Water testing

GW Pumps & Purification offers a wide range of water quality test and water well production performance testing services. In our local service area, GW offer new customers a complimentary water test which includes: Hardeness, Iron, pH, Total Disolved Solids, and Nitrates. Beyond this free test, GW offers test for all or some of the contaminants listed in the Water Quality Issues below.

Water Quality Issues

In nature, there is no such thing as pure water. Water wants to take on virtually any soluble contaminant that it encounters. For this reason, water is known as the universal solvent. Water pumped or flowing from water wells will always contain at least some level of contaminants. The type, level (or amount) and state of the contaminant may cause water quality problems.

Noticeable Water Quality Problems

Water quality problems often have objectionable side effects that can typically be segregated in one of the six categories:

1) Colors

• a. Blue/Green – Normally associated with an elevated level of copper in the water supply. It may be a naturally occurring contaminant or the water may be acidic and picking up the copper from your home’s plumbing.
• b. Red/Orange – Normally associated with Iron being present in the water supply. Sometimes the water will come out of the faucet clear and after sitting for a while, it will begin to show its color.
• c. Black – Normally associated with Manganese being present in the water supply.
• d. Yellow to light brown (maybe tea-like) – Normally associated with Tannins being present in the water supply.
• e. Cloudy – Normally associated with Turbidity in the water supply.

2) Deposits

• a. Whitish Scale – Normally associated with Hardness or elevated levels of Total Dissolved Solids being present in the water supply.
• b. Bathtub rings – Normally associated with Hardness being present in the water supply.
• c. Soap Scum – Normally associated with Hardness being present in the water supply.

3) Smells

• a. Rotten Eggs – Norm mally associated with Hydrogen Sulfide being prese ent in the water supply. Normally H Hydrogen Sulfide exists along with a sulfur reducingg bacteria, iron related bacteria, a and/or manganese related bacteria.
• b. Bleach or swimming pool – Normally associated with Chlorine being pr resent in the water supply. On water w wells, this is normally because your water treatment s system includes a chlorinator.
• c. Sewage – Normally y associated with improper well or septic disposal system. Although more likely to be se een in shallow wells, it can be present in deep wells.
• d. Sweet – Normally a associated with MTBE or Xylenes being present in tthe water supply.

4) Spots

• a. Glassware, plates, flatware – Normally associated with Hardness or elevated Total Dissolved Solids being present in the water supply.
• b. Laundry – Normally associated with Hardness, Tannins, Manganese aand/or Iron being present in the water supply.
• c. Teeth – Normally asssociated with excessive Fluoride being present in tthe water supply.

5) Stains

• a. Blue/Green – Norm mally associated with Copper being present in the water supply.
• b. Red/Orange – Normally associated with Iron being present in the water supply.
• c. Dark Brown/Black –– Normally associated with Manganese being present in the water supply.
• d. Grey – Normally associated with clay, aluminum, Hardness or Total Dissolved solids being present in the water supply.
• e. Yellow – Normally associated with Tannins being present in the water ssupply.

6) Tastes

• a. Bitter – Normally associated with Alkalinity or Sulfate being present in n the water supply.
• b. Salty – Normally associated with Chloride being present in the water supply.
• c. Metallic – Can be a a wide range of metals that are elevated in the water supply including aluminum, Copper, Iron, Manganese, or Zinc. Also can be related to an acidic water.
• d. Sour – Normally associated with pH not being neutral (7) in the water s supply.

Water Quality Problems– not easily detected without proper testing

The above water quality problems can be very problemmatic, but fortunately they can be detected by how we use the water. The more dangerous water contaminats are those that do not have a smell, taste, odor, staining, spottinng, or depoits associatied wiith them. They are not noticeable and therefore often go undetected in well water. The testing for these impurities is the responsibility o of the well owner and often times the levels will vary by season, rainfall/drought, or otther enviromental factors. GW Pumps and Purification offers well owners a wide varierty of water tests to better determine the type and level of impurities in well water. GW also offerswater treatment systems that can remove virtually all of these impurities.These “not easily detectable water impurities” can be segregated in to the following 4 categories