BTW! Be careful when dumping bleach(sodium hypochlorite) down the pipe & onto the wires. Bleach is highly conductive & can cause sparks & potential fire if wire connections are not truely sealed. It's probably best to use a funnel w/ a 2ft hose so you don't have an issue or at the very least, turn the circuit breaker off.
Thank you so much for your video! Coming from city water to well water, I’m still learning a lot. We had a lot of rust coming from our pipes and it left stains everywhere. I did not know it was iron bacteria! I followed everything you said and no more stains! I’ve been suffering lately from frequent UTIs and have been wondering if the iron bacteria had something to do with it. Our water was really bad, even coming out orange when we first turned it on! I feel so much better knowing our water is clean now!
Oh Christy I can feel your frustration! I only shocked the well once last summer and it's already orange again, sigh. I think I have to do it at least twice a year. I spoke to a plumber, he said one way to clean the water is to install a salt water softener, but they're expensive and I remember the last place where I lived, the water always tasted salty. I use my Brita filter when the orange menace starts to creep back lol. I'm so happy you enjoyed the video, here's to clean water! ☺ I do hope you only need to shock your well once a year! PS: Interested about the UTI's...I don't have that problem thankfully. Not sure if that's connected or not!
I do have a saltwater softener and it still didn’t prevent the orange water. I’ve been through 3 rounds of antibiotics and each time I stopped taking them, I got the UTI back. It is very coincidental that I started getting them once my water started getting bad. Your video was a lifesaver for sure! I plan on doing it more often than once a year, maybe twice like you’re going to do. I am so grateful you made this video and I happen to come across it!!!!
Wow, the saltwater softener doesn't prevent the orange water! That's crazy. Maybe that's why my water at the last place was so salty, it took so much to get rid of it. I remember my white tshirts turning orange in the wash. I sure hope you find a solution for the UTI's...I know that pain. I take cranberry pills every day for prevention. I have to plan the next shocking session soon for my orange water lol! So happy the video helped!! ♥
Just paid a well contractor nearly $300 to come out and shock my well and he put the product down the well and flushed it with the hose for literally less than 5 minutes. Allowed the water to sit in the pipes for nearly 15 hours (chlorinated/treated) before running the water for hours from all faucets. One thing I notice you didn't mention is that it's important to remove the screens from faucets after doing this treatment because the sediment that is churned up will come out. Needless to say, I'm thinking the limited time of flushing the well after using the shock product, for more than a few minutes is likely why my system is still horrible.
Here's the thing...how do we know? We weren't born with any of this knowledge! My well guy said to do it this way, your well guy did it that way...I shocked my well during the summer, and I'm noticing the iron bacteria slowly creeping back, so I still have some learning to do. Yes, you're so right about the screens! See, again, I didn't know that. This is the first time I've done this! But a few months later it occurred to me that they were all clogged, so I cleaned them. It's such a learning process isn't it? Thanks Vix Trilogy for your comment!!
More on the bleach please. What is the concentration of the bleach you used versus regular grocery store chlorox bleach. Where can you get the stuff besides a well store (I have know idea where I would find the stuff or that kind of store). Will a couple gallons of regular bleach work? Thanks
Hi, thanks for your comment! I'm not an expert on this, just so you know! ☺ I don't have the concentration on the bleach, but my "well guy" told me that I could use double the amount of grocery store bleach so I'm guessing it's double strength, sorry I can't be of more help. And I really don't know where you might find it other than a farm coop or a well-supply store!
I learn new things everyday Rain - so happy your research seems to have found the solution for your well water & that you got it tested for safety. Oh my Bleach - I have a water filter on my kitchen tap for drinking water & I notice when I go to someone's place or on our travels too - if there are no water filters on the taps I can sometimes smell the chlorine too in the drinking water (like you did). Your hardwork & research is getting results - Thank you for sharing the process my dear friend 💞
Oh I know Yvie, I HATE bleach...I really hate it. But it has to be done...and yes, you can really taste and smell it sometimes...I was actually a little shocked when I was travelling, I'd forgotten! I guess I have to do this every year now, but that's okay! ♥
How do you test your water? Did you purchase a water test kit? I had my well water tested, and well and septic tank inspected in Feb when I bought this place, $850. Everything was fine. The guy said to add a couple gallons chlorine every so often, but did not elaborate. Thanks for your detailed info.
Hi Elaine! There is a company in the next town that tests the water for potability, for $25. I had it tested when I bought the house in 2020 and not since then. It was fine except for the iron bacteria, which they said wasn't harmful to drink...just made everything orange and slimy. The chlorine is to keep the water from creating bacteria. My well guy said once a year as maintenance, but I find I need to do it twice a year to keep that orange menace away. So happy it was useful to you, thanks for your comment!! ♥
What about the septic tank if you have one. I was told no bleach in septic due to killing bacteria needed for the tank. Wouldn’t this procedure cause a lot of bleach into septic?
You make a good point! Bleach is not good for the bacteria in the septic systems. In my case where I live, I have to weigh the options. "Excessive" use of bleach can cause harm to septic bacteria, that's true. But in my case, the only way to clean the water is yearly/ bi-yearly shocking. I've been here 4 years so far and my septic tank and leech field are still very healthy, I'm happy about that!
@@dcat3510 I relate Dina! It's so frustrating. My basement toilet has a permanent "hue" of orange. At some point I'd love to get a whole house filter, but the rate of iron bacteria in the well is insane, I'd have to be changing the filter weekly and those things are expensive. There's the option of a salt water softener, I've had those before but it really makes the water salty, plus I had really bad skin issues when I had the softener.
@@rainskitchenandgarden you should add septic tank enzymes monthly. They help maintain good bacteria in your septic tank. Definitely add after chlorine is completely flushed to help restore the balance.
VERY good advice. I looked up some enzymes that I can use monthly. I actually read somewhere that people put some dry active yeast down the pipes once a month, wonder if that works! ☺@@jokabomo
Thanks Sondra! Getting the well drilled was crazy expensive, I think 14k in total with the pump, all the plumbing and digging the trench for the plumbing from the well cap to the house. But if it's well taken care of, I hope it lasts my lifetime! ♥
Omg, they’ve never done this hose thing with my well, and mine looks so different, it had a spicket on it and then another pipe to pour the chlorine. I’m so confused what to do now.
Hi Andrea, I think you should stick to what you've been advised to do. This is what my well guy advised for me. And honestly, I have to do this yearly, which I'm getting tired of! One day I will get a water softener so I don't have to bleach anymore! Thanks for your comment, sorry for the confusion! ♥
Doing this is way less of a pain in the ass as a water softener is. I got one and drug it out to the road in less than a year. Buying the salt bags, lugging them around... nope. I put a large water filter in my basement which works pretty good.
@@rainskitchenandgarden Thank you Rain! I hope we can meet up next summer sometime. It would be lovely to meet you. I'm 45 min away from Summerside :) I'm very nervous to move but very excited. Thank you Rain!
@@MariaMedeiros It's going to be great Maria! PEI is such a lovely place, no matter where you are, you are less than an hour's drive from the ocean, it's amazing. Just be prepared for the wind!!! I had many a bad hair day lol...I do hope we'll be able to find time to meet as well! ♥♥ So excited for you!!!
I think you need to mix the bleach with water before adding to the well so you don't corrode your components and well casing. Also others will need to calculate the amount of bleach to use to reach 200ppm for their particular static well water volume.
If you would like to have good drinking water with water that has chlorine presence. Put your water in a pitcher let's stand for a while , then refrigerate. You will never know that it was/ had chlorine in it. Chlorine is a gas that disapates very quickly. We lived in the south for a time and the water supply pipes are not very deep in the ground and they used the river for the source of water. So to have cold water to drink we did this. You can also rest assured your water is safe.
You can also use pool shock, which is 10% to 12% sodium hypochlorite and twice as strong as household bleach. Do not use pool pellets, which are not designed for potable water, or shock your well by adding plain unscented household bleach with a chlorine concentration of 5 to 5.25%.
I don't have a softener so I can't really advise on that Luke. I guess the question to ask, will bleach affect the functioning of the softener? Maybe you can call the manufacturer to find that out!
Hi Claire, I got the bleach where I bought my well pump. I live rural and it's a farm supply store. I'm not sure where you might purchase this at any mainstream type of store. You can use regular bleach, but you'd have to double up the amount. Thanks so much for your comment! ♥
BTW! Be careful when dumping bleach(sodium hypochlorite) down the pipe & onto the wires. Bleach is highly conductive & can cause sparks & potential fire if wire connections are not truely sealed. It's probably best to use a funnel w/ a 2ft hose so you don't have an issue or at the very least, turn the circuit breaker off.
Thank you Shawn! I wasn't told this at all by the "well guy" so I appreciate you mentioning it!
Can not and will not cause sparks
IMHO you might want to invest in a water softener too, it helps with the rusty water. Thanks for making this video.
You're very right Billy thank you. A water softener is on my wish list and I hope to be able to get that installed in the next few years.
Very detailed video that is a lot better than many other videos on shocking a well
Thank you so much!
Thank you so much for your video! Coming from city water to well water, I’m still learning a lot. We had a lot of rust coming from our pipes and it left stains everywhere. I did not know it was iron bacteria! I followed everything you said and no more stains! I’ve been suffering lately from frequent UTIs and have been wondering if the iron bacteria had something to do with it. Our water was really bad, even coming out orange when we first turned it on! I feel so much better knowing our water is clean now!
Oh Christy I can feel your frustration! I only shocked the well once last summer and it's already orange again, sigh. I think I have to do it at least twice a year. I spoke to a plumber, he said one way to clean the water is to install a salt water softener, but they're expensive and I remember the last place where I lived, the water always tasted salty. I use my Brita filter when the orange menace starts to creep back lol. I'm so happy you enjoyed the video, here's to clean water! ☺ I do hope you only need to shock your well once a year! PS: Interested about the UTI's...I don't have that problem thankfully. Not sure if that's connected or not!
I do have a saltwater softener and it still didn’t prevent the orange water. I’ve been through 3 rounds of antibiotics and each time I stopped taking them, I got the UTI back. It is very coincidental that I started getting them once my water started getting bad. Your video was a lifesaver for sure! I plan on doing it more often than once a year, maybe twice like you’re going to do. I am so grateful you made this video and I happen to come across it!!!!
Wow, the saltwater softener doesn't prevent the orange water! That's crazy. Maybe that's why my water at the last place was so salty, it took so much to get rid of it. I remember my white tshirts turning orange in the wash. I sure hope you find a solution for the UTI's...I know that pain. I take cranberry pills every day for prevention. I have to plan the next shocking session soon for my orange water lol! So happy the video helped!! ♥
Just paid a well contractor nearly $300 to come out and shock my well and he put the product down the well and flushed it with the hose for literally less than 5 minutes. Allowed the water to sit in the pipes for nearly 15 hours (chlorinated/treated) before running the water for hours from all faucets. One thing I notice you didn't mention is that it's important to remove the screens from faucets after doing this treatment because the sediment that is churned up will come out. Needless to say, I'm thinking the limited time of flushing the well after using the shock product, for more than a few minutes is likely why my system is still horrible.
Here's the thing...how do we know? We weren't born with any of this knowledge! My well guy said to do it this way, your well guy did it that way...I shocked my well during the summer, and I'm noticing the iron bacteria slowly creeping back, so I still have some learning to do. Yes, you're so right about the screens! See, again, I didn't know that. This is the first time I've done this! But a few months later it occurred to me that they were all clogged, so I cleaned them. It's such a learning process isn't it? Thanks Vix Trilogy for your comment!!
Try using a heated anode in your hot water tank!
More on the bleach please. What is the concentration of the bleach you used versus regular grocery store chlorox bleach. Where can you get the stuff
besides a well store (I have know idea where I would find the stuff or that kind of store). Will a couple gallons of regular bleach work? Thanks
Hi, thanks for your comment! I'm not an expert on this, just so you know! ☺ I don't have the concentration on the bleach, but my "well guy" told me that I could use double the amount of grocery store bleach so I'm guessing it's double strength, sorry I can't be of more help. And I really don't know where you might find it other than a farm coop or a well-supply store!
Really informative- thanks for this
You're welcome! ☺
I learn new things everyday Rain - so happy your research seems to have found the solution for your well water & that you got it tested for safety. Oh my Bleach - I have a water filter on my kitchen tap for drinking water & I notice when I go to someone's place or on our travels too - if there are no water filters on the taps I can sometimes smell the chlorine too in the drinking water (like you did). Your hardwork & research is getting results - Thank you for sharing the process my dear friend 💞
Oh I know Yvie, I HATE bleach...I really hate it. But it has to be done...and yes, you can really taste and smell it sometimes...I was actually a little shocked when I was travelling, I'd forgotten! I guess I have to do this every year now, but that's okay! ♥
How do you test your water? Did you purchase a water test kit? I had my well water tested, and well and septic tank inspected in Feb when I bought this place, $850. Everything was fine. The guy said to add a couple gallons chlorine every so often, but did not elaborate. Thanks for your detailed info.
Hi Elaine! There is a company in the next town that tests the water for potability, for $25. I had it tested when I bought the house in 2020 and not since then. It was fine except for the iron bacteria, which they said wasn't harmful to drink...just made everything orange and slimy. The chlorine is to keep the water from creating bacteria. My well guy said once a year as maintenance, but I find I need to do it twice a year to keep that orange menace away. So happy it was useful to you, thanks for your comment!! ♥
Good to know how to do! Thanks for sharing your process!
Thanks Cara!!! ♥
Big difference! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Ron! ☺
What about the septic tank if you have one. I was told no bleach in septic due to killing bacteria needed for the tank. Wouldn’t this procedure cause a lot of bleach into septic?
You make a good point! Bleach is not good for the bacteria in the septic systems. In my case where I live, I have to weigh the options. "Excessive" use of bleach can cause harm to septic bacteria, that's true. But in my case, the only way to clean the water is yearly/ bi-yearly shocking. I've been here 4 years so far and my septic tank and leech field are still very healthy, I'm happy about that!
@@rainskitchenandgarden I can’t stand the iron and it’s ruining my fixtures, my water pressure and my toilets are all stained. Drives me nuts!!
@@dcat3510 I relate Dina! It's so frustrating. My basement toilet has a permanent "hue" of orange. At some point I'd love to get a whole house filter, but the rate of iron bacteria in the well is insane, I'd have to be changing the filter weekly and those things are expensive. There's the option of a salt water softener, I've had those before but it really makes the water salty, plus I had really bad skin issues when I had the softener.
@@rainskitchenandgarden you should add septic tank enzymes monthly. They help maintain good bacteria in your septic tank. Definitely add after chlorine is completely flushed to help restore the balance.
VERY good advice. I looked up some enzymes that I can use monthly. I actually read somewhere that people put some dry active yeast down the pipes once a month, wonder if that works! ☺@@jokabomo
Thanks. What a beautiful house you own ❤️
Thanks so much! ♥
I am on a rural water company, and more and more its expensive....I wish I had put in a well long ago.....Hope that takes care of the bacteria...
Thanks Sondra! Getting the well drilled was crazy expensive, I think 14k in total with the pump, all the plumbing and digging the trench for the plumbing from the well cap to the house. But if it's well taken care of, I hope it lasts my lifetime! ♥
Very interesting video 👍
Thank you!! ☺
So much good information !!
Thanks Sis! ♥
Omg, they’ve never done this hose thing with my well, and mine looks so different, it had a spicket on it and then another pipe to pour the chlorine. I’m so confused what to do now.
Hi Andrea, I think you should stick to what you've been advised to do. This is what my well guy advised for me. And honestly, I have to do this yearly, which I'm getting tired of! One day I will get a water softener so I don't have to bleach anymore! Thanks for your comment, sorry for the confusion! ♥
Doing this is way less of a pain in the ass as a water softener is. I got one and drug it out to the road in less than a year. Buying the salt bags, lugging them around... nope. I put a large water filter in my basement which works pretty good.
great to know about this Rain! I will be moving very soon and this is good to know. :)
That's great Maria!!! Where are you settling??? Having a well is so nice, a great step ahead from getting away from the grid! ♥
@@rainskitchenandgarden PEI!!!
@@MariaMedeiros Awesome!!! ♥♥♥ I lived in Summerside for a year! It's lovely there, much slower than what you're used to! You're going to love it!! ♥♥
@@rainskitchenandgarden Thank you Rain! I hope we can meet up next summer sometime. It would be lovely to meet you. I'm 45 min away from Summerside :) I'm very nervous to move but very excited. Thank you Rain!
@@MariaMedeiros It's going to be great Maria! PEI is such a lovely place, no matter where you are, you are less than an hour's drive from the ocean, it's amazing. Just be prepared for the wind!!! I had many a bad hair day lol...I do hope we'll be able to find time to meet as well! ♥♥ So excited for you!!!
I think you need to mix the bleach with water before adding to the well so you don't corrode your components and well casing. Also others will need to calculate the amount of bleach to use to reach 200ppm for their particular static well water volume.
Thank you Russell! I followed the instructions of the company that installed the well. What you said makes a lot of sense! ☺
If you would like to have good drinking water with water that has chlorine presence.
Put your water in a pitcher let's stand for a while , then refrigerate.
You will never know that it was/ had chlorine in it.
Chlorine is a gas that disapates very quickly. We lived in the south for a time and the water supply pipes are not very deep in the ground and they used the river for the source of water. So to have cold water to drink we did this. You can also rest assured your water is safe.
Thanks so much for that tip! I'm actually getting ready to shock the well again this year.
You can also use pool shock, which is 10% to 12% sodium hypochlorite and twice as strong as household bleach. Do not use pool pellets, which are not designed for potable water, or shock your well by adding plain unscented household bleach with a chlorine concentration of 5 to 5.25%.
Thanks for the tips!! ☺
Now would be the time to cover the well.
Is it bad for the softner to shock your well?
I don't have a softener so I can't really advise on that Luke. I guess the question to ask, will bleach affect the functioning of the softener? Maybe you can call the manufacturer to find that out!
Yes it is, you will want to set your softener to bypass
Where do you get the good bleach to do this?
Hi Claire, I got the bleach where I bought my well pump. I live rural and it's a farm supply store. I'm not sure where you might purchase this at any mainstream type of store. You can use regular bleach, but you'd have to double up the amount. Thanks so much for your comment! ♥
I use pool shock on my well for iron algae
Interesting! I've never heard of pool shock, must look it up!
Hi, is it Calcium Hydroclorite? I'm looking into this and wondering if you could tell me what you use? Thanks
Great! Now I've gotta pee.
LOL ☺
My water is so bad that I wouldn't drink it from a brita filter. 🤢
Oh Jen, that's a shame. It's so nice to have your own well, but if the water is not potable, it sucks to have to buy water!
turn off your well pump and your water heater b4 you do that too.
Thank you Jay for that important tip!