Bacterial Iron

I have bacterial iron in my well. We just bought the place and had a water test done. This is not to be confused with iron. It is similar to Gallionella ferruginea is what the report tells us. It is smelly, slimy, and can clog things up. It is not dangerous to drink.

I have heard about "shocking the well with bleach or having a treatment system that chlorinates the water and then filters the chlorine out. I am trying to get more information. I'm not thrilled with the idea of chlorine. I would like to find a more appropriate way to get it out of our well and water. Can anyone give me some more ideas on how to deal with this? Thank you.

Carmela, D. : A small clarification of your 1st paragraph, you have iron bacteria because you have a sufficient source of iron to feed the colonies !

I do not have much good news for you, There is more about the Chemical biology and the history of its earliest usage in the americas than anything
else !

There are two very good general informational Articles located at Wikipedia, they are Iron bacteria, and Bog Iron, other links there
may also prove some help! The contamination of the area surrounding your land probably happened eons before any man was common to your
area!

I am aware of attempts to reduce the appearance of this rusty slime as part of soil and stream water remediation in parts of New Jersey and the state
of Pennsylvania though increased aeration of the affected streams !

If you look in the permies >> forums >> energy >> hydro forum (or alternate energy Forum ) there is a general discussion of the use
of Trompes at the thread :::--> trompe- 16th-century tech may revolutionize mine drainage treatment I have bumped it to near the top on the
Hydro forum thread page ! This will refer you back to a separate wikipedia article on Trompe(s) Your own searches may help you locate something
more recent ! good luck, good hunting ! For the good of the Crafts ! Big AL

Thank you Allen Lumley.

Try oxygenate the water and see what you get
tank,aerator A properly oxygenated system . The powerful oxidative properties of oxygen can destroy many single/multi celled organisms. More oxygen = less algae, bacteria, and fungi in your lines, reservoirs, fittings, containers, mediums.
I do believe that a stream that has lots of cascades and falls to it will have cleaner water than a standing bode of water .
the difference between aerobic and anaerobic
here is some research you can start with
http://water.me.vccs.edu/courses/ENV115/Lesson5_print.htm
https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+oxygenate+water&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=com.yahoo:en-US:official&client=firefox&channel=sb#rls=com.yahoo:en-US:official&channel=sb&q=related:water.me.vccs.edu/courses/ENV115/Lesson5_print.htm+how+to+oxygenate+well+water
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_aeration
http://www.eco2tech.com/quality.php
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/doomsday-preppers/articles/water-purification/
thank you for bring this up very good subject
man I love (spell check)

Thank you Jimmy Gallop! The links are very helpful.

Is it possible to somehow put an air stone down throughout the wellhead? Something like they have for aquariums?

found a good one
site.iugaza.edu.ps/frabah/files/2012/02/Water-treatment-Lecture-21.pdf

That is a very good one.

I need to find an example of this for the average rural homeowner. Something we could do or buy that would fit in the well house. I am getting examples involving water pumped into large tank, then aerated, then pumped out. The bacteria is still living down in the well though. It will eventually clog things up.

Thank you so much for taking the time to help me.

I just stumbled upon an ionic well treatment system.

http://waterchangers.com/applications-ironbacteria.php

They do not have their prices posted, so my guess is they are quite high. I have emailed the company with some questions.

I have a similar problem. However, I have found that the bacteria resides in the hot water heater. There aren't many micro-organisms that live in the bottom of wells, unless they colonize it after it is drilled. Also, your well probably has a check valve that prevents water from your piping from flowing back into the well. When I have the water heater at a low temperature (vacation setting), the bacteria thrive and I get a sulphuric odor in the water. When I turn the heater up, I can effectively kill the colony and flush the stinky water out of the tank. You might try testing to see if your cold water is as bad as your hot water.

If the problem is indeed in your well, a chlorine shock is probably the easiest solution. I don't like drinking chlorinated water either, but a shock is just temporary to kill the bacteria. The well is then flushed, the chlorine dissipates fairly rapidly and you're left with a sanitized water source.