How Long Before Glue Taste And Smell Leaves Well Water After Repair

the shock chlorination process

Revised by Uttam Saha, Leticia Sonon, Pamela Turner and David Kissel
Original manuscript past Jorge H. Atiles and Paul F. Vendrell

What is Stupor Chlorination?
When Should Shock Chlorination Be Used?
Is Stupor Chlorination Always Effective?
Daze Chlorination and Temporary Arsenic Release
What Precautions Should Be Taken Prior to Shock Chlorination?
When Will the H2o Be Drinkable Over again later on Shock Chlorination?
What Kind of Chlorine Bleach Should Exist Used?
How Much Chlorine Practice I Utilise?
The Shock Chlorination Procedure

A standard treatment for sanitizing your well arrangement is daze chlorination. Guidelines for using this treatment safely and effectively are listed beneath.

What is Shock Chlorination?

Shock chlorination is the process by which habitation water systems such as wells, springs, and cisterns are disinfected using household liquid bleach (or chlorine). Shock chlorination is the virtually widely recommended means of treating bacterial contamination in home h2o systems.

When Should Shock Chlorination Be Used?

Shock chlorination is recommended:

upon completion of a new well or when an unused well is returned to service
if annual water test results indicate the presence of leaner
if a well system is opened for any installation, repair or maintenance
whenever the well is surrounded by overflowing waters (continuing water around or covering the well casing)
if well water becomes muddied or cloudy after a pelting
if the well has fe leaner or sulfur-reducing bacteria symptoms like slime (biofilm) or odor

Is Shock Chlorination Always Effective?

Subsequently shock chlorination, bacterial contamination may reoccur if a source of contamination persists, such equally:

a nearby malfunctioning septic arrangement
a pathway for surface h2o entry to a well, such as:
- an improper well location
- absence of a well cap or an improperly placed or loose well cap
- inadequate grouting or other faults during well construction
- a cracked well casing

Shock chlorination is NOT a recommended method for treating recurring bacteria problems. The source(s) of such contamination should be identified and eliminated by a licensed well driller/contractor. Another option is to install a continuous disinfection treatment system.

Shock Chlorination and Temporary Arsenic Release

Although shock chlorination will sanitize wells, information technology may temporarily increase the arsenic levels of water in areas where aquifer sediments comprise loftier levels of arsenic (WDNR, 2008). Arsenic occurs naturally in some bedrock and aquifer sediments in the southern coastal obviously (SCP) region of Georgia, and it has been establish in drinking water from some individual wells in this region. When the h2o table is lowered due to pumping of groundwater, the sediments in groundwater are exposed to oxygen. Oxygen helps in dissolving some of the arsenic contained in sediments. Similarly, because chlorine is a strong oxidant, it could deliquesce arsenic from sediments and release it into the groundwater.

If well owners have detectable levels of arsenic in water, the following steps may be useful:

Exercise non employ either acid or alkali metal bleach solution. Solution with pH half dozen-vii is best.
Practise not exit chlorine solutions inside well casings for longer times than prescribed (12-24 hours).
Well casings, belongings tanks and pipes should exist flushed thoroughly until no remainder levels of chlorine are plant.
Well water for drinking should be tested for arsenic after shock chlorination to make sure the arsenic concentration is at a condom level (less than ten ppb).

What Precautions Should Be Taken Prior to Stupor Chlorination?

Shock chlorination is used to remove bacterial contaminants from well h2o, well casings, belongings tanks and the whole h2o supply system. A licensed well driller is trained to shock chlorinate. Should you decide to daze chlorinate your well yourself, take the following precautionary measures:

Concentrated chlorine solutions for shock chlorination can be dangerous. Considering of the volatile and corrosive nature of the concentrated chlorine solution, it is of import to wear advisable clothing, including goggles, a protective apron, and rubber gloves and boots. Mix and add chlorine solution in a well-ventilated area.
High chlorine levels in water after stupor chlorination. Arrange for an alternative source of drinking water. Make sure that children and older adults practise not consume tap h2o during handling.
Chlorine should accept enough contact time to kill the bacteria. Make sure that no one in your home uses the water for any purpose during the 12 to 24 hour treatment.
Preventing electric shock from the water pump. Before removing the well cap or cover, turn the pump circuit billow off. In Step 3 of the shock chlorination process below, you will demand to plough the power dorsum on, but exist sure to turn the pump circuit breaker off once more earlier replacing the well cap or embrace (Pace 6). Vesture waterproof rubber boots.
Protecting components of water supply and treatment devices. Daze chlorinating a h2o supply system tin potentially damage components such as pressure tanks, some filters and filter media, and other handling devices. Before you lot begin, disconnect all carbon filters and reverse osmosis units attached to your household water lines. The stiff chlorine solution can damage these filters. However, some h2o softeners, fe filters and sand filters may not be damaged. Check with component manufacturers earlier shock chlorinating your water supply system to make up one's mind how to bypass or protect this equipment if necessary.

When Volition the Water Exist Drinkable Once again after Stupor Chlorination?

Wait i to two weeks later on stupor chlorinating the water supply system to retest for total coliform and E. coli bacteria. Follow sample collection instructions carefully. If the examination results testify the absence of coliform bacteria, the h2o is prophylactic to beverage. However, if test results show the presence of coliform bacteria, the source(due south) of contamination should be identified and eliminated through a licensed well driller/contractor or a continuous disinfection treatment system should be installed.

What Kind of Chlorine Bleach Should Be Used?

Apply the plain (and generally least expensive) unscented household chlorine bleach with at least 5% sodium hypochlorite found in supermarkets; do NOT buy fresh scent, lemon or other scented chlorine products.

How Much Chlorine Do I Use?

When using ordinary laundry bleach, iii pints should be added for every 100 gallons of water in the well. To decide the amount of continuing water in your well, follow the steps below.

the shock chlorination process

Make up one's mind the depth of h2o in your well, which is the altitude from the bottom of the well to the h2o level. To find this information, measure the distance from the ground level to the water level (distance "b" in the diagram). Subtract "b" from the well depth "a" to find the total depth of the water: a - b = c. If you lot exercise not know the depth of your well, but y'all know the well drilling company who constructed it, contact that visitor. Well drillers frequently keep records of all the wells they drill. If you tin can?t observe any records most your well, contact a licensed well driller to assistance you in taking the appropriate measurements.
Make up one's mind your well'due south storage per foot of water. This number is based on the bore of your well. Generally, there are 2 types of wells: drilled and bored. The inside diameter of the casing (well pipe) of a drilled well is typically betwixt 4 and x inches. Bored wells are larger, ranging from 12 to 36 inches. Refer to the post-obit table to determine your well?s storage per foot of water.

Drilled Well/Pipage		Bored Well
Diameter (inches)	Storage per foot of water (gal/ft)*	Diameter (inches)	Storage per foot of water (gal/ft)
4"	0.653	12"	v.88
v"	one.02	16"	x.5
half-dozen"	1.47	20"	16.3
7"	2.00	24"	23.5
8"	2.61	28"	32.0
9"	three.thirty	32"	41.8
10"	4.08	36"	52.9
* If your well diameter is not listed in the above tabular array, or if y'all use a cistern or reservoir, you will need to contact your local Extension office for more data.

Multiply your total depth of water "c" times your storage per foot of water "s." For this example we will assume that "c" is 204 ft. The product will be the volume of h2o in your well: 204 × 1.47 = 300 gal.
Cascade 3 pints of bleach into your well for every 100 gallons of water and add three extra pints to care for the household plumbing such as the pressure level tank, hot h2o heater and pipes. If the volume of water in your well is 300 gallons, you will add 9 pints of bleach to care for the well and three actress pints for the plumbing for a full of 12 pints or ane.five gallons:

300 x three	+ three = 12 pts = 1.5 gal
100

If the depth of the h2o in the well is unknown, use a volume of bleach equal to two times the 150 ft water depth for the advisable casing diameter. For example, an 8-inch casing diameter with 150 ft water depth would crave ane.85 gallons of household bleach. If the water depth is unknown, the required corporeality of bleach volition be ane.85 × ii = 3.7 gallons. Exercise not utilize bleach in excess of the recommended amount considering it is not necessary and will crave additional flushing earlier household utilize.

The Shock Chlorination Process

CLEAN: Remove all loose or foreign debris from the well business firm, spring firm or storage tank. Turn the pump circuit breaker off and remove the well cap or cover. Then scrub the accessible interior surface with strong chlorine solution (1/2 gallon chlorine bleach per 5 gallons clean water). If the well does not have a sanitary cap in good status it must exist replaced with a new ane to avoid recontamination.
CALCULATE AND Pour: Pour 3 pints of chlorine bleach per 100 gallons of water plus an additional 3 pints into your well as described above.
MIX: Attach a make clean garden hose to the outdoor faucet nearest the well and place the end of the hose inside the well. Turn the faucet on, then turn the pump back on and allow water run until y'all smell chlorine coming out of the hose. Using the hose, wash downwardly the interior of the well casing for about 15 minutes and close the outdoor faucet.
Circulate: Let the solution to circulate throughout the system. Open each faucet, first outside, then inside the house (both hot and cold), one at a time, and let the water run. Shut each faucet later on a potent chlorine odor is detected. Flush the toilets 1 at a time. If a strong chlorine odor cannot be detected at each faucet and toilet, pour an boosted 3 pints of bleach into the well and attempt again.
FLUSH AND FINISH: Turn the pump circuit breaker off, return the well cap or put the comprehend back in place. Allow chlorinated h2o to remain in the system for 12 to 24 hours. Turn the pump circuit breaker on. Rid the organisation of the remaining chlorine by turning on exterior faucets, one at a time, and letting them run until you no longer aroma chlorine. Finally, run the indoor faucets, one at a time, until h2o is clear and the chlorine smell is gone. Flush each toilet. Do non run more than 100 gallons of chlorinated water into your septic system or allow it to drain into a stream, pond or lake through a drainage ditch. To conserve the water, you may run information technology into a storage tank and utilise it to water vegetation later on the chlorine dissipates.

Sources

"Stupor Chlorination of Home Wells, Springs and Cisterns," University of Georgia Cooperative Extension.

"Stupor Chlorination of Domestic Water Supplies," Cooperative Extension Service, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Virginia Household Water Quality Programme: Shock Chlorination: Disinfecting Private Household Water Supply Systems. Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and Country University.

WDNR. 2008. Well Chlorination in Arsenic Sensitive Areas. PUB-DG-069 2002 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resource.