Water Well Filtration
Once the borehole has been drilled and installed the water can be used for a multitude of purposes. However if the water is to be used for human consumption it is highly recommended that a filtration system is also installed to guarantee the quality of the water. The UK has a wide range of different types of geology, some areas require more filtration than others, but in almost all cases filtration can be achieved to bring the quality of the water up to drinking standards.
The photos on this page illustrate a borehole carried out by us, which has had a filtration system installed near Charing, Kent.
The first thing required is a pump house. Although the borehole pump is situated near to the bottom of the borehole, the filtration equipment will need to be in an environment that is frost free to protect the equipment from freezing in the winter. The construction of the pump house can be of any type of material from a wooden shed to a brick built construction, it could also be housed in an existing garage or similar. In this case the borehole was situated in a position to house the borehole and all equipment under one roof.
It is possible to conceal the water well underground so that only a manhole cover at surface is visible. A water pipe could then be laid underground to a suitable location such as an out house or garage where the filtration equipment could be housed. There is no need to have the borehole and the filtration equipment in the same location.
In the bottom right hand corner of this picture is the well head with the riser coming out. The water passes from the borehole into the large blue pressure vessel. The pressure vessel contains a diaphragm that holds the water at a constant pressure for use in the home. The pump is controlled by a pressure switch at the top of the pressure vessel. The purpose of the pressure vessel is to allow the user to use water from the pressure vessel without having to keep starting and stopping the pump every time a tap is switched on. This lowers power consumption and provides constant pressure. This particular set up can treat the water at a rate of 70 litres per minute, the pump costs approximately 10 pence per hour to run, but when you consider that this would provide 4,200 litres of treated water it is extremely cost effective.
Water from the pressure vessel then passes through a 50 micron particle filter just to make sure that the water is absolutely clear. The final stage is an ultra violet filter which will kill any micro organisms present in the water. Although there are probably no micro organisms present, it is always prudent to fit one of these for peace of mind and to guarantee the quality.
The water is then connected to the property and is ready for use.
With kind thanks and acknowledgement to our client Richard Carrison for the construction and installation of the well house and provision of these photographs.