AboutSteve Young Expertise I will answer questions on residential water treatment, i.e. use of softeners, filters, reverse osmosis systems, disinfection, iron and/or sediment removal and other issues facing the homeowner.
Experience I have worked in the water treatment area for 15 years. I have specialized in the design of reverse osmosis, deionization, and water softening units. I have also done work in water quality and stream and river remediation as it relates to the Clean Water Act.
Organizations I am currently serving as an Expert for Home Improvement, Travel (New Mexico) and Travel (North Carolina)
Expert: Steve Young Date: 7/8/2008 Subject: Salt in our well water
Question QUESTION: Hello,
We recently had a new well drilled on our property to supply water to our home for basic residential use. Our total dissolved solids is very high and we have high salt content. One water treatment company suggested an anti-scaling tank to reduce the effects of the salt to our home. Is this logical? How damaging will the salt be to our home if it goes untreated?
Thanks
ANSWER: Hi Lori,
I am going to need some more information in order to give you a good answer. Have you had a complete well water analysis done. I would be interested specifically in testing for:
Total Hardness (ppm CaCO3)
Total Calcium (ppm Ca)
Total Magnesium (ppm Mg)
Total Sodium (ppm Na)
pH
Total Alkalinity (ppm CaCO3)
p-Alkalinity (ppm CaCO3)
TDS (mMhos)
When you say high salt content I don't know if you mean high hardness or high sodium chloride or another compound. If you will give me these numbers I will help you determine if you need a treatment program. I have no idea what a "anti scaling tank" is. I have never heard of it in my 30 years of water treatment and I would be very leery of this system without more information.
Normally salt (Sodium chloride) is not damaging in the concentrations you would encounter in a well. However, if by salt you mean hardness then it's a totally different thing. That could be damaging to your home, depending on the concentration and also the pH.
So, let me have this information and I will help you put together a plan.
Take care,
Steve
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: We got our water test results back today. Here's what we found:
PH 7.35
Iron 0,0710 mg/L
Sodium 190 mg/L
Hardness 382 mg/L
Hydrogen Sulfide 0.274 mg/L
This is all that was tested for. I hope this is enough info to help us identify what we really need to treat for.
Thanks for your help!
Lori
Answer Hi Lori,
I was hoping for a more detailed analysis but I can give you a pretty good idea with what we have. Your hardness content is fairly high and, combined with the pH, means that your water will have a tendency to form scale in pipes, water heaters and fixtures. It will appear as a white crystalline deposit. The most serious effects of the scale in your home will be in the hot water heater. When water is heated the hardness in the water becomes less soluble and therefore will "deposit out" as scale on the surfaces that heat the water. The scale also acts as an insulator and as it builds up it will require more energy to heat the water. Without knowing how much water your family uses it's hard to predict the overall effect on pipes and hot water heaters.
The way to take care of this problem is with a water softener. It will remove the calcium and magnesium from the water and make the water more neutral. Here are some websites on water softeners so that you can get an idea of what I am talking about:
I would recommend that you seriously consider softening your water. You mentioned that one company mentioned an antiscaling tank. I don't know if they were talking about a softener or some other type of treatment. You can call water treatment companies in your area to get estimates on having a softener installed. Several companies (including Culligan I think) offer lease or rental options if you don't want to purchase a unit. I would get at least 3 estimates.
The other issue with your water is the hydrogen sulfide. Your water contains a fairly small amount of Hydrogen Sulfide but it may be enough to give the water a slight sulfur odor. You didn't mention whether or not your water has an odor. Hydrogen sulfide is not a health risk, only a nuisance in levels that you would normally find in well water. Let me know if your water has an odor and I will tell you about how to treat this issue. No sense getting into it if it isn't a problem.
I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any questions. I will certainly be glad to continue to help you with your water issues.
Take care,
Steve
