The well acts as a rather convenient alternative to centralized water supply. Such a source of water on the site is able to solve problems with irrigation and water use for household needs. But for the correct operation of the well and ensuring its cleanliness, it is necessary to carry out preventive work from time to time. Many owners of summer cottages are thinking about this. First you need to evaluate whether you can carry out such work yourself. Some of them are not difficult, while others require the use of special equipment.
When clogging occurs
If you independently carry out such work, then you will not have to spend a lot of money on this. When the water pressure becomes weaker, this can be called the first alarm. This is usually followed by stagnation with gurgling and the release of turbid liquid. After that, the system completely stops working. Before cleaning the well, it is necessary to determine the cause of its clogging.
Among the main factors should be highlighted errors during construction and drilling, as well as problems associated with irregular operation. Aquifers sometimes change direction, in which case the cause is natural. If the structure does not have protective mechanisms, then more debris gets into the mouth. The clogging cause is sometimes caused by poor pump operation and lack of maintenance.
To date, two main types of wells are known (with a straight hole and a filter), as well as three ways to establish work, among them it should be distinguished:
It is much more convenient to clean the water intake with a straight trunk, because the equipment can be lowered to the bottom, and fast silting is completely eliminated. However, any well will sooner or later fail if it is not properly operated.
Using a vibrating pump
Well cleaning can be carried out using a special or conventional pump. At the same time, it is possible to extract not only rubbish with stones, but also sand, as well as silt. At the same time, a pump is installed at the bottom, and all the debris enters the nozzle and is sucked into the device. Clean water must also be passed through the pump. If the case heats up, this indicates that the unit needs to rest. You can use “Kid” type vibration pumps for cleaning if the well is rather shallow. In this case, the pump can be lowered by 40 m, but not more.
Flushing
The well can be cleaned with a bailer. If the pollution is negligible, and the well is shallow, then this method will do just fine. In all other cases, the approach is ineffective. If the depth does not exceed 30 m, then you need a winch. The bailer is a pipe on a cable with a mesh in the upper part. Below is a hole.
The pipe goes down, and then rises by 0.5 m and again drops sharply. Inside, water is collected, inside there is a metal ball that rises and falls, closing the hole. This cycle is repeated several times, after the bollard rises and is cleaned. To clean the well using this technology could be more convenient, use a tripod. At a time, approximately 0.5 kg of sand enters the cylinder. Therefore, you can determine how quickly the well becomes clogged.
Mechanized cleaning
The most effective way for deep wells is mechanized cleaning. In this case, two paired pumps should be used. The deep will be located at the bottom of the well, it will raise water with silt and mud. The pump supplies water to agitate sediments.
In order to ensure efficiency, the hose should be shaken and make sure that the amount of contamination is not too large. Otherwise, overheating and equipment damage may occur. The device should be selected correctly, its parameters should depend on the depth at which water is located. Pumps for cleaning a well should be vibrating if the depth of the water exceeds 10 m.
Chemical cleaning
It often happens that the filters are clogged with solid moods of lime and iron salts. It is unlikely to succeed in knocking them out with pressure. In this case, you can resort to critical measures - the use of acids.
Do-it-yourself cleaning of the well in this case involves the filling of battery acid, which is used for vehicles. Previously, all the water is pumped out. Acid is left for two days, and the top of the well is plugged. After this time, the water is pumped out several times, but even after that it is impossible to drink it for a month, as well as use it for cooking.
Such a liquid is suitable only for household needs and construction. After such a cleaning of the well for water, it is recommended that water be withdrawn as often as possible, because this will affect the faster washing out of acids. But even in this case, before drinking water, you must pass it to the laboratory for analysis, so you will preserve the health of your loved ones.
Sand cleaning
Sand clearance can be done in one of several ways. Among them are the following:
- use of a compressor;
- sand extraction using pumps;
- application of chemical methods;
- use of a bailer.
Some of them have been described above. Most often, pumps are still used to remove sand. Using the first, clean water is pumped into the well, and the second allows you to pump out sand and other debris.
You can also use a compressor. The first cleaning can be carried out immediately after drilling. In this case, the compressor unit is used. This allows you to clean the aquifer from debris that got there during the well construction period.
The cleaning work cycle will depend on the depth of the well and takes from several hours to three weeks. If drilling was carried out by specialists, then flushing is carried out by working personnel. If you decide to do the work yourself, you should prepare a compressor that can provide pressure up to 15 atmospheres. You will need pipes that will be connected to each other and inserted into the trunk so that their lower edge reaches the bottom. The gauge of these pipes should be smaller than the diameter of the well.
Cleaning a well in a country house using this technology involves pumping air into the compressor, after which dirty water will begin to be emitted from the well. At the first stage, you should collect the pipeline and install it in the well, fixing it with a rope. The next step will be the installation of a vacuum adapter, which is located on the pipe. Its fastening is carried out with screws. Then, using a compressor, air is pumped to maximum pressure. The hose should be put on the adapter, turn on the unit and pump air into the barrel. This process is repeated several times until clear water begins to pour out of the well.
Using a fire truck
Sometimes a fire engine is called for cleaning. In this case, a fire hose is activated through which water is supplied under high pressure. In this case, cleaning takes only 10 minutes. However, this method has its drawbacks, which are expressed in danger and high cost. Strong pressure can damage components and filters. This method is recommended for severe contamination.
Use of the lift
Quite often, the owners of suburban areas and areas within the city where there are wells ask themselves how to use the airlift, if it is necessary to clean the water source. The method is to use the law of Archimedes.
In essence, a well is a vessel of water. A water pipe should be placed in it, into the lower part of which compressed air is supplied by means of a compressor. A mixture of foam and air forms in the pipe. The water column presses from below, the process begins. It is important to ensure that the water in the well does not end.
Since the bottom of the pipe is located in the sand, it will rise and be absorbed by the water pipe. It is important to monitor only the water level. Typically, wells in the area are not very deep, so a standard vibrating pump can be used to clean them.
Conclusion
You can clean the well with acid yourself. However, it is important to assess the dangers of this approach if you do not plan on delivering water to the laboratory at the final stage. In general, each cleaning technology is distinguished by its advantages and disadvantages, so they need to be evaluated and only after that start work.