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Old 03-09-2019, 10:47 AM
 
Location: On the Chesapeake
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Reddish/brown stains? Likely iron.

How deep is your well? Surface contamination is unlikely unless the wellhead has been submerged (which with the rain we've had wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility).
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Old 03-09-2019, 10:59 AM
 
Location: Out there somewhere...a traveling man.
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As mentioned before, you've got iron.
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Old 03-09-2019, 02:04 PM
 
Location: on the wind
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveinMtAiry View Post
A little history. This is a farmhouse built in 1900 complete with copper pipes. When we bought it in 2002 I had an acid neutralizer installed to help preserve the pipes. A few months ago it started to leak. As we will be moving in a few years I opted to remove it and simply bypass rather than investing another $1,500 to have it replaced.

Well a few months later I noticed the bottom of the toilets were in need of cleaning more regularly. Closer inspection of the dog dish reveals the same look. The water appears clear when it's poured but as it settles deposits are being left behind. As it didn't start immediately after the acid neutralizer was removed I'm not so sure that's the issue.

So what's the next step? How do I get my water tested? Is this a sign of a failing well wall? Will a home filtration system fix the problem?

Thanks
Might be hard to determine whether its one or a combination of both. If you still had the acid neutralizer to test that might help figure it out, but you don't. Obviously the mineral content of well water fluctuates...it is affected by what and how much is percolating into it at any given time. Even with a filtration/softener I notice more staining when it hasn't been raining much or when the ground's frozen...probably drawing more off the bottom of the well where more deposits settle. My local well/pump service that installed my filtration/softener system offers water testing but you can do it yourself.
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Old 03-10-2019, 11:41 AM
 
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If you needed a neutralizer, it could be copper, though that's usually blue or blue-green. A neutralizer (assuming the usual limestone tank kind) makes water harder; I wouldn't expect mineral deposits to be increased after removing one. Also possible is the water is dissolving the existing scale on pipes.

As for testing, you can buy test kits for most common stuff on Amazon. Hardness, pH, iron, copper, would be the most likely to be relevant. pH test strips you can get a lot of places since they're sold for pools and aquariums. If your water is acid (below 7.0) you should fix the neutralizer.
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Old 03-10-2019, 12:46 PM
 
Location: Not far from Fairbanks, AK
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Brownish color stains are caused by iron. First have the water tested for minerals and organic compounds and other chemicals by a lab. Pay for the most thorough lab test, since you also use the same water for cooking and drinking. Also, check with your neighbors about the quality of their water, and what they do to take care of the problem.

The following will be expensive, but very important if you have children:

a. An iron removal water softener or filter-if you have iron in the water
b. And under the counter water filter set such as an AO-US-200 (A.O. Smith brand) or similar, for the water you drink. It does not have to be this brand, just one with dual or triple filters that remove chlorine and other disinfectants, metals, chemicals, solids, and biological compounds.

The iron-removing filter or softener will be more expensive than the under the kitchen sink water filter kit. These kits are sold at most major stores (Lowe's, Cotsco, Home Depot, and Amazon).
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Old 03-10-2019, 01:05 PM
 
Location: Minnesota
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Could the effect of having a filter on for a while have any scale coming off of your pipe the removing the filter change the waters pH and scale is coming off because of the change. Do you mean you had a water softener that uses salt or a different type of filter made more specifically for removing iron.....my sister has both conditioner and one for iron. I don't really know how the iron filter works so I may be misunderstanding.
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Old 03-10-2019, 01:27 PM
 
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"The water appears clear when it's poured but as it settles deposits are being left behind." Our water looked exactly like that when our well was almost dry.
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Old 03-11-2019, 07:46 AM
 
Location: Minnesota
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Just a little FYI. My sister has a cabin and when then had a well drilled in in a area high in iron (there are actually old flooded iron ore pits mines in the area now turned into recreational lakes) they we're told they needed a very deep well so they wouldn't get high iron water. So they paid the extra for a extra deep well, and it worked pretty well, they don't get red stains like most of their neighbors.

But, as someone who has tasted heavy iron water, I kind of like the flavor. If you put it in a pitcher in the frig overnight it has a mineral taste, does leave behind a stain in the pitcher but don't scrub it or get crazy about removing stain it just comes back, just wash it out.
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Old 03-11-2019, 08:32 AM
 
Location: Mount Airy, Maryland
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Quote:
Originally Posted by beezle1 View Post
Was a filter also removed when you took out the acid neutralizer?


Sorry for the late reply, I wanted to test the water before returning. To answer your question the acid neutralizer did not have a filter, the acid is removed by a mineral, its not salt not sure what it was, that is poured into the tank. But the problem did not start immediately after it was removed, maybe a month later.

The water tested high for hardness, obviously, but the other readings appeared OK. It tastes fine but still is leaving residue when it stands.
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Old 03-11-2019, 09:27 AM
 
Location: Minnesota
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Changes in pH if water may be a explanation for changes in your water. After the Flint Michigan lead problems it is kind if scary. Did water test you did also test for metals, lead in particular.

From listening to a report on Flint. They said the change from Lake Erie water source to Flint River was a big change in the pH of water that wasn't treated on the "new" water source of Flint River. The Flint River is higher acidity so started corroding pipes then got lead in water. I may not be explaining correctly or know all the details but I would test your water for lead just in case if such a big change in your water.

http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2018/...-poisoned-city
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