When dealing with real estate and wells, many times there are bacteria in the sample results. Oftentimes this can be scary for the homeowners, especially those who don’t know much about wells. But fear not! There is an easy way to get rid of it all.
Chlorination is a process that all local well companies should be familiar- even friendly- with.
How Does Chlorination Work?
This is a painless and inexpensive procedure, particularly when compared to the sale of a home or having to dig up a new well. Typically, this process will cost about $500 or so, depending on whom you work with. Depending on the depth of the well, the technician will drop in a number of chlorine tablets. They will then circulate through the well and faucets.
Before they call it a day, the technician should chlorinate all water fixtures to remove any contamination. The original price should include retesting for bacteria, four hours of labor, and having the technician flush the chlorine throughout the house.
Next, the high levels of chlorine much exit each entry point where there would be hot and cold water. Once the pipes are fully saturated it must sit for 24-48 hours in order to help break down any build up in the system causing the bacteria.
Friendly reminder: Do not drink or use the water during this phase of the process. If need be, spend that time at another place so as to rid people of temptation.
Cleaning Out the Chlorine
After 24 hours, the process of flushing out the well can begin. Either run the hose outside or keep several faucets running at once to get rid of the chlorine. You could hire a company for this, but it’s something you can definitely do on your own. It’s also important to note that it’s normal if debris comes out once you start flushing. This is a good thing! This means its working and breaking up the gunk.
Once it’s been flushed out, the company will take a sample of the water and take it to a lab. The results will come back in about 3-7 days, but if the process was done right the first time, then it should only take one round of chlorination.
How Did the Bacteria Get There?
The unfortunate answer here is that isn’t just one way that bacterium can get in your well. Some of the main culprits tend to be changing out a plumbing fixture, not having water well caps on tight enough, or possibly even flooding or a breach in the casing. This last one can make it a lot harder to treat, but not totally impossible.
If a bacterium becomes a recurring problem, then a UV Filtration System should be considered.
Recent Comments