If your well water looks like weak tea, leaves yellow-brown marks on laundry, and remains discolored after passing through a standard iron filter, tannins are a likely cause. These natural…
Finding lead in well water can send a homeowner in the wrong direction. The first instinct is often to blame the aquifer or assume the well has been contaminated. In…
Most people associate radon with basement air. Private well water can be another source. Radon dissolves in groundwater, travels through the plumbing, and escapes into the home whenever water is…
The first clue is often in the plumbing, not at the well. Blue-green stains around a tub drain, recurring pinhole leaks in copper pipe, or a metallic taste can all…
Salty-tasting well water has several possible causes, and some are more serious than others. Naturally occurring chloride, sodium, or sulfate may be dissolving from rock around the well. Road salt…
Reverse osmosis is one of the most thorough water-treatment technologies available for home use. A properly selected and maintained system can remove roughly 95% to 99% of many dissolved contaminants.…
A water softener and a water filter solve different problems. A softener removes hardness minerals—mainly calcium and magnesium—that cause scale, soap scum, stiff laundry, and loss of water-heater efficiency. A…
Cloudy well water is usually caused by one of two things: tiny trapped gas bubbles or actual material suspended in the water. Ordinary air bubbles are generally harmless and disappear…
PFAS in well water cannot be detected by taste, smell, or appearance. The only reliable way to know whether your well is affected is to order a specialized laboratory test;…
Nitrates in well water are the most common chemical contamination problem in many agricultural areas. The water can look, smell, and taste normal while containing enough nitrate to endanger an…
