Introduction to Drinking Purified Well Water
For human health and well-being, it is imperative to have access to clean, safe drinking water. Others might rely on well water for their daily requirements, even if some people might have access to treated and purified water from municipal sources.
Well water is groundwater that has been dug up from the soil and may be contaminated with a number of substances, including bacteria, viruses, and chemicals, that could be harmful to consumption if not treated properly.
Thankfully, there are various ways on how to purify well water for drinking. These techniques range from reverse osmosis to filtration, among others. The choice of approach will depend on the specific impurities present in the well water and the required level of purification. Each method has benefits and drawbacks.
The many water purification methods for purifying well water, together with their advantages and drawbacks, will be covered in this article. We’ll also offer helpful advice on how to choose and put in place an appropriate cost-effective purification system for your well water.
In order to maintain the security and calibre of your drinking water, we’ll also offer advice on how to maintain and track the efficiency of your cost effective purification system over time.
By making sure that your well water is safe, clean, and devoid of harmful toxins, you can take significant measures to safeguard your family’s health and your own by paying attention to the advice provided in this article.
Purification vs Filtration
Although they are frequently used interchangeably, water filtration and purification are two distinct procedures used to enhance the quality of water.
Water filtration is the process of purifying water by allowing it to flow through a physical barrier or media in order to remove pollutants, particles, and solids. Filtration’s primary goals are to enhance the flavour, aroma, and look of water as well as to get rid of bigger particles and silt that can clog pipes and harm machinery.
In order to provide a comprehensive water treatment solution, filtration is often utilised in conjunction with other treatment techniques like disinfection or purification.
The process of eliminating or reducing hazardous contaminants from water, on the other hand, in order to make it safe and usable for drinking, cooking, and other purposes. Purification’s primary goal is to render water safe by getting rid of germs, chemicals, and other contaminants that might make people sick or cause disease.
Filtration, chemical treatment, disinfection, and RO are just a few examples of the many techniques that can be used to purify anything.
In conclusion, purification focuses on making water safe for human consumption by removing or lowering dangerous contaminants, whereas filtration primarily focuses on enhancing the quality of water by removing bigger particles and silt.
5 Best Well Water Purification Methods For Drinking
Although well water is a great source of drinking water, it should be cleaned up first. Many dangerous agents, such as bacteria, viruses, chemicals, and metals, can pollute well water. Well water may be purified using a number of efficient techniques, which is fortunate.
We’ll examine the top five water purification methods on how to purify well water for drinking.
Reverse Osmosis
One of the most widely used water filtration system processes for purifying well water is reverse osmosis (RO). To purify the water, this procedure employs a semi-permeable membrane. Water molecules can flow across the barrier, but bigger molecules like bacteria, viruses, and chemicals cannot.
Arsenic, fluoride – a naturally occurring mineral, lead, and mercury are just a few of the toxins that reverse osmosis can effectively remove up to 99% of.
Pros
- A filtration and purifying procedure combined, RO. Water filtration systems by reverse osmosis aim to remove hundreds of impurities, including germs like coliform. The devices make use of a membrane that is semi-permeable, contains minuscule pores, and serves as a physical barrier to impurities, catching even the tiniest microbes.
- Reverse osmosis is an efficient way to get rid of cysts, algae, bacteria, viruses, and protozoans. Although whole-home reverse osmosis systems are growing in popularity, point-of-use applications for RO devices (like an under-sink filtration system) are still more typical.
Cons
- Warer filtration systems through reverse osmosis are pricey, frequently costing hundreds of dollars up front.
- Water is lost during the treatment process using RO units. Although some reverse osmosis (RO) systems are more effective than others, water wastage is an inherent aspect of a RO filtration system.
- When treating well water, reverse osmosis frequently requires a pre-treatment system. This safeguards the RO membrane from a buildup of silt and minerals with a high hardness.
UV Disinfection
The most economical and ecologically responsible approach to cleanse your well water is with a UV purification system. UV purifiers use ultraviolet light to target bacteria, which changes their DNA and prevents them from reproducing.
A UV light is housed in a quartz sleeve in UV purification devices. The UV lamp emits UV rays, which pass through the quartz sleeve and into the well water as it passes through the UV system.
This offers immediate sanitization by eliminating bacteria, viruses, protozoans, cysts, and more. However it’s crucial to keep in mind that UV disinfection leaves behind other pollutants including chemicals and heavy metals.
Pros
- UV purifiers are environmentally friendly and devoid of chemicals.
- As UV disinfection is a quick procedure, you have cleansed water right away.
- Ultraviolet light system is economical. After the initial expense of the UV system, you only need to pay for a new bulb once a year and a replacement sleeve once every two to three years.
Cons
- If the water is murky, UV may be less efficient and may not completely protect against germs.
- A before-and-after water test cannot verify that UV purification has successfully eliminated harmful bacteria from water because the water purification method does not physically remove them.
- Rust, silt, and other typical well water impurities cannot be treated with ultraviolet light; it is only useful against microbial contaminants.
Boiling
A secure, affordable water purification method to disinfect your well water is to boil it. We advise against using this method for routine water purification because boiling water takes time and effort. Instead, use it in an emergency only.
Fill a sizable saucepan halfway full with well water, then boil it for three minutes to sterilise it for drinking. This will eliminate any parasites and microorganisms that may be in the water. Before putting the water in containers or drinking it right away, cover the pot and allow it to cool.
Pros
- Water heating is inexpensive. Only the energy required to heat the water for three minutes is charged to you.
- Water is heated without the need of any chemicals. Nothing hazardous is added to your water with this technique.
- The boiling technique is trustworthy. Whatever amount of water that is put on the cooker to boil will produce the same outcome.
Cons
- Water must be heated to a boil. Every time you want a drink, you must fill a pot with water and heat it on the stove.
- Boiling takes a long time. In addition to waiting three minutes for the water to boil, you must also wait until the water has cooled before drinking it.
- Some water evaporates during the boiling process. As a result, contaminants like metals that boiling cannot get rid of are present in an identical amount in a smaller batch of water.
Chlorination
A technique for purifying well water using chlorine imitates the disinfection procedure used for public water systems. Chlorination and chemical injection systems are the two methods for adding chlorine to well water for disinfection.
If a microbe like coliform bacteria has been found, shock chlorination is often employed to disinfect a well in an emergency. Chemical injection systems are made to continuously keep water clean of microorganisms. These systems add a precise amount of chlorine to the water in a proportional amount to the rate at which the water moves through the system.
Shock chlorination is used for one-time disinfection purposes only; it cannot repair sewage system leaks or improperly placed septic tanks. Chlorination is a difficult process for plumbing and could lead to the release of scale from inside pipes.
Pros
- A tried-and-true technique for water purification with guaranteed results is chlorine disinfection.
- After being added, chlorine stays in the water, shielding your pipes and appliances from slime and algae.
- You may be sure that chlorine disinfection is effective against the majority of germs because it is used to treat public drinking water supplies.
Cons
- Some people prefer not to consume disinfectant chemicals in their water, even in trace amounts, because chlorine is known to produce cancer-causing disinfection byproducts.
- A chemical injection system necessitates a steady flow of chlorine, necessitating routine maintenance. Also, establishing this kind of purifying water treatment system is quite difficult.
- In water, chlorine is not very good at eliminating protozoa.
Distillation
Boiling and distillation both involve one additional stage. A distiller transfers the water vapour along a cooling corridor after boiling the water in a chamber until it evaporates. Water droplets emerge from the distiller into a different container once the water vapour cools and condenses.
The distillation procedure not only destroys microorganisms, such as bacteria, protozoans, cysts, and the majority of viruses, but also any pollutants, including as chemicals, volatile organic compounds, heavy metals, and other contaminants, that cannot evaporate with water particles.
Pros
- A distiller is a reasonably priced purification device. After purchasing a distiller, your only ongoing expenses will be the system’s minimal electrical requirements.
- Water is cleaned and common pollutants are removed during the distillation process. A distiller serves as both a water filtration system and a water purifier.
- Drinking water can be safely produced by the non-chemical technique of distillation.
Cons
- Hours are needed to distill a batch of water that is one gallon in size. Using this approach, you won’t have immediate access to clean drinking water.
- Water loses its native minerals and electrolytes during distillation, giving it a “flat” flavour.
- Distilled water is susceptible to metal leaching, therefore you must be cautious when storing it.
Top 3 Well Water Filtration Systems
Millions of households worldwide rely on well water as a useful resource, yet it frequently has drinking water contaminants that can impair human health or wreak havoc on plumbing and appliances.
You require a water filtration system to guarantee the safety and cleanliness of your well water. The three top well private purification systems on the market right now will be examined in more detail in this article.
Oxidation Filters
For eliminating dissolved contaminants including manganese, iron, and hydrogen sulphide, oxidation filters are among the most efficient water treatment technologies currently on the market.
These filters oxidise water pollutants with chemicals or oxygen before trapping them in a layer of media like birm or manganese green sand. As the water circulates through the tank, the impurities that have been contained are released.
The fact that oxidation filters offer continuous water treatment without the need for filter replacement is one of its key benefits. The water filtration system units frequently backwash the media bed to drain out the pollutants that have become trapped there.
This indicates that they require little upkeep and are programmed to replenish themselves without your involvement.
However, oxidation filters have significant drawbacks. These are often huge, bulky, and difficult to install machines that only target three contaminants in well water. Moreover, a little amount of water is lost during the regeneration process of these private purification systems.
Sediment Filters
A sediment filter is your best water treatment choice if your well water source contains a lot of silt. Large sand, silt, dust, dirt, debris, and other solid pollutants are physically removed from the water using these filters. Because they are frequently discovered in the well aquifer, these contaminants are more prevalent in well water than in city water.
Sediment filters are a cheap initial investment and long-term water treatment option. A sediment filter guards your pipes and appliances from sediment damage by eliminating big particles from your well water system. The lifespan of some sediment filters can be increased by valves that automatically flush the filter.
Sediment filters, however, can only handle substantial water pollutants. Metals and heavy metals, which are smaller pollutants, will flow right through. You’ll need to replace or flush your sediment filter more frequently if your water contains a lot of sediment. Furthermore, bacteria, viruses, or other pathogens cannot be eliminated from a private well by sediment filters.
Carbon Filters
Chlorine, fluoride – a naturally occurring mineral, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and pesticides are among the pollutants that carbon filters adsorb (hold onto) using a natural medium.
These water filters can be found in many different types of home purification systems, such as faucet-mounted water filters and whole-house well water filters. Either a sizable tank can be filled with carbon or a small filter cartridge can be compressed with carbon.
For well water containing pesticides and volatile organic compounds, carbon filters are best. The most popular type of carbon filter on the market right now is activated carbon filters. To remove iron, copper, zinc, and other water-soluble heavy metals from well water, carbon filters and KDF are frequently used together.
An environmentally beneficial and natural filter is activated carbon. After use, most carbon filters can be recycled. A tank-based water filtration system with catalytic or activated carbon offers a low-maintenance water filtration option and has a lifespan of up to seven years.
Unfortunately, some of the most prevalent well drinking water contaminants, such as iron, manganese, heavy metals, and the majority of organic contaminants, are not targeted by carbon filters.
Activated carbon water treatment is typically sluggish and may lower your water pressure depending on the quality of your well water. Depending on their size, carbon water filter cartridges must be changed frequently, typically every three to six months.
The three greatest well water filtering systems on the market right now are carbon filters, sediment filters, and oxidation filters. The most suitable water filtration system for you will rely on the particular circumstances. Each of these systems has pros and cons.
Is Your Well Water Safe For Drinking?
It’s crucial to make sure the water is safe to drink if you depend on well water for your household’s water supply requirements.
The truth is that well water can become contaminated with dangerous chemicals from a variety of sources which could end up at your tap water, despite the fact that many private well owners believe their well water is free of toxins.
We’ll go over some typical toxins in well water in this post, along with how to tell if your well water is safe to drink.
What are the Common Contaminants Found in Well Water?
The kind of soil and bedrock surrounding the well, its depth, and any local sources of contamination can all have an impact on the quality of the well water. The following are some typical impurities that can be discovered in well water:
Bacteria and viruses: Human or animal waste can contaminate well water with bacteria and viruses. Infections including fever, nausea, and diarrhoea may result from this.
Nitrate: Nitrate is a typical pollutant found in well water, particularly in rural areas where farmers employ fertilisers and animal manure. Methemoglobinemia, or “blue baby syndrome,” is a disorder brought on by nitrate that can be fatal to infants.
Metals: Metals like arsenic, lead, and copper, which can be harmful in high amounts, can be found in high levels in well water. Children who are exposed to these metals may experience developmental delays, renal damage, or cancer.
Chemicals: Well water may contain organic contaminants such pesticides, herbicides, and solvents that are harmful to human health.
How to Determine if Your Well Water is Safe to Drink
Only a licenced laboratory can test your well water to establish whether it is safe to consume. Private well owners should get their water tested at least once a year for bacteria and nitrates and every two to three years for other contaminants including metals and pesticides, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
It’s crucial to have the water tested right away if you detect any changes in the flavour, colour, or odour of your well water or if someone in your home feels ill after consuming the water.
How Well Water Becomes Contaminated
There are many ways that well water might become contaminated, including natural and man-made factors. Here are some typical ways that well water is tainted:
Runoff and seepage: As rainwater or melted snow runs off the surface of the earth, it may pick up pollutants from lawns, golf courses, agricultural lands, and other places, including pesticides, fertilisers, and other chemicals. These pollutants may permeate the soil and eventually reach wells and other sources of groundwater.
Underground storage tanks that are leaking: Over time, underground storage tanks (USTs) that are used to store gasoline, diesel fuel, and other chemicals may deteriorate and leak their contents into the soil and groundwater below, poisoning wells close by.
Faulty septic systems: Septic systems that aren’t working properly or aren’t kept up with can discharge bacteria, viruses, and other dangerous germs into the soil and groundwater around them, contaminating nearby wells.
Industrial waste: Industries like manufacturing and mining can contaminate adjacent wells by discharging pollutants like metals, solvents, and other chemicals into the groundwater.
Natural pollutants: Because of the region’s geology, well water may contain natural organic contaminants like arsenic, radon, and uranium.
Agricultural waste: Animal excrement from poultry and livestock farms can include pathogens including germs and viruses that can contaminate the land and surrounding wells.
Landfills: It is common knowledge that landfills house toxic waste, which can seep into the earth and poison surrounding wells.
How to Test Well Water?
The National Ground Water Association, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other organisations advise well owners to test their tap water at least once a year for pH, total dissolved solids, nitrates, and total coliform bacteria.
Based on the results of prior tests and data from your local health department, you should additionally test your water for other local water pollutants with National Ground Water Association, EPA, or other organisations.
You can contact your local health department or the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791.
How to Reduce the Risk of Well Water Contamination
It’s crucial to take precautions against well water contamination if you get your water supply from a private well. You can follow the instructions listed below:
- Frequent testing: Having your water tested by a competent laboratory on a regular basis is the first step in lowering the danger of well water pollution. To make sure your water is safe to consume, testing should be done at least once a year. You can contact your local health department or the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791.
- Constructing and placing wells properly: Wells should be built and placed to reduce the danger of pollution. Wells, for instance, ought to be situated uphill and far from septic systems, animals, and chemical storage facilities. In order to stop surface and groundwater supplies from getting into the well, they should also be built with a sealant around the well casing.
- Maintenance of the well water system: To lower the risk of contamination, regular maintenance of the well system is essential. This entails routinely checking the well and all of its parts, such as the pressure tank and pump, as well as cleaning and sanitising the well on a regular basis.
Hazardous trash should be appropriately disposed of and kept away from wells and other sources of water for drinking. This includes harmful substances like chemicals and insecticides.
- Preserve surface water: Surface water, such as rivers and lakes, is a potential entry point for organic contaminants into the groundwater. By stopping erosion and runoff from building sites, farms, and other locations, it is crucial to protect these water supplies.
Be aware of adjacent operations that can contaminate the groundwater, such as mining, fracking, and oil and gas drilling. Take extra steps to safeguard your drinking water if these operations are taking place close to your well.
FAQ
What is purified well water?
Well water that has been treated to eliminate or destroy bacteria, viruses, and protozoans is referred to as purified well water. In addition to being devoid of typical chemical, mineral, and metal pollutants, purified well water may also be. The method utilised to treat the water will determine the quality of the filtered well water.
Does drinking well water require filtering?
No, not all wells require drinking water to be filtered. Nevertheless, let’s say that your well has a lot of impurities, such metals, chemicals, or volatile organic compounds.
In that situation, it is highly advised that you filter your water to avoid any health issues or illnesses. You can determine whether or not you need to filter your water by testing it to see what is in it.
Is using a well’s water supply for showering safe?
Absolutely, it is okay to bathe or shower in well water, even if it has bacteria. You’ll be alright as long as you don’t consume any of the water.
What is the ideal method for drinking well water filtration?
Combining various effective well water filters is the best technique to purify well water for drinking. For the best defence against these contaminants, install an air injection system in addition to a UV purifier, for instance, if you have a problem with iron and bacteria.
What your water contains and what you wish to remove will determine which water filtration systems (whole house, countertop or under sink filtration system) are ideal for you.
Is the water supply in a well safe to consume?
You can really drink tap water from a well; in fact, hundreds of thousands of Americans do it every day. But, you should test your water yearly and employ a water treatment system to eliminate specific toxins if necessary to ensure that your well water is safe to consume. Your drinking water will be of higher quality as a result, protecting you from illness.
How can my well water be naturally purified?
Your well water can be naturally purified by boiling it. By killing bacteria, viruses, and other dangerous organisms, boiling water renders it safe for consumption. Iron, manganese, heavy metals, pesticides, and other pollutants that are frequently found in well water will not be eliminated by this procedure.
So theoretically, boiling well water won’t make it pure. To get rid of any toxins found in your water test results, we advise utilising a mix of water filters and other personal purifying equipment.
Do water purifiers work on well water?
Most water filters do really function with well water. However, some water filtration systems, such as water pitchers, might not be appropriate for well water that is heavily soiled or very hard.
For some private purification systems, such reverse osmosis systems, a pre-filter, like a sediment filter, may be necessary to guard against RO membrane deterioration. If you’re unsure whether a given product is appropriate for treating your well water, get in touch with the manufacturer.
Do water softeners clean water from wells?
No. Water softeners are devices that reduce the hardness of the water using ions. A water softener typically uses sodium or potassium ions to replace calcium and magnesium ions, the ions that create “hardness.” A water softener is made to get rid of the calcium and magnesium minerals that cause surface and groundwater supplies to be hard.
Hence, even while a water softener is a necessary solution for particularly hard private well water, it cannot cleanse, eradicate bacteria, or eliminate pollutants from water.
To concurrently filter, purify, and soften water, some well owners pair a water softener with another water treatment system, such as an air injection water system or a UV treatment system.