How Often Should You Get Your Dryden, MI Water Well Tested?

How Often Should I Get Well Water Tested?It does not matter how often you clean your water well, contaminants and pollutants will inevitably find their way into it. These contaminants can both be natural as well as manmade. For instance, pesticides, fertilizers and sewage are man-made contaminants whereas arsenic and radon are natural contaminants. The only way to protect your home’s water supply from these contaminants is to regularly test the quality of water in your well.

In this article, we first discuss some of the common water well contaminants and then highlight when and how should a water well be cleaned.

Common Water Well Contaminants

Arsenic

Arsenic is a common contaminant found in water wells. Arsenic impacts human health in several negative ways. For instance, its regular consumption can cause cancer as well as various cardiovascular diseases.

Radon

Radon is another common contaminant found in well water. Radon is a radioactive gas that enters the water supply and gets released when water is collected for drinking and washing purposes. The worst part about radon is that it is colourless, tasteless, and odourless and thus, it is almost impossible to detect its presence within the water being supplied. Radon is lethal to human health and can cause lung cancer as well as various respiratory issues.

Nitrate

Nitrate is found naturally in both food and water and is not harmful when consumed within the restricted limits. However, its consumption beyond the prescribed limit is bad for human health. Nitrate is mostly found in sewage and agricultural waste and it is through these sources that nitrate enters our body.

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

Volatile Organic Compounds or VOCs include industrial chemicals and waste materials released from industries and factories. VOCs do not only pollute the water but are also harmful to the health of human beings. They cause headaches, nausea, throat irritation and damage to the liver, kidney and the central nervous system. VOCs can also cause different forms of cancer.

Other Common Contaminants

Pesticides, radium, mercury, lead and chemicals from fertilizers are some of the other common contaminants that enter water wells and degrade the quality of water we consume.

How Often Should You Get Your Well Tested?

The only way to stay safe from contaminants and pollutants is to clean your water well regularly. Most homeowners get their well tested right before the installation process is to begin and then conveniently forget about it. This is a habit that homeowners shouldn’t develop — testing and cleaning are important for a variety of reasons. Water well testing will not only ensure unrestricted supply of clean water but also give you the chance to tackle problems while still in their early stage. It is especially important to get your well checked after:

  • a natural disaster has affected the water supply in your area
  • other homeowners are experiencing water-related issues
  • you have noticed a sudden change in the colour, odour and taste of the water being supplied to your home

The Final Word

Hire a professional at least once every year to come and test the quality of water in your well. When they are testing the water well, make sure to ask them to check the water for nitrates, pH level and total dissolved solids. Ask them to also conduct the Coliform bacteria test which is done to check the water supply for contaminants like viruses, parasites, bacteria and germs. Regular testing and cleaning is not an option, but a necessity that homeowners should never ignore.

Give Ries Well Drilling Inc a call to answer any questions you may have about well water testing.  We can be reached at (586) 784-9516!

We provide Water Well Drilling Services in the following Michigan Counties: