Water (well) test results

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poorwill

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Hello.

We just received water analysis results back from a plumber, and would greatly appreciate a second opinion (or multiple second opinions). If I have posted this question in the wrong part of the forum, please move to a more appropriate section.

Anyway, we purchased the home (which is on well water) a few months ago. The water test at the time showed no problems with pH or any safety issue (I don't have those results on hand, but it was the standard test required by the mortgage company). However, we noticed a rotten egg/cabbage smell almost immediately after moving in. We had the well chlorinated, but this only helped for the first few days. The smell is strong with water taken directly from the well, so I don't think it is an issue with the water heater.

We recently had a plumber out, and they sent the water (taken at the first valve in the house; ie - closest to the well) away to be tested. They also gave us their recommendation. I am skeptical, in part because their recommendation and comments about the test results seem to differ from my reading of those results. They recommended a whole house filtration system (~6500$), consisting of a number of filters in line (they forgot to leave the diagram, so I don't have it on hand). I do remember that they said that it needed an iron filter. However, the iron result was 0.0000 ppm (I didn't notice this when they were here, so I didn't ask them about that). They also said that the TDS was off the charts (it is 206.0000, which I now understand to be higher than desirable, but not terrible). The pH is 7.5000, and they said that was fine and didn't need anything. The one number that jumps out is the hardness, at 11 grains/gallon (I think per gallon). They also recommended UV filtration, but there wasn't any evidence of bacteria.

On the positive side, the water has no bad taste, is clear. The test results said it doesn't dry cloudy on glassware, is not red/brown, is not blue/green, is not metallic, musty, have a chlorine smell, or have sulphur in water "only after water heater". On the negative side, "sulphur in cold water" is marked "yes" (I don't know whether they tested for sulphur, or were testing the odor). Also, under "other" it says "very strong" (presumably this is a reference to the odor).

We are not planning on spending that kind of money without a separate test being done. But the results don't seem that bad to me, and I don't see anything that warrants that kind of expense. So my questions are this:

1) are the test results as bad as they said?
2) could water hardness account for smell (I think the answer is no, but want to make sure)?
3) if the water smells due to sulphur, do sulphur filters work?
4) should we just go with a water softener by itself (placed in line after the current sediment filter), and see if that solves the problem?

We cannot afford to spend huge amounts of money chasing ghosts, and we know that tracking these things down can be very expensive. The plumber is local, and has a good reputation. I am wondering if they might have misread the results. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
 

Reach4

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The water test when you moved in was probably limited to whether the water was safe to drink.

I suggest a water test where you get numbers in ppm or mg/L rather than prices. While a well check water test from NTL labs is somewhat expensive (around $150) it is often much cheaper and more extensive than a free test from a salesman. ;-)

With 11 grains of hardness, a softener would be very good but not necessarily immediately mandatory.

Tell us what you know about your well? Where is the pump? How deep is the well. How big is the casing. How far out of the ground does the casing come? Feel free to post a picture (up to 800 pixels and 240kB if uploaded here). When the pump cuts on, how long does it run?

What color and how intense is the discoloration in your toilet tanks? Bowls?

Yes, sulfur filters work; not all are created equal. There are other things that may work too, and I would start with well and system disinfection. DIY.

I would get the test and would disinfect. I am not sure of the order, but I would be tempted to disinfect first. I have a write-up I could post now, but I think it best to hear a little about your well. There are some home tests that I will suggest that you get.... hardness, chlorine, and pH.
 

poorwill

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I managed to dig up the paperwork from the original well inspection, so I think I can answer some of your questions. I believe it is a 1/2 hp submersible pump, if I am reading this correctly. There is no indication of depth, and don't know how I would get that information. It is a "2-wire pump" or "no 2-wire pump" with an average of 5.8 (I have no idea what this is an average of, it just says "pump average"). The tank size/type is flowtech, wr 60 size, and, in the notes, "cycling great". The volume drawdown is 5 gallons -- please bear in mind that I have little to no understanding of the meaning of what I am typing :)

The cutoff on the power switch is 40 on, 60 off.

Interestingly, on that report, it had iron level at 2.5, with the pH at 7.5 and hardness of 11. It is a drilled well. The well inspection doesn't have any other information (other than a recommendation to chlorinate for the smell -- a smell we hadn't noticed at the time). The well casing sticks out of the ground about 16 inches.

The original water test seems to have only been for coliform bacteria (negative).

In terms of discoloration: the bowls get brown (I wouldn't say that they are terrible). The tanks get an inky maroon color, and I would say fairly intense: it looks like an octopus exploded in there (actually, the water itself is fairly clear, but the walls are heavily discolored).

"When the pump cuts on, how long does it run?" I have no idea
 

Reach4

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Iron = 2.5 ppm (or mg/L). It would be preferable to have a separate iron filter and that can double as a sulfur filter. I would look into backwashing filters that use Katalox Light. They will work on both iron and sulfur. That goes in line just after the pressure tank and pressure switch. Next comes the water softener. If you want to cheap out, even temporarily, you can do pretty well by making the softener bigger, let it deal with the iron. That will involve cleaning your resin periodically. It will also not help the sulfur smells.

I expect the average of 5.8 might have been either the flow from an open pipe or the rate of flow into the pressure tank. If your tank has a drawdown of 5 GPM, and pump would run about a minute each time. If that is the case, your water could be 100 or 200 ft down. On the other hand if it was an average of 5.8 amps, then that does not tell us as much.

You should set the precharge air pressure in the pressure tank to 38 PSI for a 40 PSI cut-on. That involves turning off the pump, open a low cold faucet to drop the pressure, and check/adjust the air pressure from the Schrader valve on the tank. Use a good tire pressure gauge and a tire pump. Bring the air pressure to 38 PSI. Then close the faucet, and turn the pump back on.

I would order test stuff. I would sanitize soon. I would shop for softener and backwashing iron+sulfur filter.

After things are better with the water, clean the toilets with Super Iron Out or just replace the toilets.

To measure how long the pump runs, run water from a tap until the pump starts. Record the time and turn off the water quickly. Note the elapsed time.
 

poorwill

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Thanks for your response. I will definitely get some testing supplies. We probably will go with a good iron/sulfur filter, depending on results. But I don't see the point of a UV filter if bacteria isn't a problem. While it was sanitized a few months ago, it isn't a big deal to do it again, so I will do that.

Again, thanks for your help.
 

Cacher_Chick

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You need treatment, but you don't need to spend the fortune that your "plumber" is trying to sell. If you get 5 treatment companies there to check your water and make recommendations, you will probably get 5 different answers, but you will learn a lot in the process which will enable you to better make a good decision for yourself.
 

petepdx

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Poorwill> There is no indication of depth, and don't know how I would get that information. ....

I'm curious, In Oregon one can go online and get a scanned copy of just about any well log. Is this not that common ?

http://apps.wrd.state.or.us/apps/gw/well_log/ It is a bit hard at time to find you own well for example the tax lot is not always serachabe but mine
are http://apps.wrd.state.or.us/apps/misc/vault/vault.aspx?wl_county_code=WASH&wl_nbr=7586 and http://apps.wrd.state.or.us/apps/misc/vault/vault.aspx?wl_county_code=WASH&wl_nbr=7587
I may be nuts, but looking the few wells before 1900 were interesting
 
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