Water well pic and question - how could this vent work?

Howard Sterndrive

Rear Admiral
Joined
Nov 5, 2008
Messages
4,603
I have a 70' drilled well with a pump at 66' depth. There's a puddle on the lawn so I' going to run a new supply line to the house above ground for now to see if it dries up.
Here are the connections atop my well. The vent appears to be connected to the pressure line.
There is a check valve in it like a vacuum breaker, but I can't see how it would ever open.
Does my well need a vent? I have been told it is artesian so maybe the water is pushing up around the well...maybe I need a different style well cap with a vent connection. weird to me...
well.jpg
 

rbh

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Mar 21, 2009
Messages
7,939
Re: Water well pic and question - how could this vent work?

I am thinking (depending on which way the check valve is supposed to be working) that it either blows water/preasure off if your pump goes wacky or you can prime the line in the event the well goes dry for a period.
 

Howard Sterndrive

Rear Admiral
Joined
Nov 5, 2008
Messages
4,603
Re: Water well pic and question - how could this vent work?

yeah...well, I wondered how a shutoff could be there when the pressure switch is in the basement...so over pressure blow off makes sense,
I'm starting to think that line I have labeled "to house" is not the line to the house. I'm wondering if that's some sort of artesian overflow line.
maybe the line to the house is deeper- and runs off the side of the casing or something?

anyway - going back out to hook a hose to that nipple and see if if it pushes water to the surface when I open the valve and/or turn on the pump - that will tell me what is what
 

rbh

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Mar 21, 2009
Messages
7,939
Re: Water well pic and question - how could this vent work?

Most areas that get winter conditions have their water lines at least 5 feet below the ground level, an open area like your rings would not do very good to protect against freezing tempratures.
Is there a T-bar to an undeground shutoff valve anywhere in the gravel?
 

Howard Sterndrive

Rear Admiral
Joined
Nov 5, 2008
Messages
4,603
Re: Water well pic and question - how could this vent work?

ok - that line is definitely not to house. It is certainly an artesian overflow. It flows like mad when the pump is off. When I run the faucets in the house, it actually almost stops. So my pressure line is deeper somewhere - and probably just fine.
This has solved a huge mystery for me and has probably just saved me $25,000 (what I was just quoted for a new septic system)
My septic field has been under water for 3 months despite the dry spring here. This overflow must have either ended in the septic field area, or have been broken back there for some time.
It never made sense to me that the water table could have just magically "risen".... I suspect it's my well that has been flooding me out - my sump pump has been running much more in the last 18 months than ever... it'll probably get the vacation of its life now.

Now I just have to run a new overflow... no easy task either, but I'm actually thinking I will bring it around the house with a heat line - heatline is expensive too, but not $25,000! and no heavy equipment needed. this could be a good day at my house...
 

Howard Sterndrive

Rear Admiral
Joined
Nov 5, 2008
Messages
4,603
Re: Water well pic and question - how could this vent work?

wow - I'm running that overflow into a pail - 1 gallon per minute
that's 1440 gal per day
over a half a million gallons per year

I wondered why when I dug up part of my septic field, the water looked clean and clear and smelled very unoffensive...

just hope my field can recover from the abuse.

anyone want some water?
 

The_Kid

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Apr 18, 2008
Messages
447
Re: Water well pic and question - how could this vent work?

Before you put a new overflow line in, is there some way to attach a temporary hose or pipes to drain it away from the septic field? That way you can be sure that it's the cause.
 

duke33

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 2, 2012
Messages
353
Re: Water well pic and question - how could this vent work?

That must be one heck of a well. I agree with the kid on the temporary check.
 

rbh

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Mar 21, 2009
Messages
7,939
Re: Water well pic and question - how could this vent work?

I was thinking last night about the "artesian" issue, as it is spring, the ground preasure do to the spring melt off may possibly dwindle down to nothing in the next few weeks or so as soon as the water table balances out.
 

Howard Sterndrive

Rear Admiral
Joined
Nov 5, 2008
Messages
4,603
Re: Water well pic and question - how could this vent work?

I'm running the overflow through a 1" plastic line into the house now and dumping it via gravity into the sump discharge line which drains out 100 ft past the septic field. I put a check valve in so the sump pump can't backfeed the well vent.
I'm monitoring it - might make a good geothermal source for a heat pump if consistent.
I keep feeling the plastic line and it is cold - so still a healthy flow, but unsure if it will flow like this all year. According to the neighbor, it is a year-round deal and the previous owner had a flooding issue that caused a washout under the front porch of the house and that's when this overflow line was installed (about 20 years ago). And of course, where it probably goes, heavy equipment and trucks and such have driven across several times over the last decade. I also have no idea how deep the whole line would have been.
My sump pump is cycling approx 1/2 as often as it was 2 days ago. I'm glad my weeping tile works well- never a drop of water in this basement.

5 days of sunshine in the forecast, so it will be interesting to monitor the test well I dug in my septic field. It hasn't gone down yet.
 

CharlieB

Vice Admiral
Joined
Apr 10, 2007
Messages
5,617
Re: Water well pic and question - how could this vent work?

O.K. I am confused as to why an overflow is even necessary, much less allowed to waste good water.

I grew up in Yakima, WA., in the West Valley. WV Water Co. has three artesian wells, and does not waste a drop, no overflow. The wells are capped off to the pumps. I do not know what their well deadheaded pressure is, pressure to the homes stays right around 60 - 70 psi.

I can relate an story where a guy obtained a permit for X # GPH and began drilling, not knowing there was an artesian. The pressure blew out his drill and ran over flow for almost a week before he could get it capped off. He ended up getting fined by DNR for the water flow that was in excess of his permit until he got it capped.

Moral of story, do not allow any flow over the permit.

Note, if you insist on connecting the overflow to the sump discharge, please look into installing a certified anti-backflow valve as any backflow could contaminate not only your water supply but possibly others drawing from the same aquifer.
 

Howard Sterndrive

Rear Admiral
Joined
Nov 5, 2008
Messages
4,603
Re: Water well pic and question - how could this vent work?

O.K. I am confused as to why an overflow is even necessary, much less allowed to waste good water.

my guess is there's only 10 or 15 feet of steel well casing here. I am told, once the hit bedrock, they don't put any more steel in. The fear with capping the well is that water will push up and around the well casing and the house could collapse into a sink-hole. I want to drain it - I don't want the pressure there.
 

Fishing Dude too

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
May 13, 2011
Messages
1,035
Re: Water well pic and question - how could this vent work?

my guess is there's only 10 or 15 feet of steel well casing here. I am told, once the hit bedrock, they don't put any more steel in. The fear with capping the well is that water will push up and around the well casing and the house could collapse into a sink-hole. I want to drain it - I don't want the pressure there.

Graowing up helped dad on many wells never a set up like this, most well caps aren;t tight enough to not let the well vent. Wondering if this was somthing so if well went dry to put water in to use as tank or somthing. Suspecting either way check valve it bad or instaled incorectlly.
 

CharlieB

Vice Admiral
Joined
Apr 10, 2007
Messages
5,617
Re: Water well pic and question - how could this vent work?

my guess is there's only 10 or 15 feet of steel well casing here. I am told, once the hit bedrock, they don't put any more steel in. The fear with capping the well is that water will push up and around the well casing and the house could collapse into a sink-hole. I want to drain it - I don't want the pressure there.

Exactly what happened to the guy in the Wenas Valley, the pressure blew everything out.

So the intent of the original installer was Minimal pressure on the well casing when the pump is off. Makes sense now.
 

Howard Sterndrive

Rear Admiral
Joined
Nov 5, 2008
Messages
4,603
Re: Water well pic and question - how could this vent work?

most well caps aren;t tight enough to not let the well vent.
mine either.. I can wiggle the vent pipe in the seal... it is just a dirt seal really
if I don't pipe the water away, that 1400 gallons per day will push through the top and be in my front yard.. not good...

things continue to dry up here - my sump pump has all but stopped.
 
Top