Acreage guys - water treatment options

[Haggis]

So we have had a water treatment system in place for about 5 years on our acreage. Works well to control the rotten egg smell. and remove iron Chlorination system/settling and holding tank/carbon filters to pull chlorine out. RO system by the kitchen sink.

Problem is - chlorine is making me nervous. The more i read about it the less I want it.

Has anyone got the UV system in place and does it work?

Cheers

 

[fat tire]

So we have had a water treatment system in place for about 5 years on our acreage. Works well to control the rotten egg smell. and remove iron Chlorination system/settling and holding tank/carbon filters to pull chlorine out. RO system by the kitchen sink.

Problem is - chlorine is making me nervous. The more i read about it the less I want it.

Has anyone got the UV system in place and does it work?

Cheers

I have a buddy that has it installed, i'll ask him to join up here and post what he knows and his take on it.........It was a bit pricey not sure if he also has chemical treatment as well........sorry I don't know more about what he has etc...Cheers!

 

[boydo]

So we have had a water treatment system in place for about 5 years on our acreage. Works well to control the rotten egg smell. and remove iron Chlorination system/settling and holding tank/carbon filters to pull chlorine out. RO system by the kitchen sink.

Problem is - chlorine is making me nervous. The more i read about it the less I want it.

Has anyone got the UV system in place and does it work?

Cheers

if you get tired of the chemical run around we could install a cistern for you!

 

[suzuki_ryder]

Cistern is a lot nicer. It's is kind of a pain having to get water, but you don't have to worry about chemicals, or the smell. And if you can, haul it yourself, it's cheaper. Water trucks around my area charge $55, when it cost's us $7 and our time.

 

[AreWeThereYet]

When was the last time you had the end result water tested?

 

[Ryeser]

Had similar issue with H2S - we had a shallow well, and decided to dig deeper, found much better water, it wasnt cheap, but have tons of excellent water now. In the past, we tried the iron eater, chlorine and UV, none really worked well for us, thats why we chose the new deeper well.

 

[boydo]

Cistern is a lot nicer. It's is kind of a pain having to get water, but you don't have to worry about chemicals, or the smell. And if you can, haul it yourself, it's cheaper. Water trucks around my area charge $55, when it cost's us $7 and our time.

im about 100-120 per month at my place 2 adults, 2 kids and i dont think we are light on the water!!

 

[suzuki_ryder]

im about 100-120 per month at my place 2 adults, 2 kids and i dont think we are light on the water!!

Ohh no I'm not saying for month! Lol that's what they charge for a fill per visit vs hauling it yourself. we need a fill every week, we have a busy house ourselves lol.

 

[scrfce]

I dont have a chlorine or uv set up,,,,should i? My water was tested recently and its good, and never really smells like rotton eggs.

 

[sirkdev]

im about 100-120 per month at my place 2 adults, 2 kids and i dont think we are light on the water!!

I am the same 2 kids and a body job of water a month, $140. I think it is funny people who make trips to town to get 300 or 500 gals of water and spend $20.00 in gas and a couple hours of their lives. Usually they are overloaded and are beating their trucks and trailers to death instead of making a phone call.

Do the math people water weighs 1 kg per liter. Heavy stuff.

 

[Modman]

Had similar issue with H2S - we had a shallow well, and decided to dig deeper, found much better water, it wasnt cheap, but have tons of excellent water now. In the past, we tried the iron eater, chlorine and UV, none really worked well for us, thats why we chose the new deeper well.

Depending on the H20 quality a deeper well may not be required. The rotten egg smell often comes from anaerobic decomposition of microbes. Over time, naturally occurring microbial populations that live in the water will accumulate near the well where the pump introduces oxygen. If the well is completed into a non-water bearing layer, there may be a pocket near the bottom where the anaerobic decomp can accumulate and occur. It may also just come from them being within the pipes and the system.

There are also a type of bacteria that will be more prevalent in water with higher sulphate concentrations and these colonies will slowly "reduce" sulphate which can also cause odours. There is a test for them all, and usually the treatment is shock chlorination of the well (the source of the issues) which will reduce the need for chemicals and tertiary/subsequent water treatment processes. Treating the water once it has been in contact with the well (if the well is the real issue) is just treating a symptom (reactive), it's not treating what is causing the issue in the first place.

If the well is downgradient/downslope of any potential water source contamination or if the well is located where surface water can drain into it or infiltrate into the ground near it, the well may be receiving contaminated surface water as well. Many acreage and farms in AB have substandard water quality because water wells are located downslope of stock pens or pastures where bacteria present in surface material (fecal coliform, etc) are introduced into the water system when it rains or during spring thaw.

Haggis - there are lots of UV systems out there, spend the money wisely as lots of them are junk. If you haven't considered ozone treatment you may want to look into that also. Ozone is basically oxygen with a free radical oxygen molecule on it and is one of the most powerful oxidizers, stronger than chlorine but only present in the water for a very short time and does not require a tank or anything, just a small ozone generation system. Ozone is generated via electricity (which is why you might smell a chlorine type odour after a big thunderstorm - ozone is generated by lightning). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozone

PM for more details on ozone if you need or for more info on having your water tested.

 

[Murminator]

I remember as a kid having to get wells "shocked" usually done with a bunch of bleach to kill off the harmful bacteria that builds up. The way to tell was by a film on top of the water inside the toilet tanks

 

[highlandrider]

Just developed an acreage and dug a 300' well that has iron and tannins in the water with a slight smell. Had Culligan install a new product they carry (I think it is called #850 media) and a water softener. It took care of the iron, colour and smell with no chlorine, it uses about 6 bags of salt a month and have been using it for about 8 months so far and no problems.
You can have the water treatment companies come and do a test for free.

 

[pirate31red]

Depending on the H20 quality a deeper well may not be required. The rotten egg smell often comes from anaerobic decomposition of microbes. Over time, naturally occurring microbial populations that live in the water will accumulate near the well where the pump introduces oxygen. If the well is completed into a non-water bearing layer, there may be a pocket near the bottom where the anaerobic decomp can accumulate and occur. It may also just come from them being within the pipes and the system.

There are also a type of bacteria that will be more prevalent in water with higher sulphate concentrations and these colonies will slowly "reduce" sulphate which can also cause odours. There is a test for them all, and usually the treatment is shock chlorination of the well (the source of the issues) which will reduce the need for chemicals and tertiary/subsequent water treatment processes. Treating the water once it has been in contact with the well (if the well is the real issue) is just treating a symptom (reactive), it's not treating what is causing the issue in the first place.

If the well is downgradient/downslope of any potential water source contamination or if the well is located where surface water can drain into it or infiltrate into the ground near it, the well may be receiving contaminated surface water as well. Many acreage and farms in AB have substandard water quality because water wells are located downslope of stock pens or pastures where bacteria present in surface material (fecal coliform, etc) are introduced into the water system when it rains or during spring thaw.

Haggis - there are lots of UV systems out there, spend the money wisely as lots of them are junk. If you haven't considered ozone treatment you may want to look into that also. Ozone is basically oxygen with a free radical oxygen molecule on it and is one of the most powerful oxidizers, stronger than chlorine but only present in the water for a very short time and does not require a tank or anything, just a small ozone generation system. Ozone is generated via electricity (which is why you might smell a chlorine type odour after a big thunderstorm - ozone is generated by lightning). Ozone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

PM for more details on ozone if you need or for more info on having your water tested.

so ive got a 220 ft well far below the poor quality water around here i have no rust the water is soft and safe to drink but smells of h2s i put on a carbon filter wich takes the smell away but does not last for very long i even paid for the good one now im stuck with a new filter every 2 -3 months at $115 im not sure what to do anymore

 

[Haggis]

Depending on the H20 quality a deeper well may not be required. The rotten egg smell often comes from anaerobic decomposition of microbes. Over time, naturally occurring microbial populations that live in the water will accumulate near the well where the pump introduces oxygen. If the well is completed into a non-water bearing layer, there may be a pocket near the bottom where the anaerobic decomp can accumulate and occur. It may also just come from them being within the pipes and the system.

There are also a type of bacteria that will be more prevalent in water with higher sulphate concentrations and these colonies will slowly "reduce" sulphate which can also cause odours. There is a test for them all, and usually the treatment is shock chlorination of the well (the source of the issues) which will reduce the need for chemicals and tertiary/subsequent water treatment processes. Treating the water once it has been in contact with the well (if the well is the real issue) is just treating a symptom (reactive), it's not treating what is causing the issue in the first place.

Great information - thanks Modman.

Who should I contact for a well test? When the water guy sold me the system he only tested the water from the tap - not the well. I like your comments about treating the symptom not the cause (probably what we have been doing).

 

[Modman]

I will talk to one of the senior hydrogeologists here at the office and see if I can come up with some answers for both of you.

 

[sledderdoc]

I agree with Modman. You do need to shock your water system every couple years regardless whether it is a cistern or a well for the reasons he stated. Its a simple procedure but you need to rinse it well and remember not to rinse on lawns or other sensitive areas.

 

[Teth-Air]

My other business is that I own a water treatment company. This said we deal commercially and provide equipment to spec. We do not select residential equipment but can supply for reduce cost once you figure out what you need. We sell iron filters, softeners, r.o. systems etc.

We will provide very good pricing but we will not come to your farm to service or make a equipment selection.

Just throwing it out there that if someone is handy and knows what they want, let me know.

Chris