Anyone on a private well water system?

[K7SGJ]

We have been on a private well water system ever since we built here. Over the years, the water quality has been slowly going down the drain, so to speak. I try to have the water tested by a local testing lab every five years or so. I'm about due to have one done again.

My BIL has been looking to move out here, and after several months of searching, we finally located a place he likes and is just 10 minutes down the road. It should close in a few weeks. We just had the water from the well on his property tested, and it came back with high levels of calcium, iron, and all the normal stuff that can be run through a whole house filter system like we have.

The problem is the arsenic level. His tested out at .399mg/L and the EPA safe exposure limit is .01mg/L. I know Our level has been climbing over the years, but was nowhere near that high. I've done some looking around, and there are greensand filters, RO systems, as well as other filter systems and schemes. Since I will have to do something at his place, I plan to revamp our system at the same time. Our 3000 gallon holding tank is getting tired, and I plan to replace that, as well as putting one in at his place. I'll probably drop down to 1500 gallon units.

Since I plan to build a new well house, and redo the whole house water system, I turn to you, my trusted and knowledgeable friends. Bushtit Do any of you have a private well system, and what do you use for a water purification system; and does anyone have any real world experience with arsenic removal/reduction/remediation systems? (Other than that which your significant other has been slipping in your food)

[NQ6U]

I don't know jack about it but I see the EPA has a downloadable PDF (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CDQQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwater.epa.gov%2Fdrink%2Finfo%2Far senic%2Fupload%2F2005_11_10_arsenic_treatments_and _costs.pdf&ei=u17YU7f5OIPhoATU9oKICQ&usg=AFQjCNEwORq4Qv7WT9_0xLBDmHMI8IC0TQ&bvm=bv.71778758,d.cGU) on the topic.

[K7SGJ]

I don't know jack about it but I see the EPA has a downloadable PDF (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CDQQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwater.epa.gov%2Fdrink%2Finfo%2Far senic%2Fupload%2F2005_11_10_arsenic_treatments_and _costs.pdf&ei=u17YU7f5OIPhoATU9oKICQ&usg=AFQjCNEwORq4Qv7WT9_0xLBDmHMI8IC0TQ&bvm=bv.71778758,d.cGU) on the topic.

Thanks, Carl. I looked at that earlier today and it just added to my confusion. That's a lot of data to try to digest. Although I plan to research this further, I also plan to visit a few companies that specialize in well water treatment solutions. We will probably be headed to Prescott in the next week or so to get some groceries, look at some water storage tanks, and do some other shopping. While we are there I will stop in to a couple of places that specialize in well equipment.

I was just hoping someone on here with a well my have already been down this road, and might have some yay or nay suggestions on equipment they or someone they know may have tried.

[WX7P]

The high arsenic content explains MANY things, kemosabe...

[K7SGJ]

The high arsenic content explains MANY things, kemosabe...

Me Mum used to let me chew on the lead paint chips on the walls, too.

[w2amr]

Me Mum used to let me chew on the lead paint chips on the walls, too.That explains a lot.:stickpoke:

[KK4AMI]

I'm on a well, but my well water is perfect! Really, I don't test it and therefore remain blissfully ignorant. Your well sounds pretty complex. A 3000 gallon holding tank? Are you running a farm, community or orphanage? I have a 16 gallon accumulator tank and that's it! I think your cheapest option is drinking bottled water and beer. Next cheapest option is putting a single filter on the kitchen faucet for cooking and drinking water. Lastly is filtering all the water at the well.

http://cfpub.epa.gov/safewater/arsenic/arsenictradeshow/arsenic.cfm?action=Point-of-Entry

[KC2UGV]

We have been on a private well water system ever since we built here. Over the years, the water quality has been slowly going down the drain, so to speak. I try to have the water tested by a local testing lab every five years or so. I'm about due to have one done again.

My BIL has been looking to move out here, and after several months of searching, we finally located a place he likes and is just 10 minutes down the road. It should close in a few weeks. We just had the water from the well on his property tested, and it came back with high levels of calcium, iron, and all the normal stuff that can be run through a whole house filter system like we have.

The problem is the arsenic level. His tested out at .399mg/L and the EPA safe exposure limit is .01mg/L. I know Our level has been climbing over the years, but was nowhere near that high. I've done some looking around, and there are greensand filters, RO systems, as well as other filter systems and schemes. Since I will have to do something at his place, I plan to revamp our system at the same time. Our 3000 gallon holding tank is getting tired, and I plan to replace that, as well as putting one in at his place. I'll probably drop down to 1500 gallon units.

Since I plan to build a new well house, and redo the whole house water system, I turn to you, my trusted and knowledgeable friends. Bushtit Do any of you have a private well system, and what do you use for a water purification system; and does anyone have any real world experience with arsenic removal/reduction/remediation systems? (Other than that which your significant other has been slipping in your food)

I found this: http://www.puriteam.com/products/PurHome-Arsenic-Removal-System.html

[AC8KF WALT]

any gas well fracking going on in your area?

[K7SGJ]

any gas well fracking going on in your area?

Nope. The only gas out here is flatulence.

[WX7P]

any gas well fracking going on in your area?

There's nothing in AZ except cactus, lizards and ....wait for it...RATS!

[K7SGJ]

There's nothing in AZ except cactus, lizards and ....wait for it...RATS!


And snakes, don't forget the snakes.

[AC8KF WALT]

:hyper:

[ka8ncr]

I used to have a water well, but because of water quality issues (high in hydrogen sulfide, high in nitrates, high in iron, high in magnesium, high in calcium, radon and a few kitchen sinks) and the continued mucking of the water table by limestone quarries, they ran municipal water out here about 8 years ago.

Prior to that though I had a couple treatment systems. The first system I tried as an aeration system that was basically a piston pump that atomized the water, leaving the solids behind and venting off the hydrogen sulfide. It worked, it was noisy and needed a lot of maintenance. I replaced it with a chemical dosing system when I could no longer get parts for the pump.

This was a dosing pump that put 35% food grade hydrogen peroxide into the incoming water through a cavitation system, where it would settle in a large pressure tank. The precipitate was filtered through large carbon filters. This pulled out everything that will remotely react with hydrogen peroxide. Sulphur, iron, magnesium and bacteria met their demise here. It may work for arsenic.

I also had a huge water softener that ran in line with the first treatment and fed a 100 gallon per day reverse osmosis system for drinking water and ice making. This will cure your arsenic problem.

The bad news here is that I was spending $150 a month for hydrogen peroxide and salt. I spend half that per quarter on genuine Lake Erie water. Well, not including the $30,00 special assessment for the water lines and the $8,000 to tap. Sure is nice not to run my own filtration plant in the basement though. The well is soon to be converted into a geothermal heat system.

[NQ6U]

And snakes, don't forget the snakes.

Nor the tumbleweed, scorpions or horned toads.

[KK4AMI]

You have all that old Copper mining stuff out there where they used arsenic to process copper ore.

http://www.cityofprescott.net/_d/arsenicarizonagroundwater-1.pdf

[K7SGJ]

You have all that old Copper mining stuff out there where they used arsenic to process copper ore.

http://www.cityofprescott.net/_d/arsenicarizonagroundwater-1.pdf


This is indeed the issue. There are abandoned mines of every kind all over the place out here.

[W3WN]

And snakes, don't forget the snakes.Snakes? Why did it have to be snakes?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClwIj3x24Q4

[W3WN]

There's nothing in AZ except cactus, lizards and ....wait for it...RATS!And retirees.

Oh wait, you already covered that. Never mind.

[K7SGJ]

And retirees.

Oh wait, you already covered that. Never mind.

Ya Bastid

[N2NH]

Nor the tumbleweed, scorpions or horned toads.

Then there's The Plague and Hantavirus (still found in wild rodents there).

[K7SGJ]

Then there's The Plague and Hantavirus (still found in wild rodents there).

It's not a problem if you don't eat the rat shit.

[XE1/N5AL]

Might it be cheaper to just use bottled water for drinking and cooking? Here, in the land of "don't drink the water", people only use the tap water for bathing, washing clothes, watering the lawn, and flushing the toilet.

[NQ6U]

Then there's The Plague and Hantavirus (still found in wild rodents there).

We have both those here as well. They just found bubonic plague in ground squirrels at a local campground.

[KK4AMI]

Might it be cheaper to just use bottled water for drinking and cooking? Here, in the land of "don't drink the water", people only use the tap water for bathing, washing clothes, watering the lawn, and flushing the toilet.


He has sooo much sand out there and cargo containers to hide behind, he doesn't even need to flush the toilet! :lol:

[W7XF]

<snip> A 3000 gallon holding tank? Are you running a farm, community or orphanage?<snip>

Eddie runs Da Pope's nunnery, as well as the bushtit hatchery.

[W2NAP]

A "trailer" park up the road was on a private well... the arsenic level got high and the state shut the place down.

[HUGH]

Round here private wells often have a UV filter to kill any organic stuff and reed beds are popular to absorb metals and so on in "used" water. My sisters in NZ both collect roof water which is fine for most purposes but tastes a little brackish until it's spent afew hours in the fridge with no top on the container.

Could the increase in arsenic and metals be lowering of the water table due to over-abstraction and hence less dilution?

[K7SGJ]

Round here private wells often have a UV filter to kill any organic stuff and reed beds are popular to absorb metals and so on in "used" water. My sisters in NZ both collect roof water which is fine for most purposes but tastes a little brackish until it's spent afew hours in the fridge with no top on the container.

Could the increase in arsenic and metals be lowering of the water table due to over-abstraction and hence less dilution?

That is exactly the problem, Hugh. At least according to the well digger that has been putting in wells around here for the last 45 years or so. When we came out in this area 20 years ago, there weren't many others folks around. Now, you can't spit without hitting someone. When we built, you couldn't split the land down any more than 5 acres, but now they are allowed to built 5 houses on 5 acres. And with all that added population, and the drought conditions we've had for quite some time, the burden on the subterranean aquifers is causing some wells to go dry, and poor water quality in many areas. About the only solutions are to move, dig the well deeper and put in a conga line of filters, or go to water storage tanks and have water delivered.