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I have a well it is about 100 feet deep. The pump went out at first so I called in a company, they put a larger submergible pump in and dropped it down below the casing into open water and turned it on. It started pumping sand so for the next week they had a hose hooked to it pumping sand and water into the yard. It cleaned up but about a week later that sand was back. I asked them to try and pull the pump up away from the sand (worth a try), well I guess that upset them because they pulled the pump up forcefully and proceeded to tell me that the sand burned up the pump ( I knew better because these pumps are designed to shut off in such cases. So they took their pump that I paid for and left. So I purchased another pump and am now dealing with sand pouring out of my well. I rented a 185 pull behind air compressor to blow the water and sand out of the casing. Now here lies the problem it will not quit pumping up sand. As of right now I have had the air compressor about 10 feet off the bottom pumping it at full tilt. The air blows down and shoots the water out of the casing but I’m still getting a fine gray sand.
Sand sinks in calm water. Pumps want to be enough above the bottom of a well to let normal small amounts of sedimentation happen. That said, in Florida, where the soil is often completely sand, wells will sometimes create a void around the pump before it gets large enough that sand isn't excavated with the water. Excessive draw from a well can still dislodge sand in some cases.
The OP is now in the process of making a crazy large void that could cause all sorts of problems - including a sinkhole - if the well is next to the home, as is common in Florida. A better solution is to stop the attempts to remove infinite amounts of sand, and stick a smaller HP pump back down in the well at about 85 feet, one that won't remove water at a rate that will create a strong enough flow to pull sand. At this point, it may or may not work. I might be tempted to backfill the well with sand and have another drilled in a different area by a well driller who knew the area and pitfalls.
Sand sinks in calm water. Pumps want to be enough above the bottom of a well to let normal small amounts of sedimentation happen. That said, in Florida, where the soil is often completely sand, wells will sometimes create a void around the pump before it gets large enough that sand isn't excavated with the water. Excessive draw from a well can still dislodge sand in some cases.
The OP is now in the process of making a crazy large void that could cause all sorts of problems - including a sinkhole - if the well is next to the home, as is common in Florida. A better solution is to stop the attempts to remove infinite amounts of sand, and stick a smaller HP pump back down in the well at about 85 feet, one that won't remove water at a rate that will create a strong enough flow to pull sand. At this point, it may or may not work. I might be tempted to backfill the well with sand and have another drilled in a different area by a well driller who knew the area and pitfalls.
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