Disinfecting Drilled Wells

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How do I disinfect a drilled well?

Calculate the amount of water in the well by multiplying the gallons per foot by the depth of the well in feet. For example, a well with a 6-inch diameter contains 1.5 gallons of water per foot. If the well is 120 feet deep, multiply 1.5 gallons per foot by 120 feet to get 180 gallons.

CHLORINE BLEACH TO DISINFECT A DRILLED WELL
Diameter of well (in inches)	Gallons (per foot)
3	0.37
4	0.65
5	1.0
6	1.5
8	2.6
10	4.1
12	6.0

For each 100 gallons of water in the well, use the amount of chlorine bleach (liquid or granules) indicated in the table below.

AMOUNT OF DISINFECTANT REQUIRED FOR EACH 100 GALLONS OF WATER
Chemical	Amount
Laundry bleach (5.25% Chlorine)	3 cups (*)
Hypochloride Granules (70% Chlorine)	2 ounces (**)
(*) 1 cup = 8 ounce measuring cup (**) 1 ounce = 2 heaping tablespoons of granules

• Mix the total amount of liquid or granules with about 10 gallons of water.
• Remove the access nut on the well casing top.
• Use a funnel and pour the solution into the top of the well.
• Connect a hose to a faucet on the discharge side of the pressure tank and insert it into the well casing top.
• Start the pump. Spray the water back into the well and wash the sides of the casing for at least 15 minutes.
• Open every faucet in the system and let the water run until the smell of chlorine can be detected.
• Close all the faucets and seal the top of the well.
• Let the chlorinated water stand in the system several hours, preferably overnight.
• After letting the water stand, turn on the pump and open all faucets. Let the water run until all odor of chlorine
  disappears. Be sure to adjust the flow of water from faucets of fixtures that discharge into septic tank systems to a
  low flow to avoid overloading the drain field.
• After 5 days of normal usage, test water for coliform.