Well Water: Solutions to Your Top Concerns

It can be a homeowner’s worst nightmare when you turn on your tap and there is a noticeable change in your well water.  Whether your water has an odour or is a different colour, it’s important to figure out what’s going on before it becomes a bigger problem.  Let’s have a look at these concerns and what the solutions may be.

Water Discolouration

 

There may be a few different reasons why your well water is coming into your home and out of your faucets discoloured.

1. Tannins- tannins in your water is often caused by rotting vegetation colouring your well water producing a brown, tea-like colour.  The solution for this issue would be to install a tannin filtration system.  For more information on exactly how a tannin filter works check out our YouTube video which goes into great depth on the issue.
2. High Levels of Iron and Manganese can turn your water brown or black and cause lots of staining.  This is caused by these minerals being absorbed into the aquafer supplying water to your well.  Depending on the severity this may lead to considerable staining in your home.  It’s highly recommended that you add an iron filter and water softener to correct this for your family.

Smelly Water

When it comes to smelly water, there are distinct odours to look out for. Water that smells like rotten eggs, oil, asphalt, cucumbers or sewage is a definite problem.  Having water that smells like rotten eggs is a good indication that you have an issue with hydrogen sulfide gas and this doesn’t necessarily mean that it is coming from your well.  Check to see if the odour is present in both cold water and hot water.  If only the hot water is affected then most likely there is a problem with the anode rod in your water heater.  By replacing these rods, your problem should be corrected.  The smell of oil or asphalt and cucumbers or sewage can be attributed to bacteria in your water.  This is often noticed in warmer weather or in pipes that don’t get frequently used.  A quick fix to remove bacteria would be to shock your well water with chlorine or hydrogen peroxide but adding an Ultraviolet Disinfection system will protect your family from bacteria.  Follow along with our YouTube video for exact instructions on how this is done.

It is imperative that you call a professional as soon as you realize that there may be an issue with your well water.  They have the proper equipment to test your water and determine exactly what is going on!

Home of Gary the Water Guy!  Gary has been fixing families’ water since January 2003 and is experienced in all aspects of water treatment.  Gary has earned the Certified Water Specialist (CWS-I) and Certified Installer (CI) designations from the Water Quality Association.  For more information visit our Water Store Website.  Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel!