How do you know if your well water is contaminated?

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asked Jan 4, 2023 in Other-Home/Garden by Mendexia (980 points)
How do you know if your well water is contaminated?

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answered Jan 4, 2023 by waitforme (13,460 points)
You can know if your well water is contaminated by having a well water test done to check for contamination and bacteria.

Other signs of well water being contaminated are scale, scum buildup, unclear water, Turbid water, green stains, on faucets or sinks, brown or red stains on sinks, clothes or dishwasher, salty taste, soapy taste, chemical taste or metallic taste of the water.

To fix contaminated well water you will need to shock the well with some diluted bleach such as Clorox bleach or other bleach.

When using Clorox in your well you should put and dilute 2 part of the Clorox bleach to 10 parts of water.

Pour diluted bleach down well. Run hose from house to well.

Recirculate water from hose to well until scent of bleach is clearly evident.

A well should be cleaned and chlorinated at least once per year unless you have an iron or sulfur bacteria problem then it should be cleaned at least every 6 months.

If you put too much bleach in a well it destroys the good bacteria that is found in the well which can be a problem.

Adding too much bleach to the well can also damage pipes and well pumps.

To shock a well for coliform add bleach to 4 to 5 gallons of water and then pour the bleach mixture down the well.

And then open each faucet served by the well until 50 ppm of chlorine is detected or until you can smell bleach at each faucet.

Then shut off those faucets and allow it to sit for around 8 hours.

Then flush the bleach out of the well and lines by running the water for 20 minutes or so.

To treat coliform in well water you shock the well with a chlorine solution.

You can pour household bleach down the water and then allow it to sit for awhile and then run all the taps in the house to get rid of the chlorine.

Coliform in well water is not very common as coliform does not naturally occur in ground water.

If you maintain the well properly and keep it sealed there's little chance of getting coliform bacteria in your well water.

The Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for bacteria in drinking water is zero total coliform colonies per 100 milliliters of water as established by the EPA.

The total coliform test is the basic yardstick for determining the biological quality in a water supply.

Coliform bacteria in well water is caused by groundwater containing the bacteria, surface water run off, cracked or damaged well head, poor construction and even through leaking septic tanks.

Having coliform in the well water can mean that there are disease causing organisms such as E. coli in the water.

The temperature that kills coliform bacteria is 165 F degrees or higher.

You can kill off coliform bacteria in water when you boil the water for a few minutes before drinking or cooking with it.

You can get coliform infections through drinking contaminated water and from feces from infected animals and humans.

Coliform bacteria is most often transmitted to people through drinking water.

Water softeners do not remove coliform or other bacteria from the water.

Bacteria including coliform can and will remain trapped inside of water softeners and the filters and then multiply and grow rapidly.

You can get rid of bacteria in your water pipes by shock chlorinating the water pipes which is a popular method for sanitizing water lines.

You can also flush bacteria out of the water lines.

To flush bacteria out of the water pipes begin the flushing procedure by opening the hot water taps in your bathroom(s).

Open ALL hot water sink fixtures, hot water bathtub or shower fixtures.

Next, open all other hot water fixtures, such as in kitchens, wet bars, etc.

Run all of these hot water fixtures for 15 minutes, then shut the water off.

You can tell and know if your water is making you sick by looking out for symptoms that the water is causing illness.

If you experience vomiting, nausea, abdominal cramps or diarrhea after drinking water that is contaminated then the water is making you sick.

Symptoms of drinking contaminated water usually appear within 24 to 48 hours after drinking the contaminated water.

You can wash dishes with E. coli water as long as you don't drink any of the E. coli water it's safe to wash dishes in E. coli water.

You cannot and should not brush your teeth with E. coli contaminated water as it can make you sick and infect you with E.coli.

You should boil the water first to kill the E. coli or use bottled water instead to brush your teeth with.

You can take a shower if the water is contaminated although you should not drink contaminated water or cook with contaminated water.

However showering or bathing in contaminated water is generally very safe.

It's generally safe to shower in contaminated water but not recommended.

You do have the potential to get infections and diseases such as Legionnaires disease but it's rare that will happen.

As long as you avoid swallowing the contaminated water and avoid getting the contaminated water in your eyes, nose or mouth it's general okay to shower in the contaminated water.

To prevent and reduce the risk of Legionnaires disease at home you should remove dead legs/dead ends in pipe-work, flush out infrequently used outlets (including shower heads and taps) at least weekly and clean and de-scale shower heads and hoses at least quarterly.

Legionnaires disease does not go away on it's own without treatment and without treatment legionnaires disease can easily become fatal.

Legionella bacterium also causes Pontiac fever, a milder illness resembling the flu.

The Pontiac fever usually clears on its own, but untreated Legionnaires' disease can be fatal.

Although with prompt treatment with antibiotics Legionnaires' disease is usually cured easily, some people continue to have problems after treatment.

Legionella can kill you if it causes more severe complications or is left untreated.

About 1 out of every 10 people who gets sick with Legionnaires' disease will die due to complications from their illness.

For those who get Legionnaires' disease during a stay in a healthcare facility, about 1 out of every 4 will die.

Legionnaires' disease is a severe form of pneumonia lung inflammation usually caused by infection.

It's caused by a bacterium known as legionella.

Most people catch Legionnaires' disease by inhaling the bacteria from water or soil.

Legionnaires' disease is a type of pneumonia caused by legionella bacteria.

Legionnaires' disease doesn't spread from person to person. Instead, the bacteria spreads through mist, such as from air-conditioning units for large buildings.

Adults over the age of 50 and people with weak immune systems, chronic lung disease, or heavy tobacco use are most at risk.

Many people exposed to the bacteria don't develop symptoms.

Those who do develop symptoms may experience cough, fever, chills, shortness of breath, muscle aches, headaches, and diarrhea.

Legionnaire's disease can be treated with antibiotics.

Legionnaires disease can be cured if caught and treated soon enough.

Most cases of Legionnaires disease can be cured through the use of antibiotics which kill of the bacteria in your body that causes the Legionnaires disease.

When you Legionnaires disease the Legionnaires usually takes up to 10 days to develop once you get it.

So you may not show any signs or symptoms of the Legionnaires disease until 10 days later.

If you're a smoker you have a higher risk of developing Legionnaires disease than someone who does not smoke.

Some signs and symptoms of Legionnaires disease are headaches, muscle aches, fever, shortness of breath and cough.

People usually get Legionnaires disease when they have been in contact and have been exposed to the bacteria that causes the Legionnaires disease.

It's most common to get Legionnaires disease from a shower that has the bacteria in it.

So make sure you keep your shower clean and disinfected to prevent the possibility of getting Legionnaires disease.

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