Water Test Results

[Traderfjp]

Hi,

I just got back my water test results. I own a home in NC that we are moving to. The well is pumping 15 gpm from the well head. The water is turned off so I couldn't test flow from inside the home. The water looked clean with no sulfur smells of tannins that I could see. The bacteria test showed no bacteria of any kind. I would appreciate any advise on what filters I would need, if any. I think I might have a scale problem. The house is plumbed in PVC. I was thinking of just getting a Catalytic carbon filter and a small 10" sediment filter and maybe a UV. Any advice appreciated. Thanks


Bromide ND mg/L 4 --
Chloride ND mg/L 2.0 250
Fluoride 0.024 mg/L 0.02 2.0
Nitrate/Nitrite-N ND mg/L 0.05 10
Sulfate ND mg/L 1.0 250
Metals-Liquid
Sample ID Sample Location
P0218-484 : 6WOPOKCK Contaminant Result Units MDL MCL Condition
Aluminum 0.040 mg/L 0.016 0.2
Antimony ND mg/L 0.006 0.006
Arsenic ND mg/L 0.004 0.010
Barium ND mg/L 0.08 2
Beryllium ND mg/L 0.004 0.004
Boron ND mg/L 0.009 --
Cadmium ND mg/L 0.004 0.005
Calcium 2.45 mg/L 0.2 --
Chromium ND mg/L 0.001 0.1
Chromium, Hexavalent ND mg/L 0.03 --
Cobalt ND mg/L 0.01 --
Copper ND mg/L 0.005 1.0
Iron 0.056 mg/L 0.005 0.3
Lead ND mg/L 0.006 0.015
Lithium ND mg/L 0.01 --
Magnesium 0.508 mg/L 0.5 --
Manganese 0.006 mg/L 0.003 0.05
Molybdenum ND mg/L 0.006 --
Nickel ND mg/L 0.001 --
Phosphorus ND mg/L 1.0 --
Potassium 0.681 mg/L 0.5 --
Selenium ND mg/L 0.005 0.05
Silica 9.37 mg/L 0.15 --
Silicon 4.37 mg/L 0.07 --
Silver ND mg/L 0.003 0.10
Sodium 1.26 mg/L 0.5 --
Strontium ND mg/L 0.01 --
Thallium ND mg/L 0.002 0.002
Tin ND mg/L 0.006 --
ETKLabReport Page 2 of 3 3/5/2018
Analysis Performed by an
EPA Certified Laboratory
Environmental Laboratories, Inc.
Madison, IN 47250
Laboratory Analysis
Metals-Liquid
Sample ID Sample Location
P0218-484 : 6WOPOKCK Contaminant Result Units MDL MCL Condition
Titanium ND mg/L 0.005 --
Vanadium ND mg/L 0.05 --
Zinc ND mg/L 0.005 5.0
Physical Properties
Sample ID Sample Location
P0218-484 : 6WOPOKCK Contaminant Result Units MDL MCL Condition
Aggressive Index 8.4 Calculation -- 15
Alkalinity as CaCO3 12.0 mg/L as CaCO3 2.0 --
Carbonate ND mg/L as CaCO3 2.0 --
Conductivity 23.0 μmhos/cm 1.0 --
Hardness as CaCO3 8.22 mg/L 1.0 180
Langelier Index -3.0 Calculation -- 0.5
pH 6.9 S.U. 0.1 8.5
Ryznar Index 12.8 Calculation -- 7
Tannin-Lignin ND mg/LTannic Acid 1 --
TDS ND mg/L 20.0 500
Turbidity 1.00 NTU 0.1 --
Wet Chem-Liquid
Sample ID Sample Location
P0218-484 : 6WOPOKCK Contaminant Result Units MDL MCL Condition
Bicarbonate 12.0 mg/L as CaCO3 2.0 --

 

[Reach4]

Manganese 0.006 mg/L 0.003 0.05

I don't understand the numbers. 0.05 is the secondary MCL. That is the number you want to be under. Then there are two other numbers. One is going to be your reading, and the other is going to be something else. What are those?

The thallium number puts you right at the MCL. Does a carbon filter do something with that? I don't see a need for a carbon filter, but it is good for things not tested for.

For the sediment filter, I would maybe go to a 4.5x10 inch filter. Until you have a cartridge, you don't know what you will be catching.Maybe put a bypass on it, or get a housing with a built-in bypass.

Langelier Index -3.0 Calculation -- 0.5
pH 6.9 S.U. 0.1 8.5
Ryznar Index 12.8 Calculation -- 7

I would be looking at the corrosivity numbers. It is not clear to me... are Langelier -3 and Ryznar 12.8 your numbers? That would be worth looking at, and cause you to avoid metal pipes.

Otherwise your water looks great to me. I am not a pro.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Valveman]

Moving this to the softener forum. There will be more help there.

 

[Traderfjp]

Here is the full report. Not sure if I need any filtration but the Alkalinity of my water is very, very low which is very corrosive. My PH is probably a little lower than the results show at the lab too since the test was not immediate. Thinking of adding a Catalytic carbon filter and also adding soda ash to raise total alkalinity. Does this make sense??

 

[ditttohead]

You have basically pure water, this is why the Rynar Index is so far off the charts. This can strip metals from any plumbing components. The typical solutions for this water could be as simple as a little buffering injection with polyphosphate.

You may want to double check your testing to make sure they did not use the wrong sample. I have seen many mix ups with testing in the past. A simple hand held tds meter will confirm this.

I do see very low TDS in several areas of New York so this is not too surprising but... we are also dealing with lots of lead in the water in older buildings due to this issue. New low lead standards for brass components require that the brass contain no more than .25% by weigh of the brass. These are extremely low trace levels.

If you have older fixtures a simple lead filter may suffice at your drinking water locations.

 

[Reach4]

Here is the full report. Not sure if I need any filtration.

Much easier to read.

Do you have metal piping?

 

[ditttohead]

I forgot to mention, Thallium reduction with Activated Alumina ot Titanium Oxide... usually fairly effective but increased pH is likely needed.

 

[Reach4]

I forgot to mention, Thallium reduction with Activated Alumina ot Titanium Oxide... usually fairly effective but increased pH is likely needed.

The original post made it look like there was thallium, but the image shows thallium below the detection level. The conversion to test did not pass that info over.

 

[Traderfjp]

Much easier to read.

Do you have metal piping?

All my piping is PVC. I recently bought the house so it's hard to tell what is going on. The bucket of water I pulled from the well was colorless and odorless with no bacteria. I'm nervous about not sanitizing the water. Thinking of a UV filter. With the alkalinity so low I'm afraid of my water being corrosive. Wile the PH is 6.9 it may be lower since the PH was not taken immediately at the well. I have a PH meter that should 6.4 at the well but not sure if I calibrated the gauge properly.

 

[Traderfjp]

I agree but it's too late to edit the original post. Thanks for taking a look.

 

[ditttohead]

pH is only part of the corrossivity of the water. Lack of tds, water temperature and many other factors also play a role. If you run a Ryznar index calculation you will see that a pH of 10 would not completely correct this potential problem.
https://www.lenntech.com/calculators/ryznar/index/ryznar.htm

In this situation a compromise may be needed, getting your ryznar numbers in check would typically involve adding calcium to the water but this can also take away from how nice the water already is.

Of course a UV is a good idea as a simple safety device.

 

[Reach4]

I have a PH meter that should 6.4 at the well but not sure if I calibrated the gauge properly.

Is this one of the cheap ones with a little screwdriver slot? You make a buffer solution with distilled water and a little packet. I will send you a message.

 

[Traderfjp]

I have those solution packages and used it with distilled water. I was around 6.4 at the well head with the meter I have and 6.9 at the lab. According to the Lanier index my water will be very corrosive but not sure how to fix it. I'm thinking an acid neutralizer might help since it will buffer the water, raise the PH and add some hardness to my water since my water is so soft. Does this sound about right??

 

[ditttohead]

The drawback to an acid neutralizer (Most commonly calcite) is that it will also raise your hardness significantly. By fixing one problem you create a new one. Maybe a simple polyphosphate injection system would be adequate. I would recommend replacing any fixtures that are used for human consumption with modern certified lead free versions. The low pH has little affect on PVC and CPVC.

 

[Traderfjp]

I totally agree but my hardness is so low that I think adding hardness might be a good thing. Am I wrong?

 

[Reach4]

I totally agree but my hardness is so low that I think adding hardness might be a good thing. Am I wrong?

Yes.

If you inject a weak solution of KOH or NaOH with a peristaltic pump, that could raise pH without raising hardness, if the pH bothers you. If you inject too much, that would be bad. So you would not want to mess up filling the solution tank.

But really, your water is nice without treatment. Ditttohead's idea of replacing the faucets that you drink from is not expensive. It is also probably not necessary because any lead would have probably leached from the brass with long prior use. But caution is cheap in this case. Many people swap faucets as a decor upgrade.

For what it means to have a 6.5 pH for drinking, take a look at this list of the pH of some beverages: https://www.ada.org/en/~/media/ADA/Public Programs/Files/JADA_The pH of beverages in the United States

Was your water test http://envirotestkits.com/certified-lab-testing-hybrid/ Safe Home® “PREMIUM” ?

 

[ditttohead]

Hardness will cause some spotting. This is a little complex... I sent you a PM, please feel free to call me to discuss the several options that are available. I don't want to write every possible solution in the forum as it gets to confusing. Budget, end product desire etc.. all come into play.

 

[Traderfjp]

That was an interesting link about PH and what we drink. I always assumed that most beverages are neutral but I guess I was wrong. A real eye opener. I guess my options are an acid neutralizer and then I would be adding maybe 3 to 5 gpg of hardness or a chemical feed which is way more maintenance. I'm going back to the house in a few weeks and will pull the toilet tanks and see what is going on and look at the shower heads. There are no faucets to look at since the house was being remodeled and the former owners ran out of money. At the least I will run a catalytic carbon filter but I'm really nervous about not having some type of sterilization. I bought an Ozone generator that is valued at 4k and I got it for 800.00 used. It's a clear water tech and a tank. I cleaned it up and bought a tuneup kit. The unit is made by Water Tech. I had a guy take a water sample when I was in NY and couldn't get to the house. He took it from the well head and the results were way different. He found Coliform, .6 hardness. 5.5 PH and a sulfur smell. That was about 45 days prior to me taking me own sample and sending it to a lab. That is why I bought the ozone generator. This guy also sent me an estimate for 15k in filtration equipment. Either he was a screw or my well water changed drastically in 6 weeks. I also ended up paying 350 for the water test that he did and they never tested for TDS, Manganese, sulfur, etc. It was pretty incomplete. If the test was complete I probably wouldn't have questioned the results. Once I saw the water for myself I was happy to see how clear and free from smells it was.

Yes.

If you inject a weak solution of KOH or NaOH with a peristaltic pump, that could raise pH without raising hardness, if the pH bothers you. If you inject too much, that would be bad. So you would not want to mess up filling the solution tank.

But really, your water is nice without treatment. Ditttohead's idea of replacing the faucets that you drink from is not expensive. It is also probably not necessary because any lead would have probably leached from the brass with long prior use. But caution is cheap in this case. Many people swap faucets as a decor upgrade.

For what it means to have a 6.5 pH for drinking, take a look at this list of the pH of some beverages: https://www.ada.org/en/~/media/ADA/Public Programs/Files/JADA_The pH of beverages in the United States

Was your water test http://envirotestkits.com/certified-lab-testing-hybrid/ Safe Home® “PREMIUM” ?

 

[Reach4]

At the least I will run a catalytic carbon filter but I'm really nervous about not having some type of sterilization.

I don't know what you are thinking the catalytic carbon filter will do for you. I have one with Centaur Carbon catalytic carbon. It is high quality catalytic carbon with a low "peroxide number". What it does for me is to get rid of H2S and iron, and while my arsenic is within safe levels, it got rid of that too.

For sterilizing, if you have a deep well and sanitize, there should be no need to do that on a continuing basis. Any deep bacteria are not really going to be pathogenic anyway. They are adapted to a way different environment. I would still sanitize at least once to get rid of stuff maybe picked up during the drilling and pump servicing process. https://terrylove.com/forums/index....izing-extra-attention-to-4-inch-casing.65845/ is my sanitizing write-up for deep wells.

Your water looks like the kind people might want to fill their drinking water jugs from.

A plastic faucet for the kitchen and bathroom can be cheap, and they usually look like metal. And the new metal ones are very low lead.

One more thing I would consider is an active anode (Ceranode brand). It protects like magnesium without getting eaten up or making deposits. It is much better than aluminum for more than one reason. Most people who put those in are doing it to prevent H2S generation. You would just be looking for better water heater protection.

 

[Traderfjp]

I don't know what you are thinking the catalytic carbon filter will do for you. I have one with Centaur Carbon catalytic carbon. It is high quality catalytic carbon with a low "peroxide number". What it does for me is to get rid of H2S and iron, and while my arsenic is within safe levels, it got rid of that too.

I have always run carbon at POU but that was on city water so I guess I'm still in that mind set. I guess I'm pretty lucky in that respect. I also read that carbon can be a breeding ground for bacteria. Do you think I should get a RO for making coffee, etc. of just leave well enough alone?