Hello; A whole gallon? Might not need so much on an ongoing basis. I recall back in the 70's when I managed a drive-in movie theater. We had a large holding tank, several hundred gallons, where well water was kept for use at the concession kitchen. I had to add a bit of bleach on a schedule. Was not all that much at any one time. cannot recall the amount.
My well water showing ammonia? Whats going on?
- Thread starter eddiegunks
- Start date
Yup. My water guys, and my friend that operates a water treatment plant bowl set a gal would be fine. I guess a gallon of bleach is only about 7% so I'll make Stan probably not too bad. But again I'm going to check my chlorine levels today.
Hello; No doubt a large amount will kill off any critters. Sounds like your plan is sound. When the residual levels are checked you can adjust the amount to use.
One other thing. Some while back I interchanged the terms chlorine and Clorox (bleach) only to have someone point out that bleach is not chlorine.
While I realize they are two different things, and the major chemical in bleach is Chlorine.
Pool shock is calcium hypochlorite. Liquid bleach is sodium hypochlorite. Liquid pool shock is sodium hypochlorite.
Yes, they are all basically the exact same things, the only difference is which metal they are bonded with for delivery and stability.
Calcium hypochlorite is the granulated form of pool chlorine. It is useful if you have an in ground plaster/concrete/gunite/tile pool as it supplies calcium to the water to help maintain hardness.
Sodium hypochlorite is liquid form. This is useful to use if you have a vinyl lined pool since you don't need to maintain elevated calcium hardness in these types of pools.
Household bleach (non scented) is 6% sodium hypochlorite by solution. Liquid pool chlorine is 10%-12% sodium hypochlorite by solution. Granulated chlorine is 65% calcium hypochlorite.
10oz of granulated chlorine = 1/2 gallon of liquid pool chlorine = 1 gallon of household bleach. These measurements will raise the chlorine level by 5ppm in 10,000 gallons of water. Source(s): Registered CPO (Certified Pool Operator) with the National Swimming Pool Federation http://www.nspf.com/ and maintaining public access swimming pools for many years (Pulled this from yahoo) http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070608193348AActO7L
OK. More updates. After adding the bleach I was good for several days. Then the ammonia came back.
I was also getting dirt when I filled an aquarium. I have not been able to replicate the dirt since then.
I had my water tested by the water dept. No bacteria at all. Fine for drinking.
My well pump is 20 feet off The bottom. I'm not sure if the solids are washing down or if it was just a one time event. I am trying to replicate that now.
I am also trying to figure out a filter system for removing ammonia. Anyone have any ideas? Charcoal?
My buddy testing my ammonia levels with electronic meter. They are Between .45 and .51 ppm. Basically the same thing I was registering from my API test kit.
I was also getting dirt when I filled an aquarium. I have not been able to replicate the dirt since then.
I had my water tested by the water dept. No bacteria at all. Fine for drinking.
My well pump is 20 feet off The bottom. I'm not sure if the solids are washing down or if it was just a one time event. I am trying to replicate that now.
I am also trying to figure out a filter system for removing ammonia. Anyone have any ideas? Charcoal?
My buddy testing my ammonia levels with electronic meter. They are Between .45 and .51 ppm. Basically the same thing I was registering from my API test kit.
I know this is an old thread, but as a licensed welldriller/pump installer, I wanted to add one easy thing to watch for - old or broken well caps. New style caps are tight fitting and gasketed (aka vermin-proof). Older style caps have enough of a gap to let small critters like worms, caterpillars, etc into your well. They fall down into the well and rot. There is your ammonia. Chlorinating won't help either. As the animal continues to rot, the ammonia will just come back. I've seen wells full of acorns from squirrels, and have pulled out many mice and even a dead bird once(of course that well was a friend's and the bird came out with his wife and kid watching?
). Well height above grade is a big factor as well. Here in WI code requires 12". With an old style cap, it is even common for grass clippings to get in the well, which again can rot and cause issues. I actually prefer to leave the well height more around 16" if practical/ possible. Not saying this was the OPs issue, but it's possible, and any easy thing to keep an eye on. Chris
). Well height above grade is a big factor as well. Here in WI code requires 12". With an old style cap, it is even common for grass clippings to get in the well, which again can rot and cause issues. I actually prefer to leave the well height more around 16" if practical/ possible. Not saying this was the OPs issue, but it's possible, and any easy thing to keep an eye on. Chris
I know this is an old thread, but as a licensed welldriller/pump installer, I wanted to add one easy thing to watch for - old or broken well caps. New style caps are tight fitting and gasketed (aka vermin-proof). Older style caps have enough of a gap to let small critters like worms, caterpillars, etc into your well. They fall down into the well and rot. There is your ammonia. Chlorinating won't help either. As the animal continues to rot, the ammonia will just come back. I've seen wells full of acorns from squirrels, and have pulled out many mice and even a dead bird once(of course that well was a friend's and the bird came out with his wife and kid watching?
Good points. Reading through the thread before getting to your post I couldn't fathom how the OP was even pouring bleach into his 300 foot well? I have to remove a half dozen bolts and a cast iron well cap to gain access to my well shaft. I also know there is a 10 foot tall concrete plug around the top of my well shaft to prevent ground water infiltration into my well. With my limited well experience I couldn't even envision a well that wasn't completely sealed.
