Well Water

If you are buying a home with a well system and not public water you should absolutely be doing a water quality test.  It is best to test the water during the due diligence period you have as a buyer so that if anything comes up in the test results you will have time to consider your options and work out a solution if there is a problem.  Filtration systems can be expensive depending on what you need to remove.

The most common water quality issue that I encounter during the Home Inspection process is Coliform Bacteria.  Coliform is a required test for VA (Veteran Affairs) mortgage loan.  If Coliform is present in a home being bought with this type of loan it will need to be removed prior to purchase.

Coliform bacteria is referred to as an “indicator” organism.  Not all Coliform will carry diseases but they can indicate the presence of other bacteria and viruses that can cause illnesses, such as E. Coli.

If your water test comes back with Coliform present you will want to treat your well system.  This can be done by installing a whole house Chlorination System, Open Air Chlorination System or a UV filtration system.  Each home is different and a water quality and filtration professional should be consulted before investing in a system by yourself. 

If a filtration system is out of your price range another option is “Shocking” the well.  This is a process that involves putting a bleach solution down the well and flushing out the system.  There is a chance that the bacteria can return and you should test your water regularly if you do not have a filtration system in place.

If you are a home buyer and your potential home has coliform present you will want to have a professional shock the well.  Unless you plan on doing it yourself.  You do not want the current homeowners to shock the well on their own.  They may have a friend do it that doesn’t have any experience or know what to do.  They also may not even do it at all and tell you that they did.  I bring up this possibility because I have seen it before.  If you are going to have the sellers correct the issue make sure that you get receipts from a professional well company and follow up with another test to ensure the bacteria is gone.

Here is a basic guideline on shocking a well.  Keep in mind that every system is different and may need different procedures.

  • A typical solution for shocking a well requires 2 cups bleach and 10 gallons of water.
  • Dump the solution into your well.
  • Run a hose from the home to the well and run the water into the well to promote mixing of the solution. When you smell bleach coming out of the hose, shut it off.
  • Allow the well to sit for a few hours.
  • Run the exterior hoses away from the home and any plants and vegetation.
  • Run all the interior faucets and flush the toilets.
  • The flushing process can take a few hours or repeated flushing over a few day.
  • You may see brown water coming out of the faucets during this process.  This is common and is from sediment breaking up from the bleach solution.  Keep running the water and it should work itself out.
  • When you no longer smell bleach at the faucets you should be all set.  Chlorine test strips can also be used.
  • You should re-test your water about a week after shocking to ensure the bacteria is removed.

During the shocking process you should NOT use your water supply.  Here are some other things that you should NOT do during this process:

  • Drink the water
  • Shower
  • Give water to your pets
  • Water your plants
  • Do Laundry (the bleach may discolor your clothes and the rust deposits may stain your clothes)

Like any issue found during a Home Inspection, Coliform bacteria is easily fixed if handled properly.  If shocked properly the water may remain clean for a long time or it may not.  Most experts will advise that you test your well water once a year, while some say every other year.  If you have a shallow dug well you may want to test your water twice a year or more.  Especially if you live a quarter mile from a dairy farm with 100 cows.

 

I have also seen coliform form inside of a water softener brine tank.  The salt had not been filled and the tank had filled up with water which had a nice thick layer of growth on top of it.  A plumbing cross connection can also back flow waste water back into the system causing contamination.

There are many different ways that Coliform and other bacterias can enter your water supply and several different ways to treat it.  Obviously a high quality filtration system is the ideal solution but if that is not in the budget than hopefully a bottle of bleach is and you can clean your system.

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Knox Home Inspections uses a state certified third party lab to give you the most accurate readings of what is actually in your water.  Individual or test packages are available for anything from Arsenic to Uranium.

Getting a water test is the best decision you can make when purchasing your home.  We will test your water for you even if you are not buying a home, just give us a call and we will come right over.  The test only takes 1-2 days and the knowledge of what you are drinking is worth way more than the cost of the test.  Here are some of the things that are available for testing:

  • Alkalinity:  Alkalinity is a measure of the capacity of water to neutralize acids or hydrogen ions. Alkalinity acts as a buffer if any changes are made to the water’s pH value. The Alkalinity in the water will help keep the water’s pH stabilized.
  • Arsenic: Arsenic is a semi-metal element in the periodic table. It is odorless and tasteless. It can enter drinking water supplies from natural deposits in the earth or from agricultural and industrial practices.
  • Chloride:  The EPA has identified 250 mg/L as a concentration at which chloride can be expected to cause a salty taste in drinking water. Water users typically notice the presence of high chloride before an equal amount of sodium.
  • Coliform & E. Coli:  Coliform bacteria are present in the environment and feces of all warm-blooded animals and humans. Coliform bacteria are unlikely to cause illness. However, their presence in drinking water indicates that disease-causing organisms could be in the water system.
  • Conductivity:  Conductivity is a measure of water’s capability to pass electrical flow. This ability is directly related to the concentration of ions in the water.  These conductive ions come from dissolved salts and inorganic materials such as alkalis, chlorides, sulfides and carbonate compounds.
  • Copper: The level of copper in surface and groundwater is generally very low. High levels of copper may get into the environment through mining, farming, manufacturing operations, and municipal or industrial wastewater releases into rivers and lakes. Copper can get into drinking water either by directly contaminating well water or through corrosion of copper pipes if your water is acidic. Corrosion of pipes is by far the greatest cause for concern.
  • Fluoride:  Water fluoridation is the controlled addition of fluoride to a public water supply to reduce tooth decay. Fluoridated water has fluoride at a level that is effective for preventing cavities; this can occur naturally or by adding fluoride.
  • Hardness:  The amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium in the water.  Hard water can gum up your plumbing and cause problems with forced hot water systems.  It can also leave spots on your dishes in the dishwasher and make you use more soap.
  • Iron:  The thing that you’ll notice the most from water that is high in iron is that the water may taste metallic. The water may be discolored and appear brownish, and it may even contain sediment. Iron will leave red or orange rust stains in the sink, toilet and bathtub or shower. It can build up in your dishwasher and discolor ceramic dishes. It can also enter into the water heater and can get into the laundry equipment and cause stains on clothing. The EPA cautions that although iron in drinking water is safe to ingest, the iron sediments may contain trace impurities or harbor bacteria that can be harmful.
  • Manganese:  Manganese is a mineral that naturally occurs in rocks and soil and may also be present due to underground pollution sources. Manganese is seldom found alone in a water supply. It is frequently found in iron-bearing waters but is more rare than iron.
  • Nitrate:  Nitrate is one of the most common groundwater contaminants in rural areas. It is regulated in drinking water primarily because excess levels can cause methemoglobinemia, or “blue baby” disease.
  • Nitrite:  Nitrites are a salt or ester anion of nitrous acid, which can be naturally or artificially occurring in groundwater. Nitrites come from fertilizers through run-off water, sewage, and mineral deposits. Nitrite is used in food production for the curing of meat products due to it inhibiting the growth of bacteria. Unfortunately it can also stimulate the grown of bacteria when introduced in high levels into a body of water.
  • Lead:  Lead enters the water through contact with the plumbing.  Lead leaches into water through corrosion, a dissolving or wearing away of metal caused by a chemical reaction between water and your plumbing.
  • pH:  The pH of pure water is 7. In general, water with a pH lower than 7 is considered acidic, and with a pH greater than 7 is considered basic. The normal range for pH in surface water systems is 6.5 to 8.5, and the pH range for groundwater systems is between 6 to 8.5.
  • Radon:  Radon can be in your water and also in your air.  If a Radon air test results in a high result then a radon water test should be performed.  About 1.0 pCL in the air can result for every 10,000 pCL in the water.
  • Sodium:  The other half of salt (sodium chloride), this can get into your well from salt on the roads in the winter and washing off the road down into your well.
  • Uranium:  Believe it or not there is naturally occurring uranium in certain areas of New Hampshire, especially in the White Mountains.  If a radon water test comes back very high then a uranium test is recommended.
  • VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds):  Volatile Organic Chemicals (VOCs) are carbon-containing compounds that evaporate easily from water into air at normal air temperatures. (This is why the distinctive odor of gasoline and many solvents can easily be detected.) VOCs are contained in a wide variety of commercial, industrial and residential products including fuel oils, gasoline, solvents, cleaners and degreasers, paints, inks, dyes, refrigerants and pesticides.

If you are using a VA or FHA loan the bank will require you to get a water quality test.

If the pH balance in your water is off you could have premature wear in your houses plumbing leading to costly repairs down the road.

If you are close to a busy town road there could be road salt contaminating your well and putting Sodium and Chloride in your drinking water.

We have many different packages for water testing.  Click on our pricing below and see which package fits for you. Our Facebook fans also save $20.00 on all lab test packages just like our page.

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