Ask Me Help Desk - Black particles in well water

Black particles in well water

Hello there,
Recently our temperatures have been down in the negatives and the pump to our well froze for a couple hours. We got it opened back up but have noticed black soot like sediment in the water. At first it came out in dark clouds and now it almost looks like small flecks of pepper in the water. We usually have amazing water and I was wondering if anyone knew what it was and why it was happening. It seems to be only the cold water but I am not certain on this and can check if it makes a difference. I am pregnant and concerned about drinking the water without knowing what these particles are. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I would suspect that you have a ruptured pipe between the well and the house due to the freezing. Now soil is being drawn into the system.

I will look into that. I am no plumber but the particles look more like tiny flakes to me and when they first came out of the faucets they were almost like a poof of black. They settled in the bottom of the bathtub and toilet and look like soot.if it were soil would it be more like mud? The water is otherwise perfectly clear, aside from the black particles.

I agree soil should look like mud. What part of your system froze, pipes, tank, or pump? What type of pump do you have, submersible or surface? What kind of piping?

Quote:

Originally Posted by hkstroud

I agree soil should look like mud. What part of your system froze, pipes, tank, or pump? What type of pump do you have, submersible or surface? What kind of piping?

We have galvanized pipe inside the house and regular pipe outside.. the pump is what froze. I'm not sure what kind of pump it is but its in our pump house and it above ground if that helps. It has metal pipes and a pressure gauge... next to it is a large blue tank that I'm guessing has something to do with the well because our hot water heater is inside.

How about iron flakes? I get one or two in each big pot of water, and I think it's a standard component of well water. You might get more from any iron parts that rusted and worked loose when work was done.

Quote:

regular pipe outside

I don't know what that means. If I had to guess I would guess that you have either galvanized pipe or polyethylene (black plastic).

Rust from inside the galvanized would appear brown, not black.

The polyethylene may or may not burst from freezing. I don't think it would disintegrate from freezing.

That leaves the pump and the tank as possible sources of the black specks.

It could only be the pump if it has a plastic impeller. Unless the pump is a very cheap one I would not expect the impeller to be plastic but I suppose it could be.

Inside the tank is a rubber bladder, sort of like a balloon. Again I would not expect it to disintegrate from freezing.

To isolate the source of the black particles,
First, make a note of the pressure that the pump comes on and the pressure that it turns off.

The tank should have a drain valve on it or on the piping between the pump and the tank.

Turn the breakers to the pump off. Attach a hose to the drain valve and drain the tank into a bucket. Look for black particles. If there are black particles you will know that they came from the tank, the pump or the well. If no black particles start looking at the piping to the house for the source.

If you find the black in the bucket, turn the breakers to the pump back on. Leave the drain open and again pump water into the bucket. If you find black it is coming from the pump or the well.
If you don't find black after pumping directly from the well, it is probably coming from the tank.
Turn pump breakers off. On the tank you will find a valve stem, just like on a car tire. Using a tire pressure gauge see what air pressure is in the tank. The gauge should read two pounds less than the pressure at which the pump comes on.
If the gauge reads zero you have a ruptured bladder in the tank. The black particles may be from the bladder.

I have a different take on this than the other experts. I believe that water froze in the impeller cage and when the pump turned back on the impellers hit against the ice and now you're seeing bits of them show up in your water. You can try running the cold water and flushing the flakes out or call a pump guy to check it out. Let me know what you come up with. Good luck, Tom

I had a friend come take a look and he said that he thinks that it is residue from the inside of the pipes. He said he thought that it was from the pressure of the water that is causing the residue to come off the inside of the pipes. He said it should flush out and that I can get a filter until its clear again. Does this sound right to anyone? I think that if I can't figure out what's going on I'll have to call someone and have someone to come look at it. Thanksfor everyones help.

Let us know what happens please.

I'd open an outside faucet and let it run an hour or so. I think you just have some "crud" which broke free from pipes, the pump, the tank, etc. when it froze. Let it run awhile. I'm betting it will clear up. Remove the aerators from your faucets and let them run awhile as well.

Several years ago my 50 year old drilled well suddenly started producing black particles. I noticed because my whole house cartridge filter started turning black. It didn't seem to clog the filter. I change the filter about every 6 months and it hasn't been necessary to change it more often than I did before the black began. When I dry the cartridge the string filter has these black granules. If you rub your hands on it they get the black on them and you have to wash it off. They seem like they are mildly attracted to a magnet. The tanks on my toilets get their water ahead of the filter and the walls are black coated with this material and this coating is somewhat slimy. Using detergent to clean toilet tanks does not seem to help. Only physical scrubbing seems to be most effective in cleaning.

I had a water expert who sells water treatment systems look at it and his thoughts that it might be manganese. The water has no off taste.
My water is high in calcium (limestone) and I use an ion exchange water softener after it goes through the cartridge filter.
I'm puzzled what this black stuff is and why it suddenly started to appear.

Quote:

I had a water expert who sells water treatment systems look at it and his thoughts that it might be manganese.

Manganese. Huh? Did that come from the water or the pipe walls? What material are impellers made of? I believe that flushing the lines is a good start. I'll learn from this thread, so please keep me informed. Thank you, Tom

I don 't think flushing the lines will help if it is in the water to start with. My lines are all copper. I originally thought it might be coming from the bladder in my pressure tank, but I replaced the tank and it did not correct the problem.
My well is about 75 feet deep. The steel casing and cap are in a pit about 8 feet below the surface of the ground. The pump is a Sears jet pump and probably 30 years old. I don't know what material the impellers are made of.

jensor

Flushing the lines is only the first step in isolating the problem. If Flushing doesn't help then will try something else. I was asking our pump expert about the impellers.
To eliminate one possibility, why not have your water checked? Let's see if we can isolate the problem between the pump and the well. Let me know what you find. Good luck, Tom

When I replace the cartridge filter, I have left the cartridge out and turn the water back on with the nearest faucet wide open thus flushing that section of line between the pressure tank and the filter. This hasn't resolved the problem. I've had the water tested for health safety and no coliform was found.

jensor