Reading A Water Report: Do I Need Water Treatment?
If you’ve recently had a water test done, you may be wondering how to read your water report to determine whether you need water treatment or not.
The National Ground Water Association typically recommends well owners to test their water annually (at minimum) to test for bacteria, nitrates, and any other contaminants to determine if water treatment is necessary.
Other instances that you should consider having a water test done are;
- Change in taste, odor or appearance of well water
- Your well has a history of bacterial contamination
- Septic has recently malfunctioned
- Recurrent incidents of gastrointestinal illness within the household
- As a precautionary and proactive measure to monitor efficiency and performance of your home’s water equipment
Once you’ve had your water test done, you will receive a water report with recommended water treatment. Some items you will see within your water report are;
- Iron Levels
- Hardness
- Ph Level
- TDS
- Turbidity (water cloudiness)
- Type Of Odor
Within your water report, the actual levels of each of these items in your water will be documented as well as the desired levels, and symptoms associated levels that are off. In addition, your water report will also state the recommended water treatment for each individual issue. A water treatment is any process that improves the quality of water to make it more acceptable for a specific end-use.
My Water Is Orange/Brown And Smells:
As an example, if your water’s iron levels are too high, you may notice orange or brown discoloration in your water. Your water may also taste of metal or have a more earthy flavor, and it may have an odor. The recommended treatment for water with high iron levels is a filtration system. Some we would recommend are;
- Satin Series Water Softener
- Fusion Series Filter
- Clarifier Series filter
My Clothes Are Dingy After Washing & My Water Suds Poorly:
If you water is harder than it should be, you may notice that your appliances are not performing as efficiently, your clean laundry is not looking so clean, and your soap is barely providing suds. Hard water is caused by mineral buildup and deposits, which can clog and wear out your plumbing. The ideal water treatment for hard water is installing a water softener. We recommend;
- Satin Series Water Softener
My Water Smells, What Does This Mean?
When it comes to odor in your water, the water treatment will differ depending on the specific smell you are noticing.
Problem: Rotten Egg Smell
Treatment: Fusion Series Filters/CSimplus Series Filter
Problem: Fragrant Or Sweet Smell
Treatment: MTBE Series Filters
Problem: Musty Smell
Treatment: Clarifier Series Carbon Filter/UltraPro Series Filter
Problem: Ammonia Smell
Treatment: Further testing will be required
Whether you suspect that there may be an issue with your drinking water, or you are simply interested in proactively monitoring the safeness of your well water, Kulk’s Plumbing & Heating can help! We are happy to provide you with your water test, as well as advise on/install the recommended water treatment to fix the problem you are experiencing. Contact us today!
