Water Testing Suggestions - Northern Illinois

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lesjanes

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I am looking for suggestions on getting independent water testing analysis.

We have lived in our house for 15 years and it is on a well and septic. I grew up with well water so I have no problem with iron in the water. The problem is an odor when the hot water is on. It is not really a sulfur smell. Just a bad smell, hard to describe. It has only been this way the last 6-8 months.

Just had the hot water heater replaced due to age. The water smelled with the old heater and there was a lot of sediment. Now with the new heater no sediment, but the odor has returned.

I am guessing the quality of my well water has degraded over the years. But I would like to get an independent analysis of the water.

I live in Northern Illinois and would like to a get thorough analysis. Any suggestions?

Thanks
 

Reach4

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Don't go to the county, since their tests only test for potability/safety, and not iron or sulfur.

Consider the Well-check test from http://ntllabs.com/ http://www.ntllabs.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=NTL&Category_Code=Homeowner http://www.watercheck.com/ is their other website. Figure about 6 weeks to get results, and figure to pay postage. So not a cheap test.

You might consider a powered anode in the water heater instead of the existing one. Read up. It is not cheap because it is not a high-volume thing. I have one. Even better is a good backwashing filter that removes iron and sulfur. My backwashing filter using Centaur Carbon does well, but I would probably go with Katalox Light media if I were to re-do it. The iron+sulfur filter goes after the pressure tank and before the softener.

Do some searching on the terms I put in bold.
 

lesjanes

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Don't go to the county, since their tests only test for potability/safety, and not iron or sulfur.

Consider the Well-check test from http://ntllabs.com/ http://www.ntllabs.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=NTL&Category_Code=Homeowner http://www.watercheck.com/ is their other website. Figure about 6 weeks to get results, and figure to pay postage. So not a cheap test.

You might consider a powered anode in the water heater instead of the existing one. Read up. It is not cheap because it is not a high-volume thing. I have one. Even better is a good backwashing filter that removes iron and sulfur. My backwashing filter using Centaur Carbon does well, but I would probably go with Katalox Light media if I were to re-do it. The iron+sulfur filter goes after the pressure tank and before the softener.

Do some searching on the terms I put in bold.

Thanks for the suggestions. I will check out the test site and also look into a backwashing filter.

With the backwashing filter, is there any negative impact on water pressure?

Thanks
 

Reach4

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It will have some impact. I see one site that says it could be as much as 15 PSI at max throughput. You could set your pressure switch on the well a bit higher to compensate.
 

Bannerman

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lesjanes,

In support to cacher_chick's recommendation, until you determine the cause of your water issue, you are only guessing at an appropriate treatment method. That's putting the cart before the horse.

Obtain the analysis and then post the results to receive knowledgeable recommendations on appropriate treatment methods for your specific water conditions.
 

Reach4

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What I would do now is to disinfect the well and plumbing. I might order some high-range chlorine test strips to measure bleach concentration. Now do I do that before sending in a sample that is going to check for pathogenic bacteria? I am not sure if that will make part of the test not applicable since there would be no bacteria to find. Part of why I would do this is to kill off sulfur reducing bacteria and iron reducing bacteria.

http://www.moravecwaterwells.com/index.php/maintainance/disinfection-and-testing is my favorite disinfection procedure. For a flooding volume container, I used a fairly clean garbage can (always gets a liner) and used 2 big bags to keep the water in. I used a third to cover the whole thing while waiting. I used a clean vinyl hose to make a siphon to put the flooding volume in.

Because I had a 3.75 inch pump in a 4 inch casing, I could not drop chlorine pellets made for the purpose to the bottom to help chlorinate the bottom area. Instead I just used liquid and circulated overnight to allow more mixing. I used about 250 ppm of chlorine. I did get chlorine and pH test paper to get levels right.
 
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lesjanes

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lesjanes,

In support to cacher_chick's recommendation, until you determine the cause of your water issue, you are only guessing at an appropriate treatment method. That's putting the cart before the horse.

Obtain the analysis and then post the results to receive knowledgeable recommendations on appropriate treatment methods for your specific water conditions.
Agreed. I wasn't planning on doing any treatment until I do get analysis done. (though $137 seems a bit steep)
 

lesjanes

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What I would do now is to disinfect the well and plumbing. I might order some high-range chlorine test strips to measure bleach concentration. Now do I do that before sending in a sample that is going to check for pathogenic bacteria? I am not sure if that will make part of the test not applicable since there would be no bacteria to find. Part of why I would do this is to kill off sulfur reducing bacteria and iron reducing bacteria.

http://www.moravecwaterwells.com/index.php/maintainance/disinfection-and-testing is my favorite disinfection procedure. For a flooding volume container, I used a fairly clean garbage can (always gets a liner) and used 2 big bags to keep the water in. I used a third to cover the whole thing while waiting. I used a clean vinyl hose to make a siphon to put the flooding volume in.

Because I had a 3.75 inch pump in a 4 inch casing, I could not drop chlorine pellets made for the purpose to the bottom to help chlorinate the bottom area. Instead I just used liquid and circulated overnight to allow more mixing. I used about 250 ppm of chlorine. I did get chlorine and pH test paper to get levels right.
I was wondering if I may have to disinfect the well. Thanks for the tip. I am not a plumber (semi handy though) but it looks like a 4 inch casing as well. Regardless, I will wait for test results.
 

Bannerman

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(though $137 seems a bit steep)

In consideration it appears that you haven't had any testing done in at least 15 years, it's a low cost investment to ensure your families safety, peace of mind and enjoyment of one of life's basic necessities.

My wife and I conserve as much as we can but our municipal water/sewer bill for just 2 of us is more than $100 every other month.

With regard to your hot water, what is your usual heat setting?

Most of us keep our temperature setting low to reduce the potential for scalding and to reduce standby heat loss. Since you utilize un-chlorinated well water, moderate temperatures can act as an incubator, promoting bacteria to breed. You may find it necessary to raise the heater's water temperature to at least 160F (preferably hotter since the hottest water rises to the top of the tank) for an hour or so to sanitize the tank's inner surface. Open faucets throughout your home to allow that 'extra hot' water to sanitize the plumbing runs to each faucet before lowering the setting again. This procedure may need to be performed on a somewhat regular basis through the year.

Here are two links to prior postings on this forum: https://terrylove.com/forums/index....ine-has-been-removed.55611/page-2#post-412212

https://terrylove.com/forums/index....ater-water-softener-system.51151/#post-374789
 

Mikey

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Before you spend a lot of money, spend some time here:

http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/pa...ooting/stinky-water-in-hot-water-heaters.html

Odds are high you have an anaerobic bacteria problem in the water heater, which can be cured in many ways. A quick test is to raise the termperature as Bannerman suggested, or dump some hydrogen peroxide into the WH and see if the smell goes away. If it does, the bacteria problem is confirmed. I initially solved my problem with a passive anode, but as Reach4 suggested, a powered anode is really the way to go. I now have a solar WH which on a hot day will raise the temperature to more than 160°, so the smell and possible health problems are solved.
 

lesjanes

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Before you spend a lot of money, spend some time here:

http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/pa...ooting/stinky-water-in-hot-water-heaters.html

Odds are high you have an anaerobic bacteria problem in the water heater, which can be cured in many ways. A quick test is to raise the termperature as Bannerman suggested, or dump some hydrogen peroxide into the WH and see if the smell goes away. If it does, the bacteria problem is confirmed. I initially solved my problem with a passive anode, but as Reach4 suggested, a powered anode is really the way to go. I now have a solar WH which on a hot day will raise the temperature to more than 160°, so the smell and possible health problems are solved.
Our hot water heater (WH) is only two weeks old. Does it make sense that I would have an anaerobic bacteria problem so soon?
 

Mikey

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Our hot water heater (WH) is only two weeks old. Does it make sense that I would have an anaerobic bacteria problem so soon?
First, it's a water heater, not a hot water heater -- if the water were already hot, there'd be no need to heat it. That aside, I remember growing bacteria in a Petri dish in high school, and they were all over the dish in a few days, so I'd guess that two weeks in a favorable environment (i.e., your nice cozy water heater) would be plenty of time for them to flourish and produce enough H2S to cause the stink. But I went on from high school to become an engineer, not a biologist, so don't take my word for it. But either the very-hot-water test or the H2O2 test would temporarily kill any bacteria if there were any, and give you some guidance.
 

lesjanes

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What I would do now is to disinfect the well and plumbing. I might order some high-range chlorine test strips to measure bleach concentration. Now do I do that before sending in a sample that is going to check for pathogenic bacteria? I am not sure if that will make part of the test not applicable since there would be no bacteria to find. Part of why I would do this is to kill off sulfur reducing bacteria and iron reducing bacteria.

http://www.moravecwaterwells.com/index.php/maintainance/disinfection-and-testing is my favorite disinfection procedure. For a flooding volume container, I used a fairly clean garbage can (always gets a liner) and used 2 big bags to keep the water in. I used a third to cover the whole thing while waiting. I used a clean vinyl hose to make a siphon to put the flooding volume in.

Because I had a 3.75 inch pump in a 4 inch casing, I could not drop chlorine pellets made for the purpose to the bottom to help chlorinate the bottom area. Instead I just used liquid and circulated overnight to allow more mixing. I used about 250 ppm of chlorine. I did get chlorine and pH test paper to get levels right.
Reach4, I have read other "Shocking" methods that simply use a gallon of chlorine bleach in a large bucket of water. Would this accomplish the same thing?
 

Reach4

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Reach4, I have read other "Shocking" methods that simply use a gallon of chlorine bleach in a large bucket of water. Would this accomplish the same thing?
I am just a user who has used the full process once and the bleach-only once before. Many (probably most) do just pour a bottle of bleach, or 2 gallons -- depending on well and how strong they feel like. Getting the pH lower is significant if your water is not already acid. But you can still kill stuff by using more bleach. but lower pH (more acid) makes the bleach more effective. You can certainly prove out the concept now with just pouring and I hope recirculating bleach. But I expect the treatment would last longer with the full process. Still, a quick treatment now will let you understand what disinfection can do for you. Then you can consider a full treatment in the hot summer when you can be without water overnight or so (maybe during a trip).

There are calculators and tables to tell you how much bleach and vinegar to use for a given size of casing and water depth. Using such things to get the initial amount, I ended up adding more bleach and acid after things had circulated.

I put a step ladder over the casing to hold the hose for recirc. I covered things to keep bugs and leaves out during circulation.

If your smells are more in the hot water, I would disinfect the water heater. I would bypass the water softener initially, because strong chlorine for a long time is bad for the resin. I might wait until the level has dropped during your flushing out of the chlorine to the ground and then run some water through the softener also.

The flooding volume thing is the hard part. The description of why makes perfect sense to me. The point is that the bacteria will have migrated a bit into the porous structure. The flooding volume drives a little bleach solution into the nearby structures to wipe out some more bacteria that will serve as a reservoir.

I like test paper such as these for pH and chlorine.
https://www.microessentiallab.com/ProductInfo/F01-SHTRG-055080-SRD.aspx
While the directions say to look at the color immediately, the color seemed to match my expectations better after a few seconds.

https://www.microessentiallab.com/ProductInfo/F21-CHLOR-000000-V20.aspx is a chlorine test. There are other brands. A pool chlorine test is not appropriate, because pool levels are much lower.

Even if you just use bleach, I would still run a hose into the casing until you smell chlorine. I would then wash down the sides of the casing well. Then I would do some more recirculation, and then wait perhaps overnight.
 

lesjanes

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I am just a user who has used the full process once and the bleach-only once before. Many (probably most) do just pour a bottle of bleach, or 2 gallons -- depending on well and how strong they feel like. Getting the pH lower is significant if your water is not already acid. But you can still kill stuff by using more bleach. but lower pH (more acid) makes the bleach more effective. You can certainly prove out the concept now with just pouring and I hope recirculating bleach. But I expect the treatment would last longer with the full process. Still, a quick treatment now will let you understand what disinfection can do for you. Then you can consider a full treatment in the hot summer when you can be without water overnight or so (maybe during a trip).

There are calculators and tables to tell you how much bleach and vinegar to use for a given size of casing and water depth. Using such things to get the initial amount, I ended up adding more bleach and acid after things had circulated.

I put a step ladder over the casing to hold the hose for recirc. I covered things to keep bugs and leaves out during circulation.

If your smells are more in the hot water, I would disinfect the water heater. I would bypass the water softener initially, because strong chlorine for a long time is bad for the resin. I might wait until the level has dropped during your flushing out of the chlorine to the ground and then run some water through the softener also.

The flooding volume thing is the hard part. The description of why makes perfect sense to me. The point is that the bacteria will have migrated a bit into the porous structure. The flooding volume drives a little bleach solution into the nearby structures to wipe out some more bacteria that will serve as a reservoir.

I like test paper such as these for pH and chlorine.
https://www.microessentiallab.com/ProductInfo/F01-SHTRG-055080-SRD.aspx
While the directions say to look at the color immediately, the color seemed to match my expectations better after a few seconds.

https://www.microessentiallab.com/ProductInfo/F21-CHLOR-000000-V20.aspx is a chlorine test. There are other brands. A pool chlorine test is not appropriate, because pool levels are much lower.

Even if you just use bleach, I would still run a hose into the casing until you smell chlorine. I would then wash down the sides of the casing well. Then I would do some more recirculation, and then wait perhaps overnight.

Thanks for your ideas. My first step before I do anything is to order the water testing kits. I will determine what to do after that.

I guess I am still a bit perplexed about disinfecting the water heater. This is a new water heater, 2-3 weeks old. I have a hard believing that I already have anaerobic bacteria. And if I do, does that mean I will have to treat the water heater every 3 weeks??

Thanks
 

Reach4

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I would send in the sample, and then do the sanitizing. It is not as if the test will decide whether or not to disinfect, since the test is not going to test for all of the bacteria that you care about. Now if the test show pathogenic bacteria, then you will really want to address that. That would usually indicate contamination, since pathogenic bacteria do not come from deep. I don't think your test will test for IRB or SRB (iron/sulfur reducing bacteria).

No, you will not have to treat the water heater or your pipes frequently. Maybe 2 years? That is what I am thinking. The point is to sanitize it all after doing work, and there is nothing to grow.
 

Mikey

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FWIW, during my initial fight with water heater odor, I tested for both IRB and SRB with a Hach kit, and found neither, but obviously they were there. Apparently it doesn't take much.
 

Bannerman

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...does that mean I will have to treat the water heater every 3 weeks??

Not necessarily. Since it was a new tank, there could have been contamination from the manufacturing process. As I expect the heater was simply installed and filled, with the temperature set to the usual in-use temperature, and as your water has no sanitizing agent, there was nothing to sanitize the new tank.

Depending on the source of the bacteria, if you raise the temperature temporarily or inject some peroxide as Mickey suggested, you may not experience stinky hot water again for some time.
 

ditttohead

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New heaters can be the dirtiest, consider the guy who assembled it, did he use sanitary procedures prior to installing the dip tube (right after a lengthy bathroom break).

New heaters sacrificial anodes tend to give off some odor, this is normal. Also, if I read this correctly, you had the odor before and after you replaced your water heater. Spend the money and get a real water test done, NTL is an excellent company to work with for your testing and very reasonably priced. For you to do that kind of testing yourself it would run you tens of thousands of dollars in test equipment.
 
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