Well Owners: Your number one responsibility is to make sure your well water is safe to drink.
Our job is to help you do that!
The number one contaminant group you need to focus on is…
BACTERIA
There are two major categories of bacteria that need to be monitored on a regular basis:
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Pathogenic Bacteria, such as Total Coliform, Fecal, and Salmonella
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Slime-forming Bacteria, such as Iron-related and Sulfur-reducing Bacteria
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Pathogenic Bacteria, in general, are bacteria that can cause disease. The most common one found in private well systems is E-Coli, which is a coliform bacteria.
Slime-forming Bacteria are in themselves not harmful to humans, according to the U.S. Environmental Agency. The two most common of these are Iron Related Bacteria (IRB) and Sulfate Reducing Bacteria (SRB).
- IRB are bacteria that use iron as an energy source. Properly called iron biofouling bacteria, these bacteria metabolize iron and secrete a yellowish or brownish-colored slime. They can also have a petroleum or rotten egg odor due to the release of hydrogen sulfide gas.
- SRB can grow in the slime environment that an IRB provides. SRB are anaerobic (oxygen deficient) bacteria, meaning they live and grow in an oxygen-free environment. They react with sulfur and sulfur-containing compounds, such as sulfate, and produce hydrogen sulfide gas, which has a rotten egg smell. The gas is very corrosive and can lead to expensive plumbing repairs.
These bacteria can:
- Damage plumbing by depositing a thick jelly-like slime inside pipes. This slime can reduce water pressure and, in extreme cases, stop the flow of water entirely.
- They can cause damage to hot water heaters, corrode plumbing due to acidic secretions, and cause water treatment devices to fail.
- In some instances, an IRB infection can cause other more harmful bacteria to grow.
How do you know if any of these bacteria are in your well water?
You test for them. We offer two different lab test kits targeted for testing well water.
You can find out more about these lab test kits on these two pages:
If any bacteria are present in your water, you need to chlorinate your well. We have a kit for homeowners to do this called the Well Water Wellness Kit. You can order it here, https://drinkingwaterspecialists.com/well-water-wellness-kit/
After you have chlorinated your well water, you need to retest it to see if bacteria are still present.
To make it easy to re-test without ordering a lab test, we offer the Complete Bacteria Self-Test Kit so that you can do it yourself.
The test kit contains do-it-yourself tests for pathogenic, iron-related, and sulfur-reducing bacteria.
There are enough tests in the kit for two complete tests.
The idea is that after you have chlorinated your well, you will test the water a couple of weeks after that.
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- If any of the bacteria are still present, you need to chlorinate your well again and retest.
- If the bacteria are not present, you should wait about six months and then test again.
When you place your order, we will rush you the Complete Bacteria Self-Test Kit.
Besides the individual test kits themselves, the box will contain easy-to-follow instructions. If you have any questions, we are here to help you.
To place your order, just click on the button below:
