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Well question

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Just wondering if anybody has a well at there house. The house I just purchased is on a well. Talked with the county to try and get a water line installed, they tell me 7 grand. No thanks I will stick to the well.

My question is.... can someone recommend a good water softener? I dont want to cheap out to where I would have to replace it in a year or so but I dont want to spend an ass load of money at the same time. If you could help that would be great. Thanks
 
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I rent mine for $19.95 from Culligan, it's the top of the line, they fix it if it breaks, service it 1 times a year and all I do is buy salt. They're expensive and for me this is the way to go.

I had a well for years and liked it better than city water but when the pump went out I couldn't replace it I had to tie to city water for $5500 instead of $2500 for a new pump motor beacause we had been anexxed in to the city.
 

djs134

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I lived in a house with a well for 9 years in a very hard water area (most of Central PA is Limestone/Dolomite). We purchased a Kenmore water softener and never had a problem.

Wells can be great or disasters. I deal with residences and wells on an almost constant basis as I manage DOT Highway projects. Sulfur is the toughest thing to remove from the water and you almost always have the smell, Iron can be removed to some extent with a softener, and a code conforming/well sealed well cap is essential. Check with your State's Dept of Environmental Protection's (or similar agency's) website and they should have good info on residential well maintenance.
 
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Daniel I am new to this well thing. I live in central fl and we also have very hard water. The sulfur smell is very strong but I was told to put a half of a chlorine tablet into the tank and that should help. What type of maintenance do you recommend? It was recommended to get another filter for the well and place it between the pump and the tank. I already have one from the tank to the house. Thanks for the advice on the softener, I will look into that today.
 

djs134

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Eric, please keep in mind that I am not a trained hydrologist, just a civil engineer that comes in contact with wells a lot. A filter between the pump and tank is a good idea, especially if you are going to install a WS. It will keep grit from getting into the system. I found that a filter between the WS and the rest of the house helps with taste as well. That one is up to you.

From what I found with a stop into the Florida DEP site was that it seems the Dept of Health handles residential water concerns for FL.

Maintenance....

Wells are only expected to last about 18 years from what I've been told by drillers. But many wells I've dealt with are 40+. Have your water tested periodically. Once a year isn't overkill. Make sure that your well cap is above grade so that surface water can't enter. This is probably the most common source of bacteria and organics I've run into. If you DO find your bacteria levels higher than you like or what is recommended, consider "shocking" it. There should be a procedure on the DoH site for Florida. Caution: You will be using chlorine to shock the well so care should be taken. Also, if you have a high iron content to your water, "shocking" your well may be the last thing you want to do (chlorine will oxidize the Iron and make a brown mess of your water).

Over time, sediment will build up at the bottom of the well. Along with this, there will always be a "cloud" of turbid water at the bottom of the well. If your water starts to look cloudy, it could be that the intake for your pump needs to be raised.

All that being said, check with Florida DEP or Florida DoH for your guidelines. Just keep in mind that wells need just a tad more awareness on your part than city water. Educate yourself and you'll be fine.

Oh, and remember, well water (for better or worse) doesn't usually contain fluoride.
 
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thanks man, I am a geotech engineer but have not had the opportunity to deal with wells. My well is less than 2 years old so I sould still in good shape. I just need to get it up to par with filters and a WS. My entire system is above ground so I dont have a problem with surface water. I will do my research today about it.

Thanks again Daniel
 

David

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If you are getting a sulphur smell just from the hot water (shower for example), you can remove the magnese (sp?) rod from your water heater tank and voila...problem fixed.

We have been on a well for 12 years.
 
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If you are getting a sulphur smell just from the hot water (shower for example), you can remove the magnese (sp?) rod from your water heater tank and voila...problem fixed.

We have been on a well for 12 years.
we dont get the smell all that much in the house. I noticed it a little yesterday while doing some wash in cold water.
 

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We had wells in Michigan and Mass. In Mich we used a top of the line GE watersoftner, in Mass a Sears. Never a problem. We did get a reverse osmosis water filter for drinking and had the water tested by a lab once a year.
 
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