Treatment for Well Water Problems

Water wells are primarily drilled to provide clean drinking water for homes located too far away from a city to use a municipal water supply. When drilled and maintained correctly, they have few problems. If a problem does develop in your water well, using the correct treatment will restore it to its original condition.

Water Softening

Hard water is common in water wells that are drilled into layers of rock containing iron and manganese. As water flows around and through rock layers, it slowly dissolves small amounts of these minerals that can cause damage to home appliances and stain your clothes. A number of water softening treatments, including polyphosphate, oxygen exchange and greensand systems will all work with well water. These treatment systems are generally installed in the home on the incoming water line.

Chlorination

Shock chlorination is a safe way to kill off bacterial growth inside a well that has occurred due to new construction, flooding or another common cause. This treatment involves pouring regular chlorine bleach into your well and flushing the system. Shock chlorination is not appropriate for treating recurring bacterial problems, but constant chlorination devices are designed for this use. Constant chlorination is handled by a device installed on or in the well that adds a small amount of drinkable chlorine daily to keep bacteria levels down.

pH Neutralizers

Acidic water with an improper pH balance can leach dangerous metal particles from your home's pipes, which over time leads to serious health problems. A granular calcite filter is a common treatment for this problem. The calcite increases the water's pH towards the alkaline side of the scale. These filters can be installed at the well pump or in the house. If the water is too acidic for calcite to affect, soda ash can be used for a stronger effect, but this treatment raises the sodium level of your drinking water.

Filtration

While odd tastes and strange colors in your well water can occur without causing health or appliance problems, they make drinking your fresh water less desirable. There are filters used to clean odors, flavors and colors from well water, including oxidation systems, particle filters and reverse osmosis treatments. All of these remove certain particles, minerals or odor-causing algae from the water. When you have your well water tested annually for drinking safety, ask the tester to determine what is causing any unpleasant effects so that you can purchase the right filtration treatment.

References

• North Dakota State University Agricultural Extension: Treatment Systems for Household Water Supplies
• University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service: Disinfecting Your Well Water - Shock Chlorination
• University of Wisconsin Extension: Improving Your Private Well Water Quality