Hi! I have one more question left before my guest subscription expires!
I just moved in to a new “home.” My water is from a private well in my back yard. You know, that blue barrel above the ground. That’s about all I know about it. That and the fact that it’s a yellowish tint and smells like “egg fart” sulfur. It leaves reddish brown stains on my toilets, bath tub, shower, and sinks. I believe those stains are copper, but I’m not sure. There are huge amounts of calcium deposits. If I clean a particular faucet and then turn it on for 15 seconds… I see calcium.
So my questions are:
Is it healthy to drink?
Is it healthy for my dog to drink?
Do I have to get some 'spensive test.
How well would a water softener work with my situation?
What about an aerator?
But mostly I want a magical solution that fixes all problems…(don’t say city water).
If the only problems are sulfur and calcium it should be safe to drink. I would assume that the well water was originally tested for fecal coliform and other harmful bacteria, but in an older home this may not have been the case. You should be able to get those tests done pretty reasonably. Prior use of the land will affect the tests you need, so I can’t speculate on what else you might have to test for.
Water softeners will remove the calcium and iron. Sulfur bacteria are harmless, but are likely producing the rotton egg smell. Softeners will not remove the hydrogen sulfide. To do this you need a reverse osmosis system, which for a whole house will run into thousands of dollars, maybe $10,000, I don’t really know, it’s been some years since I’ve been in the water testing business.
An aerator is not going to help much, if at all. It may strip some of the volatile H2S gas off, but where will it end up? Probably in your house.
Look at it this way, people travel miles to Saratoga Springs to bathe in and drink mineral water that I’ll bet tastes and smells worse than yours does. You could try to get used to it.
You should get you water tested and treated for the iron. Iron is not a health concern (unless the levels are through the roof), but an aesthetic concern.
Water softeners will address the iron, as will oxidation systems. Most water service companies are more familiar with softeners.
For the bacteria, you may have to get your well disinfected.
Thanks for quick reply. It seems I’m not the only one with nothing to do at work.
I don’t actually know if the water was tested. What agency or company is the business of well water testing in FL? I could get used to it… I could only drink bottled water (done). I can past the smell (I like eggs). It’s the staining and scaling that occurs so frequently I either have to clean all water-y areas daily or let them turn orange and flake white.
You said water softeners do remove iron and copper? My understanding of water softeners is that they use salt to (something complicated with ionization or something) make chlorine. How does chlorine stop copper and iron(I’m not being a smart ass)? Would my water smell more like chlorine than sulfur? I think that when chlorine attacks bacterias they combine and form chloramines. Chloramines from my understanding is what makes the chlorine smell.
I may be completely misunderstanding how water softeners work though. I have absolutely no idea how aerators work… I’ve just heard of them.
You need some serious help there from water experts in your area, who should know the common problems faced, for starters. If you are in the USA, the local University and/or U. Extension Dept. might have help, or look for a Soil & Water Dept. in your local government. A new well might be indicated or perhaps just some treatment. By all means, don’t use any of this water yourself until thoroughly tested.
Bacteria problems won’t be solved by water softeners and can indicate a dangerous situation. Reverse-osmosis filters can solve many problems but can be expensive. Other filters can be a partial solution, but you really need some expert, first-hand advice. Do you really want to trust your health to some dudes on a message board?
As soon as I read your OP, I thought you might live in central/north Florida. Even the city water in most places in that area smells sulfur-y, and you do get used to it. Sorry I have nothing more to add! Good luck.
No I wouldn’t trust my health to some dudes on a message board. Ha :p. My dog also drinks bottled water (which is great for me because I love spending as much money as possible)! I was mostly concerned with the smell and appearance and difficulties it causes me. The pump/well was installed recently but I have no good guess as to whether or not it was tested. I was looking for a nice simple answer like “A water softener will remedy all your woes.” I got “A reverse-osmosis time continuum water warping flipper donger will fix all your problems but they cost $10,000.” My job is to sell people chlorine and other chemicals to treat their pools for stains and water issues. Unfortunately, I don’t think the general remedy of just adding chlorine applies to me.
If a water softener can make the stains go away I can deal with it…
If a water softener WITH an aerator can make the stains AND smell go away I will be happy.
If I have to pay a guy to test my water, clean my water and install a this and that I will be less happy.
What about faucet filters. If I strap a brita filter on my sink will that water be ok? If that’s the case can I buy a filter for my shower head… etc?
The reddish stains are iron. The smell is sulfur. Deposits (not iron) are calcium.
A water softener will fix the calcium. An iron filter (add on to a water softener will fix the iron. I don’t recall the fix for sulfur.
Get your water tested.
Water softeners use an ion exchange medium that has an affinity for cations (positively charged ions like sodium, calcium, magnesium, ferric ions, etc. It is initially charged with sodium ions. As the water passes through the medium the sodium ions are displaced by the calcium, magnesium, Fe+2, and the rest. It does add a small amount of sodium to the water, but it’s insignificant to all but the most salt-sensitive people.
As the sodium is depleted over time, the softener makes a strong brine solution and backflushes it through the medium. This strips the bound cations and replaces them with sodium again, and you’re good to go for another few days.
Missed the edit window. I should have said in my explanation of how water softeners work that if you are one of the salt sensitive people who would be affected by the tiny amount of sodium the softener adds, potassium chloride can be used instead. It costs slightly more to use, but avoids the sodium.
The amount of sodium added is going to be proportional to the amount of cations removed, so with really hard water the sodium addition will be a little higher, but still very small.
Yes a simple answer for a complex problem. I have enough brain power to yellow pages a phone number, call that number, give them money, and have a fixed problem. Why do that FIRST when the possibility of a simpler solution exists? I’'m trying to avoid what appears to be the inevitable.
Gfactor: that link was great, thanks.
So it seems I could get an Anion Exchange Water Softener with an Iron Filter and I will solve the calcium, iron, and stinkyness problems.
Just to get it right though I want to be sure that the Anion Exchange water softener makes chloride. From that .pdf file I learned that chlorinating my system IS a possible solution. Only temporary and with lots of maintenance. So if the anion exchange unit does in fact make chlorine then it should fix calcium (water SOFTener) and oxidize the smelly sulfur bacterias (and kill them). I’m not sure how the iron staining gets resolved but apparently there is an iron add on doohickey for water softeners.
I’m going to assume said equipment is expensive. I’m hoping much less expensive than a water-transmogrifier.
I really appreciate all the input on what I thought was a lame issue. I guess my smelly ugly water is interesting.
Also try talking to you new neighbors. Years ago my SO and I moved into a house on a private well, and our neighbors were a wealth of information about what problems they had had, what they used, and who they called.
You’re mixing up a couple of things here. An anion ion exchanger can be used to exchange sulfide ions for chloride ions. It doesn’t produce chlorine, doesn’t chlorinate your water, and doesn’t oxidize anything. Chlorine is not the same thing as chloride.
Secondly, an anion ion exchanger won’t do anything for hardness (calcium and magnesium ions) or iron. For these, you need a cation ion exchanger, or a mixed media ion exchanger.
All this being said, you need to consult a water treatment professional. It does no good for you to try to analyze a bunch of different technologies. Let a water professional test your water and give you a recommendation.
I have similar problems with my water. As an environmental engineer, I’m well aware of the various technologies available to treat iron. However, unless I wanted to install and service my own system, I was dependent on what local water treatment companies were willing to install and service. I actually would have preferred an oxidation system, but was unable to find anyone willing to install and stand behind such a system. I therefore went with a water softener, as all three of the water treatment stem installers I consulted recommended. I do use potassium chloride instead of sodium chloride for the backwash salt, however.
Yeah. I got in contact with a real professional. Even though I didn’t wanna! I was mixed up about the anion thingy. Apparently there is a water softener unit called a “sanitizer” that’s the one that makes chlorine. Maybe the oxidizer you are referring to is the same thing? It seems I’m going to need the greensand doohickey and the regular water softener.
It was explained to me by this professional that the greensand (filter?) will fix the smell and yellowish-ness. The water softener will fix the iron and calcium.
I was going to try to put a Brita filter on all sinks/showers/tubs. But I didn’t even know if that is possible… or viable. I thought about plumbing an inline chlorinator to my well, but that probably wouldn’t have worked out.
