# My home water system has crapped out



## GasholeWillie (Jul 4, 2014)

So an opportunity for me to make a positive correction and solve 2 problems has presented itself.

Overview: I have a well, water tests say I have water that needs treated, [iron, sulfur, silver, lithium, dissolved oil and grease(think that was from old pump)] I have been piece meal replacing parts of the system. Pump earlier this summer, pressure tank before that, 125 gal fiberglass hold tank last summer, that tank was over $700 installed, it stays. The new systems eliminate the chemical mixing I used to have to do and I WILL get clean water. All I'll have to do now is salt for the softner. The big 125 gal hold tank is not required. but I have a plan for it.

Here is what I am thinking of doing. I want my water to be treated and then via plumbing, the clean water will be stored in the 125 gal hold tank. The water supply gets replenished/rotated with every use of the water, the hold tank is completely sealed from air and light, the water is clean and accessible because it has a drain valve on the bottom of the tank and the house will be fed via piping from the hold tank, insuring that the water gets rotated out and replenished upon every use in the house. IF this works, in theory, I have to do no oxygenation to the water, it should never get skunky and in the event of a power failure I have 125 gal of water immediately available to me. That breaks out to 4 gal a day for 30 days. I plan for 30 days w/o power. Supplement that with about 6 cases of bottled water, I'm golden!

So where am I going wrong with my plan? Why will this not work, where is my pitfall?


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## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

I have had years, well over half my 53 years, facing coal mine/seam contaminated well water. Neither I nor my parents ever completely solved the problem. The tank system you described failed for me. With two different companies. My parents problem was solved when municipal water became available. Between my parents and myself quite a bit of money was put in to having safe drinking water to no avail. As a kid we would get water for drinking and cooking from relatives in a jerry can.

I hope your system works. I have been thinking I would be better off with a cistern replenished with rain water rather than a well.


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## GasholeWillie (Jul 4, 2014)

Camel923 said:


> I have had years, well over half my 53 years, facing coal mine/seam contaminated well water. Neither I nor my parents ever completely solved the problem. The tank system you described failed for me. With two different companies. My parents problem was solved when municipal water became available. Between my parents and myself quite a bit of money was put in to having safe drinking water to no avail. As a kid we would get water for drinking and cooking from relatives in a jerry can.
> 
> I hope your system works. I have been thinking I would be better off with a cistern replenished with rain water rather than a well.


Well I'm in W PA, the land around my house was clay mined. Systems...lets see, Culligan used to bring an iron removal tank every few months, and then there was a small stand alone sears filter that was part of the plan, and then there was the Gordon Bros system (about 8 years) fail, and then some local yokel sold my Dad a system that was bad and then another Culligan salesman sold my Dad the whole kitchen sink system of hold tank/chlorine tank/chemical tank/carbon tank/iron removal tank/ salt tank/ and a triple reverse osmosis drinking water system under the kitchen sink. Every time I need service (some times twice a year) Culligan charges $149 and the price goes up from there. System was repaired once ($149 plus parts and labor, Kaching!) and 2 weeks later it crapped out again and needed rebuilt ($750, Kaching Kaching!!). so I am done with Culligan. I think this has happened twice now. The new system is sold by my local well driller who has a solid reputation for repairing our local bad water. The system relies less on chemical to fix and more on process. My next door neighbor has a system in her house that was installed by the local guy, 20 years and running. I want to believe. At least if I have problems, the fix it guy is a few miles away, a family owned business and not some mega conglomerate. I'll get him to the house right away for repairs and tweaks.

Muni water system will never happen for me, no infrastructure in place to require it.


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## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

We are not living far apart. I have lived in Somerset and Westmoreland counties respectively nearly all my life. As you know you can go underground around Dairy walk under Pittsburgh (about 45 miles) and pop up in Ohio with all the local mining done here over time. Everyone is potentially over coal or mines around here. I have had the same problems as well as trying to drill deeper wells to get past the mines. Keep us posted on how your system turns out. I have had initial success for a time then out right failure. If it works share the name and number.


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## slewfoot (Nov 6, 2013)

Sounds like the systems we have here in SW Florida. well pumps into this aerator tank then it is pumped into the house as you describe.






most all homes on wells have this.


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## GasholeWillie (Jul 4, 2014)

slewfoot said:


> Sounds like the systems we have here in SW Florida. well pumps into this aerator tank then it is pumped into the house as you describe.
> View attachment 9401
> most all homes on wells have this.


No, not even close. Depending upon the composition of my water, I might need a chemical feeder. System works by replacing positively and negatively charged ions when the water is sent to a tank with plastic beads, sodium plays a role in the system too as part of the process. If interested the system is called Water Pro, removes the hard stuff replaces the minerals with soft stuff.


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## Will2 (Mar 20, 2013)

Consider filtering options

Such as micron and reverse osmosis. Most good filters wilk do 150000+ gallons.

Consider putting a couple ounces of silver in the tank.

A small amount of iron and silver are good you could store a plate of gold too.
Also consider shining a UV light down the well.

As for oil consider cleaning it up.


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## slewfoot (Nov 6, 2013)

This is the system I have converted to. One is a softener the other is mineral remover. No aeration tank.


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## Prepadoodle (May 28, 2013)

What provides the pressure to get the water to your taps?


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

I like the cistern idea. My old stomping grounds around Wichita Falls, TX is in the grip of a horrible drought and are currently drinking water from the city turd grinder. Makes me sick to think of it. They are printing up tee shirts which say..."Our water is the s*its." The ground water aint worth a caca because of Nitrates from fertilizer run off and too many oil wells poked. Quite a few rational folks are getting the catchment/cistern systems. Strategy has been used for many moons out in far West Texas and even back to Biblical times. Much more efficient than trying to store water in lakes. Think I heard some figures saying a one inch rain coming off a 1,200 sq foot roof can produce a thousand gallons. Its an astounding amount. I would like to have one myself.


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## GasholeWillie (Jul 4, 2014)

Prepadoodle said:


> What provides the pressure to get the water to your taps?


Submerged pump in the well, 40psi pressure tank once the water is pumped up.


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## GasholeWillie (Jul 4, 2014)

slewfoot said:


> This is the system I have converted to. One is a softener the other is mineral remover. No aeration tank.
> View attachment 9402


I believe that is the type of system that is being recommended. Mineral remover with salt softner. The down side is the ball park price was $2400 installed.


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## slewfoot (Nov 6, 2013)

I paid $2100 a couple years ago. works great.


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## slewfoot (Nov 6, 2013)

Prepadoodle said:


> What provides the pressure to get the water to your taps?


 There is a pressure tank sitting behind you can't see it in the pictures


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## GasholeWillie (Jul 4, 2014)

Well the good or better news is the new system will cost around $1500 and not $2400. The bad news is , car starter crapped out yesterday after I went to the movie and had to get it towed home. It never seems to end.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

GasholeWillie said:


> Well the good or better news is the new system will cost around $1500 and not $2400. The bad news is , car starter crapped out yesterday after I went to the movie and had to get it towed home. It never seems to end.


Makes you wonder if The End Of The World As We Know It(TEOTWAWKI) will simply turn out to be the world we always knew... with no power. 
Same sh*t, different day... with no power.


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## Makwa (Dec 19, 2014)

With the well water on our ranch we had trouble with iron and manganese. We tried a couple of different systems that didn't work and ended up getting a system based on what a real water specialist recommended and not one of the snake oil salesman selling 'iron eaters' told us we needed. The water is treated immediately with chlorine from a chlorine pump as it enters the house water system and the pressure tank, then goes into a large holding/mixing tank (200 gallons). From there it passes through a sand filter, then a carbon filter and finally through the water softener. The water is excellent. We also have a reverse osmosis unit for drinking water that is plumbed in at the kitchen sink.


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## GasholeWillie (Jul 4, 2014)

Makwa said:


> With the well water on our ranch we had trouble with iron and manganese. We tried a couple of different systems that didn't work and ended up getting a system based on what a real water specialist recommended and not one of the snake oil salesman selling 'iron eaters' told us we needed. The water is treated immediately with chlorine from a chlorine pump as it enters the house water system and the pressure tank, then goes into a large holding/mixing tank (200 gallons). From there it passes through a sand filter, then a carbon filter and finally through the water softener. The water is excellent. We also have a reverse osmosis unit for drinking water that is plumbed in at the kitchen sink.


I see He(the salesman) got you too. I say this as I am now discovering that a salesman sold my Dad a system he did not need. Let's start at the beginning with your post.

I have basically the same system you describe, the water was good while it worked. Mine at this point has crapped out and I need to replace. It has been rebuilt at least twice now, I will not do it again. I'll buy new. But from your post, let's start with chlorination. Why are you chlorinating your well water? Does it have a demonstrated coliform contamination from a lab report? Have you or any of your family members had continuous bouts of stomach problems/ loose stool/diarrhea? Those would be a reason to chlorinate the well. My well and almost all local wells to me do not have a history of contamination of this type, yet the guy sold my Dad on the idea of chlorination. And he had to have a carbon filter tank($Ka Ching, several hundred every 2 years to rebed after the chlorine destroys the carbon and needs a re bed) as well to remove the chlorination that was just pumped into the well. Let's move forward, salt softner. Dad had a heart condition, Mom had high blood pressure. So the guy sold them a salt softner system as well, hey let's throw in some sodium to drive up the blood pressure a little bit. I have been doing some checking and self educating on water softness and hardness and what effects they have on things. Soft water requires less soap to produce suds, eliminates/reduces staining on dishes, soap scum, calcium buildup in appliances and lines. Soft water is lacking in the minerals that give water that taste. Think of it this way, ever taste distilled water? It has no taste just the liquid properties. All minerals have been removed. So hardness meaning water with minerals. So I began making comparisons to the local water authorities figures for hardness grams per gallon:

My raw water: 7 gpg
The local TWP city water: 7 gpg
The next over phoo phoo rich people Twp: 7.6gpg

The US map I found gave a scale to indicate hardness. Moderate hard is 3.5 to 7 gpg. 7 to 10.5 is hard. Above that is Chuck Norris Hard. As you could see from the figures I gave I am borderline hard, so I am not going to be adding a $1400 softner system to the new $1500 system. I too have a triple reverse osmosis system under the sink for extra clean drinking water, it is a backup in the event the other system fails, cheap to replace the filters, about $40 every few years for great tasting water.

Once this is fixed I will keep the 125 gallon hold tank as my clean prepper water for a 30 day supply for me.

Here is a pic of my current system.


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