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IDK. The water treatment experts I've talked to have all said UV won't be sufficient. No one has recommended peroxide. I think having IEB in the well is a whole different problem than in a tank. We have a bad smell but it's not sulfur-like, and the slime can only be removed by serious scrubbing, which you obviously can't do inside your plumbing. We've shocked the well, retested the water, IEB is still there, the slime is still there, and within several weeks the smell is back too. I'd have to put a tanker truck of peroxide down the well every day. As it is, I've been hauling massive amounts of water to use for drinking, food prep, and washing dishes (water heated on the stove because the HW heater is contaminated) and taking yucky showers. I'm at the end of the road with this problem.
Funny timing- I was taking a shower yesterday and the flow slowed down to a trickle. I got nervous that my well pump died, so I quickly ran downstairs and breathed a sigh of relief as I saw the pressure gauge was at full pressure. So I opened the big blue filter (which is after the pressure gauge) and it was just solid slime. That red/brown sticky slime.
I was lazy- I hadn't changed the big blue in a long time (maybe 6-8 months), thinking foolishly that my problems were over. I did try something new this time though- I replaced the 10" filter housing with a 20" housing that also has a drain valve. My sump pump is right next to the filter, so I'm going to see if I can extend the filter life by draining the sludge occasionally into the sump pit without removing the filter. If I was able to get 6+ months from a 10" filter I should hopefully get more from the 20". Couched against the fact that the slime is worse in summer months than in the winter.
The peroxide was the only way for me to reduce the smell in the past, but the water runs perfectly clear even when it's stinky, so I think the prefilters are doing their job. Gross changing those filters though. I've debated removing the big blue and letting the 5 micron backwashing filter be the first filter in line, but everything just works so well using the big blue that I think I'll stick with it.
My undercabinet RO system has really no trouble at all making perfectly clean, smell-free water though even when the main system is doing really bad (except of course when the flow is super limited).
Funny timing- I was taking a shower yesterday and the flow slowed down to a trickle. I got nervous that my well pump died, so I quickly ran downstairs and breathed a sigh of relief as I saw the pressure gauge was at full pressure. So I opened the big blue filter (which is after the pressure gauge) and it was just solid slime. That red/brown sticky slime.
I was lazy- I hadn't changed the big blue in a long time (maybe 6-8 months), thinking foolishly that my problems were over. I did try something new this time though- I replaced the 10" filter housing with a 20" housing that also has a drain valve. My sump pump is right next to the filter, so I'm going to see if I can extend the filter life by draining the sludge occasionally into the sump pit without removing the filter. If I was able to get 6+ months from a 10" filter I should hopefully get more from the 20". Couched against the fact that the slime is worse in summer months than in the winter.
The peroxide was the only way for me to reduce the smell in the past, but the water runs perfectly clear even when it's stinky, so I think the prefilters are doing their job. Gross changing those filters though. I've debated removing the big blue and letting the 5 micron backwashing filter be the first filter in line, but everything just works so well using the big blue that I think I'll stick with it.
My undercabinet RO system has really no trouble at all making perfectly clean, smell-free water though even when the main system is doing really bad (except of course when the flow is super limited).
I went to a 20" housing, and change it every other month. These changes were necessary to reduce the pressure loss.
So you would rather be on the city sewer system and water company than a private well/septic tank?
While I would love to live in a small Rural town,
I'm in a suburban area, on 1/3 acres, So even if it was allowed, there is not enough room to do it. The city requires connection to Sewer,
There are a few home that are ~100 years old that still have private wells, but they had to connect to sewer when it was put in. Not sure how they are charged for sewer usage. Guessing meters on the household
Inside Water Usage, from there well.
One of them does run a Pool Fill and Construction Water business. That he feeds from his well.
I work in developing water treatment technologies at a university lab. Part of my work is geared towards disinfecting water, which I have been told is an issue especially for private water wells. Curious if people on this forum have bacteria, mineral, or chemical issues with their water and how y'all go about treating the water.
So you would rather be on the city sewer system and water company than a private well/septic tank?
Speaking for myself, I would definitely rather have city water than my own well (I have had city sewer for some years now). City water is of higher quality than my well water: free from total coliform bacteria, and with alkalinity and hardness set to optimum levels. In addition, I would still have water during power outages. When my well pump was hit by lightning, it was my problem. City utilities have a team of professionals to maintain service to their customers.
As far as total coliform in well water, on a slow afternoon years ago, I went through the water test records and tallied the results. About 25% of private wells we tested were total coliform positive on the first test.
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