How do I test my well water for bacteria?

Often county health departments will help you test for bacteria or nitrates. If not, you can have your water tested by a state certified laboratory. You can find one in your area by calling the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791 or visiting www.epa.gov

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How do you tell if your well water is contaminated?

What do you do if you have bacteria in your well water?

How can I test my water at home?

How can I test my water at home without a kit?

Fill the bottle one-third full, add a few drops of pure liquid soap and shake vigorously for a few seconds. If there is a distinct lack of fluffy bubbles and the water appears cloudy and/or milky, your water is hard.

How to Test Well Water for Bacteria

Are home water testing kits accurate?

Do they provide accurate results? The simple answer is yes, they do. Tests done with home water test kits might not be performed in a lab by a chemist but they are still reliable. The kit will notify you whether or not the water is contaminated.

How much does it cost to treat well water for bacteria?

Approximately $80 to $200 is charged for the service. How Much Does It Cost To Maintain A Water Treatment System? It typically costs $525 to $800 to repair water softeners and treatment systems. Costs could be up to $2,000 if the problems are large and complex.

How common is bacteria in well water?

The occurrence of bacteria in water is common, treatable, and in most cases, preventable. The ideal situation is to have no bacteria in drinking water, although most bacteria in water wells are harmless and pose little health risk. Ground water in the majority of properly constructed drilled wells is bacteria free.

Is bacteria in well water harmful?

Most coliform bacteria are not harmful. However, some can make you sick. A person that has been exposed to these bacteria may have an upset stomach, vomiting, fever, or diarrhea. Children and the elderly are more at risk from these bacteria.

How do you fix contaminated well water?

You can use regular household bleach to disinfect a well. The chlorine in the bleach will destroy bacteria. Check the label on the bottle to make sure the bleach does not have any kind of additives (ex: scent, detergent).

How do you get rid of coliform bacteria in well water?

If there is a source of bacteria reaching your well, chlorinating the system will kill the bacteria in the well but the system will soon be contaminated again. A chlorine solution is the simplest and most effective agent for disinfecting a well, pump, storage tank or piping system.

What is a natural way to clean well water?

You can boil the well water for 5 minutes. With this, all the bacteria inside it will be eliminated. However, boiling will not be able to remove the solids and other materials inside the well water. The use of chlorine drops or iodine tablets can effectively kill the bacteria in the well water.

How do I know if my well water is making me sick?

If your well water system contains coliform bacteria, it's almost a given that you'll experience abdominal cramps after drinking this water. This will typically be the first symptom experienced, and may be accompanied by diarrhea and nausea (see below).

What kind of bacteria can be found in well water?

Fecal coliform bacteria are a sub-group of total coliform bacteria. They appear in great quantities in the intestines and feces of people and animals. The presence of these bacteria indicates that your well water is contaminated with feces or sewage, and it has the potential to cause disease.

How do you know if your water is making you sick?

Water that's safe to drink should ideally be clear with no odor or funny taste. If your tap water tastes metallic, smells fishy, or comes out cloudy, it could signal the presence of unsafe contaminants.

How much bleach should I put in my well?

4) Work out how much bleach will be needed: For every 50 gallons of water in the well use one quart of laundry bleach - (4 quarts in a gallon). Do not use excessive amounts of bleach - more is not more effective. 5) For best results the bleach should be combined with water before adding it to the well.

Does a Brita filter remove coliform bacteria?

Brita filters are not capable of removing E-coli, a type of fecal coliform bacteria. You should boil water to remove E-coli from the water.

How often should you chlorinate a well?

Homeowners with private wells should have their well water tested every 3 to 5 years for some contaminants, including bacteria.

Can you fix a contaminated well?

On-site treatment processes like disinfection, distillation, and filtration may remove the contaminants found in your well water. However, depending on the contaminant, its concentration, and the condition of the well, you may need a new source of water or to drill a new well.

Do water testing strips work?

Should you try them? Maybe, but not as a definitive answer. Test strips can serve as an initial screening tool, providing info on water pH and hardness, but they don't offer a clear picture of the level of contamination. If you're truly worried about dangerous stuff your home's drinking water, start elsewhere.

What is a TDS water tester?

A TDS meter is a small hand-held device used to indicate the Total Dissolved Solids in a solution, usually water. Since dissolved ionized solids, such as salts and minerals, increase the conductivity of a solution, a TDS meter measures the conductivity of the solution and estimates the TDS from that reading.

What hardness should water be?

The membrane manufacturers will often specify what the maximum hardness concentration can be, but industry rule of thumb is that hardness should not exceed 120 to 170 mg/L (7 to 10 grains per gallon).