How to disinfect your well
Health Unit Offers Advice on Taking Water Quality Precautions
Health Unit Offers Advice on Taking Water Quality Precautions
1. Obtain a temporary supply of
drinking water to use while your well is being disinfected. If you are
unable to obtain a temporary supply from an approved source, use the following
Emergency Water Treatment procedures:
BOIL: boil the water for five minutes. After it is cooled, pour the water repeatedly from one container to another to eliminate the flat taste.
CHLORINATE: Add 1.25 ml (1/4 teaspoon) of liquid household bleach (such as Javex) to 4 1/2 liters (1 gallon) of water. Mix well and allow to stand for 15 minutes.
2. Disconnect any carbon filters that may be attached to the water distribution system.
3. Add the required amount of chlorine to your well by following the table below.
When adding chlorine to the well, always mix the chlorine with several liters of water before adding the disinfecting solution to the well. If using bleach, check to be sure that it contains chlorine in the form of sodium hypochlorite or calcium hypochlorite. Some "all purpose bleaches" such as Javex 2 contain no chlorine and should not be used for disinfecting wells.
4. Turn on all the faucets in the house to distribute the chlorinated water through the entire water distribution system. When you can smell chlorinated water coming out of the faucets, turn them off and allow the treatment to proceed for a recommended 24 hours (minimum of 12 hours).
5. Drain the entire water system until the chlorine odor is no longer present. Do not drain this water into or onto a septic tank system. This volume is hard on septic systems. Instead, water your garden.
6. Wait at least two days after there is no longer a smell of chlorine (Javex) in the water before resampling the water supply.
For further information on drinking water safety, please contact any office of the Muskoka-Parry Sound Health Unit:
Bracebridge (705) 645-4471 or 1-800-563-2808,
Huntsville (705) 789-8813,
Parry Sound (705) 746-5801, Burk's Falls (705) 382-2018
This information is brought to you by the Environmental Health Services Department of the Muskoka-Parry Sound Health Unit.
BOIL: boil the water for five minutes. After it is cooled, pour the water repeatedly from one container to another to eliminate the flat taste.
CHLORINATE: Add 1.25 ml (1/4 teaspoon) of liquid household bleach (such as Javex) to 4 1/2 liters (1 gallon) of water. Mix well and allow to stand for 15 minutes.
2. Disconnect any carbon filters that may be attached to the water distribution system.
3. Add the required amount of chlorine to your well by following the table below.
When adding chlorine to the well, always mix the chlorine with several liters of water before adding the disinfecting solution to the well. If using bleach, check to be sure that it contains chlorine in the form of sodium hypochlorite or calcium hypochlorite. Some "all purpose bleaches" such as Javex 2 contain no chlorine and should not be used for disinfecting wells.
4. Turn on all the faucets in the house to distribute the chlorinated water through the entire water distribution system. When you can smell chlorinated water coming out of the faucets, turn them off and allow the treatment to proceed for a recommended 24 hours (minimum of 12 hours).
5. Drain the entire water system until the chlorine odor is no longer present. Do not drain this water into or onto a septic tank system. This volume is hard on septic systems. Instead, water your garden.
6. Wait at least two days after there is no longer a smell of chlorine (Javex) in the water before resampling the water supply.
For further information on drinking water safety, please contact any office of the Muskoka-Parry Sound Health Unit:
Bracebridge (705) 645-4471 or 1-800-563-2808,
Huntsville (705) 789-8813,
Parry Sound (705) 746-5801, Burk's Falls (705) 382-2018
This information is brought to you by the Environmental Health Services Department of the Muskoka-Parry Sound Health Unit.
| Home | Services | In the Beginning | Rates | Contact Us |
| Dug Well (3" diameter) | |||
Water Depth |
Bleach 5% |
||
| M | F | Litres | Quarts |
| 1.5 | 5 | 1.1 | 1 |
| 3.0 | 10 | 2.2 | 2 |
| 4.5 | 15 | 3.3 | 3 |
| 6.0 | 20 | 4.4 | 4 |
| 7.5 | 25 | 5.5 | 5 |
| 9.0 | 30 | 6.6 | 6 |
| 10.5 | 35 | 7.7 | 7 |
| 12.0 | 40 | 8.8 | 8 |
| Drilled Well (6" diameter) | |||
| Water Depth | Bleach 5% | ||
| M | F | Litres | Quarts |
| 7.6 | 25 | 140 | 5 |
| 15.0 | 50 | 280 | 10 |
| 22.8 | 75 | 420 | 15 |
| 30.0 | 100 | 560 | 20 |
| 38.0 | 125 | 700 | 2 |
| 45.0 | 150 | 840 | 30 |
| 53.0 | 175 | 980 | 35 |
| 61.0 | 200 | 1,120 | 40 |
