Well Water Testing

The E Coli / Coliform tests I do, must be kept in an incubator at 37 C for 48 hours, then read.

Im sure some other tests will allow some readings like yours.

Bottom line is, your water seems ok and drinkable, but i would always add a filter , just to be careful.

One more thing to think about with your domesetic well is to make sure that you have a back flow preventer or foot valve on your well or system. Imagine throwing your garden hose into your Koi pond and filling it up with some more water, then your power goes off and your pump stops pumping and you siphon your entire koi pond back into your well. This scenario happens all the time in municapal water systems during floods. Your garden sprinkler system that may have any submerged heads can and allow for water to sucked back into your well if you dont have a functioning backflow prevention valve in place.

tigerryan wrote:One more thing to think about with your domesetic well is to make sure that you have a back flow preventer or foot valve on your well or system. Imagine throwing your garden hose into your Koi pond and filling it up with some more water, then your power goes off and your pump stops pumping and you siphon your entire koi pond back into your well. This scenario happens all the time in municapal water systems during floods. Your garden sprinkler system that may have any submerged heads can and allow for water to sucked back into your well if you dont have a functioning backflow prevention valve in place.

Tigerryan..

No I do not have this in my system...Can you give me a little more info on exactly where along the system this should be installed...Also is this something that I should be able to find at Home Pro or Global House?

Thanks...Stoneman

wazza wrote:The E Coli / Coliform tests I do, must be kept in an incubator at 37 C for 48 hours, then read.

Im sure some other tests will allow some readings like yours.

Bottom line is, your water seems ok and drinkable, but i would always add a filter , just to be careful.

What type of filter would you recommend?

Stoneman

If you have an electrical submersible pump it may not have a back flow valve built into it most do not. If you are using a surface mounted pump it should have a foot valve to help keep its prime. The foot valve keeps water from moving backwards and is generally just closes against itself with the weight of the water standing in the pipe and is located at the bottom of the well pipe. A back flow preventer should be located where your main shutoff valve is and before any out flowing valves generally next to the pressure regulator.

You can find all sorts of back flow preventer pictures and info online. Practically any sort of one way valve could suffice to prevent back flow a simple flapper valve for $5 could do the trick a spring loaded one would be better depending on you level of concern the standard building code (at least western) requires a double spring loaded and testable valve to be used.

You might want to experiment with your system and see if you can get it to back flow. Take your garden hose and stick it into a clean bucket (something you would drink out of because you might) open your kitchen or bathroom sink to allow for some air to enter then kill the power to your pump and see if it drinks the bucket.

Stoneman

I dont know, I would run with the advice on filters already posted here.

I think 1 micron is the bench mark from memory for things like gardia,

i think the pure's are .3 microns, will double check, but rings a bell.

Backflow preventer valves compulsory on all outside taps in Aus.
Just a small device that screws on to the tap and once in place, it cannot be removed.
Threaded on the end just like the tap so you can attach your hose or whatever just like before.
Main reason here is to stop pestiside sprays, that plug onto the garden hose, from being drained into the main supply when work is carried out on water mains etc.

Found a photo here if I can get it to load.

http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/1083/image1fg.jpg

bluejets wrote:Backflow preventer valves compulsory on all outside taps in Aus.

News to me - my house in Oz certainly doesn't have them.

bluejets wrote:Found a photo here if I can get it to load.

http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/1083/image1fg.jpg

These back-flow preventers have been mandatory in Canada for the past fifteen or so years although they are built into the faucet not an attachment as you show in your picture.

jackspratt wrote:News to me - my house in Oz certainly doesn't have them

New houses.

stoneman wrote:
Polehawk..

I ordered the kit through http://www.discovertesting.com/ .They have a large variety of well testing kits...I bought the kit that cost $24.95..

Stoneman

Stoneman, thanks for the info. I ordered the well water test kit and should be here soon. International shipping charges are $40.50 USD but worth it if able to perform all of the listed tests.

polehawk wrote:

stoneman wrote:
Polehawk..

I ordered the kit through http://www.discovertesting.com/ .They have a large variety of well testing kits...I bought the kit that cost $24.95..

Stoneman

Stoneman, thanks for the info. I ordered the well water test kit and should be here soon. International shipping charges are $40.50 USD but worth it if able to perform all of the listed tests.

I had mine shipped to a friend in the US that was coming over and saved the international postage

Stoneman

Any chance anyone has had their water tested recently at the government office in Noonsoon (near where you get a driver's license)? Last we were there was in 1998. I'd be interested in knowing the current cost for a full water test.