How To Set Up a Chlorinator on a Constant Pressure Well Pump System

Hello - Our well is drilled to 960 Ft. in 1990 into what is known as the Trinty sand. Very good water except for the rotten egg smell, especially in the hot water.

In late 1990 I installed a Sears Bleach injector for the smell. It worked great. Over the years I bought one more new Sears injector for the well. Then three years ago lightning destroyed the submersible pump.

After the well service people pulled the pump, from about 450 Ft. he recommended that we install a 1 HP Constant Pressure pump and lower the pump to 750 Ft. due to the continuing drought in our area. I agreed and the well was repaired.

About 3 months later the water started to smell again as it did in 1990 and I contacted the well service rep and asked him to check the well system. He then told me that Injector was not compatible with the Constant Pressure pump.

I was told I would have to find some other way to control the smell. The Injector could no longer be connected to start and stop with pump operation. I added a timer to the Injector and that worked just fine until last month when the Injector failed due to old age, I assume.

I contacted Sears and they no longer offer the Injector. Can you suggest a replacement system? The current pump control box does not offer 120V service at the pressure switch. Would adding a flow switch be necessary? Water test show no problems, except hardness.

Your help will be appreciated.

Van

Van,

Thanks for emailing. For a constant pressure system, a proportional feed chlorinator is needed, a flow switch would not work. With a flow switch, the chlorinator would turn on even if there were very little flow and so the chlorine dosage would not be correct.

How To Remove Mica Flakes and Fine Sediment From Well Water

Hello,

I have a 84' new (1yr) well that puts out 10 to 12 gpm. The casing is screened but we still get a lot of fine sand made up mostly of Mica flakes. I would like to purchase a system that eliminates the particles but i would prefer not to buy cartridges all the time. 

Thank you.

Dear Sir,

A 60 mesh flushable pre-filter screen, followed by a Sediment Backwash Filter will remove all particles down to the 5 micron range without using any filter cartridges. The flushable prefilter removes the big flakes and the sediment backwash filter will remove all the fine particles.

What Type of Water Treatment Works Best For Rainwater?

Question for you: 

We are purchasing a home with cistern water. We have never been off of city water before. The cistern and house are both 14 years old. The house has 4 full bathrooms. There will be 6 people living there. We had coliform counts done and there were 0 cfu/ 100ml of e coli and 33 total coliform colony units.

The water is clear and odorless. The current owners have a whole house filter (coarse I believe - just the woven cylinder within a clear cylinder style) and do not add chlorine to their tank. What sort of sterilization apparatus would you recommend. I have looked at your UV systems some. I used to work in a cell biology lab and am familiar with the UV from that perspective but not from a whole house water perspective. Thank you.


Thanks for writing to us,

An ultraviolet sterilizer works well with rainwater. UV works best if the water is clear and low in minerals and sediment. A ceramic 1 micron pre-filter ahead of the UV would remove any parasites (there is a small risk from bird droppings, squirrels perhaps). The 1 micron ceramic filter can be cleaned many times before needing to replace it, by a simple brushing of the ceramic cartridges.

Odors From Well Water in My New Apartment

Hello,

I have recently moved into an apartment that has well water and when I run my water my whole house begins to stink. It smells as if something is dead. I am concerned about this because I have 2 kids and want to make sure that they will not get sick from taking a shower. Please if possible send me the good and bad signs of well water and what I need to do about this smell. I know nothing about having well water and need all the help and info that I can get. THANK YOU

- Ashley

Ashley,

Thanks for contacting us. Is the odor in the cold water and the hot water? If you suspect the water might be making you sick, we recommend contacting your local County Health Dept and see if they offer free or low cost well water testing.

Where Can I Get My Well Water Tested for Bacteria?

Do you test for coliform bacteria, or know where I can have my well water tested for coliform bacteria?

- Peter

Peter,

One suggestion is to contact your local County Health Department. Often the Health Dept will offer bacteria testing or they can recommend a local lab where you can take your sample for testing.

There is an effective home test kit available,  the "Coliform Bacteria EZ Cult 24 Hour" test. This test kit is a do-it-yourself coliform test that can verify the presence of coliform bacteria. It is EPA compliant. However it is NOT state certified or licensed.  If you are testing your water for a new home purchase for example and the bank requires a licensed lab, we recommend a certified lab test.

How Is The Sediment Backwash Filter For Removing Sediment From Well Water?

Dear sir,

I have a well system which has always had a significant sediment problem. I currently use a mesh filter followed by 2 inline filters. After a month with the new filters are loaded with brown dirt which shows in the toilet bowls. I'm considering a backwash filter for sediment removal, can you send me information or tell me how they work?

-Paul

Dear Paul,

Sediment backwash filters work by removing sediment from water and then automatically backwash the sediment out. They are able to filter down to 5 microns without the need to change filter cartridges, and work great for removing fine particles, dirt, and rust.