Friday, April 10, 2009

Problems with well water?


Many people who live with well water encounter varying types of mineral contents. Many deal with not just one type of mineral but, at least two. We will start with iron since that seems to be the most annoying and the most common. Iron can be dealt with by using a standard softener if it is in very low concentrations. However, rarely do I see in small enough concentrations to be dealt with by using a water softener. Most of the time it must be aerated and filtered. By using air you oxygenate the water and the iron drops into a filterable state. We then have a special type media in a filter container that separates the iron back out of the water. From there the water is usually run through a standard water softener to remove the hardness from it.

Let's talk about some of the other things that are commonly found in well water. Magnesium, the black mineral that usually comes out in small pieces and makes the water smell. Magnesium takes a special filter to remove it and a water softener will do some good with it but it also is best dealt with by designing a system specifically for magnesium removal.

One more contaminating mineral or should I say gas: Sulfur. Sulfur is a nasty gas and makes the water smell like rotten eggs. Often when you have magnesium, you also have sulfur. Sulfur must be also aerated to remove the gas and then run through a special filter to remove the sulfur gas. As you can see, having well water can cause differing types of problems but properly addressed and having your water thoroughly tested, we can design a system that will have you using well water as if it were softened city water. The bad news is that the first cost of such a system can be somewhat pricy. We can handle any challenging well water problems. Just give us a call.

www.mcconnellphac.com

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