Debris in well- ? remove

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labtek

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Hello to the group and good day.

I bought a piece of property with an existing drilled well (140 feet) but has not been used for approximately 20 years. It has a submersible pump. While trying to remove the pump, we discovered that over the years mice had gained access to the casing (6 inch) and had been nesting in the upper part of the casing and there was stored seed material in the well above the pump level.

This made removing the pump very difficult. Over the years, the seed material had grown into a mat of unknown thickness.

The pump was not returned to the well because we expected that the screens would be clogged immediately. We also feared losing the pump.

Has anyone ever encountered this problem before or any suggestions as to how to remove the debris. My hope was to be able to use the water to just flush the toilet in my RV. It was not my intention to use the water from this well for drinking.
 
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You need a suction bailer on a sandline to remove that kind of stuff from a well. I have bailed all kinds of stuff out of wells. One time I bailed out about 20’ of rabbits that had fallen down an open well. Lot of eyeballs and fur, it was really disgusting.
 
Same here, only mine were Rats. I would plug that hole and forget it.
 
I think cleaning it out and getting it pumping helped. Plugging the well would just let the soup migrate south with the aquifer. But it probably had already been doing that anyway. :(
 
@Speedbump- thanks for the post however, I do not want to abandon the well before all reasonable options are explored given the cost of a new one. Both you gentlemen seem to suggest using a suction bailer on a sandline. Would a well drilling company have such a device?
 
Some will, the rotary guys probably won't. Look for an old timer cable tool driller. He knows what to do.
 
What are your thoughts about sending high pressure water into the well below the level of the debris? Would that force the debris to the surface and out the top of the casing? There is an abandoned dug surface well near the drilled one as a water source. Thanks.
 
High pressure is not what you need, it's high volume that might help.
 
I have a gas driven water pump with 2 inch inlet and outlet. I'll try sending water down the casing below the debris level and see what happens. I really don't think I have anything to lose. Thanks for the posts.
 
Air would work much better. To float out debris the water needs to be thick like mud. That is why people who drill with water instead of air are called mud drillers.
 

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