WELL-KLEAN© · THE WELL REHABILITATION PROCESS
We don’t guess. We test.
Predictable, long-lasting well rehabilitation starts with data, not a drum of chemical. The Well-Klean© process diagnoses what is actually plugging your well — biology, scale, corrosion, or all three — and only then prescribes the chemistry, tooling, soak times and sequence to match.
NSF/ANSI/CAN 60 listed chemistry · effluent neutralized on site · 1,000+ wells assessed (HCT database)
THE PROCESS BY THE NUMBERS
Data first. Chemistry second.
Every Well-Klean© scope of work is built from measurements of your specific well, then checked against HCT’s empirical database before a single product is recommended.
1,000+
Wells assessed
The empirical database every new well is compared against.
8
Data points before any chemistry
Alloy, age, water quality, dimensions, perforations, biology, pump depth and rate.
1–3
Bioremediation cycles
Typical scope: peroxide-based, corrosion-inhibited, used with bowls in place under protocol.
2–3 days
To a preliminary quote
Send the data form and receive product direction, scope and next steps.
THE CORE PROBLEM
Why wells lose capacity over time.
Wells don’t fail overnight. They slowly become less productive, more expensive to run and harder to keep in compliance. The cause is rarely just scale or age — it is biology, chemistry and operations working together. HCT calls the result Declining Specific Capacity.
01
Biology
Iron bacteria and sulfate-reducing bacteria build biofilm and slime that restrict flow, accelerate corrosion and create anaerobic zones — eventually compromising casing integrity and filter pack function.
02
Chemistry
Carbonate scale, silicate deposits and iron and manganese oxides bind into a dense matrix on screens and in the filter pack, shrinking the open area groundwater can move through.
03
Operations
Stagnation, intermittent use, casing alloy, age and past rehab methods all change how fast a well declines — and some conventional treatments speed it up.
04
The compound effect
Each factor feeds the others: biofilm traps minerals, scale shelters bacteria, corrosion opens new surfaces. Loss accelerates unless the whole system is treated.
WHAT YOU SEE
Symptoms in the well
Reduced specific capacity, plugged perforations and a fouled filter pack.
WHAT YOU PAY
Symptoms in the budget
Rising energy cost per gallon and more frequent rehab interventions.
WHAT GETS WORSE
Each rehab helps less
Energy-only methods redistribute the problem, so every cycle recovers less than the last.
WHY CONVENTIONAL METHODS FALL SHORT
Traditional rehab treats the symptom and trades relief for faster decline.
Most conventional techniques rely on energy rather than controlled chemistry and biology. They can move the problem deeper into the well instead of removing it — which is why the second and third rehab so often recover less than the first.
COMMON CONVENTIONAL METHODS
Energy without controlled chemistry.
✕ Brush and bail
✕ High-pressure jetting
✕ Air bursting and surging
✕ Dry ice / CO₂
✕ Strong acids — citric, phosphoric, sulfuric
✕ Shock chlorination alone (disinfects; does not remove biofilm)
✕ Polyacrylamides and polyphosphates
WHY THEY OFTEN FAIL
Short-term relief, faster decline.
⚠ Shred and push biofilm deeper into the filter pack
⚠ Relief for a season, then a steeper drop-off
⚠ More corrosion in steel casing and infrastructure
⚠ Prolonged flushing required after treatment
⚠ Embedded bacteria remain — the well re-colonizes faster
⚠ Acid can compromise 416 stainless bowl shafts
⚠ No neutralization or passivation of steel afterward
MINIMUM DATA REQUIREMENTS
Every data point shapes the protocol.
Before HCT prescribes chemistry or procedures, we need to understand the well. Each of these eight inputs changes product selection, use rates, soak times, treatment sequence and risk mitigation. Unknown values are fine — partial data is still valuable.
01
Casing alloy
Stainless, mild steel and PVC each need different cleaning. The alloy dictates acid compatibility, corrosion risk and whether extra inhibition is required.
02
Age of the well
Steel corrodes through many pathways — solvency, under-scale deposits, iron- and sulfate-reducing bacteria, erosion, dissolved oxygen, stagnation. Age tells us how much energy can be used safely.
03
Groundwater quality
Shows whether the well is prone to scaling, biological compromise or both. Scale is removed by acids, biology by biocides; a combination is treated biology-first, then acid.
04
Water level, depth & diameter
These dimensions give the water volume in the casing, which sets treatment volumes, chemistry concentrations, tremie intervals and how long to pump before sampling.
05
Perforation type
Determines how much physical energy is safe. Wire-wrap steel screens need special care, and debris in the filter pack differs between mill slots, louvers and wire wrap.
06
Bacteria & biological risk
In HCT's field experience, sulfate-reducing bacteria can degrade casing on the order of ¼ inch in 10 years. Sulfur, sulfate, iron and manganese levels in the groundwater reveal the food sources feeding the colony.
07
Pump depth & column pipe
Where the pump sits reveals aerobic versus anaerobic zones and informs bioremediation with bowls in place. Column diameter sets how chemistry moves through the well.
08
Pumping rate
Drives water and chemistry movement for accurate groundwater sampling, rawhiding and surging, and properly circulating treatment chemistry within the casing.
GROUNDWATER SAMPLING
“An accurate sample is essential.”
TIME TO A TRUE SAMPLE
Casing volume ÷ pumping rate
At 34 gpm the example well needs 4,500 ÷ 34 ≈ 132 minutes of pumping before the sample represents the aquifer. That number comes straight from your data form.
132 min
about 2.2 hours at 34 gpm
THE WELL-KLEAN© PROCESS
Diagnose first. Prescribe second.
Not every well needs every procedure. The process matches the scope of work to the actual condition of the well — every product, use rate, soak time and sequence traces back to the data collected above.
01
Discovery
From the minimum data set we build a complete picture of the well and its environment: is it primarily biology, scale, corrosion or a combination — and what is the safest, most effective approach.
02
Preliminary assessment
Your well is compared with HCT’s empirical database of 1,000+ assessed wells. We interpret the chemical and biological profile and issue an initial recommendation and rehab strategy.
03
Downhole video inspection
Pull the pump and run a video survey. Perforations, biofilm, scale and structural issues are documented — the things data alone cannot reveal.
04
Video review & updated scope
HCT reviews the footage and refines the plan: confirms problem zones (upper aerobic vs. lower anaerobic) and adjusts chemistry, tooling and procedures to this specific well.
STEP 05 · LIBERATE
Mechanical and biological removal
Brushes, plungers and tremie pipe, then 1–3 bioremediation cycles with controlled soak times, plunging and agitation to break biofilm loose.
STEP 05 · DISSOLVE
Descale, then neutralize
Descaling where mineral scale is present, followed by neutralization and passivation so steel alloys regain their protective oxide layer.
STEP 05 · VERIFY
Flush, disinfect and prove it
Zonal pumping removes liberated material, flushing and disinfection follow, per the NSF listing instructions, lay-up chemistry if the well will sit idle, and a post-treatment pumping test confirms recovery.
IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS
Treatment details that decide the outcome.
These factors influence chemistry selection, safety and long-term performance, and they are written into every Well-Klean© scope of work.
416 SS
Acid vs. biocide
The most soluble alloy in a well is 416 stainless, common in bowl shafts. HCT does not acidize with bowls in place unless the shaft alloy is confirmed. Inhibited peroxide bioremediation is formulated to limit attack on well alloys and is used with bowls in place under HCT protocol.
Passivate
Neutralization
If you acidize, you must re-passivate steel alloys — mild and stainless. Proper neutralization protects the casing and restores the protective oxide layer that acid strips away.
2–3 wks
Lay-up chemistry
A well that will sit stagnant longer than two to three weeks should be flooded with sodium bicarbonate and water so microbial activity cannot recolonize it while idle.
HOW TO GET STARTED
“Three steps to a customized rehab plan.”
STEP 2
Email the completed form
Send it straight to HCT. Our team reviews the data and compares your well against the empirical database of 1,000+ wells assessed.
send the completed form here
Email HCT →
STEP 3
Receive your rehab quote
Within two to three business days you receive a preliminary well rehabilitation quote — product direction, estimated scope and the recommended next steps for your well.
2–3 days
to a preliminary quote
READY TO GET STARTED?
Send us the data. We’ll do the rest.
Whether you manage one well or a whole field, the path is the same: fill out the data form, send it over, and HCT returns a preliminary scope built on your well’s actual condition — not a guess.
KEEP LEARNING
HCT, LLC · Well-Klean© Water Well Rehabilitation · Scottsdale, Arizona