7 Common Well Water Problems And How To Fix Them

Well water can be advantageous, especially for those who aren’t connected to the city supply. Usually, this underground source can last for several years, ensuring a constant water supply to users. Besides that, it’s also considered much cheaper than city water.

In addition, well water is also thought to be much healthier. This might be because it contains more natural minerals. Also, harsh chemicals aren’t used to treat it, which might be the case with city aqua.

 Common Issues With Well Water And Solution For Them

Despite the several advantages of well water, there are some common issues that most users face with this. Since it isn’t monitored and treated like municipal water, it might contain contaminants that can harm one’s health. Also, the aqua can be cloudy, smelly, discolored, and might have poor taste. Besides that, since it moves through soil and rocks, some minerals are dissolved into it, which can make the water become hard. As a result, if the water is used to clean dishes, it’ll leave a film on them. Also, sediments and minerals in the aqua can clog the well and a house’s plumbing pipes, which lowers water pressure and prevents smooth flow.

Fortunately, there are several ways to solve these issues. For instance, regularly testing your water will help you identify if it contains any contaminants. This way, you’ll know if you need to invest in a filtration system. Also, low pressure caused by clogged pipes can be corrected by cleaning the plumbing lines and the well.

Alternatively, you could look for companies that specialize in well water solutions. In most areas that depend on this aqua, there’ll be such firms. However, if you can’t find one in your location, you can look for one online. Some enterprises have websites where you can view their products and services. Therefore, if you need some help with your well water, consider sites like https://www.eppwellsolutions.com/ or other reliable ones.

The key to the proper maintenance of your well and water is to be proactive. You have to find out the potential problems you could face and how to solve them. After identifying these, consider practicing preventative measures to ensure you don’t run into any of those issues. This way, you won’t have to deal with any well water emergencies and will ensure your aqua is always clean, safe, and flowing excellently. This article provides some common well water problems, their causes, and how you could fix them.

1. Hard Water

A common problem most people experience with well water is hardness. Since this water comes into contact with rocks and soil, minerals like magnesium and calcium will dissolve in them. Usually, when these two are dissolved into the aqua in large quantities, they cause groundwater to harden.

Some of the signs of hard well water are spots on dishes, film on surfaces like bathtubs and sinks, and scale in aqua heaters and pipes. Also, if the water is used for showering, it can cause skin and scalp dryness. Besides that, hard water can also cause mineral buildup in plumbing pipes and pumps, causing low water pressure.

If you experience this issue, aqua softeners can help. These are added to filtration systems to remove the excess magnesium and calcium. However, when buying them, consider the most efficient ones like those that are salt-free. These might save you some costs, energy, and space than other alternatives.

2. Leaving Blue-Green Stains On Surfaces

When well water leaves blue-green stains on surfaces like sinks and bathtubs, it means that it’s too acidic. This issue occurs when its pH levels fall below seven. Several factors can make groundwater acidic. For instance, rain aqua is naturally acidic. Therefore, if you channel it into your well, it can lower the pH of the water inside. Also, decomposed plants, mining runoff, and chemical spills can turn your aqua acidic.

Well water with a pH below seven will taste metallic or bitter, cause leaks in plumbing lines, feel slippery, and sometimes look cloudy. In addition, it’ll leave stains on surfaces and could cause dental problems.

If you face this issue, use soda ash injection systems or acid-neutralizing filters with ground limestone, magnesium oxide, or calcite to solve it. These will help raise your water’s pH. Alternatively, you can consult an expert. These individuals will test your well aqua, and according to its pH levels, they’ll advise you on the best solution.

3. Oily Water

If your water looks oily, it can be because of organic factors like hydrogen sulfide released by decayed plants in the well or natural iron bacteria. Industrial pollutants like oil spills and petroleum runoff can also cause this issue.

Usually, oily well water will stain your laundry and bathroom fixtures. Also, it’ll discolor copper and silverware. Besides that, it might also cause health issues like stomach swelling, respiratory problems, and even death if it’s caused by petroleum or oil.

To solve this problem, you must first test your water. You can take it to a certified facility or do the examination yourself. If you’d like to try this, use a stick to stir the water. If the oily substance divides itself into platelets, your issue may be the aforementioned natural factors. However, if the film portions don’t stay separated, the aqua may be polluted by oil or petroleum.

After testing your water, you can now solve your issue. If the oily film in your aqua is due to natural factors, a chlorine injection or filtration system can help. However, if your problem has been caused by industrial pollution, get clean aqua for your household and ensure the well water is only used after it’s purified.

4. Well Water Leaving Orange Stains

If you find orange stains in bathtubs, showers, sinks, and other surfaces, your well water might be containing high tannin and iron quantities. Usually, water containing too much iron is clear. However, if it mixes with oxygen, it turns orange. On the other hand, tannins are a result of natural vegetation breakdown. This substance causes water to turn faint yellowish.

To eliminate orange spots on surfaces, wash them off with a cloth and lemon juice, vinegar, or baking soda. However, if they’re too difficult, consider industrial stain removers. Having eliminated the orange marks from surfaces, treat your water with softeners to eliminate tannins. To remove the iron present in the aqua, get a chlorine injection system.

5. Turbidity

Turbidity is the quality of water being opaque or cloudy. In wells, dissolved or suspended substances like inorganic or organic matter, microbial life, silt, natural soluble elements, or clay can cause this.

Usually, high turbidity caused by microorganisms can lead to viral or bacterial infections. If the water contains too much solid material, it’ll stress your pipes, causing them to burst. Also, your pump could break down due to excess pressure.

To fix this issue, consider reverse osmosis or sediment filters. Also, ultraviolet (UV) protection could help, especially if the cause of high turbidity is due to microorganisms.

6. Well Water Causing Illnesses

Human or animal waste can contaminate groundwater. This can happen if there are overflowing sewer lines, septic tanks, or cracks on your well’s walls. This fecal matter usually contains Escherichia coli and coliform bacteria. If consumed, this aqua can cause gastrointestinal ailments, vomiting, and diarrhea.

To solve this problem, consider UV or chlorine injection systems. These will help ensure the existing bacteria doesn’t reproduce. Also, they’ll destroy these microorganisms. Besides that, ensure you fix any present cracks in your well’s lining.

7. Water Causing Dental Fluorosis

Well water with too much fluoride will often cause dental fluorosis, especially in kids. Usually, this chemical exists naturally in groundwater. However, excess levels can be harmful.

To identify how much fluoride is in your well, test your water. Experts believe that each liter should contain a maximum of 0.7 milligrams of fluoride. Past this amount, the aqua could cause dental problems and other health issues like abdominal pain and thyroid dysfunction if consumed. To fix this issue, consider a reverse osmosis filtration system to help lower the fluoride levels in your water.

Conclusion

Wells are helpful, especially for those who can’t access city water. They ensure a constant water supply to these individuals and help save money on aqua bills for those with private ones. However, most well water users experience various issues with this aqua. Fortunately, these problems can be solved and some can be prevented.

In this article, you’ll find some of the common issues you might encounter if you rely on well water. Also, the write-up explains how you can fix and prevent them. If your groundwater is hard, aqua softeners will help. If it leaves blue-green stains on surfaces like tubs, showers, and sinks, use soda ash injection systems or acid-neutralizing filters. If it looks oily, chlorine injection or filtration will help you fix this.

On the other hand, water softeners and chlorine injection will help if your water leaves orange stains on surfaces. If your water has high turbidity, sediment filters and reverse osmosis will fix this. If it’s causing illnesses, UV and chlorine injection systems can help. Lastly, if the water is causing dental fluorosis, consider a reverse osmosis filtration system.