Corrosive Well Water Contamination

Ever wonder what causes that blue-green stain near the drain of your bathtub? Corrosive water is a condition caused by low water pH. This causes metals to dissolve from the metallic plumbing it flows through. This condition gets worse when the water is hotter.

Just because you don’t see staining doesn’t mean your water isn’t corrosive. Lead, which can dissolve from the lead used to seal pipe joints in homes built before 1980, does not stain or flavor the water but could cause a risk to your family’s health.

Corrosivity can also cause physical damage to piping and hasten the need to replace your plumbing. Copper gives water a metallic taste and can stain clothing and hair. Flushing the pipes before each use will lessen the metallic taste, but won’t prevent damage to your pipes.

Testing Options For Corrosivity

Skillings & Sons, Inc. can advise you on whether to test for corrosive water and if your home is at risk for corrosivity. A simple pH test is often sufficient for determining corrosivity, but we can also help you if further testing is needed.

Treatment Options for Corrosive Well Water

 There are a number of methods, both low cost and expensive, that can be used to neutralize water. Adding calcite chips to the bottom of an existing dug well can reduce corrosivity at a low cost, but can also cause hardness and alter the water’s taste.

A more high-tech approach is diluting a solution of soda ash or baking soda into the water using a chemical feed pump. This does not increase hardness and the solution can be altered depending on the pH of the water. It could, however, cause damage to some mechanical devices, and requires routine inspections and filling of the chemical solution every few weeks.

If you chose to treat your corrosive water, speak with a Skillings & Sons, Inc., technician for the best option for your home.