BloggerOn
In America many homes exist which have their own private well for water consumption. If you too have one, you know that it is not regulated by EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) which means it is unknown if your water is safe to drink. It definitely needs testing.
Your well water may contain contaminants that require filtering out. The water characteristics and contaminants present are determined by what takes place on the land of the surrounding area. So, having a purifier is important to make the water safe for consumption. You can buy a well water filter at Clean Air Pure Water.
Firstly, let us discuss some facts about well water:
- Well water can be hard: As water is a solvent, it will also dissolve minerals in soil or rocks that exist beneath the earth. Minerals like calcium and magnesium can make well water hard. You might be living in a place where there are less minerals in the soil, then the water would not be that hard.
- Well water can have high iron content: Having high iron content in water can be damaging to the fixtures or sink in your home. Iron may cause stains and will ruin fixtures. It also changes the taste of your water.
- Well water might need disinfection: Your well water might be contaminated with bacteria or hydrogen sulphide odors. In order to get rid of them, you might want to disinfect your well. Installing a well water filter can help you achieve the goal.
- Well water can have nitrates: The Presence of nitrates in water can cause serious health hazards. If the nitrates are found to be above 3 ppm your family might be at risk! Nitrates can be found in water sources near agricultural areas. They might also be due to improperly maintained septic systems. In fact your own septic or your neighbour’s may be polluting your well.
- Well water needs regular testing: The testing of your well water is not required by the government. But it is recommended by EPA that you test your well water.
If you have already tested your well water then you are probably looking for a water filtration system. There are many kinds of well water filters and your well might require a custom solution depending on the water test report.
Here’s an information on how different systems can be employed to purify well water:
Well disinfection
This process is used to kill the pathogenic microorganisms present in water. While chlorination might deactivate microorganisms in the water, it also releases dangerous trihalomethanes into your water supply. These can be removed with carbon filtration.
You can also disinfect using hydrogen peroxide but it takes a lot more quantity of it in addition to being costly. However, it produces fewer toxic poisons. Or having a well water filter can be useful in removing impurities from the water.
You are going to need to disinfect in one of the following situations:
- There is a bacteria showing in your water test
- You have made certain changes in your well
- If the well pump is new
- If you are in well maintenance mode
Household bleach can also be used to disinfect a well. Here is how:
- Remove the well cover. In reference to the table below, pour the bleach.
| Well Depth | Amount of Liquid Household Bleach |
| Up to 150 ft | One Quart |
| 151 to 300 ft | Two Quarts |
| over 300 ft | One Gallon and 1 cup |
- One by one, run all the faucets in the house until you smell the chlorine. By doing this the whole system would be disinfected.
- Connect a garden hose to an outside or an indoor tap. Put the other end of the hose into the well and turn on the faucet. The hose can be moved in such a way that the chlorinated water bathes the sidewalls of the well. This is to be done for at least six hours.
- Replace the well cover.
- Do not use the water for at least 12 hours.
- The best way is to run the water to the waste and
use the garden hose. Make sure that the hose is directed at an area which would
not cause environmental damage. This might take 3-4 hours for a typical well.
- After a week of use, retest for bacteria.
Source: Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Well water purification and filtration systems
If you have a well water issue, you can use different well water filters based on the problem. You can deploy various systems for removal of iron, manganese, hydrogen sulphide odors and herbicides.
You can also purchase equipment to neutralise acid water by raising pH and there are filtration systems to remove arsenic, mercury, nitrates, and fluoride or other contaminants.
Custom systems: Most of the well systems end up being custom assembled based on the contaminants identified by your water test. These systems might range from simple equipment or complex systems.
Some examples of well water filter are as follows:
- Iron removal systems: Excessive drinking of iron in water can leave a negative impact on the skin as well as cause hemochromatosis – a condition in which iron can cause damage to the liver, heart, and pancreas. Installing a Iron removal system can reduce or remove the amount of iron in water and make it safe for any use.
- Arsenic removal systems: Arsenic present in water can have immediate toxic effects on our health. Removing arsenic from your drinking water aids dramatically in lowering the arsenic levels in your body and therefore you must have an Arsenic removal system at home.
Nitrate removal systems: Nitrates in drinking water can cause bladder cancer in women at levels below the EPA MCL. Installing a water purification system can help remove Nitrate from the water and make it safe for any use.
