I dropped a can of PVC Cement and a can of PVC cleaner in my well. Will it ever dissipate or flow out of the well? I am using bottled water for drinking and cooking now.

they must be removed or the well abandoned


try a neodymium magnet on a pole or 'string'


sorry for the bad news


edit based on HJ's comment:

try said magnet mounted inside and flush with the end of a PVC 'pole'

string will only work if your well casing is NOT ferrous

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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638



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And hope the casing is not steel? The well is into the water table, so if the glue and/or primer gets out of the can it will pollute that water. IF the cans were "sealed" they may be floating on top of the water and a "vactor" machine might be able to suck them out.



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How deep is the well? And what diameter? I wonder if you could get a long pipe camera dropped down there to see what’s going on? (And assist with the magnet method)

Would it make a difference if the can is capped or not?

Not in the long run.

The can(s) would eventually corrode and leak.

? Would you want to test the water weekly until they leak ?

==============================================

"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

if it's a capped bottle then there isn't a breach yet. He may have some time to think of something to do to remove the bottle(s).

if it's an open bottle then the stuff is already disbursed. Getting the empty can out may not be as important as finding ways to neutralize the contamination. May be there is a chemical solution? Something that may react with primer to turn into something inert, I don't know. May be worth a call to Oatey technical support and ask to speak to someone in the lab?

PVC primer has these ingredients:

Acetone 000067-64-1 60-100
Methyl ethyl ketone 000078-93-3 10.0-20.0
Cyclohexanone 000108-94-1 3.0-10.0
Tetrahydrofuran 000109-99-9 0-10.0

So essentially you are going to have to figure out how to remove or neutralize these.

Maybe fill the casing with potable water and float them out of casing?

That is not how a well works.

Wait till EPA finds out!

I know it depends on the replenishment rate of the well and how fast you can get water into it from above before it backflows into the aquifer.

Would a metal can of liquid float?

Probably if it were sealed.

They might already know. Expect a knock on your door.

opinion the contents of the primary and cement or just solvents. Acetone and toluene excetera. These are highly volatile. If this ever pops open I would imagine that they would just evaporate into the air and it's such a small amount that you wouldn't even know it except the day that it popped. I don't think there's any need for emergency. I think I would try some simple things to get rid of it the magnet thing sounds pretty good in Texas when a drill pipe drops down the well they have special retrieval tools. But we're talkin for 5 miles down into the Earth. Groundwater Wells are relatively shallow 100 to 800 feet typically

There is no air at the bottom of the well in the water table.Gasoline is also volatile, but EPA, and HazMat teams, get upset with spills on the surface. Pulling the pump might bring them to the surface, unless they get jammed by irregularities in the casing or grooves at the joints.



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