- Hard Water and Scale – Hard water is the result of mineral buildup in your city or well water, usually from calcium and lime. Hard water can reduce the quality of water in your home and may also be driving up your water bills. Hard water can cause damaging scale build up from mineral deposits in your pipes. Over time, your pipes can clog, and water pressure will be reduced. Water appliances such as ice makers, dish washers, washing machines, shower heads, faucets, and water heaters can be damaged.
- Smells Bad, Tastes Bad – This is a sign that something may be in your water. Municipal systems use chlorine/chloramine which presents a very strong chemical taste. A sour, salty, bitter or metallic taste can be a result of high levels of total dissolved solids in your water, most commonly chlorides, sulfates and bicarbonates. Signs that dissolved solids are affecting your water quality are:
- Bad taste to your water
- Cloudy ice cubes
- Scaling and spotting as water evaporates from surfaces
- Accumulation of “mineral fur” around faucet outlets
- A “laxative effect” due to high sulfates
- Arsenic – A study funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) was published in the January 2012 issue of the journal Environment International analyzing arsenic in private well water systems in Union and Stanly counties of North Carolina. An estimated 75,000 people use well water in the two counties. The study examined over 63,000 well measurements over an 11-year period and found consistently elevated levels of arsenic. Almost 20% of the wells in Stanly and Union counties were above the Environmental Protection Agency standard, and one sample was 80 times the maximum level set by the EPA. Arsenic is a semi-metal element in the periodic table. It is odorless and tasteless. It enters drinking water supplies from natural deposits in the earth or from agricultural and industrial practices. Arsenic has been linked to cancer and many other serious noncancerous effects to the body.
- Bacteria – Municipalities and community wells are under regulations to use chemical disinfectants to remove bacteria from their water supplies before distributing the water to your home. When consistently and properly done, this keeps your water free from bacteria, although it introduces chemical tastes and byproducts to your water. Private wells for homes and small businesses are not under regulation (state or federal) to make sure the water is free from bacteria. However, the EPA recommends that home owners test their wells at least annually to make sure they are safe. This is because even if the water is safe today, the proliferation of new wells and septic systems increase the chances of bacterial contamination of well water.
- Iron/Rust Stains – If you have red or brown deposits in your sinks or drains then you most likely have a high concentration of iron in your water. This can come from your ground water supply (well), from pipes used in municipal distribution systems, or older plumbing. An excessive level of iron is a common problem and the second most prominent behind hard water. Watch out for these signs of too much iron in your home’s water:
- Reddish or red-brown stains on your laundry, plumbing fixtures and cooking utensils
- Yellow or orange-colored water
- Metallic taste to your water
- Low Ph/Acid Stains – Acidic water is easily identifiable by the blue-green stains on fixtures. Many of the wells in this area are considered to be shallow which in turn makes your water more accessible to surface water intrusion and acidic rain. It is recommended that your pH be 7.0 or higher to prevent these types of issues. There are a number of methods for elevating your pH, contact us for help. The concerns associated with acidic water are:
- It eats away at (dissolves) faucets, fittings, and copper pipes, as well as corrodes water-using appliances. Water heaters and plumbing are subject to leaks from acidic water. It is very important to balance the pH of your water to keep you from having costly plumbing repairs.
- The “blue green” stains on surfaces are the copper dissolved from your own plumbing. They are displeasing in appearance and difficult to remove.
- Elevated copper in your drinking and cooking water can contribute to health issues.