I Am Never Going Back in the Water Again

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While nigh people go their drinking water from public water supplies, more than 13 million households in the United States rely on private wells for their drinking h2o. Well water tin blot many different compounds from the surrounding soil — and when levels of compounds like sulfur go too loftier, you lot'll need to filter it. If you're dealing with high levels of sulfur in your drinking supply, learn how to remove sulfur from well water.

What Is Sulfur and How Does Information technology Go in Well Water?

Sulfur is a naturally occurring chemical compound. There are 2 sources of sulfur in well water – sulfates and hydrogen sulfide gas.

• Sulfates are a blazon of salt that contains sulfur. They may be in the soil and rocks surrounding your well. Equally groundwater and rainwater seep through the soil and rocks, they can carry sulfates into your well water.
• Hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S) tin happen naturally when plants or other organic material decays. It tin also be related to pollution in the water. And when sulfur bacteria feed on sulfates in well water, they tin can create H2S. Y'all'll need to remove the H2S from your water and vent the gas from low-lying spaces around your well.

Is Sulfur Harmful?

It depends on the level of sulfates or hydrogen sulfide in the water. In small amounts, these things don't cause a problem.

Likewise much sulfate can cause diarrhea and aridity. Information technology can also accept a biting taste, clog your pipes with slime and stain your laundry.

Likewise much H2S causes a rotten egg smell in well h2o. In large amounts, it can be poisonous and pb to nausea and illness — but this is more probable to happen from breathing the gas than from drinking water. H2S can also corrode pipes and stain your utensils.

How Can I Tell If My Well Water Has Sulfur?

At that place are a few means to tell if you lot have a sulfur problem:

• Scent or taste — Sulfur has a distinctive smell similar to rotten eggs, and sulfates can give water a bitter taste. If your well water has sulfur in it, you lot may discover an unpleasant smell or odd gustation.
• Slime or stains — Sulfur leaner can get out black stains or a white, grey, black or cherry-chocolate-brown slime on silverware or plumbing.
• Water tests — Go your well water tested every year, even if yous don't notice signs of sulfur or other problems. You can observe several different h2o testing kits online or in stores. But to ensure accurate results, find a state-certified laboratory to practice the tests. And check with your local health section first, in case they provide these tests for free.

How Can I Remove Sulfur From My Well H2o?

There are many options for removing sulfur from your well water. The best option for you lot volition depend on the source of the sulfur, how serious the trouble is and how much y'all're able to spend. Options include:

• Activated carbon filtration — Activated carbon filters utilize small pieces of porous carbon (like charcoal) to attract chemicals in water and filter them out. You can install an activated carbon filtration system every bit a low-cost and low maintenance solution to remove a low concentration of sulfur — just it won't handle high concentrations of sulfur.
• Aeration handling — This is a low-cost and safety solution that adds air to the water. This process may reduce the hydrogen sulfide to acceptable levels, but may not get rid of it completely. And it won't kill sulfur bacteria.
• Chlorine bleach — You lot tin can inject chlorine bleach into your water before filtration. This is a low-cost solution that can finer remove medium-to-high levels of hydrogen sulfide from your water. Simply this method isn't fast-acting, and it also adds sodium to the h2o and tin leave toxic residue.
• Potassium permanganate — You can use potassium permanganate solution in combination with a special blazon of filter to remove sulfur particles. This process gets rid of several odors, only information technology can exist toxic and may leave your water looking pink.
• Hydrogen peroxide — This is a fast and safe solution that leaves no chemical residue and no taste in the water. But an almanac supply of peroxide may be expensive, and then it'south not every bit mutual in private dwelling water systems.
• Ozone gas — This is as well a fast and prophylactic solution that leaves no chemical residue. But ozone systems are expensive, and they add gases to the water that y'all and then need to vent.

If you own a private well, or are thinking of putting i in, check in with your local wellness department near maintenance procedures to make sure your water is safe for everyday use. Many health departments offer free water testing to bank check the levels of sulfur and other compounds — and they can provide more than detailed advice about the best filtration methods.

Resource Links

• "Hydrogen Sulfide and Sulfur Bacteria in Well Water" via Minnesota Department of Health
• "Hydrogen Sulfide and Sulfate in Private Drinking Water Wells" via University of Massachusetts Amherst
• "Private Drinking H2o Wells" via U.Due south. Environmental Protection Agency

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