Well water issues

[DLMKA]

We recently bought a house in the country on a well. We knew going in the water wasn't good tasting but everything that I read I knew it could be "fixed". Now we're moved in and it's on my list of projects.

We had a guy from EcoWater come out and they recommended a system comprising of an aerator and a reverse osmosis system. We have high levels of dissolved solids (TDS) making the water salty tasting and being in coal country also have some methane and other gasses in the water. I like the way the water feels when taking a shower so I want to divide the house up into a couple of "zones". RO water to kitchen and lavatory sinks and ice maker in fridge. We're planning on having more livestock including pigs, chickens, and turkeys. I'm not sure that water with the high TDS is good for animals especially if it is sodium chloride. I've noticed that the cats prefer puddles in the driveway or dew in the grass over the water dish we provided them. Wondering if there is a way to mix RO water back with straight well water for a reduced TDS level.

I also plan on installing a sediment filter and activated carbon filters before the pressure tank. I'm going to do the plumbing myself to save $$$.

Anyone got other suggestions for making bad tasting well water more palatable?

[crazyfarm]

Our well was compromised and all of us, animals included, got giardia. For this reason I think you need to make 1 system and just filter the water out of the well. It'll be better for the animals and easier on you.

[Rustaholic]

Put no filters before your pressure tank.
The pump puts out too much water too fast for the filters.
The filters go after the pressure tank for ALL outputs.

Get used to showering with the filtered water.
All of the critters deserve filtered water too.
Especially if you want to eat them or their eggs.
Or even use their manure for compost.

I was told by the man that lived here in a house trailer at the time of a Shell oil well mess up that while this whole area had natural gas bubbling up through the soil this well I now have flowed white as milk.
It is great water now and all of the houses built around me since have much deeper wells into a different water layer and my well is still doing great at the 55 foot level.
I built this house in 1977 and when I fired up the well on a generator we were using while we built I sure was happy to find such great water.

[Robotron]

I would suggest researching using ro water for drinking before purchasing the system. De- mineralized water is bad for your health. It can create a multitude of problems. There is a host of research on this.

[DLMKA]

Thanks for the heads up on putting filters after pressure tank, I was thinking the sediment filter would keep bits of sediment out of the pressure tank extending it's useful life.

The well was drilled in 2007 to a depth of 510'. We shouldn't have any problems with it being compromised provided the well driller followed protocol on casing. The water was checked for contamination of bacteria, nitrates, etc as part of the purchasing process and came back good, just doesn't taste good. We can size the system to provide RO water for everything, just costs more. I plan on catching rainwater off the buildings with metal roofs for watering gardens and livestock saving well water for dry periods when the rain water has run out. I'm at 1100 gal capacity now with 4 IBC totes and that can be expanded very easily as needed.

If RO water is unhealthy (no minerals) then how else would I get the salty taste out so I can drink it?

[ChristieAcres]

I'd do some research on Solar Water Distillation:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-...#axzz3ArMCgsw5

I'd be utilizing solar distillation for my drinking water and treat the rest as needed.

Here, wells can be drilled to reach an underground river (Aquifer), but in that process, there can be potential leaching of salt water. This is actually somewhat rare. After doing some homework on surrounding wells, I found out we scored in even bigger way. Our water is pure and we are very happy with 8gpm. Getting both at the depth of our well is unusual (you have to go deeper). If we drilled a deeper well on our property, we would have an Artesian Well. It is probably not as deep as they thought, on our property, since we have over a dozen natural springs. The greater the depth, the chance of salt water intrusion is slightly raised. We have a phenomenon here (freshwater flowing out underground, causes a flow force that usually prevents any salt water intrusion).

[Harry Chickpea]

De-mineralized danger claims are a lot of hooey. If it is of concern to you get some coral or limestone, break it up into pebbles with a sledge hammer and stick it in a tank or filter cartridge.

[Home Harvest]

Can I be the first to advise caution. Water in different parts of the country tastes different because of minerals in the bedrock. This doesn't necessarily mean your well is "contaminated". You might find you'll get used to bad tasting water. When I drink city water I can't stand the chlorine, but my city relatives say they don't notice it. I have other relatives in Niagra Falls NY, and the water has high sulfur and smells of rotten eggs, guess what, they don't taste that either.

The friendly guy from EcoWater is a salesman. It's his job to sell you a system. Note: I'm in sales, and I have nothing against your EcoWater salesman, but you should get a test done by your state lab, or at least a private lab that isn't trying to sell you something. Here's a link to EcoWater, and it's strictly a product commerce site.
http://www.ecowater.com/

Furthermore TDS is just a scientific way of saying you have dissolved minerals in your well water. See this fact sheet.
http://waterquality.montana.edu/docs...ct_sheet.shtml

The EPA permits 500 ppm TDS in drinking water, and even this is for cosmetic or taste reason , and isn't a health concern. If your "high levels" were below this, then the water is likely fine to drink. If your concern is strictly taste, and not health, then your concern over the animals is misplaced.

Regarding your animals, my dog drinks from puddles and eats chicken poop like candy. My livestock all have salt blocks (salt is the sodium chloride your are concerned about giving your animals). If I had sodium chloride in my well water I wouldn't have to pay for supplemental salt. (joking...salt is cheap and keeps the animals healthy)

I'm not suggesting you ignore your concerns. Maybe your well is truly contaminated, and maybe you need a RO system. But please be cautious of a sales pitch designed to suck your money from you. A Brita water pitcher in the fridge would be a lot cheaper, and accomplish the same result. If you have the extra money to spend... well the salesman needs to eat too. Good Luck.

[Darren]

Depending on where you live, this may be a concern. The best mechanical filtering uses the Doulton cartridges containing a bactericide. An ultraviolet unit after effective mechanical filtration is better yet. It really depends on your area.

http://www.emaxhealth.com/1020/first...crohns-disease

[chronic66]

Originally Posted by Home Harvest

Can I be the first to advise caution. Water in different parts of the country tastes different because of minerals in the bedrock. This doesn't necessarily mean your well is "contaminated". You might find you'll get used to bad tasting water. When I drink city water I can't stand the chlorine, but my city relatives say they don't notice it. I have other relatives in Niagra Falls NY, and the water has high sulfur and smells of rotten eggs, guess what, they don't taste that either.

The friendly guy from EcoWater is a salesman. It's his job to sell you a system. Note: I'm in sales, and I have nothing against your EcoWater salesman, but you should get a test done by your state lab, or at least a private lab that isn't trying to sell you something. Here's a link to EcoWater, and it's strictly a product commerce site.
http://www.ecowater.com/

Furthermore TDS is just a scientific way of saying you have dissolved minerals in your well water. See this fact sheet.
http://waterquality.montana.edu/docs...ct_sheet.shtml

The EPA permits 500 ppm TDS in drinking water, and even this is for cosmetic or taste reason , and isn't a health concern. If your "high levels" were below this, then the water is likely fine to drink. If your concern is strictly taste, and not health, then your concern over the animals is misplaced.

Regarding your animals, my dog drinks from puddles and eats chicken poop like candy. My livestock all have salt blocks (salt is the sodium chloride your are concerned about giving your animals). If I had sodium chloride in my well water I wouldn't have to pay for supplemental salt. (joking...salt is cheap and keeps the animals healthy)

I'm not suggesting you ignore your concerns. Maybe your well is truly contaminated, and maybe you need a RO system. But please be cautious of a sales pitch designed to suck your money from you. A Brita water pitcher in the fridge would be a lot cheaper, and accomplish the same result. If you have the extra money to spend... well the salesman needs to eat too. Good Luck.

I would take this guy very seriously, period.

[DLMKA]

The water was tested at a state lab for contamination, it's perfectly safe, I just can't drink it. The sulfur smell followed by briny taste just doesn't do it for me. I'm not sure I could ever get used to it. The previous owners have removed all the aerators on every faucet in the house because they get caked in deposits and it's going to be hard on washing machine as well.

[simi-steading]

I live in coal and oil country too and have the same water it sounds... lots of sulfur, and lots of Iron and Manganese.... It also has a slight salty taste..

Reverse Osmosis is not designed to remove sulfur or the smell... A fair chance it will cause problems with your RO if levels are high enough..

To remove sulfur you need to either have an aeration tank that allows the water to be aerated to gas off the sulfur, or you need a greensand filter.. An injection system can also maybe work for you, depending on levels of certain solids..

The solution I have is peroxide injection. If you are not on septic, and if you have a lot of Iron too, you can use chlorine injection.. .After the chemical is injected, it travels through a catalytic carbon filter, and the filter removes the solids, along with the iron that has been oxidized...

Please take your test results and find out what type of system is best for you. I can tell you that if you have a lot of Sulfur, RO is not your solution... But the salesman will make you believe so..

[DLMKA]

I know the water filtration companies are trying to sell a product. I can't fault them for that and that's why I'm asking here. Surely someone has run across this before. The neighbors that I've talked to around me all have shallow wells 25-100' and they have good tasting water, just not the volume I can pull from my 500'+ well.

I'm a mechanical engineer and a large portion of my paying job involves filtration (of diesel fuel), it's not a direct correlation but I fully understand the limitations of filters in general and know that there is not a one size fits all solution.

I'll have to research the green sand filters, I've had that same recommendation from a friend in the area. We're on septic so I have to be mindful of waste water off an RO system as well.

[DLMKA]

We have a Brita pitcher and I can't taste a difference when using it other than some of the sulphur smell has outgassed.