Is My Well Water Safe To Drink?
Our water comes from one of two sources generally – via a system provided by your locality, or by a private well on your property. Most people receive their water via the former option, but the latter carries with it a unique set of responsibilities and sometimes incorrect preconceived notions. Well water sometimes is cast with a negative reputation of being difficult, unreliable, and unpleasant, but oftentimes there are benefits to controlling your own water that the public may not realize.
Does My Home Have Well Water?
Water wells are somewhat restricted to homes that are built on large expanses of land, or in rural and remote areas away from the chaotic cityscape. There are more than 15 million homes with well water in the United States, and well water is generally thought of as safe to use, but it is a different experience as a whole. Well water comes from the ground and is untreated. The water comes straight from the groundwater aquifer, which is an underground layer of permeable rock containing water. The water from that layer is filtered through a well screen and then pumped up from the ground and into your home.
What Are Some Characteristics Of Well Water?
Well water can sometimes stain your appliances or carry with it an odor for various reasons: the high concentration of iron, high concentration of calcium/magnesium, or sulfur in the ground. The stains can appear in your shower, toilet, sink, and any other appliance where water is available. None of the elements listed will threaten your health directly, but they can affect the taste. Iron can leave unsightly orange stains, whereas calcium buildups leave a white chalky residue on your appliances. If any of those stains persist with your well water, your water is considered hard. In fact, most well water will likely test as hard because of the nature of the water source. Water affected by sulfur can smell like rotten eggs and can be unpleasant to drink.
Well water is safe to drink in most circumstances, but it’s advisable to have your water tested at least once a year to ensure the water being pulled from the ground is safe. Groundwater runs the risk of being directly affected by runoff, trash, and pollution. A common issue is for pesticides used on crops to run off into the groundwater and create other issues with well water. There are also other man-made disasters that can impact a water supply that otherwise would be unaffected. For those reasons, many people have opted to choose alternative methods for their water supplies for their rural homes.
For well water users, a Culligan whole-home system is the perfect solution to solve your water woes. Culligan can purify your water and eliminate the stress of hard water stains, calcium buildup, and other issues associated with hard water. Schedule a home water test today, and we will be over to put together the best solution for the issues you’re experiencing.
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