Hello folks, I have been hiding on the out skirts and now it is time for some questions so I finally registered.
I am fixing up my folks old place (mobile home w/60 acres) and getting ready to move there. This place is 150 miles from where I live now and I only get up there about 30 days a year and usually on the weekends.
There are some problems with the well that I need to get taken care of.
The first thing is the well. Here is some info on the well.
Installed in 1998
6 casing and 450 ft deep.
Guaranteed for 1 year to produce a minimum of 1500 gal per day.
From what I understand, on the well papers, the casing is only 15 ft. the rest is rock and lime stone.
The pump is set at 300 ft. (Webtrol pump model 52S513T 5 amp, 230 volt)
Instead of a pressure tank there is a bladder (Webtrol TANK-E-LIMINATOR model 60TA5-1) about 36" from the top of casing, hanging from the pitless adapter.
Inside the mobile home is a water softener. (Fleck 5600 Econominder 32,000 grain)
About a year ago I noticed it felt like, while taking a shower, the soap was not washing off. Some weekends it was ok, other weekends it was not. This went on for about 6 months. I thought the softener was not working and disconnected it in June 2007. In August there was a lot of sediment coming from the kitchen faucet so I installed a filter (OMNIFILTER Model U25, series B) where the water softener was. After running the water about 30 minutes the filter was clogged and I had no water pressure. Upon pulling the well cap I noticed the bladder was leaking. It was at this time I noticed the pump was running continuously. The leak was, I assume, running down the wall of the well which washed lose partials of limestone into the water. I flipped the well breaker off and pulled the wires, to keep someone from turning it on till I fixed the leak. So the pump has been off since August of 2007.
Looking around for a replacement bladder I found that most people use tanks instead. In order to replace the bladder with a tank I will have do a lot of digging, plumbing and build a well house. In this area I would worry about the tank ( I do not want to put a tank inside )and pipes freezing when I am not there, which could be 2 or 3 months.
Now for some questions.
1 Are there advantages / disadvantages to the tank over the bladder?
2 I plan to use my front end loader to pull the bladder up enough to get to it. But how do I hold the pipe and pump from falling if I have the black plastic pipe, which I believe I do?
3 How much will 300 ft of 1 ï½¼ pipe, filled with water, and the pump weigh? My guess is about 300 pounds.
4 Was the softener causing the slimy feeling when taking a shower?
5 Does the softener tank ever need to be replaced?
6 Is there another type of softener that does not use salt?
This is enough questions for now and any help is appreciated.