Well Water Quality Issues


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Old 07-15-12, 12:01 PM
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Smile Well Water Quality Issues

This is my first post on here, I've been lurking for awhile. I recently bought this house I'm in now. It has a shallow well using a jet pump for water. The only filtration equipment on this house now are two Culligan filter housings. One has a 100 micron filter in it, the other is a 5 micron. I'm not currently drinking or cooking with this water. I am bathing in it, cleaning dishes, and doing laundry.The initial quality test that came back was as follows.

I'm waiting on a second test from another lab to come back thats far more in depth than this one. I had concerns because I live 10 miles from a landfill, 1/4 mile from a cemetery, and 3 miles from a gas station with underground tanks. Also I'm surrounded by countless fields that are used to grow corn, soy and other crops. The farmers tend to spread chicken manure on the fields in the spring.

Initial Test

PH 4.8
Total Alkalinity 0 PPM
Hardness 50 PPM
Nitrates 10 PPM
Nitrites 0 PPM
Iron .3 PPM
Copper 0 PPM
Lead 0 PPM
Pesticides 0 PPM
Bacteria Negative
Lead Negative

My questions mainly are, should I ditch this well and drill a new deeper well? Or do I still have the chance to run into quality issues that are the same as what I have now. The well is producing water fine(9GPM), pressure tank and jet pump are new, and casing is pvc.

I've been dealing with a online company as far as doing this as a diy install. There suggestion was soda ash injection, chlorine injection, whole house nitrate filter, whole house carbon filter, and finally a softener. I wanted some professional opinion's if this setup is overkill? Do I have to deal with the nitrates at a whole house level? Or can I just set a rodi system under the kitchen sink for cooking and drinking water.

My DIY level is up there, I re-plumbed the whole house in PEX and PVC drains, and got rid of the old galvanized lines, and cast drains.(Passed my inspections on the first shot). I'm also a licensed Electrician by trade so I feel fairly confident in installing the equipment if I know what to get.

Thank in advance for your help
 
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Old 07-15-12, 03:47 PM
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IMO from your tests and your statements I would just install a softner and a RO system....Done.

The RO system needs softened water to work efficiantly.

Dont worry about PH with pex piping.

IMO there are no health effects of drinking acidic water. Your stomach PH level is a 1-2 anyway.

Mike NJ
 
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Old 07-15-12, 04:10 PM
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Mike, a pH of 4.8 and you say not to worry about it? I have never seen faucets made out of pex. I would worry greatly about it eating my heater, all faucets, the washer, dish washer, coffee maker or any other water using applicance it will come in contact with. A pH of 6.9 is 10 times more acidic than that of a 7.0. Retest the pH and if it is indeed that low, get a pH neutralizer.
 
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Old 07-15-12, 04:26 PM
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Mike, a pH of 4.8 and you say not to worry about it? I have never seen faucets made out of pex. I would worry greatly about it eating my heater, all faucets, the washer, dish washer, coffee maker or any other water using applicance it will come in contact with. A pH of 6.9 is 10 times more acidic than that of a 7.0. Retest the pH and if it is indeed that low, get a pH neutralizer.

Well I would disagree to some extent. As far as the heater most warranty's on heaters are 6 Year tank and take acidic water into consideration. The washer is plastic as is the coffee maker.

As far as fixtures most ar of the heavy brass type. By the time acidic water will corrode them I believe it would be time to replace them anyway.

He would be looking at $1000 or less to a softener and RO. The treatment they recommend I believe would cost upwards of $5000.

Might as well did a new well, but then there are no guarantees there either. The water can be worse then it is know.

Also a PH of 5 is that of normal rain water or precipitation. Not all that bad I would think.


Again just my opinion.
 
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Old 07-15-12, 05:24 PM
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Mike, a pH of 4.8 and you say not to worry about it? I have never seen faucets made out of pex. I would worry greatly about it eating my heater, all faucets, the washer, dish washer, coffee maker or any other water using applicance it will come in contact with. A pH of 6.9 is 10 times more acidic than that of a 7.0. Retest the pH and if it is indeed that low, get a pH neutralizer.
I agree with you, I'm getting it retested. The first test was by an online lab(they don't sell treatment equipment either). I have a local lab testing for everything that could be in the water in my area now. So I'll see what they say, but I think the ph is dead on. I also have a hot tub, and my ph strips always registered at 5.5(the lowest they go). From what I was told, and the research I did on my own the only cost effective way to go from a ph as low as mine to a 7 is via soda ash. Calcium carbonate filters arean't going to cut it below 5-5.5 range, from what I read. I have a lot of nice water based equipment, electric tankless, washer, and other things. I'd rather get the ph under control than risk long term failures.

Thanks
 
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Old 07-15-12, 05:33 PM
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Tankless? Definitely adjust PH then.
 
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Old 07-15-12, 05:34 PM
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Well I would disagree to some extent. As far as the heater most warranty's on heaters are 6 Year tank and take acidic water into consideration. The washer is plastic as is the coffee maker.

As far as fixtures most ar of the heavy brass type. By the time acidic water will corrode them I believe it would be time to replace them anyway.

He would be looking at $1000 or less to a softener and RO. The treatment they recommend I believe would cost upwards of $5000.

Might as well did a new well, but then there are no guarantees there either. The water can be worse then it is know.

Also a PH of 5 is that of normal rain water or precipitation. Not all that bad I would think.


Again just my opinion.
Well you hit the price dead on for what they want me to buy, the local guys wanted twice that to install it and provide it. But the local guys also quote pretty much the same equipment. Mainly my concerns are resale, I bought this without a home inspection or water tests(Foreclosure and a real good price, I knew what I was getting into).

I think my biggest concern isn't so much the PH, soda ash injection is maybe $700 for the intial equipment if you do it yourself. But more the issue with Nitrates and that I'm just above EPA levels. Along with my concerns of fecal coliform bacteria being present at certain times of the year based on the farmers and what there putting down. From what I read this tends to occur with high nitrate levels, and there a sign or precursor to bacteria. I'm only pulling water from 25' with a jet pump even though its 85' deep, so I assume its much easier to infect my source. I'm not so much concerned about cost, its more safety and long-term resale of the home. How would you proceed knowing that? Full-blown treatment or a new well and hope for the best?

Thanks Mike
 
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Old 07-15-12, 05:58 PM
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I'm not so much concerned about cost, its more safety and long-term resale of the home. How would you proceed knowing that? Full-blown treatment or a new well and hope for the best?
New well I would say, but you could end up with bad quality water also and still need treatment. You need to ask neighbors with deeper wells and see how their quality is. But then again wells the same depth and a couple hundred feet apart could be totally different.


Wait until some of the well drillers here give you feed back. These guys do it all the time. You should get a response soon.

You should research what aquifer your land is on.

 
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Old 07-15-12, 07:44 PM
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If your primary concerns are Nitrates and fecal coliform then it seems to me you are committed to a fairly expensive system. While some recommend UV to deal with bacteria I would go with chlorination in your situation because it would also deal with the iron. I think raising the pH is also high priority.

Your hardness is roughly 3 gpg and most people don't chose to soften at that moderate level of hardness but some do. If you plan to install a softener then I would recommend that you treat the acidity with a backwashing filter using a mix of corosex and calcite. On the other hand, if you don't plan to install a softener using soda ash injection is preferable because it won't increase hardness.

As to the issue of getting a new well I recommend you consult with a local driller familiar with water conditions in your area. While no reputable driller can guarantee the results of a new well you can get the benefit of experience and information that will help you make the decision.
 
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Old 07-16-12, 05:20 AM
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Mike, you need to bone up on pH. Rain water is 6.9 not 5. This is why I was shocked to hear you say don't worry about.

I stand corrected. I did some research because I remember being taught that rain water was slightly acidic (6.9). It floors me to find out it is that low. THANKS MIKE. Without you, I would have kept thinking the same way. I found this while I was boning up

The pH of rain varies, especially due to its origin. On Americas East Coast, rain that is derived from the Atlantic Ocean typically has a pH of 5.0-5.6; rain that comes across the continental from the west has a pH of 3.8-4.8; and local thunderstorms can have a pH as low as 2.0.[70] Rain becomes acidic primarily due to the presence of two strong acids, sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and nitric acid (HNO3). Sulfuric acid is derived from natural sources such as volcanoes, and wetlands (sulfate reducing bacteria); and anthropogenic sources such as the combustion of fossil fuels, and mining where H2S is present. Nitric acid is produced by natural sources such as lightning, soil bacteria, and natural fires; while also produced anthropogenically by the combustion of fossil fuels and from power plants. In the past 20 years the concentrations of nitric and sulfuric acid has decreased in presence of rainwater, which may be due to the significant increase in ammonium (most likely as ammonia from livestock production), which acts as a buffer in acid rain and raising the pH.[71]
 
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Old 07-16-12, 05:46 AM
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Mike, you need to bone up on pH. Rain water is 6.9 not 5. This is why I was shocked to hear you say don't worry about.
You would need to show me some data on that. I have never seen rain higher then 5.5 in all my biology labs in college. I have a good take on PH in foods and water and cause and effect on ones body.

I have tested rain as low as a 3 in certain industrial areas of NJ.



 
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Old 07-16-12, 06:49 AM
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I did in my last post. I showed you I was wrong. I'get always know rain as being around 6.9. Thanks to you, I have learned differently.
 
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Old 07-16-12, 08:20 AM
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If you're concerned about nitrates, treat all of the water, as bathing is one of the largest sources of infiltration into the body.
 
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Old 07-16-12, 04:00 PM
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As to the issue of getting a new well I recommend you consult with a local driller familiar with water conditions in your area. While no reputable driller can guarantee the results of a new well you can get the benefit of experience and information that will help you make the decision.
I took your advice I called around today, found a good driller who actually has put in eight new wells in my area in the last year or so. He said I'm not the only one with the nitrate issues, he said some people were as bad as 50ppm. He also said there's a clay table 50' thick at roughly 90' in my area. Once he breaks through that he goes to 200' and has had decent water with zero nitrates. I was warned that all the wells he drilled varied between .5 ppm iron and 1.5 ppm iron. I'd rather deal with Iron than Nitrates IMO though.

Thanks everyone for all your help. I have some questions regarding pumps and such the well guy wants me to switch too and the setup, but I'll start a new post over in wells where that belongs.

Thanks again
 
 

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