Having a well on your property makes
you more independent because you don't have to depend on the county's
water supply. However, you do have some responsibilities of your own
that you have to tend to, and one of those is ensuring your water is
safe for drinking and use.
In order to do that, you should
regularly perform water quality testing. Additionally, you should
also educate yourself on the warning signs that your water quality
may be slipping. That way, if a problem comes up, you can stop it in
its tracks before it has the chance to make you or your family sick
or to cause other problems.
Your nose will often let you know when
something isn't right with your water. If your water has a strange
smell, even if it's not particularly bad, don't continue drinking it
until you've done testing.
Bad odors can be due to all kinds of
water quality issues, including both serious and non-serious ones.
Hydrogen sulfide and algae growth in your well are two common reasons
for bad water smells.
In any case, take new odors as a reason
to test your water right away.
If you're like most people, then you
probably gulp down your water without really looking at it. However,
whenever you pour a glass, take a minute to check on the appearance
of your water.
If you ever notice it looking cloudy,
this could mean that you have an overabundance of minerals within
your water. Some minerals are good, but too many can pose a problem,
especially if they're the kind of minerals that shouldn't be in your
well in the first place. While a cloudy look isn't usually anything
too serious, discontinue drinking your water until you figure out
what has caused the change.
Just as cloudy water should be cause
for concern, you should also take notice if your water has
discoloration in any way.
Red or brown discoloration could
indicate the presence of rust within your well, for example.
Sometimes, depending on what has caused the problem, you may even see
some surprising or bright discoloration that you wouldn't expect.
Anytime your water isn't clear or has a
colored tint to it, water testing is necessary.
One of the easier-to-notice signs of
bad water quality is water that doesn't taste good. In fact,
look into any change in taste.
Whether the water just tastes less
clear and fresh than usual, has a metallic or bitter taste, or tastes
slightly oily, this could mean it has contamination in some way. As
with most of these signs, stop drinking the water until you know for
sure what has caused the problem.
You likely never want to see small
particles floating in your glass of water.
These particles are usually sediment
from your well. They are not typically harmful, but nobody usually
wants to drink little bits of dirt with their glass of water.
Sediment in your water may mean that
your well needs professional cleaning. If the problem happens only
once, this is probably not a big deal, but if you constantly see
sediment in your water, your well probably needs some attention.
Water quality is important.
Fortunately, you can easily notice when your own water quality has
gone downhill. If you pay attention to your well and what comes out
of it, chances are that you can avoid poor water quality and the
negative consequences that could potentially go along with it.
If you need some help with anything
related to your well, remember you can contact the experts at McCall
Brothers Inc.
