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 Well Water Test Failure: Now What
When to Re-Test or Not Re-Test a Drinking Water Well
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Acting on Unsatisfactory or Contaminated Water Test Results - Advice for Home Buyers & Home Owners. This article explains when it is useful to re-test a drinking water well after it has failed a bacteria test. We explain how to interpret and thus act on the results of water tests for various types of water contamination. This series of articles explains many common water contamination tests for bacteria and other contaminants in water samples. We describe what to do about contaminated water, listing common corrective measures when water test results are
unsatisfactory.
Green links show where you are. © Copyright 2013 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Author Daniel Friedman.
Handling Failed Wells that Pass a Second Water Test: What to do if water passes after disinfection
We include water testing and water correction measures warnings for home owners and especially for home buyers when certain conditions are encountered, with advice about what to do when these circumstances are encountered. Various treatment methods for contaminated water are reviewed and the pros and cons of each are discussed.
When will shocking the well actually cure a problem?
- If the well water contamination level was a relatively low bacteria count and was caused by an unsanitary growth in plumbing equipment this treatment can "correct" the problem.
- If the contamination was a relatively low to modest count and is caused by a persistent source of contamination, this treatment can appear to correct the problem by killing off bacteria. But the problem can recur.
When does well disinfection not work?
- If the contamination is from a major source, with a high bacteria count, repeated sterilization and testing of the well may yield inconsistent results, sometimes passing, sometimes not.
What's wrong with just re-shocking the well and relying on the next OK water test result?
- "Shocking" a well can temporarily make unacceptable water look fine. If no other corrective measures were taken than to "shock" the well, it is appropriate to follow the first acceptable water test with a second and perhaps even a third, spaced a week or more apart.
What's the best course of action for a buyer of a home that fails a well water test?
- If in a real estate sale transaction the schedule does not permit these tests before closing, a buyer should consider requiring an escrow fund set aside during purchase of the property. This fund will guarantee acceptable water while giving the buyer a reasonable time, perhaps a month, to perform additional testing..
When to re-test a well that has been shocked with chlorine bleach or some other disinfectant
To be maximally effective at attempting to disinfect a well, the chlorine solution
needs to be in contact with the entire well casing and piping and water storage tank for 24 hours. Then the bleach-treated water is flushed from every fixture until there is no more bleach odor. A realtor/seller anxious to "pass" a bacteria test will try for an immediate re-test at that point.
WARNING: Wait. Don't re-test a well too soon.
We suggest a minimum of five days, preferably seven to ten days before re-testing a shocked well.
If there is a persistent source of bacterial contamination shocking the well won't fix anything.
The longer
you wait before re-testing a well for potability, the more time you're giving for the bacteria to reappear at a level sufficient to be picked up in the next water test.
If
circumstances force a too-quick follow-up bacteria test real to meet a estate closing date before adequate wait time has been allowed for re-testing
to be more credible, we recommend that the parties agree to escrow the cost of a proper water treatment system ($5000. to $10,000) and to allow
the new buyer 30 days to conduct follow-up testing. If at the end of that period the well is ok the escrow can be released.
Handling Failed Wells that Fail a Second Water Test Again: What to do if water fails a follow-up water test after well disinfection by Chlorination or Well Shocking
- If the well water test still is not satisfactory, it is likely that there is a persistent source of contamination. Common sources of contamination include
loose or damaged cap on buried well casings, loose or damaged pitless adapter (where buried water line enters the well casing), a bad plumbing connection in
piping between the well and the building, spiders living in the well head and possibly insects they've dropped into the well, a dead animal in a well which
was not properly capped, and, less common, a cracked or damaged well casing. Damaged well casings can involve significant expense to repair or replace.
- Since water systems can change, drinking water from private wells should be analyzed on a regular basis. The frequency of testing should be determined by the history of the water quality of the well.
- Usually the property owner/seller is responsible for correcting unacceptable
water. Check with your attorney and your contract regarding this matter.
- Often sellers have the well "shocked" using the sterilization treatment described above as a quick "fix" for a well that fails a bacteria test. This is a reasonable step to try IF the well has not already been shocked but otherwise, just trying this step over and over is probably wasting time and money, and it risks covering up a persistent contamination source that needs to be addressed.
- In addition to sterilizing the well, an owner/seller or the new owner of a well that has failed a water test more than once in succession should:
- Find the contamination source: have an experienced plumber or well service company look for, find, and correct a source of contamination such as a bad plumbing connection at the well (pitless adapter or well casing cap), bad plumbing between well and house (broken or leaky pipe joint), or bad or soiled plumbing components inside the house.
- install water treatment/sterilization equipment such as a chlorinator/charcoal filter system or an ultra-violet light system. These systems work but require maintenance. Water treatment equipment are discussed in the next section.
- Correcting the source of contamination is naturally preferred. But if a home is being sold, often schedule pressures do not permit longer investigation by a plumber to find a problem if it is not obvious. Therefore to provide safe potable (drinkable) water immediately, a water purification treatment system may be installed. If
that course of action is followed, we still recommend that the new owner/occupants attempt to find and correct the source rather than having to maintain equipment.
- See WATER TREATMENT EQUIPMENT CHOICES for details of how we correct contaminated drinking water when simple well disinfection doesn't do the trick.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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Technical Reviewers & References
Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.
- Cheating on water tests: Testing Water for Real Estate Transactions - make sure your water test is valid
- Drinking Water Contaminant Levels - Maximum Allowed
- Drinking Water Supply, Contamination Levels, Water Testing Procedures
- Drinking Water Testing Advice for home buyers home owners home inspectors
- Interpreting Drinking Water Test Results and Correcting Unsatisfactory Water
- Lead Contamination in Drinking Water: Testing & Correction - Advice
- Lead Testing & Correcting Contamination from Lead Water Supply Lines/Entry Mains - Lead Pipe Problems/Advice
- Life Expectancy of Water Pumps - Well Pumps: how long should a water pump last? What affects pump life?
- Life Expectancy of Wells & Water Tanks how long should a water well and its components last?
- Shock or Chlorinate a Well, How to - Procedure for Shocking a Well to (temporarily or maybe longer) "Correct" Bacterial Contamination
- Smart Tank, Installation Instructions, Flexcon Industries, 300 Pond St., Randolph MA 02368, www.flexconind.com, Tel: 800-527-0030 - web search 07/24/2010, original source: http://www.flexconind.com/pdf/st_install.pdf [Copy on file as /water/Smart_Tank_Flexcon.pdf ] -
- Typical Shallow Well One Line Jet Pump Installation, Grove Electric, G&G Electric & Plumbing, 1900 NE 78th St., Suite 101, Vancouver WA 98665 www.grovelectric.com - web search -7/15/2010 original source: http://www.groverelectric.com/howto/38_Typical%20Jet%20Pump%20Installation.pdf, [Copy on file as /water/Jet_Pump_Grove_Elect_Jet_Pumps_1.pdf ] -
- Typical Deep Well Two Line Jet Pump Installation, Grove Electric, G&G Electric & Plumbing, 1900 NE 78th St., Suite 101, Vancouver WA 98665 www.grovelectric.com - web search -7/15/2010 original source: http://www.groverelectric.com/howto/38_Typical%20Jet%20Pump%20Installation.pdf, [Copy on file as /water/Jet_Pump_Grove_Elect.pdf ] -
Cooperative Extension, School of Forest Resources, web search 07/24/2010, original source: http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/pdfs/XH0002.pdf
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
- Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, dia
- When Technology Fails, Matthew Stein, Chelsea Green Publisher, 2008,493 pages. ISBN-10: 1933392452 ISBN-13: 978-1933392455, "... how to find and sterilize water in the face of utility failure, as well as practical information for dealing with water-quality issues even when the public tap water is still flowing". Mr. Stein's website is www.whentechfails.com/
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