Is there sand in your Inverness well water and what should you do about it?

You expect a little sand in the water when you go to
the beach. But, you don't want sand in your Inverness
well water.

You’ve grown accustomed to the pure, clear water that is delivered by your Inverness well. You’ve even shown it off to friends who visit, who often have homes served by city water. You proudly point out that your private well delivers fresh and delicious water without the monthly invoice from the city. But, lately, you’ve started noticing that there is sand in your water.

The sand in your water will soon clog the aerators of your faucets. Already, the water pressure seems to have dropped at some of the faucets. What’s this all about? Why would sand suddenly find its way into your well water?

There are several reasons why you would find sand in your water, including:

• The well pump is set too close to the bottom of the well and is, therefore, sucking up sand as it pulls in water.
• The well pump isn’t sized correctly; it’s too strong and is pulling sand from the bottom of the well.
• The well screen is beyond its prime and is allowing sand to filter into the well water. The well screen is a casing installed at the time that your well was drilled. It has spaces to allow water into the well but, overtime, it can lose its integrity.
• The well tank is waterlogged, the bladder is ruptured, or the tank has the wrong charge causing the pump to surge the well.

With the first of these issues, the problem was probably apparent early on. In other words, you aren’t as likely to find sand suddenly appearing in your water. However, if the well screen begins to lose its mojo, begins clogging, it’s liable to do so gradually and over time. A problem with the well tank is also liable to come on and get worse over time (it’s vital that you fix this promptly as it’s likely to cause your well pump to burn out quickly).

To address the problem, you can add a screen filter. Depending on the grade of the sand, different filter mesh is available to address the sand prevalent in your well. These filters are generally installed after the well tank. They also have a valve to drain off the sand.

Sand in your Inverness well is a nuisance. But, more than that, the sand can cause problems with your well equipment and your fixtures. It’s a good idea to address the issue of sand in your well water before you have more reason to do so.

Slither and rattle: Bull Valley well maintenance included snake removal

No, this is not one of the snakes John, with McHenry Water Well and Pump, found in a well pit one day. But, at first
glance, it could have been. Well maintenance is more exciting than you might think.

It was like a scene out of Raiders of the Lost Ark. John Matthesius, the owner of McHenry Water Well & Pump, was called out to a Bull Valley home to repair or replace a well pump that had ceased working. It was an older home with an older well. And it had a well pit. When John looked down into the pit, in the darkness, it seemed that the floor was moving. And then, he heard something rattling.

Going from home to home in Bull Valley you’re liable to see a lot of wellheads protruding from the ground like metallic mushrooms. But, some of these homes have well pits. The wellhead and well cap are found inside the well pit.

Well pits were common years ago as a means of protecting the water in wells from freezing. The well pit allowed the well to operate without extending up above the frost line (typically 32-48 inches). Here in Northern Illinois, such as in Bull Valley, the winter months are times when freezing temperatures could cause problems for the water pumping up from a well.

One problem with well pits was that they required proper drainage and the drains often clogged. Think about well pits as concrete boxes buried into the surface of the ground. If rain and/or groundwater gets into the pit and rises above the well cap, that water can make its way into the well and contaminate the well. Moisture in the well pit can also result in condensation that causes problems with the well’s electronics.

Well pits are also warm areas that can attract wildlife, such as squirrels, chipmunks, and even snakes. As a result, many municipal codes do not allow building well pits anymore. New wells are designed to operate without well pits and without freezing. But, back to the slithering, rattling well pit in Bull Valley.

When John pointed his light down into the well pit, he discovered that it did, in fact, have snakes. Put snakes together with rattles and the logical conclusion is that you’ve got a problem with rattlesnakes. According to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, four species of venomous snakes are found in Illinois: cottonmouth, copperhead, timber rattler and eastern massasauga.

The cottonmouth is also known as a water moccasin. The other three are rattlers. Fortunately, the snakes in the Bull Valley well pit were not rattlers. Rather, they were black rat snakes. Black rat snakes are clever snakes, clever enough to simulate a rattler’s rattle to scare off predators.

While John didn’t have to worry about a venomous bite, he still had to clear the snakes out of the well pit. He quickly fashioned a makeshift snake-catching pole by slide some cable through a piece of conduit with a noose on the end. He slipped the noose around each snake’s head and pulled the cable so the snake was caught. Who knew that well maintenance and repair can also fit the description for a zoologist?

Replacing your Lakewood well pump isn’t fun and how to avoid it as long as possible

Imagine running out of water on Memorial Day Weekend.
Anytime you run out of water is a pain. Maintain your
well pump as an alternative to replacing your well pump.

Here’s a great idea – why not replace your Lakewood well pump this weekend? You can shut the water off while the job is done. And, you’ll get to spend the money for that new well pump, as well as the cost of installation. What fun!

Of course, no one in Lakewood replaces their well pump for the fun of it; they replace their well pump because they need a new well pump. For fun, they go out to dinner and a show, they go to a concert, to see a stand-up comedian or visit an art show. There are all kinds of things they can do for fun but replacing their well pump isn’t even on the list.

People don’t replace well pumps for fun because they don’t like it when the water doesn’t flow in their Lakewood homes. They don’t like to replace their well pumps because it’s an inconvenience and an expense they’d rather avoid.

So, since you won’t replace your well pump for fun, replacing it at all is something you’d rather avoid. And, still, people do deal with the inconvenience and expense; they do replace their well pumps.

They replace their well pumps, not because they shut their water off but because the well pump shuts the water off. That’s the opposite of what a well pump is designed to do. A well pump is designed to make the water flow on demand. That’s it. That’s all a well pump does – turn the water flow on and off when you want it.

Considering how little enjoyment is found in the replacement of a well pump, other than the relief people feel when a bad well pump is replaced, it’s amazing people don’t put more effort into ensuring that they don’t have to replace their well pumps as often. Often, of course, is a relative term.

A well pump should last 20 years or more. Some well pumps have lasted three decades. But, the longer a well pump lasts, the more likely it is that someone made some effort to maintain that well pump.

Maintenance involves having a professional take a look at the pump annually to make sure that the well tank has the proper pressure. That professional will also check out the well system, in general, to make sure everything is as it should be. Of course, while checking the well system, a professional will also test and chlorinate the well. That way, you know that the water that flows from your Lakewood well is also safe to drink.

Replacing your Barrington well pump isn’t fun and how to avoid it as long as possible

There are probably a lot of things you'd rather do than
replace your Barrington well pump. Replacing your
well pump just isn't fun.

Here’s a great idea – why not replace your Barrington well pump this weekend? You can shut the water off while the job is done. And, you’ll get to spend the money for that new well pump, as well as the cost of installation. What fun!

Of course, no one in Barrington replaces their well pump for the fun of it; they replace their well pump because they need a new well pump. For fun, they go out to dinner and a show, they go to a concert, to see a stand-up comedian or visit an art show. There are all kinds of things they can do for fun but replacing their well pump isn’t even on the list.

People don’t replace well pumps for fun because they don’t like it when the water doesn’t flow in their Barrington homes. They don’t like to replace their well pumps because it’s an inconvenience and an expense they’d rather avoid.

So, since you won’t replace your well pump for fun, replacing it at all is something you’d rather avoid. And, still, people do deal with the inconvenience and expense; they do replace their well pumps.

They replace their well pumps, not because they shut their water off but because the well pump shuts the water off. That’s the opposite of what a well pump is designed to do. A well pump is designed to make the water flow on demand. That’s it. That’s all a well pump does – turn the water flow on and off when you want it.

Considering how little enjoyment is found in the replacement of a well pump, other than the relief people feel when a bad well pump is replaced, it’s amazing people don’t put more effort into ensuring that they don’t have to replace their well pumps as often. Often, of course, is a relative term.

A well pump should last 15 years or more. Some well pumps have lasted two or three decades. But, the longer a well pump lasts, the more likely it is that someone made some effort to maintain that well pump.

Maintenance involves having a professional take a look at the pump annually to make sure that the well tank has the proper pressure. That professional will also check out the well system, in general, to make sure everything is as it should be. Of course, while checking the well system, a professional will also test and chlorinate the well. That way, you know that the water that flows from your Barrington well is also safe to drink.

Your Spring Grove well is capped and sealed – why worry about contaminants?

That well cap is vital to your Spring Grove
well and the safety of the water you and
your family drink.

There’s a sealed cap on your well out behind your Spring Grove home. The cap sits on top of a pipe that extends down into the ground to your well. Why would you need to worry about water quality?

The truth is that contaminants can find their way into your well in more ways than you might imagine.

Generally speaking, Spring Grove has groundwater that is as good as anyone’s – better than some. But contaminants are insidious in the efforts to invade and contaminate your well. Contaminants include various types of bacteria, radon, organic particles, hazardous waste and chemicals, such as pesticides, fertilizers, and petroleum products.

To keep contaminants out of your Spring Grove well, or detecting them if they get in, there are a few procedures you should follow:

• Make sure your well cap isn’t cracked, loose or has a bad seal
• Have well casing (the pipe extending down to your well water) inspected to ensure it isn’t cracked or otherwise ruptured
• Ensure that your well is a safe distance from septic systems, landfills or other systems using elements that would contaminate your well water (it’s a bit late to consider this if your well and other systems are already in operation in close proximity to each other)
• Don’t install a well in a floodplain as flood waters can seep into the well (also a bit late to consider if the well is already in operation)
• If your well was installed in a floodplain, the well needs to extend higher than the floodplain. If you have an older well, you’ll want to have it checked that it’s of sufficient height while ensuring that the water level didn’t rise higher than the well cap so that contaminants could get in.

The last point is really a key principle in general. Well maintenance is a great way to ensure that your well system is operating at peak performance with the greatest durability. Having the well water tested annually, along with having your well chlorinated each year, is the best way to ensure that your Spring Grove well water stays healthy and clean. It’s also a good idea to have the charge checked in your well tank.

A qualified well technician can chlorinate and maintain your well, while testing your well water in the winter, as well as the warmer months. Spring is also a good time to have your well maintained and your well water tested.

Where does groundwater come from? Can you say, ‘Hydrologic Cycle?’

This USGS diagram shows the Hydrologic Cycle. If you want to know where the groundwater in McHenry comes from,
look here.

Where does groundwater come from? The obvious answer is ‘from the ground.’ But, where does the ground get it? That well out behind your Bull Valley home extends down into the ground and pumps groundwater up so you and your family can use it. It would be nice to know where the groundwater comes from, wouldn’t it?

The first thing to know is that the groundwater is there as part of the hydrologic cycle. Assuming you haven’t remembered all the particulars from your 5th-grade lesson, that cycle works like this:

THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE

1. Evaporation: the water in lakes, rivers, oceans and on the surface of the ground is evaporated into the air …
2. Where it condenses to form clouds.
3. While trapped in the clouds, it moves with the wind.
4. Then, the moisture returns to the earth in the form of precipitation: rain, sleet, snow
5. A portion of the water runs off back into lakes, rivers, and oceans – another portion seeps into the ground. Through gravity, much of this water goes lower and lower until it reaches an area that is resting on an impervious surface.
6. When that area is saturated, your well has the ability to gather portions of the water and pump them back to the surface and through the pipes into your home.

Keep in mind that water can also move in the ground through aquifers. Governments have come to recognize the importance of aquifers. You can even look up a map of aquifers in the area called the “McHenry County Sensitive Aquifer Recharge Areas.”

This map shows areas in two shades of green where aquifers are considered sensitive. On that map, you’ll find that much of Bull Valley is covered by dark green – the most sensitive areas of the map.

This means that groundwater is moving under your feet. Your well’s job is to catch portions of the groundwater and pump them up into your Bull Valley home.

What are you putting down your McHenry County drain?

Consultant raises the alarm about contaminants in our drinking water supply

What is in the well water you drink? The number of
potential contaminants are alarming.

Recently, John Matthesius attended an event for well-maintenance technicians in Nashville. What he heard at one of the break-out sessions was alarming. It has to do with the quality of the water we drink, including the water we drink here in McHenry County.

The presentation was given by Peter S. Cartwright of Cartwright Consulting from Minneapolis, MN, who points out that an almost limitless number of contaminants are going into our water supply – into the water we drink.

As Cartwright points out, “Every time water goes down the drain, whether to a sewer, a septic system, a storm drain, or wherever, it carries contaminants with it, which usually end up in someone’s drinking water.”

He said the list of contaminants in our drinking water include “unmetabolized pharmaceuticals” and other chemicals. When we wash our hands, the soap and dirt, or whatever was on our hands, goes down the drain. He said there are more than 85,000 chemicals that make their way into our water supply.

He described how “the average adult uses nine products per day containing 126 different chemicals.” In the farms, they add fertilizer to the soil that then makes its way into our water supply. Whatever we put down the drain tends to make its way to our water supply.

Manufacturing contributes to the toxic recipe in our drinking water. For instance, plastic, with 300-million tons of plastic manufactured each year, is a major contributor to toxins in our drinking water.

Cartwright sites a 2008 Canadian study that found that, in 20 industrialized nations, birthrates for boys has dropped, as a result, for each of the last 30 years, there has been a 200-percent increase in abnormalities to male sex organs, sperm count among North American college students has dropped by 50 percent over the course of the last 50 years, 85 percent of sperm in healthy males has damaged DNA and testicular cancer is up 300 percent in that same 50-year period.

The address the concerns, Cartwright recommends legislative activity and water treatment technologies. But, he also says that individuals can make a difference. He refers to personal stewardship where people are more conscious of what they are putting down the drain in their homes and workplace. In that regard, education is essential (Cartwright’s thesis is available in its entirety by following this link or visiting the McHenry Water Well & Pump blog page).