On 1/5/2011 11:13 AM, jimlux wrote:
> On 1/4/11 7:20 AM, WA2PUQ wrote:
>> Correct me, if I'm wrong, but doesn't the well casing only run down to the
>> bedrock, the pump being possibly much deeper in the hole?
>> If so, even the connected ground and casing might not be of that great a
>> help.
>>
This is another ...It all depends. Much of the country, or maybe most of
if is not mountainous and bed rock is a very long way down so the wells
do not extend all the way to bed rock. Here bed rock (shale) is only
about 470' down. On top of that are various layers of sand, gravel, and
clay. Under that shale are various layers of salt water, crude, and
other noxious stuff with many spots where that *stuff* is leaking out
contaminating ground water. BTW Shallow crude is usually sour (contains
high sulfur content and other *stuff* including bromine)
You may get good water at 50 feet or 150 feet just a few feet over.
These various aquifers usually slope, so what you have at 150 feet may
actually come to the surface only a few miles away, or it could be 20 or
30 miles. By the same token, you may have good water for decades and
then have it turn bad. You may drill a new well and have good water for
30-50 years, and it may only be good for weeks.
These wells have an outer casing as well as in inner one with the
"point" or points attached to it. These points are gasketed to the
casing at the top and can be placed series for more capacity. These
screens are a tube with a network of fairly large holes covered with a
fine screen. These screens can plug up and in areas where there is a
lot of lime in the water they can plug up rapidly. The lime can
sometimes be removed by "acidizing" a well . The acid reacts with the
lime (calcium carbonate) and dissolves it. Any excess acid is quickly
neutralized by the lime in the water. Other times the inner casing with
points attached have to be pulled and the point or points replaced. Then
again lime collects around the points and it may be necessary to drill a
new well which is not cheap. A 150' 3 or 4" well is going to run some
where between $6000 and $10,000 around here. More if there are lots of
rocks.
Agricultural wells in the Great Planes and South West may be 1500 feet
deep or more
But to comment on the strike where the water from the well was cloudy.
The lightning may create enough of a mechanical shock (steam or
magnetic), or electrical impact to actually remove the coating of lime
on the point and inside the well casing. It *may* also blow the screen
right out of the point.
73
Roger (K8RI)
>> Stan
>>
>
> Could be.
> I'm pretty ignorant on wells and such.
>
> I was just wondering what the failure mechanism would be. Is it current
> flowing from the earth into the pump and up the power wires (or vice
> versa)? Or something else?
> _______________________________________________
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> TowerTalk mailing list
> TowerTalk@contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
>
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
|