Chlorination of 4" and 5" house wells

Coliform bacteria are the most common problem with well water. All wells develop coliform bacteria over time. Some wells will develop a rotten egg odor in the water. A water conditioner or softener may help this problem, but the only cure for both problems is chlorine. Here is a step by step procedure you can follow to chlorinate your well.

H3: Items Needed Are:     

1. 1/2-gallon chlorine or Clorox bleach (LIQUID ONLY)

2. Garden hose

3. Pair of pliers

The first step is to bypass your water softener and turn off the ice maker. Then, locate the cap of your well. 

The cap is located outside of your home, white in color and sticks up 8-12 inches in your yard or landscaping. Once you have located your well cap, you will notice two stainless steel screws. Remove them; you will need pliers to do this. Once the screws have been removed, the top portion of the well cap will lift off and you will be able to see two openings, a small 1” in diameter and a larger (4”or 5") in diameter with 3 wires (red, black and green). Push the 3 wires out of the way to avoid chlorine or water from contacting wire nut connections. 

You will also notice a stainless-steel cable. DO NOT PULL ON THIS CABLE!!

 

The next step is to take your garden hose and hook it to an outside faucet. Put the other end of the hose into the large 4” opening of the well (that the cap was covering). The hose can be pushed down into the well 2 to 3 feet. Once the hose is in position, turn on the water spigot. You will be able to hear the water running down the well. 

Next, pour one gallon of chlorine into the large 4” or 5" opening. The chlorine will not harm the wires or cable. The water from the hose will mix the chlorine with the water in the well. Let this mixing process continue for 10-15 minutes. Once the time has passed, turn off the garden hose and remove it from the well, place the cap back on and reinstall the two screws 

Next go into your home and run every faucet until you smell chlorine and then shut every faucet off. This will sanitize all your plumbing. The amount of the time the chlorine remains in your plumbing is called contact time. This time can vary to fit your schedule, 8-24 hours, the longer the better. After this time has passed, flush the chlorinated water from your plumbing, first, hook up your garden hose to the outside spigot and let run for 4-8 hours, longer if needed until no chlorine is present, then run as many faucets inside as possible and run a cycle or two for the washer and dishwasher (empty) and ice maker.

 

Note: You can flush toilets during contact time. DO NOT drink the water, take a shower or wash clothing or dishes until chlorine is out of the system. You may need to repeat process throughout the year. ( We recommend annually ).