A: Private wells are the responsibility of the homeowner.  Laboratory water analysis with some onsite testing can give us the information needed to confidently tell you what’s in your water and if it’s safe for consumption. 

A: Changes in taste can be caused by bacteria, heavy metals, or a pH imbalance.  We need to run a lab report on your well water and it’s best to avoid drinking the water in your home until we know what your water chemistry looks like.

A: Well water can have Sulfate Reducing Bacteria (SRB) in it that metabolizes Sulfate in your water and turns it into Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) gas.  When the water runs in your house, the H2S oxidizes and comes out of solution.  You smell it at the tap.  It’s important to figure out if it’s only in the hot water of your house, or it it’s in the cold water as well.  Water treatment systems at the point-of-entry in your home can oxidize the gas before it enters the domestic water system.

A: Depending on the levels of hardness minerals in your water, there are alternatives to treat hard water in your home.  There are medias that can neutralize or sequester hardness minerals in your water, without the Ion Exchange process of a water softener that creates the slick feel of the water.

A: Iron is very common in well water in the mountains and it has various forms.  Clear Water Iron is dissolved in solution and when the water comes out of the tap the Iron begins to oxidize and staining can occur at your fixtures.  Iron can be treated at the point-of-entry in your house and depending on the level in your water, there are different ways to treat it.

A: A previous water analysis is certainly helpful, but we need to verify your previous analysis with a current analysis so we have a better understanding of what’s in your well water now.  We don’t typically see lots of fluctuation in many of the contaminants, but often a more current laboratory analysis will provide data on something that wasn’t tested for previously.

A: Blue staining is often caused by your home’s copper piping reacting with low pH acidic water.  The pH of your water should be tested.  Low pH acidic water can cause metal leaching, and a water analysis can tell us what levels of dissolved metals are in your water and how we can treat it, especially when it comes to elevated levels of lead for drinking water.

A: Many contaminants in well water have no taste, odors, or color.  Although your water tastes great, a laboratory analysis will show us if there are any pathogenic bacteria, heavy metals, or radionuclides that we should target with specialized treatment.

A: The Reverse Osmosis (RO) process strips a very high percentage of dissolved solids from your water, and that includes minerals that add the pleasant taste to drinking water.  A specialized filter can be installed before the tap of the RO system so that those minerals are added back in, the pH is balanced, and your RO water tastes great.

A: The EPA requires that municipal water suppliers report what’s in the municipal supply annually, this report is called a Consumer Confidence Report.  An internet search of your water supplier and “CCR” will provide you with access to the most recent published report.  Water supplied to your home is treated to comply with EPA standards.  There are secondary standards that aren’t required to be treated, and we can filter the water in your home to take your water quality to a higher level.