may loft up during water use.  Sometimes the cartridge will load up quickly with fines after a recharge, leading to a pressure drop.  Change the cartridge and pressure should return. 

After many years in service, and with certain water chemistries, the media inside an upflow neutralizer can be comprised of many very tiny particles.  If this leads to an unacceptable pressure drop, the filter may have to be “rebedded” where the old media is removed and fresh media installed.

REVERSE OSMOSIS MAINTENANCE TIPS

Reverse Osmosis (RO) systems remove contaminants from drinking water using a specially manufactured semi-permeable membrane.  ROs have pre and post filters which must be changed on a regular basis.  Most Kinetico models have a meter that counts the gallons of water use and either shuts off the unit or restricts water flow when the cartridges need to be changed.  Some units have an indicator to tell you when the cartridges should be changed.  In any case, cartridges should always be changed once per year.

While RO systems are effective against a wide range of dissolved contaminants, they are not intended to be used on water with bacteria.  If your well develops a bacterial problem, you should deal with that problem, and then have the RO professionally disinfected before putting it back into service.  

If you are installing an RO for a specific health related contaminant, the performance of your unit will be verified after the initial installation.  The EPA recommends that you retest the treated water at least once per year to verify that your system is performing properly.  These ongoing tests are the homeowner’s responsibility; Secondwind Water Systems would be happy to draw the samples and take them to a certified lab for you.

TAKING WATER SAMPLES

Taking water samples, general instructions:

A water sample should always be taken from a non-swing, non-spray cold water tap, with the aerator removed.  Except for a first draw lead or copper test, all samples should be taken after the water has run hard for 5-10 minutes.  If a house has been recently vacated, the water should be run long enough to draw in fresh water from the well.  If the house has been vacant for an extended period of time, the well should be exercised repeatedly over a few days before taking a sample.

Taking a bacteria sample:

This requires a special sterilized bottle available from the laboratory.  Follow the general instructions for taking water samples.  For bacteria samples, the faucet must be sterilized with bleach.  After swabbing the exterior and as much of the immediate interior of the opening as possible with bleach, run the cold water for 5 more minutes.  Inspect your bottle to make sure the sterilization tape is still in place.  Wait until the last minute to remove the cap and be careful to not touch the inside of the cap, and do not put the cap down on the counter.  Fill the bottle to the top and screw the cap on tightly.  The sample must be kept cool and should be delivered to the lab immediately.  The test must be started within 24 hours of the drawing of the sample.

Taking a mineral sample:

Follow the general instructions for taking water samples.  Your lab will provide a clean 16 ounce bottle, but a clean bottled water bottle may be used.  No sterilization is needed for mineral samples.  The bottle should be filled almost to the top.

Taking a radon sample:

You must obtain a special glass vial for the radon test. Follow the general instructions above.  It is imperative that the aerator be removed from the faucet for this test as any air bubbles will interfere with the ability to measure the radon in the water.  Fill the vial very slowly, to the very top so the convex curve of the water (the meniscus) rises above the lip of the bottle.  Put the cap on tightly.  Turn the bottle upside down and tap it into your palm to make sure there are no air bubbles.  If an air bubble appears you must empty the vial and start over.

FLUSHING OF A DISINFECTED WELL             

You will need:  OTO, provided by Secondwind Water Systems, a long garden hose, and some time.  The amount of time that a well flushing will take is impossible to predict, being a function of the depth and recovery rate of the well, the height the pump is hung at, and the strength of chlorine present.

AFTER 24 HOURS, FLUSHING THE WELL: 

Leave your water treatment system on bypass for now.  Flush the well by running your garden hose to the woods or a sandy area.  The chlorinated water is not good for lawns or gardens. If you know you have a well that recovers quickly, you can run the hose on full force.  If you know your well has a more limited supply, run the hose on a reduced flow.

Stay around and check on the water stream every now and then to make sure you don’t temporarily run the level of water in the well down to the pump intake.  Should the water stream drop down to a trickle, turn off the hose for a few hours.

Check the stream of water every half hour or so for chlorine.  Using the OTO provided, fill a white cup or mug with the water from the hose and squirt a few drops of OTO into the cup.  If the OTO turns yellow or orange, bleach is still present and you need to flush more.

If you wish to disinfect your water filter or softener, keep running the water until the chlorine strength has dropped to a slightly detectable level, which is signified by a pale yellow color when you use the OTO drops.  Put your system back on line and run water to the kitchen sink for a few minutes.  If you have a Kinetico, run some water through both sides by moving the black dot on the top of the valve to the opposite position, and running water again at the sink.  After you have done this, put the systems back on bypass until the disinfection flushing is complete.  (This will prevent systems from becoming fouled due to a higher than normal level of sediment.)

FLUSHING THE HOUSE:

When the drop of OTO in your white cup makes no color change, the chlorine is gone and you may put your water treatment equipment back on line, and replace any cartridges.  Now run water at each sink, hot and cold, until the OTO drop stays clear in a cup.  Flushing the hot water may take some time.

Remember that the chlorine used in the disinfection will oxidize iron in your well water.  You may see some rusty colored water during this process and for a bit after.

Occasionally the disinfection process stirs up sediment from the well.  Do not be alarmed if your cartridge filter plugs faster than usual for a day or so after the flushing.

Drywell Considerations

Some customers may choose to send the backwash from their water treatment system to a drywell to avoid sending the volume of water to the building’s septic system.  Check regulations in your area.

A schematic of a drywell follows.  The basic concepts for your contractor to bear in mind when constructing a drywell include:

There must be a pitch in the pipe that runs from the foundation to the drywell. The water that goes out to the drywell will be gravity fed, not pressurized, so the pitch must be present to aid in proper drainage.

We recommend that the pipe going from the foundation to the drywell be 4” schedule 40 PVC, again because the stream of water will be flowing based on gravity, not pressure.  The piping from the sill to the ground can be 1 ½”.

The horizontal pipe must be below frost line.

We do not recommend drywells for the reject water from a reverse osmosis system as the rinse (reject) water leaves the RO at such a slow drip that in extremely cold conditions the water could freeze before it reaches the ground.