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Water Quality/Questions Answered by Expert Bruce Briggs
| Subject | Date Asked |
| Velocity calculation | 6/29/2009 |
| Q: I am trying to calculate the velocity of water at the end of a pipe. I have an open header tank of ... A: Answer to your question is Head Velocity Pipe ID Flow 5.5M ... | |
| Velocity calculation | 6/29/2009 |
| Q: I am trying to calculate the velocity of water at the end of a pipe. I have an open header tank of ... A: A couple of questions so I can provide you with the answer: 1. Is the 40mm pipe located at the ... | |
| holding tank for well | 4/30/2009 |
| Q: I have a log cabin in Florida built in 1935, the well was probably drilled in the 1950's. I ... A: I have heard of the use of a holding tank to let the sand settle out but you would need to drain and ... | |
| Reverse Osmosis operation. | 4/23/2009 |
| Q: I apologize if I am asking the wrong person, but I did not know who else to try! I recently ... A: I did a bit more research on the portable units and found out that you should throttle back the ... | |
| Reverse Osmosis operation. | 4/22/2009 |
| Q: I apologize if I am asking the wrong person, but I did not know who else to try! I recently ... A: some of the same parameters pertain, no matter what the size. Your system produces about 52 gallons ... | |
| rusty well water | 4/5/2009 |
| Q: My inlaws had a new well drilled 4 years ago they havent been able to drink the water since and ... A: I'm not an expert on water chemistry but I would suggest that you have the water tested asap. High ... | |
| Water Pressure | 12/5/2008 |
| Q: We moved into our home 3.5 yrs ago. We were the first occupants. We've never had a problem with ... A: Dana - I agree with your question as to how a regulator which is designed for years of service would ... | |
| Water Pressure | 12/5/2008 |
| Q: We moved into our home 3.5 yrs ago. We were the first occupants. We've never had a problem with ... A: Unfortunately, I do not have a lot of experience with regulators but knowing basically how they ... | |
| Water Pressure | 12/1/2008 |
| Q: We own a Well-Rite water pressure tank/pump, and the other day we lost all water pressure in our ... A: I have had similar experience in the past where a breaker disengages but it does not look like it ... | |
| well problem | 8/5/2008 |
| Q: I just turned on my outside hydrant to fill my horse water trough. The water pressure seems low as ... A: At first blush, it would seem to me that you have an air pocket somewhere in the line leading to the ... | |
| Water turns brown after sitting for a few minutes. | 6/10/2008 |
| Q: When I run my well water from the tap it comes out clear but if I let it sit for a few minutes it ... A: Question for you: is there a drain faucet on the bottom of your well tank? If so, and assuming it ... | |
| Black Well Water | 3/2/2008 |
| Q: I my water just recently started coming out black in the bath and outside spigots. I have not ... A: Ok - now, can you see what kind of pipe material was used between your water tank and the outside ... | |
| Black Well Water | 3/1/2008 |
| Q: I my water just recently started coming out black in the bath and outside spigots. I have not ... A: Sarah, First questions is are you on a well or do you have public water? Generally black ... | |
| bad water taste | 2/19/2008 |
| Q: I have just had a new water pressure tank installed my pressure is now better but my well water ... A: Hmm. your water taste and smell should not have changed by adding a new tank unless something was ... | |
| wells holding tank | 12/8/2007 |
| Q: I have lived in my home for 18 years now. The water pressure seems ok. How do I know when to ... A: Lianne, If you get your water checked every year or two and there is not a lot of sediment in the ... | |
| Black water comming out of well | 10/9/2007 |
| Q: Bruce, My daughter is looking to buy this house and when turning on the water in the sinks the water ... A: Keith - sounds like copper pipe corrosion is going on, assuming your piping is copper. If that is ... | |
| Well Water | 8/21/2007 |
| Q: We recently moved into our house, which has well water. The water has a smell to it, and seems to ... A: While most of my expertise is in the water plant area, I do have 2 wells and have done some research ... | |
| water pressure | 8/3/2007 |
| Q: Our house is 50 years old and I'm sure the well is too. We have never had good water pressure but ... A: While I am not an expert on pumps, I own two wells and maintain them myself. I would suggest you ... | |
| no water pressure, pumps and holding tanks | 7/31/2007 |
| Q: built a new log home 500 feet up hill from the meter. the rise is approximately 150-200 feet ... A: Sorry to hear about all of your issues with plumbers. It sounds like you are on track although ... | |
| Well water "non swell smells" | 7/28/2007 |
| Q: Just moved into new home and the water tested 8.5 on hardness scale. We're not overly concerned ... A: As it happens, my home water had a pH of 8.0 and I thought I could live with it as well. ... | |
| Water pressure surges | 7/8/2007 |
| Q: We are on a well and the water pressure as of late has been surging high to low and high again ... A: Not sure I can help on this one as it sounds like I would need to look at your piping to see how ... | |
| running out of water | 7/3/2007 |
| Q: We recently purchased a cottage property which has a 60 ft drilled well. We are experiencing water ... A: Fayyaz, There are a couple of things to try: 1. Can you drop the pump down all the way to the ... | |
| running out of water | 7/3/2007 |
| Q: We recently purchased a cottage property which has a 60 ft drilled well. We are experiencing water ... A: While wells are not necessarily my speciality, I have one myself so I have some practical ... | |
| how to protect jet pump from empty storage tank | 6/11/2007 |
| Q: We are installing water storage tanks in the well house to hold well water. It's a very low flow ... A: I think the easiest way to solve this is to put another float switch at the bottom of the tank. As ... | |
| Newer Construction Well Question | 5/30/2007 |
| Q: We have had a Manufactured (stick built) house put on our lot in Northern Michigan about a year ago. ... A: A puzzle to me but, perhaps there is a clue in the contractor telling you to drain the hot water ... | |
| Lack of air in tank in my unique system | 5/29/2007 |
| Q: apparently I have a unique problem as I can't find a think about the way my type well pump system ... A: Unfortunately I am not an expert on well pumps except for a cursory knowledge of how they work. ... | |
| water pump runs but does not build pressure | 5/27/2007 |
| Q: My water pump runs constantly and doesn't build any pressure at all. It is an above ground pump and ... A: Unless you have a very unique system, the pressure tank wants to be filled with water and no air. ... | |
| Declining water pressure | 5/16/2007 |
| Q: I don't know anything about wells, but I'll try to explain what's happening best I can. I just ... A: If you cannot locate the filter, you could always cut into the line and put one in somewhere where ... | |
| Declining water pressure | 5/13/2007 |
| Q: I don't know anything about wells, but I'll try to explain what's happening best I can. I just ... A: One final try to solve the problem - can you turn off the water and remove a faucet in one of the ... | |
| Declining water pressure | 5/12/2007 |
| Q: I don't know anything about wells, but I'll try to explain what's happening best I can. I just ... A: it looks like most other re-charge type wells. I have the following thoughts: 1. sand in the tub ... | |
| Declining water pressure | 5/7/2007 |
| Q: I don't know anything about wells, but I'll try to explain what's happening best I can. I just ... A: Just a couple of questions to help me solve the mystery: 1. Do you have a basement in the house ... | |
| Responding back | 4/7/2007 |
| Q: I can not describe the odor other than it has a metal smell to it, maybe iron and not a sulpher ... A: Sorry for the delay in responding. The only thing that I can think of is that, depending on the pH ... | |
| Water oder | 3/29/2007 |
| Q: I have an oder in my hot water after changing the water heater. What could this be related to? I ... A: First, if you can answer a couple of questions, I may be able to help: 1. What does the odor smell ... | |
| no water | 2/6/2007 |
| Q: I have a WELXTROL tank and I have no water I changed the switch and the pump kicked on to fill the ... A: Nick, I'm sorry for the delay in responding but I have been in China, just returned last night. ... | |
| Water Qualities--Surrey, BC | 1/10/2007 |
| Q: Briggs, Where does Surrey, British Columbia in Canada get their water from?? I'm doing a project and ... A: Determing all of the possible water sources for a specific area is a bit on the difficult side. My ... | |
| Water Wells | 12/10/2006 |
| Q: What is the exact way that water enters into a well? A: Wells are drilled or dug down to a depth that is somewhat below the water table level in the ground ... | |
| About presence of heavy metals and pesticides in Grey water | 12/3/2006 |
| Q: I am working in the field of grey water treatment,i searched relavent articles but upto now there is ... A: Sir, I as well have researched grey water material content and there does not seem to be much in ... | |
| water pressure and volume | 12/1/2006 |
| Q: While I understand that 60 psi (about 4.1 bar) may be the standard for water pressure in residential ... A: Ernest, I checked in my area with the building department to see if there are any specific flow ... | |
| Water stoppage (Intermittant) | 11/30/2006 |
| Q: I have a well system at my residence, I have lived here for 11 years, and have zero knowledge in ... A: Johnny, There are 2 possible causes of your problem: 1. The best case would be a faulty pressure ... | |
| pinholes in copper pipe | 11/30/2006 |
| Q: vent is on the floor.I have a bathroom with copper piping. recently the pipe has been corroding ... A: Jonathan, Based on your comment that there is avent in the floor, I assume your heat is hot air ... | |
| water pressure and volume | 11/29/2006 |
| Q: While I understand that 60 psi (about 4.1 bar) may be the standard for water pressure in residential ... A: There are "typical" sizes of pipe used for specific service requirements and they generally range ... | |
| orange water stains | 11/27/2006 |
| Q: Do you know what may cause water to stain washcloths and even shower tiles orange? If there are a ... A: Orange stains are more than likely due to rust in the water. When iron or steel rusts, the local ... | |
| conductivity/ turbidity | 10/28/2006 |
| Q: I'm doing a lab report for my chemistry class and two of the measurements we took included turbidity ... A: Turbidity values indicate how clear the material is that you are considering. The unit of measure ... | |
| Typical in home water pressure | 7/7/2005 |
| Q: I have a home in a rural area with a well for water supply. Our water pressure is not very good ... A: I think that the first thing to do is refer to the users manual on your softener. Based on the ... | |
| constant pressure pump system | 5/9/2005 |
| Q: Briggs, Thank you for your initial response. If you are referring to the pipeline from the storage ... A: Sir, Without a through hydraulic review of your application, it will be difficult to provide a ... | |
| constant pressure pump system | 5/6/2005 |
| Q: We have a concrete storage tank with a volume of about 30,000 gallons. It contains gray water that ... A: Sir, What is the size of the line that you intend to install between the tank and the hotel? Also, ... | |
| Outside water pressure | 5/5/2005 |
| Q: My water pressure in the house and outside in the back of the house is perfect. The problem is in ... A: Gabrielle, Based on your question, you may want to have the pressure checked to be certain that it ... | |
| Typical Home water pressure | 6/2/2003 |
| Q: I recently moved from a house near a large apartment complex to a newly devoloped subdivision, ... A: Generally I hear from utility operators that the average line pressure is 60 psi. In some cases the ... | |
Water Quality
Answers by Expert:
Bruce Briggs
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
My range of knowledge and experience would allow me to answer questions related to developing accurate and reliable flow measurement systems for water & wastewater plants as well as solving problems with existing flow measurement and flow control installations. This would include pressurized as well as open channel flow applications.
Experience
Past/Present Clients
San Diego County Water Authority
Southern Nevada Water Authority
Massachusetts Water Resource Authority
Ministry of Water - Singapore
Ministry of Water-Hong Kong
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