Blog

Has your well started pumping sand or maybe grit? Do you find sediments in your water? If yes, then it is important to identify the cause and resolve this problem, because it can potentially cause health problems and financial loss as well. Yes, sand particles in your well water can damage your good pump, well fixtures, and well wall screening. 

Therefore, in order to avoid these problems and get clean well water, you must identify the cause and find an appropriate solution to the problem. Do you know how to do that? If you do not, then this post will help you through it. This post offers insights about the potential causes of sand segregates in well water and ways to resolve the problem.

Potential Causes of Sand or Grit in Well Water

Sand or grit pumping from the well water is quite a common problem but it can be caused due to several reasons. The following are some common causes of sand and grit sedimentation in well water.

• Improper Well Pump Placement: The performance of a good pump depends on its placement, too. If the good pump is installed at a lower location inside the well, then the pump suction can suck in sand particles from the lower surface. Well, pumps are submersible type, therefore, they have high suction pressure that can suck grit easily. Therefore, the pump must be installed at a calculated distance according to the suction pressure of the pump. In general, well pump installation height is 10 to 20 feet over the base surface.
• Inappropriate Size or Pressure of The Well-Pump: Inlet valve of the well-pump is important to be in calculated dimensions. If the inlet valve has too large diameter then heavy and bulky sand sediments can easily pass through it. Also, the pump suction pressure has to be appropriate for suction of water only, it shall not lift the sand particles. However, even if pump suction pressure is not a flexible characteristic of well submersible pumps, it is important that it is not too much.
• Degradation of Well Wall Screen: Well wall casing is a PVC plastic cover that is fixed on the good walls with the help of steep and iron fixtures. It is to avoid sand particles falling off the well-walls or cemented construction. The PVC plastic degrades over time due to water pressure and sand particles. This causes the sand to fall off the constructed well walls.

Now that the potential problems are known, you can get a professional well inspector to identify the cause of sand pumping through the well.

Ways to Prevent Sand and Sediment Pumping in Well Water

Once the problem and its causes are identified by the inspector or the operator, then one of the following options can be opted for solving the problem.

• Well Screen Replacement: If in case the cause behind sand and grit pumping through well water is identified to be degraded screen then it can be replaced to avoid the future problem. If the well is too old or the walls are damaged, then new well-wall construction may be suggested by the experts.
• Pump Height Readjustment or Replacement: If the pump is located too close to the base, then the pump can be adjusted to the expected height. However, it can be an expensive option for some, since this comes with changes in pumping pipelines too. If in case the pump valve is too big, then pump replacement can be considered. Although, this is also an overly expensive solution it can resolve the problem in the long term.
• Use of Centrifugal Sand Separator: Centrifugal sand separator is a device that features peripheral mesh to filter sand particles. The water is swirled inside the separator cage by centrifugal/vortex action that throws out the water and keeps the sand particles inside the sage. The reverse action centrifugal action separators are also available. The use of these devices can help in getting rid of 98% sand particle of size over 74 microns.
• Filter Screen Installation: The filter screen installation with a flush valve can be used in place of a centrifugal sand separator. On opening the flush valve, the water rushes inside it, and the filter mesh separating it from sand particles. You can avail filter screens in various mesh sizes ranging from 60 to 100 microns.

Now that you know the equipment that is helpful in preventing sand and grit pumping in well water, you must buy this equipment from trusted suppliers like Cannon Water Technology, Inc. The company offers a wide range of filtration systems including centrifugal sand separators from SandMaster collection. The company is one of the leading providers of industrial and commercial water treatment equipment in the US.