Sand/silt in my well water after a power outage

reno_rita

I am wondering why we have fine sand and silt in our well water after a power outage? We did use a little water while the power was out, and after the power returned, there was fine sand in our water for a few hours. The sand did disappear after running the water for a while. Is this a sign of a bad tank or screen issue? The few people I've asked told me it sounds like our well is compromised.

Originally asked by Christine Wilder on Stack Exchange (diy) (CC BY-SA 4.0).

uphilltech

Great question — answering as the UphillTech team:

At a guess, some insignificant amount of sand was suspended in the well pipe. Once pumping stopped, it settled to the bottom, and the came out in one noticeable "lump" when pumping restarted and the tank was pressurized. The test is simple: let water flow a few minutes, take a glass-full of water, and let it stand. If the water is clear, or has only a few specks of sand on bottom, then no worry.

Full answer by DrMoishe Pippik: https://diy.stackexchange.com/a/294019 (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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