Brown water in my Lake Naomi home (Pocono Pines, Atlantic: how much, new home)

[mickeddie]

Hi,

We just bought a house in Lake Naomi and the water tests came back acceptable. We were there recently and noticed that the water in the toilets and when you first turned on the faucetts was brown. I know someone who recently bought a home in Towamensing Trails and she does not have this brown water, even if she's been away from the house for several weeks. We both have private wells.

What should we do to eliminate the brown water, or is there nothing that can be done? How long should we let it run before we feel that it is safe to drink? I swear that I cleaned the commode at night and then by the next morning, there was a little brown ring inside already.

Thanks so much for your help.

Michelle

[karen_s]

I'm no expert, but it sounds like my aunt's house - the cause was "hard" water (too many minerals). They ended up installing a water softener to eliminate this problem. Here's a link about it:
Water softener FAQ

When they first moved in, they were told to use vinegar or lemon juice in the toilets to cut right through the rusty residue.

Hope that helps.

[Dawne]

It's probably iron (not the kind you take as a vitamin) in the water. Karen's right - you'll most likely need a water softener.

There's also a product called CLR (calcium, lime, rust) that is a great cleaner if you get any stains.

[jar546]

This is a common problem in the Pocono Pines area and other areas of the Pocono Mountains. There is a lot of sediment is the wells that come and go depending on the amount of rain you get and how much water you use. The depth of the pump inside the well can also be a factor.

Many Lake Naomi residents have sediment filters to help control this problem. Some actually put two filters in line. The downside is that as the filters become clogged your water pressure begins to drop until you change the filter.

You can have sediment one day in Lake Naomi and then none the next. It is a hit and miss problem but overall there is a high probability. When I perform septic inspections in that area and need to run water, the houses with the filters lose pressure and I usually end up having to change or bypass the filter.

EPA > Water > Drinking Water > Private Drinking Water Wells

Wells | Drinking | Mid-Atlantic Water | US EPA

PRIVATE WELLS HOME PAGE

[jar546]

One last comment. This is not a hard water issue. Many areas of PA have a slightly hard to hard water problem. You are describing a sediment issue, not a hard water issue. Many folks think that a water softner is a cure all but it is not.

If you have a water softner and a septic system, especially a sand mound I would see if you can have the purged water go to other than the septic system. There seems to be a chemical reaction between the sand in the mound and the discharge causing the sand to bind and become as hard as concrete. This is not good for the septic sytem.

[BLUEDIAMOND64]

Some very good advice here. You can have the water tested as well. This is something we did after we got our water softner. I believe it was the local drug store in town that sends the water sample away to be tested.

[poconoproud]

I would suggest a water filtration system. Some parts of Arrowhead Lakes nearby have the same issue. We live at least 40 miles from you, and although we do not have an appearance of dirty or rusty water, our filter filters out an amazing amount of sediment, iron and god knows what else. Some people in your development may have no problem at all, while others are experiencing the same as you. I would say it all depends on what aquifer your well was drilled from. Continue flushing the lines before you use the water, as you have been, until such time as you install a filter. And like Jeff said above, you may begin to lose water pressure, that means it is time to change the filter.

[LNTT_Vacationer]

Originally Posted by mickeddie

Hi,

We just bought a house in Lake Naomi and the water tests came back acceptable. We were there recently and noticed that the water in the toilets and when you first turned on the faucetts was brown.

Welcome! Does your new home have a water softener?