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Problem Water Frequently Asked Questions What is hard water and how is it caused?
What is hard water and how is it caused? Hard water in the southern part of Wisconsin and the northern part of Illinois is caused in part by the tremendous amount of limestone and calcium and magnesium minerals that are found normally occuring in the ground. When it rains or snows, the waters come in contact with the minerals. Water, being the universal solvent picks up the minerals and deposits them in the ground water. And this in turn comes into your home via a personal well or a municipal well. The solution to this problem water is a water softener. (top) Nitrates are formed by lawn and crop fertilizers, manure, septic systems, industrial chemicals, compost piles, or the breakdown of organic wastes. (top) Why should I be concerned about nitrates? It is dangerous to infants - especially those of 6 months of age or younger. Private wells that contain high levels of nitrates may also be vulnerable to other kinds of contaminents. High levels of nitrates have been known to cause blue baby syndrome or methemoglobinemia. Women who are pregnant or are trying to conceive should not drink water from private wells that contain high levels of nitrates. (top) What is the safe level of nitrates? Anything under 10 MG/L as nitrogen. (top) What will remove the nitrates so we can be assured that our water will be safe? A Kinetico Reverse Osmosis System will remove over 95% of all the nitrates. (top) Will boiling water remove the nitrates? No. (top) Does L.T.M. Water test for nitrates? Yes. (top) L.T.M. Water tests for nitrates as a free service to the community. (top) What about all the iron in our water? There are three types of iron in the southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois ground water supply. The most common of the three is ferrous iron, which is called clear water iron. You turn the faucet on and it appears clear, but if you leave it in a bowl overnight or in a clear plastic jug, by next morning it will appear as to be orange or rust colored. This happens because oxygen has allowed itself to oxidize the clear water iron into ferric iron, which in essense is oxidized ferrous iron. Ferric iron is the second kind of iron and is the most noticible just because of all the staining problems that go along with it. The third type of iron is iron-bacteria. Iron bacteria is an actual living organism. The best place to test for it is in the back of your toilet tank. Lift the back off the tank and roll up your sleeves and rub your hand down the side of the tank. If you feel a slimy condition on the sides of the tank most likely you have some degree of iron-bacteria. It will also manifest itself as a spider web film on the top of the water level. (top) Are these types of iron harmful to us? Although none of these irons pose a health risk to us, they are more of a nuisance than anything else. The iron-bacteria, though, is very harmful to the resin in your water softener. The bacteria tend to cling to the resin and will eventually turn the resin into a geletin type substance and hinder the capacity of the softener to do the job it was initially intended to do. Down the road it will turn the resin into a solid and render the softener useless. (top) Can L.T.M. Water test my water to see what kind of iron I might have? Yes. (top) How much does it cost for testing? The service is free. (top) How can I treat all of these iron problems? For a long time we used to pull our hair out trying to remove these iron problems from the water. But for the last 15 years we have found the most effecty way to do it is the Sentry I Dry-Pellet Chlorinator. (top) The Sentry I drops a pellet of chlorine into the well casing. Upon hitting the static level of the water the chlorine starts to dissenfect and sanitize the well. What better way to treat the problem then at its source, the well! Upon dissolving, the chlorine takes the clear water iron and turns it into ferric iron. Once we have it in that state we can then remove it by using a green-sand backwash filter that's installed in the basement. All that's left then in the raw water are hardness minerals, and that's what the softener is designed to take out. (top) What about that rotten egg smell in our water? That rotten egg smell commonly is caused by sulphates. They are usually present in problem iron water. It's normally called hydrogensulphide. The Sentry I usually removes the problem in less than 24 hours. (top) We also have what appears to be a substance that looks like black coffee grounds in our laundry tub. What is it? Its a substance called black-iron manganeese. It occurs naturally in low oxygen and acidic water. Landfills or other waste disposal may reduce the oxygen content or acidify groundwater, causing this problem. The Sentry I will also remove the black-iron manganeese. (top) The county tested our well and they found unsafe levels of coliform and e-coli bacteria. What can we do? Once its been determined that the bacterias are present, shock the well with chlorine and wait two weeks and have the county test again. If the bacteria is gone you have effectively killed the bacteria and chances are that it will not return. If though the bacteria are still present after waiting the two weeks then you know that the bacteria present an ongoing problem. (top) The Sentry I will kill the bacteria and you can be assured that it will keep killing it. (top) What about Radium in our water? Radium is a natural occurring element found in the soil. Harmful levels of radium can cause bone cancer.(top) A water softener with it's resin can remove radium. But for total removal make sure your water softener is hooked up to the drinking water as well.(top) How can I make sure my softener is plumbed correctly concerning the radium issue? Call Walcott/LTM Water or fill out our handy water analysis form and request a free water test.(top) How can I remove all the chlorine in my city water? A Kinetico De-Chlorinator whole house filter will do the trick.(top) |
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