Not to worry, that **** has gone through your mouth at least once before....
Drinking well water?
- Thread starter Hobby_Man22
- Start date
TTMotorsports
Well-known member
I was on a well in North Pheonix and got the water tested before buying the home and had nothing in the water that was bad for me so I drank it all the time. Tested the water straight out of the sink faucet too. I would suggest you do the same. Also a water flow meter is cheap and easy to install as well. I would bet you would be surprised how much water you actually use everyday.
LGR
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Think that poster is saying the septic is “accidentally connected“ due age, failures, conditions ?
The OP has posted in another thread that his septic tank(s) floods with standing water on the top and the toilets won’t flush in periods of heavy rain. That almost guarantees the soils around that tank are contaminated. That issue and clay soils is a real bad combo.
From what is sounds the septic and well was not tested at time of sale ?
Both the well and septic appear to very old as it still has galvanized holding tank ?
dcg9381
Well-known member
Texas requires a min distance from a septic field and well - although in the case of minimum distance, I'm not saying you're wrong.
We've also got a TON of agriculture, might not be human poo. And wild things poop too!
Around here it's hard to get perk to pass due to not enough drainage - lots of limestone. But our wells are at a minimum of 450' down.
I've seen coliform in brand new wells here. We shock chlorinate them short term (or on a cycle) and then water is treated (UV or chlorine). Just because there is coliform, does not mean you're drinking poo.
You won't drink my well water unless you like the taste of rust. Yeah I have a softener to eliminate some rust but it still *****. I suppose I could get more filters and then I would have bottled water coming out the tap. Not all wells have great tasting waterBuy a bottle at the store, pour it down the drain, then refill from your tap.....do people out there really think people with wells use bottled water?!?!
Iron Curtain?
dcg9381
Well-known member
Install reverse osmosis - best filtration system for pretty much everything. You can even get them with UV for under $200.
OP
Hobby_Man22
Well-known member
Yes comes from the water tower which is pumped from a well from somewhere, but the water is also treated.
OP
Hobby_Man22
Well-known member
You should see all the things people do to treat perfectly good city water.
unless it's Flint with their... whatever or Milwaukee during a cryptosporidium outbreak. then it's not so crazy.
pcmeiners
Well-known member
And if you have higher than normal arsenic levels in your well water your likely drinking embalming fluid from past relatives.
rburke65
Well-known member
According to the meter on our water softener, we….my wife and I….use 75 to 85 gallons a day on average.
walta
Well-known member
No right thinking person would but it seem to me the fact that the coliform bacteria are in the water seems to me the only logical conclusion is sewage is somehow getting in the water. Half the people that own a septic system think they are maintenance free and refuse to spend a dime on the system as long as the sewage gets out of the house. They could care less if the sewage flows across yard and on to the neighbors property even if someone’s well is over there.
Where I choose to live we have the luxury of 40+ inches of rain. People that have to find a way to survive on 4 inches have a different set of expiations for water quality. Soil in other parts of the world is different than what I think of as normal and what I think is poor quality water is all that is possible in that location.
Septic tanks collect solid waste the bacteria laden liquids are dispersed under ground in the septic field.
Health codes generally are enough to keep wells safe. The reason the health code requires annual well testing is because codes are not perfect and every system fails given enough time.
The real world is not so black and white. Much of the world does not have the luxury of clean water and most manage to survive somehow.
I am trying to leave room for people to tell me about their normal
Walta
BruceMc
Well-known member
Or you live in gold country.And if you have higher than normal arsenic levels in your well water your likely drinking embalming fluid from past relatives.
nutsandbolts
Active member
- Joined
- Apr 20, 2011
- Messages
- 32
Whilst I don't know much about wells.
Due to the crazy times over the last 2 years I bought a Berkey water filter. Although I live in Sydney, in a very urban area my thinking is old pipes, and the reminder that innocuous things can happen, it's small relatively cheap insurance if we have water problems.
I accept it's not a solution to the OP's problem, but it may help mitigate safe drinking water until further testing is done.
Due to the crazy times over the last 2 years I bought a Berkey water filter. Although I live in Sydney, in a very urban area my thinking is old pipes, and the reminder that innocuous things can happen, it's small relatively cheap insurance if we have water problems.
I accept it's not a solution to the OP's problem, but it may help mitigate safe drinking water until further testing is done.
dfiler2
Well-known member
A few years ago I moved to town and had to drink treated city water for the first time in a long time, it took me a few months to get used to the taste and a few years before I could use it to make coffee.
pcmeiners
Well-known member
Before some people start freaking out about bacteria in well water...
Shallow wells are the most susceptible to contamination. The deeper your well, the less chance of harmful bacterial contamination; most well have some benign bacteria, such as bacteria which live on iron.
The saving grace of deep wells is the geographical layout of ground strata. Most areas have multiple layers of fine silt/clay between the surface and a deep well's finished depth which basically seal off the upper layers or provides filtering of the water which passes through them. Used to drill well, where I lived, in 30 feet there could be 10 very fine clay layer or 2 layers. In a deep well you could go through 25 layers or more, some clay layers being 8 feet thick, the consistency of pure white modeling clay. With deep well chemical contamination is a more likely possible issue.
Shallow wells are the most susceptible to contamination. The deeper your well, the less chance of harmful bacterial contamination; most well have some benign bacteria, such as bacteria which live on iron.
The saving grace of deep wells is the geographical layout of ground strata. Most areas have multiple layers of fine silt/clay between the surface and a deep well's finished depth which basically seal off the upper layers or provides filtering of the water which passes through them. Used to drill well, where I lived, in 30 feet there could be 10 very fine clay layer or 2 layers. In a deep well you could go through 25 layers or more, some clay layers being 8 feet thick, the consistency of pure white modeling clay. With deep well chemical contamination is a more likely possible issue.
dcg9381
Well-known member
You can buy all the filters you want, but when the stuff dissolves in the water, you can't get it out with media filters. You can get it out with reverse osmosis - its' pretty cheap and generally cleans up the taste of most water sources.
Trust me, you get good at calculating volume in large tanks when your water supply is limited. Am curious about what flow meter you use though...
OP
Hobby_Man22
Well-known member
Toilet alone uses 2.5 gallons per flush. Flushed it manually by filling up gallon jugs when the pipes were broken.
Firebrick43
Well-known member
Those pimping RO systems thinking that “pure” water is good for them need to do a little reasearch.
Water, even softened water is a major source of magnesium and calcium. Water has an extremely strong ionic bond. RO strips these bonds and therefore the water is looking to re establish those bonds. This action is so strong it will even erode Stainless steel pipes in short order which is why all RO systems use plastic piping.
in addition the western diet is already a leading cause of acidosis which can cause bone loss. Drinking slightly alkaline tap water (most water is neutral or slightly alkaline). Can mitigate this. RO water is slightly acidic to considerable acidic depending on the duration of air exposure. Of course many in the west drink coupious amounts of soda so?
but the marketing of pure RO water is farcical unless your have some chemicals poisonous chemicals to remove.
on top of it RO systems waste 70 percent of the water to flush the membrane.
Water, even softened water is a major source of magnesium and calcium. Water has an extremely strong ionic bond. RO strips these bonds and therefore the water is looking to re establish those bonds. This action is so strong it will even erode Stainless steel pipes in short order which is why all RO systems use plastic piping.
in addition the western diet is already a leading cause of acidosis which can cause bone loss. Drinking slightly alkaline tap water (most water is neutral or slightly alkaline). Can mitigate this. RO water is slightly acidic to considerable acidic depending on the duration of air exposure. Of course many in the west drink coupious amounts of soda so?
but the marketing of pure RO water is farcical unless your have some chemicals poisonous chemicals to remove.
on top of it RO systems waste 70 percent of the water to flush the membrane.
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Firebrick43
Well-known member
pcmeiners
Well-known member
"You can buy all the filters you want, but when the stuff dissolves in the water, you can't get it out with media filters."
Not true, at least for most of "the stuff dissolved in water", which refers to dissolved salts, and organics. There are multiple media types which can remove just about anything either by ion exchange, oxidation, reduction or absorption of a combination of the mentioned. Agree with Firebrick43, RO is over-hyped, and for human physiology, is not good without adding
back vital salt nutrients (nor does it taste good without those salts). As Firebrick43 points out it is not "pretty cheap" (unless you live in an arid region).
Not true, at least for most of "the stuff dissolved in water", which refers to dissolved salts, and organics. There are multiple media types which can remove just about anything either by ion exchange, oxidation, reduction or absorption of a combination of the mentioned. Agree with Firebrick43, RO is over-hyped, and for human physiology, is not good without adding
back vital salt nutrients (nor does it taste good without those salts). As Firebrick43 points out it is not "pretty cheap" (unless you live in an arid region).
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Jazz1
Well-known member
I would get water tested, something Ive put off on my well as I only use it for the gardens as I’m on city water. The well is old 13’ well from when area was rural.
last I checked stainless pipe was $$$ and LDPE tubing was not. My stainless steel RO tap shows no signs of erosion. my stainless kettle, and stainless pasta pot looks fine too.
Firebrick43
Well-known member
And your point is? Is the piping of the RO system stainless? Your kettle, pasta pot, and even the tap for the most point have comparably little time in contact with the water compared to the full time exposure that the system and valve have.
also you won’t see any sign until one day you have a leak.
I have seen stainless pipe erode in about 4 years with an industrial RO system I maintained.
And the real point was not the cost, but the powerful action of water molecules trying to reestablish ionic bonds.
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Firebrick43
Well-known member
Yes but it’s also exposed to air. RO water is looking to re establish ionic bonds. In an enclosed system it’s the metal of the pipes that will be stripped to make these bonds. It looks like acid erosion (and maybe in copper is partially) but 316 SS is generally immune to weak acids. Removing the minerals out of the water will make RO water slightly acidic btw.
However in air (as in your tap) the RO water starts absorbing carbon dioxide rapidly. This makes the water acidic within just a few hours. Down to 5.5 or so in ph.
Again this acidity probably will not hurt good SS and the ionic bonds have been satisfied by the carbon dioxide. It’s the enclosed metal piping that is at risk from RO water.
ZRX61
Well-known member
Regarding RO water being somewhat corrosive: I thought there was a system where the water goes through the filters, softener, RO etc & then *something else* to cure the issue?
Firebrick43
Well-known member
Corrosion isn’t an issue on most systems as they are at point of use and have plastic pipes. Pointing out the corrosion (which is a bad term for it) is to point out the ionic bonds and what it can do. What’s it doing in your body?
A few systems do remineralization the water or you can add it on to an existing system. But it comes down to why??? RO is sold as a cure all to many times issues that don’t exist or can be solved cheaper with other solutions.
If you have serious contaminates such as high nitrates or arsenic, sure an RO system with remineralization is a good solution, but so might buying drinking water by the gallon from the store?
but bad taste which I see most RO systems sold for are better served by charcoal filters.
trucking water is almost never cheaper if you have a well. in the winter we put a stainless pan on top of the wood stove and put a few gallons of RO water in it at a time. makes a great humidifier. I'd hate to have to drive to the store and buy a season's worth of water.
Only on on the top half of the valve. the stem under the sink is stainless and that water is behind the valve.
walta
Well-known member
If you decide you want to keep the old fashion non diaphragm tank you need to accept the fact that the pressure tank will be a ongoing maintenance item that will require your attention every few months. You also need to understand the consequences if you fail to maintain the air pressure in the tank your pump will run shorter and shorter cycles as the air pressure drops all the short cycles reduce the pumps life expectancy. While a diaphragm tank sounds expensive it is chum change compared to the price of the pump.
The older systems have fallen out of favor for good reasons mostly they cost more at the end of the day.
Walta
walta
Well-known member
Firebrick what you are describing sounds more like Deionization DI water than RO water to my ear.
I have also seen stainless fall victim to electrolysis and that also looks a lot like what you are describing.
It is very common to see stainless steel faucet connected to RO water systems and I have never seen a failure and I have RO systems for the last 20 years.
Walta
Firebrick43
Well-known member
No, large industrial RO system. Uses membranes not resin beds.
Falcon67
Well-known member
Well water here is very high in nitrates from fertilizer migrating into the ground water. You can "drink" it but not much, not suitable for animals or small children. If you want to use it for anything other than laundry you'd need a reverse osmosis system installed. In Wise County Tx the well water was potable from 180 but laced with sulfur leaking from bad oil well casings. Have to test it.
This thread makes me LOL.
Spent 18 years drinking well water that most of you have paid good money to get in a fancy plastic bottle.
Couldn't stand city water, had to filter it with a Brita for coffee and drinking.
Back on a well now, tested and tastes great.
So what if me pee glows in the dark.
Spent 18 years drinking well water that most of you have paid good money to get in a fancy plastic bottle.
Couldn't stand city water, had to filter it with a Brita for coffee and drinking.
Back on a well now, tested and tastes great.
So what if me pee glows in the dark.
tonyciambrone
Well-known member
Trick is to precipitate it out of the water and then filter it. 1 mic sediment filters have a lot more capacity and a lot cheaper than RO membranes
This article does a good job of outlining the reasons I recommend hydrogen peroxide injection for nearly every well water scenario
dcg9381
Well-known member
hydrogen peroxide - certainly favorable to work with over chlorine. I'll be the pumps last longer too. Where do you buy hydrogen peroxide in bulk?
I'll tack this on here; Is there a company or agency that tests water samples for carcinogens specifically? I have a sob story/conspiracy theory that you guys would probably get too hung up on but I'm really wanting to send someone a sample for the express purpose of finding carcinogens. Who does that?
Ricky Joe
Well-known member
Actually I grew up with well water and never had a cavity until in my forties.