We just purchased a small house with a well Doug 1 year ago. On our fourth day in the house, the water turned brown while my wife was in the shower, and the cold water became non-existent. When I opened the filter, the bottom had an inch of mud inside.
Do I have a problem with the well, or could it be that the limited use of the water in an almost vacant house allowed the backup? The previous owner uour chased the house for fix-up and investment, and was there limited time.

Hi Dhreachmack

I guess I would have to advise you to discard that old filter and run the water through the outside faucet and the interior faucets for a little while to clear all the hot and cold water lines (may need to remove the aerators). You may also want to flush the water heater at this time, too!

Next, install a new filter and see how things go... may not be an issue at all here!

Plan on purchasing a few new filters because, on average, you want to change them out every 6 months (or less)... ;)

If the sediment filter clogs in an unusually quick time then pop back to let us discuss it with you.

Check back over the next day or two for other answers from some of the other guys, too, OK?

Mark

Ok, tx for the info. This is a vacation house, therefore I am not up there every weekend, but I will get back to you once I try flushing out the system.

We just purchased a small house with a well Doug 1 year ago. On our fourth day in the house, the water turned brown while my wife was in the shower, and the cold water became non-existent. When I opened the filter, the bottom had an inch of mud inside.
Do I have a problem with the well, or could it be that the limited use of the water in an almost vacant house allowed the backup? The previous owner uour chased the house for fix-up and investment, and was there limited time.
Follow Marks advice and flush out your water lines.
But replacing the filter may be a short repair if your water table has dropped and your well's silting up. It might pay you to call in a well company to check the well out. Good luck, Tom

Talked to the well driller a little while ago. He believes the well is only having a sediment issue due to lack of use. He suggests I bleed it from the pressure tank to determine if there is an issue.