The Dangers of Well Water in Nashville, TN & Knoxville, TN

When America was first settled, wells were the only way for a family to get potable water. As cities grew, municipal water took over in many areas, but some residential and rural homes still rely on well water. While well water once beat the alternative of no water at all, it was never the safest option, and its questionability has only grown as humans put more pollutants into the air and ground. If you are still using well water, how confident are you that your water is safe to drink? You may be surprised to find out what is in Knoxville and Nashville well water.

Common Well Problems

Unfortunately, problems with the well itself can lead to contamination of otherwise clean well water. Common problems like the well running dry or a malfunctioning pump can lead to heavy contaminants in the water like sand, silt, and minerals. Apart from mechanical and pollution problems, well water can also have several natural problems. A plethora of contaminants will affect your drinking water, and most well water is not filtered, so those continents are going straight from the ground into your mouth.

Well Water Contaminants

There is, unfortunately, no shortage of potentially harmful contaminants in well water. Some are bad for the house, while others can make you dangerously sick.

Hydrogen Sulfide

This contaminant isn't hazardous, but it is gross. It makes your water smell like rotten eggs and leaves reddish-brown slime in your sinks, tubs, and toilets. What's more worrisome is that this gas in your water is corrosive to metal pipes, so it will eat away at old plumbing, adding even more contaminants into your drinking water.

Iron

Iron is a naturally occurring mineral necessary in a healthy diet, but it is not so good for your house. Iron will leave orange stains in your toilets, sinks, and tubs and stain your clothes. Excess iron can also invite iron bacteria that make the water taste metallic and leaves an orangish-brown slime behind.

Minerals

Known collectively as hard water, this collection of minerals like calcium and magnesium are hard on appliances and leaves skin and hair feeling dry and itchy. Additionally, after a while, the scale left behind by hard water can narrow your pipes and lead to low water pressure.

Bacteria

Disease-causing bacteria are the most troublesome contaminant in well water because they are microscopic and can be deadly. There are many possibilities, but one of the most common is E. Coli because it leaks into well water from animal waste or a leaky septic system.

Tannins

Tannins are a product of the decomposition of organic materials like leaves and plants. Tannins are largely harmless but will turn your water brown and leave stains in your toilet, sinks, and tubs.

Nashville and Knoxville Well Water

Well water is funny because no two wells are the same, even if they are relatively close to each other. All and none of these contaminants can be found in any well in Tennessee, especially in the more populated areas of Nashville and Knoxville. Tennessee also has a high level of coal ash in the soil which can seep into wells bringing deadly contaminants like lead and arsenic. The state of Tennessee suggests you get your well water tested to ensure it is safe to drink.

What Happens if I Ignore My Well Water Quality?

Well water that isn't treated or replaced will only worsen over time. The worst-case scenario is that harmful bacteria will proliferate and eventually make your family ill. Even if you don't have harmful bacteria in your water, other contaminants left unchecked can be detrimental to your family. Whether it is stains or scale, contaminants in the water shorten the life of your appliances and household facilities, costing your household a lot of money in the long run.

What to Do if My Well Water is Bad

There are a few solutions to lousy well water, but most of them are temporary solutions to long-term problems. Even if you can solve one problem with the well, that doesn't mean that another one won't start. There is no guaranteeing that digging a new well will solve any problems either, and it may cost you a lot of money to end up with the same old problems. Another option is guaranteed to solve your problems and provide you with the cleanest and safest water you can have.

Rainwater harvesting is a safe and effective way to replace your well water forever. Instead of pulling the water out of the ground where soil contaminants can leak into the water, our system collects water from rain. Unlike well water, which has limited filtering, if any, our harvesting system has a multi-step filtration process that makes the water some of the cleanest and softest water you could ever drink. While clean and safe water is the primary benefit, there are plenty of ways that a new rainwater harvesting system is better than your existing well or digging a new one.

If you are weighing your options, you will be happy to know that installing a rainwater harvesting system is competitively priced against digging a new well. Additional benefits of a rainwater harvesting system include switching to another water source or filling your tanks with clean water in the unlikely event that your tanks run out. In addition, unlike a well that needs to be dug where the water is then pumped to the house, a rainwater harvesting system can be installed near the house, which means you will have better water pressure, and the pump won't have to work as hard.

You Never Know

Even if your well water has been tested recently, you never know when ground contaminants can leak in and harm your home and family. So contact us today if you are ready to put your worry behind you and treat your family to some of the safest and most reliable water there is. The benefits of a rainwater harvesting system are endless, and you will have peace of mind that your water is clean and your appliances are safe from further damage.

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