Getting my well shocked

[hillegom]

I have never had a well, so cannot comment. But I had a septic tank for 30 years. During that time, I only had it pumped out 3 times. Two that I remember, but that seemed low, so 3 it is.
If the septic tank is not overworked, ie proper size tank for the occupants, and you do not overload it, it should run fine. To me even once a year seems very high.

[my2rotties]

Hahhaaa the company that cleans septic tanks said once a year... there are only two of us living in the house as well. When we bought the house part of the inspection was to have the septic system looked at by a professional. You do what they they tell you to do... I knew someone that had their septic tank back up into the basement. It was really nasty. When I do water changes I do let about 50-90g of water go into the septic tank... I make sure nobody is showering or I am doing laundry that particular day.

What did you do to ensure you had enough bacteria and such for the septic tank. I am blown away you only did three cleanings for 30 years WOW!!! Maybe you had a really big field or something. I better do some more reading on septic tanks... what a crappy to have to read about... literally.

Originally Posted by hillegom

I have never had a well, so cannot comment. But I had a septic tank for 30 years. During that time, I only had it pumped out 3 times. Two that I remember, but that seemed low, so 3 it is.
If the septic tank is not overworked, ie proper size tank for the occupants, and you do not overload it, it should run fine. To me even once a year seems very high.

[Skimmerking]

Diana i had the same problem before when I lived in the country down east. Its the water tables letting thespring run off in ande flooding too. trust me i know the smell. what i did was run a water softner for the whole house only during the spring. it went away.

[my2rotties]

I already have a water softener, and it is not helping. The smell is not too bad, but I honestly thought I must have some really bad BO when I hit the shower I am just concerned it might effect the water that goes into the tank. I am getting a new RO/DI system just to make sure. The smell is only in the hot water, not the cold water.

Originally Posted by asmodeus

Diana i had the same problem before when I lived in the country down east. Its the water tables letting thespring run off in ande flooding too. trust me i know the smell. what i did was run a water softner for the whole house only during the spring. it went away.

[Slick Fork]

All shocking a well is, is chlorinating it. You can do this very easily yourself with a 5 gallon bucket and the chlorine you get for swimming pools. Mix a strong concentration in the bucket and pour it down the well. Let the well sit for a day or two without using any water, obviously this works best if leaving for a weekend. What I do as well is run some water through the house until I can smell a little chlorine in each tap to disinfect the pipes.

Once a day or two has passed, use a garden hose to drain the chlorinated water onto the lawn as you don't want it ending up in the septic tank. Not the end of the world if it ends up in there though, I've actually dumped "Prime" into the sink to de-chlorinate the water ending up in the septic system. Don't know if it did anything but I felt better about it.

[my2rotties]

Excellent info... I guess I should wait until the snow melts and to get my new RO/DI unit. How long will the chlorine stay in the system for? It seems like an easy fix but I better start researching a little bit about it...

Originally Posted by Slick Fork

All shocking a well is, is chlorinating it. You can do this very easily yourself with a 5 gallon bucket and the chlorine you get for swimming pools. Mix a strong concentration in the bucket and pour it down the well. Let the well sit for a day or two without using any water, obviously this works best if leaving for a weekend. What I do as well is run some water through the house until I can smell a little chlorine in each tap to disinfect the pipes.

Once a day or two has passed, use a garden hose to drain the chlorinated water onto the lawn as you don't want it ending up in the septic tank. Not the end of the world if it ends up in there though, I've actually dumped "Prime" into the sink to de-chlorinate the water ending up in the septic system. Don't know if it did anything but I felt better about it.

[Funky_Fish14]

The smell might only be in the hot water because heat causes separation of molecules/expansion of gasses and makes it more noticeable?

How deep is your well?

+ Do not pour saltwater into septic tanks.

[SeaShell]

Water wells need to have regular maintenance. I work for Alberta Environment, and if you want to send me your mailing address in a PM, I'll send you a Waterwells for Life book.

Take a look in the back of the tank on one of your toilets. It should be clean. If there is a black slime, you have a bacteria problem.

Also, if only your hot water is smelling, you may have to clean your hot water tank. Bacteria can grow in them as well.

You may also receive information on shocking your well from your local Health authority.