[N/A] Well Water System Identification

[ARFlyer]

I inspected under the house I'm getting from the family today. The well water filter system is located in the partial underground tornado room.

Anyway, I'm mostly familiar with filter systems but I'm having trouble identifying two tanks. I'm hoping one of y'all will be able to narrow down my options. This system hasn't been used for at least a few years. I know the gray tanks are the brine and softener systems.

The two tanks in question are the blue up right and the white motorized. The white tank smells slightly between chlorine and/or peroxide. It will come on in bursts with the hose leading to the outflow, house, pipe.

Currently the system is:
Pressure tank > softener > blue > white tank inlet > house

 

[jsstevens]

Looks like the gray tank is the softener (assuming that black hose from the salt tank goes to it). No idea what the second tank is.

 

[flyingron]

The one that is connected to the brine (salt) tank is the softener.

The other one could be some other treatment...Iron Filter or Acid Remover (I have them both). Frankly, in the case of those two, the softener should be LAST. I'm going to venture a guess and say that the odd one looks like an Iron Filter (I have one that looks just like it complete with the timer to regenerate the thing).

 

[ARFlyer]

Iron filter would be great. I was hoping it was going to be a hydrogen sulfur filter! The water stinks to high heaven!

 

[Sac Arrow]

Your softener should remove the H2S, but if it's present in a large amount you can remove it (at least kill the free sulfides anyway) by oxidizing it with chlorine or potassium permanganate.

The other thing you might try is shock chlorinating the well itself to kill the sulfur reducing bacteria producing the H2S.

 

[ARFlyer]

Welp...

I called the system manufacture to see if they could help figure out the system. I was told who ever put it together knows nothing about water treatment. Also since the system has sat so long it's trashed out.

So off to buy a new system! The joys of home ownership and I haven't even signed the papers yet! Lol

 

[Clark1961]

Oh boy....start at the well....pump water for awhile....then shock it as Sac Bow-n-arrow suggested...come back tomorrow and collect a water sample...ship sample to lab for analysis...wait for results....take results to local residential water treatment folks for recommendations...maybe get three recommendations...make choice.

Note on shocking the well. Do it by the book. If that doesn't give satisfactory results double the bleach and run it through the whole house once you get strong bleach odor in the returns. I had a pressure tank bladder rupture that contaminated the entire system. It wasn't fun cleaning up after that one.

Water softener: may have a rebuild (mostly gaskets and seals) kit. Might be a good idea if it has been setting awhile.

 

[ElPaso Pilot]

Oh boy....start at the well....pump water for awhile....then shock it as Sac Bow-n-arrow suggested...come back tomorrow and collect a water sample...ship sample to lab for analysis...wait for results....take results to local residential water treatment folks for recommendations...maybe get three recommendations...make choice.

Note on shocking the well. Do it by the book. If that doesn't give satisfactory results double the bleach and run it through the whole house once you get strong bleach odor in the returns. I had a pressure tank bladder rupture that contaminated the entire system. It wasn't fun cleaning up after that one.

Water softener: may have a rebuild (mostly gaskets and seals) kit. Might be a good idea if it has been setting awhile.

Also, consider trying Iron Out or an equivalent product to refresh the softener bed before you throw it out. Have had good luck on old neglected softener systems in the past with this.

http://www.superironout.com/water-uses.php

 

[ARFlyer]

Oh boy....start at the well....pump water for awhile....then shock it as Sac Bow-n-arrow suggested...come back tomorrow and collect a water sample...ship sample to lab for analysis...wait for results....take results to local residential water treatment folks for recommendations...maybe get three recommendations...make choice.

Note on shocking the well. Do it by the book. If that doesn't give satisfactory results double the bleach and run it through the whole house once you get strong bleach odor in the returns. I had a pressure tank bladder rupture that contaminated the entire system. It wasn't fun cleaning up after that one.

Water softener: may have a rebuild (mostly gaskets and seals) kit. Might be a good idea if it has been setting awhile.

Any labs you recommend? We don't have any in Arkansas that will do the testing. Google turned up National Testing Lab. They offer tests ranging from $105 to $200.

 

[ElPaso Pilot]

Any labs you recommend? We don't have any in Arkansas that will do the testing. Google turned up National Testing Lab. They offer tests ranging from $105 to $200.

Did you call or look up your county health department? The ones I am familiar with permit and test private wells.

 

[Sac Arrow]

Well, but what are we sampling for? There are many suites of tests. I don't deal much with residential but generally if you ask the 'lab' to give you an 'analysis' on a home well a hundred bucks will give you a general physical with a few key items like pH, hardness, alkalinity, and depending on the state, maybe iron and sulfides. A complete USEPA scan is going to run a grand or so, and a complete California compliant Title 22 scan is running more like two grand these days.

 

[ARFlyer]

Did you call or look up your county health department? The ones I am familiar with permit and test private wells.

They only test for E.Coli and coliform.

Well, but what are we sampling for? There are many suites of tests. I don't deal much with residential but generally if you ask the 'lab' to give you an 'analysis' on a home well a hundred bucks will give you a general physical with a few key items like pH, hardness, alkalinity, and depending on the state, maybe iron and sulfides. A complete USEPA scan is going to run a grand or so, and a complete California compliant Title 22 scan is running more like two grand these days.

I found a company that offers a $60 test kit that you mail back to them. National Testing Lab is $105 for the same test. However, the company, with the $60 test, website makes me think they're shady.

https://www.karlabs.com/watertestkit/kit90.htm

 

[Sac Arrow]

They only test for E.Coli and coliform.



I found a company that offers a $60 test kit that you mail back to them. National Testing Lab is $105 for the same test. However, the company, with the $60 test, website makes me think they're shady.

https://www.karlabs.com/watertestkit/kit90.htm

Run like hell. Nobody tests for obscure rare earth metals. My bulls***meter is pegged. $105 won't get you 1 percent of the tests they claim from a reputable lab.

 

[ARFlyer]

Run like hell. Nobody tests for obscure rare earth metals. My bulls***meter is pegged. $105 won't get you 1 percent of the tests they claim from a reputable lab.

CSI called me back just now and said I can send a water sample and they'll test it. It's free but I'm wondering if this is just a sales tactic to get me to buy their new filter systems.

The system in the picture above is hobbled a together CSI system.

 

[Sac Arrow]

CSI called me back just now and said I can send a water sample and they'll test it. It's free but I'm wondering if this is just a sales tactic to get me to buy their new filter systems.

The system in the picture above is hobbled a together CSI system.

Well, ask them what the tests are for. The system you have is a softener, and the second contractor unit may be for iron but more likely it's for pH correction. Keep in mind they have a horse in this race.

 

[ARFlyer]

Well, ask them what the tests are for. The system you have is a softener, and the second contractor unit may be for iron but more likely it's for pH correction. Keep in mind they have a horse in this race.

I did. They said it's just a basic water test to tell them what system I'll need. This is because the tanks I have aren't labeled. Which makes the engineer who called back think the guy didn't know what he was doing.

I know the water is safe to drink untreated, as both my aunt and grandparents have untreated water. I just want to get rid of the sulfur smell and not stain the **** out of the clothes.

I bought a cheap water test kit. It showed very high alkalinity and pH. The iron test was present but barely had any color.

 

[Sac Arrow]

Do as @Clark1961 says and then go from there. I suspect you might ending up chlorinating your water in the end if the shock chlorination of your well doesn't work out.

Or you can do as my folks do and put water into jugs and let it aerate to release the sulfides. Hate to say it but the Midwest has some nasty groundwater. We encounter it here occasionally but not that much.

 

[Clark1961]

Any labs you recommend? We don't have any in Arkansas that will do the testing. Google turned up National Testing Lab. They offer tests ranging from $105 to $200.

No particular lab. Start with county and any vendors who will do a free test. Go from there.

 

[Clark1961]

Do as @Clark1961 says and then go from there. I suspect you might ending up chlorinating your water in the end if the shock chlorination of your well doesn't work out.

Or you can do as my folks do and put water into jugs and let it aerate to release the sulfides. Hate to say it but the Midwest has some nasty groundwater. We encounter it here occasionally but not that much.

Yeah, treat with bleach first. Find out what the native state is afterwards.

I have no problem with the cheap test kit dip strips. They won't tell you much about any bacteria so kill all you can first.

 

[455 Bravo Uniform]

Get 2 more opinions. This industry has many sales people who only know what they've been recently taught (a sales program) or scam artists.

The softener is probably fine. Do a before and after water test. Then get someone in the house to look at the other tanks to see what they do (is the short tank connected to the blue tank? If it smells like chlorine, maybe iron or sulfide remover).

 

[ARFlyer]

Yeah I'll do the bleach treatment when I get home from my next trip. My aunt said her brother in law works for the state EPA office. So she's going to ask to see if their lab can test the water.

Finding more and more dumb crap. I've found two switches in a hall closet that are a mystery. Also an outlet in master bedroom controls the lights in the tornado room. I'm guessing there use to be a floor hatch.

 

[Zeldman]

My current well has such good water that I have no filtration system or softener. Just straight out of the ground.

The new house has some type of system on it that looks like I will be launching rockets. It will be a learning curve for me.

 

[Clark1961]

My current well has such good water that I have no filtration system or softener. Just straight out of the ground.

The new house has some type of system on it that looks like I will be launching rockets. It will be a learning curve for me.

Yeah the house up in the foothills had wonderful water so it was disappointing when the bladder ruptured and the entire system was contaminated. The house in Montana was a bit more problematic but a softener took care of the hardness portion of the water. Softened water does not equal pure water...

 

[Everskyward]

I get my water straight out of the ground too. No softener, no filter. However, I have had guests tell me my water is "hard". I never noticed. The only thing I notice is that the pressure, while adequate, is not at strong as city water.

 

[Zeldman]

My water is soft.

Wish I could run a pipe line from my current well to my new house.

 

[Clark1961]

I get my water straight out of the ground too. No softener, no filter. However, I have had guests tell me my water is "hard". I never noticed. The only thing I notice is that the pressure, while adequate, is not at strong as city water.

I have a screwdriver which can fix that.

 

[Everskyward]

I have a screwdriver which can fix that.

After having gotten used to it that way for 25 years...

I don't want to bust the pipes a la Rushie, especially since it's going on the market in a week or two.