Metal in water after rain.

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Jennica

Jennica

0
May 24, 2012
98
NJ
Hi!

We've been having an issue with brown water with sediment but only after a very heavy rain. The last time we filled the hot tub the water was visibly brown and smelled weird. It's hard to describe but I guess I'd say it smelled like a lake.

My question: The fact that it only happens after a heavy rain, does that tell us anything? I'm wondering if we have a problem with our well, maybe a crack in the casing or something like that that allows some dirt to get in. Our local water guy says it's more likely either iron or limestone that's causing the water to turn brown. But if it is, why would it only happen after it rains? Do the limestone or iron get stirred up more by the rain?

Thanks in advance!
 

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You need to have your well checked. Rainwater saturating the ground should not affect a deep well. But, if the well casing is cracked in some way, you could easily be dragging in ground water that is full of organic hummis, sand and possibly iron from decomposing plant matter.

I’d start at the well. It’s important because if you’re drinking that water or cooking with it, you don’t want to have contamination. A reputable well drilling company should be able to pressure test it and give you an educated opinion.
 
Thanks for the reply! I have an appointment for someone to take a look at it next week. I'm trying to gather as much info as I can before he comes out. I don't want him to try to sell me a filtration system that will only act as a bandaid if the well is really the issue.
 
Do you know how deep your well is? If you are getting surface water I would recommend some sort of filtration system. Even if it is deep and clean, a water softener may still help with smell and taste.
 
I think the well is around 200 ft. deep. I've been told by one contractor that there could be a crack in one of the joints of the casing. And then another one told me he thinks it's iron or limestone. What I'm wondering is, would a heavy rain make more iron or limestone come in? Does a heavy rain somehow stir it up?

We have a whole house filtration system, including an ultraviolet light. It doesn't filter metals though, I don't think.
 
Rain water should not cause your well water to turn brown unless you have a very shallow well. Well casings are there to prevent shallow subsurface water from contaminating the aquifer from which you draw clean water. If you are getting brown water when it rains from a 200ft deep well, then it’s highly likely there is something wrong with the well casing. The only way to determine that is to get a qualified well service contractor to inspect your bore hole. They can drop a camera down the well bore and look for damage to casing.
 
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That's what I'm thinking. That the problem is with the well. I'm not looking forward to paying for a new well, but if I gotta, I gotta. I'd rather do that than waste money on a metal filtering system and find out later it was the well.

Thanks for the replies!
 
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Jennica said:
That's what I'm thinking. That the problem is with the well. I'm not looking forward to paying for a new well, but if I gotta, I gotta. I'd rather do that than waste money on a metal filtering system and find out later it was the well.

Thanks for the replies!
Click to expand...

It could be something very simple like the well cap is leaking and so surface water is getting into the well or there’s a leak somewhere up in the casing where the supply line exits the well. It’s highly unlikely that some lower part of the casing is cracked unless you experience earthquakes or the well is just super-old. My guess is you won’t need a new well, just a repair of something near the surface. Only a qualified well inspection/service company can tell you what’s going on.

If the contractor you have coming out to your home is from a filtration company, don’t bother. They’re there to sell you their products, not offer a solution to your well issue. Get a well service company on the phone and discuss the issue you’re seeing with them. Chances are they’ll have a much better idea as to what to look for.
 
The company that's coming out does both, well drilling and filtration systems.

I'm hoping it's like you said, that the damage is close to the surface, maybe at a joint or something. The well was drilled prior to 1970 though, so I'm prepared for the worst, just in case.

I appreciate your replies!
 
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There are filters that filter out metals. Friend of mine has horrendous iron colored water from a well and the filter removes quite a bit, if not all, of it.
When we lived in CT we had well water 200' deep. Purest stuff on the planet with the exception of the fine particles the pump would pull in. Installed a whole house filter system before the amtrol holding tank (bit of a "plumbers nightmare") and it worked great. The clear housing for the filter along with 3 cases of 5 micron filters I was able to get from a buddy that worked at Pfizer (they were going to through them out as they changed vendors) and had zero issues. It was easy peasey to see when the filter needed to be changed.

I really hope you don't have septic cross-contamination. If it were me I would get a water test that way you can "see" what's actually in the water.
 
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