Is Your Well Water Safe To Drink?

Every year, thousands of American households temporarily lose access to safe and clean water. According to studies, 40% of private wells contain coliform bacteria or E. coli. Therefore, finding the best whole house water filtration for wells is important.

Is Your Well Water Safe?

Most Americans are used to safe treated city water. Therefore, when they relocate to the countryside, they assume that well water is safe. Most of these people end up encountering dangerous and unpalatable water and they eventually realize that they need the best well water filtration system.

Well water can contain:

• Bacteria
• Viruses
• Parasites
• Rust
• Sediments
• Bad odor
• Bad smell

These contaminants can cause:

1. Diarrhea
2. Headaches
3. Cramps
4. Nausea
5. Among other severe symptoms.

Homeowners Make These 4 Mistakes When Selecting Well Water Filtration System

Many homeowners have wasted their money on the wrong system. They end up installing a second or even a third system. To find the best well water filtration system, you need to avoid these mistakes.

1. Not confirming your water pressure before you make a purchase.
2. Failure to know the flow rate of your well pump.
3. Failure to understand the basic mechanisms of your well water system.
4. Failure to analyze well water chemistry properly.
5. Is There a One Size Fits All Solution?

Some water treatment retailers and vendors advertise their products as a “one size fits all” solution. There is nothing like a system that can match all solutions and solve all your water problems. You require a tailor-made solution for your water problems – read this guide to well water filtration systems.

To Find the Best Well Water Filtration System — Understand Your Well Water Chemistry

1. Understand Water Chemistry

You can’t find the best system unless you first know what is in your water. After an in-depth water analysis has been done, it will be easy to find a water treatment system that will work well for the set of conditions in your water.

If your well water is acidic and also has iron, you require a custom-made solution. That is because most filtration systems cannot remove iron if the water is acidic. Therefore, the acidity will first need to be counteracted before an iron removal system is used.

• General mineral testing will help in solving aesthetic water quality problems such as bad odors and tastes. It will test for turbidity, alkalinity, PH, hardness, manganese, and iron.
• A bacteria test is recommended if there is a septic tank nearby.
• Wells that are located near agricultural areas, industrial sites, and gasoline stations need to be analyzed for a wide range of chemical substances.

2. Understand Water Pressure

To get the best whole house water filtration for wells, an understanding of water pressure is essential. You should know the water pressure from your well pump to determine the most suitable filtration system.

• A water treatment system will decrease the water pressure entering your home. By knowing the water pressure beforehand, you will be able to find a system that will leave you with decent water pressure inside your kitchen and bathrooms, after the water has been filtered.
• A system that has a lower pressure can be fine-tuned to work at a better pressure.

3. Understand the Flow Rate

Different well pumps have different flow rates. You should test your well pump to determine its flow rate. This will help you to find a water treatment system that is ideal for the flow rate in question.

• Water treatment systems are designed to be self-cleaning.
• If the filtration system has a higher flow rate than the well pump, this will lead to self-cleaning problems. Backwash will not happen properly and the filter media can solidify and seize. This can render the entire filtration system useless.
• A system should be sized to match the flow rate of the well pump to ensure that there is always full cleaning.
• An undersized system will push media into the plumbing downstream.
• An oversized system will result in a loss of pressure.

4. Understand the Basics of Your Well Water Pumping System

Many homeowners don’t know the basics of their well water pumping system. As a result, they end up with the wrong filtration system.

• First, you should understand the kind of pump being used. Is it a submersible pump or a jet pump? Most shallow wells use a jet pump that is placed outside the well. Deep wells require a submersible pump that is submerged inside the water.
• Does your system have a large holding tank from where water is pumped into the household?
• You should understand all the basics from the well up to the point that water enters your house. This will help you to determine the ideal treatment method considering things such as flow rate and water pressure.
• If the well uses a pressure tank, the filtration system should be placed after the pressure tank and not before. This will help to avoid damaging the well pump.

The Bottom-Line

There isn’t a “one size fits all” solution. Some systems can eliminate several pollutants. However, no filtration system can get rid of every water contaminant.

If a vendor tells you that a particular system is suitable for every application, they are lying. A system that is being marketed as ideal for every situation is likely to yield poor results and it will require frequent repairs.

Another common sales claim is “set it and forget it” systems. Even the best system will require frequent fine-tuning. It will need regular maintenance.

To find the best system, you should understand the features of the different systems including the water pressures they can handle, the flow rates they will process, and the impurities they can remove. You should compare and contrast the different systems and finally make a choice.