Well water quality, minerals, etc (appliances, water heater, contractors)

[beezle1]

I have lived up on the Palmer Divide for nearly 20 years, and my water source is well water (Dawson Aquifer I believe). I love the taste of the water, however I have always had a problem with some sort of mineral build up and blueish staining in my sinks and toilets. Its next to impossible to remove - I have found no chemical-type cleaner that works, and I end up resorting to abrasive cleaners. I am probably going to remodel my kitchen and baths soon and I would hate to have this problem with new fixtures, so I was wondering what other people's experience was with their well water, and what they did about it.

Is this a common issue in this area, or is it something unique to my water source?

Any cleaners that others have found to work better?

Should I get my water tested to see what is in it? I have tested it at the health dept for bacteria long ago, but never for mineral content.

I really don't want to add a water softener as I don't want to change the taste of the water.

[coloradogreycat]

It's a common issue. The blue-green color comes from copper being leached out of your plumbing pipes. (From what I understand, our water is very acidic - and that's what causes the leaching.) We have a water softener and really don't notice a difference in taste at all. And it prevents the blue-green staining - and it also prevents the further degradation of your copper pipes.

(A piece of wet drywall sanding screen and some elbow grease works like a charm to remove the blue rings from your sinks and toilet.)

[beezle1]

Thanks for the info. I had heard about the acidic water and copper pipes before, but I was not sure that water softener would take care of it. Any recommendations on type of water softener and installers?

[coloradogreycat]

Sorry - I can't be too much help. I've only had experience with the system that came already installed with our house. If you look up Water Conditioning and Softening in the Yellow Pages, you'll find a list of contractors who should be able to help you out. Or Google "Water Conditioning Systems" for an explanation of the different types that are available. I can tell you that the systems are pretty low-maintenance. We just have to add some chemicals to ours every couple of years. There are probably even better/easier ones out there, too. Another plus to installing a softener is that your appliances (dishwasher, washing machine, water heater, etc.) will last longer too.

Also, if you're concerned about the taste of your water after softening, you can install a reverse osmosis filter on your kitchen faucet. That will remove any salts that your softener added into your water. I haven't felt the need to do that, though. I think our water tastes great as is.

[lurtsman]

LoL. Who pays to advertise in the yellow pages these days? When I see a phone book I just think "Thanks for printing out this piece of the internet for me to recycle"

[otowi]

Phone books back in the day were useful things - they listed every street, every address # on the street, the residents at each address, their occupations, and perhaps contact information. - Great for genealogy studies today or historical studies trying to figure out when streets were built, etc. Today's phone books are worthless because so much is excluded. And the Internet - well, now you have to pay for a lot of that information that used to be free.

[otterprods]

Originally Posted by beezle1

Should I get my water tested to see what is in it?

Yes. It's probably fine, but if you're drinking water is coming from your well, you'll want to get it tested periodically for potability.

Water Quality | El Paso County Public Health
Water Quality Control Division - Wells and Aquifers (Ground Water)

[lurtsman]

Originally Posted by otowi

Phone books back in the day were useful things - they listed every street, every address # on the street, the residents at each address, their occupations, and perhaps contact information. - Great for genealogy studies today or historical studies trying to figure out when streets were built, etc. Today's phone books are worthless because so much is excluded. And the Internet - well, now you have to pay for a lot of that information that used to be free.

LOL. If you pay those companies, you're doing it wrong. It's true that several awful websites have been created and continue to exist for the sole purpose of sucking money away from hard working Americans, but most of the info is out there for free if you know where to search it.

[otowi]

Oh I don't.