My well water is terrible. Should I just use pool water?

[strantor]

My well water eats copper pipes. I am in the process of re-plumbing the whole house in PEX, one area at a time, in response to leaks that keep springing up just randomly in the middle of a pipe somewhere.
The water is full of black sediment. Don't use the sink for a weekend, then turn it on, water runs black for a bit.
I recently had to replace the lower element in the water heater but first had to spend 4hrs with a long drill bit, digging out enough silt and calcium to make room for it.
It smells like sulphur and tastes bad.

I had a guy come quote me a system and it's not a whole lot different than what I already have (and don't use) because it's ineffective. I have an inline filter that I have bypassed because it doesn't even last a week before needing replacement which is a pain and costs like $40 each time. and the water softener just eats salt (money), creates another chore, and restricts the flow of the water. I can't tell any difference whatsoever between when the softer is in the loop or bypassed, except that when it's bypassed I get actual usable pressure.

So what I'm thinking is...
We have an above ground pool which we do a lot of work to keep clean and clear. We add chemicals to keep the PH right, we run a sand filter to keep the crap out, and the quality of the water in the pool is way better than what comes from the well. When we have to refill from the well, we get some sediment in the bottom of the pool that my wife vacuums out. I'm thinking, what if we just redirect the well straight to the pool. It can be on a float switch so that it just comes on as needed to keep the pool level up. Then a booster pump sends pool water back down to the pump house to charge the tanks and feed the house. This will give the water plenty of time to off-gas whatever gas is in it, settle out whatever sediment is in it, get its PH corrected, and get filtered before it gets to the house.

Nobody likes the idea of peed-in pool water coming out of the tap but I can guarantee anyone filling a glass from the tap would be getting a 10,000% better product than what comes straight from the well. I am sure the pool maintenance will go up but I would rather spend time maintaining the pool than crawling around in the attic replacing pipes.

Yall please tell me what I'm missing. Why isn't this a good idea?

 

[Valveman]

Very interesting idea, and it will work. The reason the pool water is better is because it has time to off-gas as you say, and lets the sediment settle to the bottom. You could do the same thing with say a 1000 gallon cistern, and then the water wouldn't get peed in. Check the acidity of the water as that seems to be the problem with copper pipes. I would first try to develop the well by pumping it hard for hours or days if needed to get the sediment out. Just cycling on and off into a pressure tank is not enough volume to clean out the well, and many wells have never, ever been developed.

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

More than just who let the P P out... (bump, bump, da bump... Sorry got that tune in my head now).

Anyway, more to the water quality than just P. Also the pathogens from the air, peoples skin, critters, bird poop. Chemical overspray from a neighbor/farmer. Dust storms bringing in dust/Stuff from who knows where.

Seems there is a reason you don't see an open pool for drinking water. Now some countries use/have large cisterns for community water holes. The difference is how big a hole the top has. Bigger the hole the more opportunites of something getting in I would guess.

Drinking it in small amounts may not matter but under normal living conditions?

 

[dodge man]

In the water treatment world, your pool is a “clarifier”. It’s a place where the water slows down and stuff settles out. For lots of reasons some already listed, I think it’s a bad idea. You need to get a person that can actually treat your well water correctly. For example, you aren’t using your filter which in turn makes your water softener less effective.

Thinking outside the box, can you haul water? If you live near a town that sells bulk water and you travel there on a regular basis it’s not that tough. You would need to put an in ground tank in. I’ve hauled water to help fill our pool and it’s not as tough as you think.

 

[strantor]

More than just who let the P P out... (bump, bump, da bump... Sorry got that tune in my head now).

Anyway, more to the water quality than just P. Also the pathogens from the air, peoples skin, critters, bird poop. Chemical overspray from a neighbor/farmer. Dust storms bringing in dust/Stuff from who knows where.

Seems there is a reason you don't see an open pool for drinking water. Now some countries use/have large cisterns for community water holes. The difference is how big a hole the top has. Bigger the hole the more opportunites of something getting in I would guess.

Drinking it in small amounts may not matter but under normal living conditions?

We currently don't drink the well water. We tried a reverse osmosis system years ago and it went about 3 weeks before needing new filters. I deemed it easier and cheaper to just lug the 5 gallon jugs back and forth to town to refill at the windmill thing in the Kroger parking lot.

We could continue doing that, but hopefully using the pool water would once again make an RO system viable. I believe that takes care of the potential biological threats but not sure about chemicals. We do live right in the middle of a bunch of a bunch of farmland and I know they spray but I don't know what they spray. Whatever it is, if they're spraying it on our food, I would hope that anything wafting over to our pool wouldn't be a concern. But, I am not so naive as to think it impossible.

 

[ruffdog]

Chlorine poisoning, bacteria and parasites, heavy metals, are a few things to watch for. Also, PFAS from fertilizers in Texas is a thing too.

Texas farmers say sewage-based fertilizer tainted with “forever chemicals” poisoned their land and killed their livestock

 

[grsthegreat]

Do your neighbors have the same issues? Maybe you need a relocated or deeper well. Being texas…..i just think about fracking and oil well waste products. I lived in lubbock for 2 years.

 

[FullMetalBucket]

Is town water an option in your area?

If not, I think I’d look at drilling a new well. Wouldn’t be happy shelling out the cash for it, but it sounds like the other one is basically unusable.

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

The reservoir most assuredly is running to a water treatment/filtration plant. We have those around here too. So they are NOT drinking it without treating it first. I'd be willing to bet a cheeseburger over that.

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

MY little brother lived in the Dallas area and had some land near sulphur springs area, water was not very tasty there either. Same sounding issues you have.

Sister lives in Lubbock they have always drank bottled water.

But they keep bringing in more folks...

 

[Valveman]

I'm in Lubbock. Hate the city water, but love the well water and it has tested better than city stuff that comes from a lake. But a lot of wells have contaminates also. Doesn't matter if it is lake water where fish pee and poop in it, pool water, or well water, it needs to be tested and treated as needed. If you can filter before an RO system they will last fairly well and remove almost everything from the water. RO removes so many things from the water that you really need to add back some minerals and stuff to keep it from stealing electrolytes from the body. If you are lucky enough to have good well water that needs very little or no filtering, it has the minerals and stuff to make it healthy and taste good.

 

[ponytug]

My well water eats copper pipes. I am in the process of re-plumbing the whole house in PEX, one area at a time, in response to leaks that keep springing up just randomly in the middle of a pipe somewhere.
The water is full of black sediment. Don't use the sink for a weekend, then turn it on, water runs black for a bit.
I recently had to replace the lower element in the water heater but first had to spend 4hrs with a long drill bit, digging out enough silt and calcium to make room for it.
It smells like sulphur and tastes bad.

I had a guy come quote me a system and it's not a whole lot different than what I already have (and don't use) because it's ineffective. I have an inline filter that I have bypassed because it doesn't even last a week before needing replacement which is a pain and costs like $40 each time. and the water softener just eats salt (money), creates another chore, and restricts the flow of the water. I can't tell any difference whatsoever between when the softer is in the loop or bypassed, except that when it's bypassed I get actual usable pressure.

So what I'm thinking is...
We have an above ground pool which we do a lot of work to keep clean and clear. We add chemicals to keep the PH right, we run a sand filter to keep the crap out, and the quality of the water in the pool is way better than what comes from the well. When we have to refill from the well, we get some sediment in the bottom of the pool that my wife vacuums out. I'm thinking, what if we just redirect the well straight to the pool. It can be on a float switch so that it just comes on as needed to keep the pool level up. Then a booster pump sends pool water back down to the pump house to charge the tanks and feed the house. This will give the water plenty of time to off-gas whatever gas is in it, settle out whatever sediment is in it, get its PH corrected, and get filtered before it gets to the house.

Nobody likes the idea of peed-in pool water coming out of the tap but I can guarantee anyone filling a glass from the tap would be getting a 10,000% better product than what comes straight from the well. I am sure the pool maintenance will go up but I would rather spend time maintaining the pool than crawling around in the attic replacing pipes.

Yall please tell me what I'm missing. Why isn't this a good idea?

Don't use your pool water. It is not sanitary, and has a bunch of extra chemicals that you won't want in your drinking water.

I think first things first. Get your water tested, and then move onto what the next step is. In some counties, it is even free, but even if it isn't, it is cheap to test for coliform (generic standing for bacteria), TDS (total dissolved solids, e.g. hard water), metals (iron, manganese, lead...) and pH. Try to get a sample as close to the well as possible and let it run for a few minutes so your sample is accurate for your water, not whatever is sitting in the pipes.

Once you have that information, I think you are in a better position to plan out your water treatment needs, and technologies.

A few related questions, if I may;
How deep is your well?
What is your well casing made of?
What are your existing pipes? Galvanized?
Do you have any pretreatment on your well water that you are currently using?

All the best, Peter

 

[ericm979]

God knows what's in the pool water. It's open to the air where critters can eliminate in it. I've drunk from streams in the mountains but even in the high country now there there's Giardia and you need to filter.

Get it tested and find out what it takes to treat it. Otherwise you're just guessing, and meanwhile you're drinking bad water. "top 25" (metals and minerals) testing + coliform cost me about $425 in Oregon last year with a local lab.

 

[riptides]

No way on the pool for potable water. No way.

Sediment in well? Address the well pipe, depth and pump.

Water quality? Start filtering and treatment.

Safe water is a must.

 

[Tpondel]

Do your neighbors have the same issues? Maybe you need a relocated or deeper well. Being texas…..i just think about fracking and oil well waste products. I lived in lubbock for 2 years.

Oil and fracking wells are multiples deeper than a drinking well. It shouldn’t be an issue.

 

[5030]

Post 12 is your best avenue. Get the well water analyzed and treat accordingly. We have sulfur dioxide here as well and we treat our water accordingly. I just happen to inject H2O2 in the raw water which precipitates out the sulfur and turns it into a solid which I filter out but I don't ascribe to homeowner grade filtration either. I use an industrial sized Cumo filter that takes industrial sized elements I buy wholesale and one element lasts a couple months.

Neither here nor there as your situation may be different but the important thing is get the raw water tested, see exactly what is in it and proceed from there and IMO only, RO units are a waste of money. Easier to purchase bottled water and a heck of a lot cheaper to boot.

 

[ponytug]

Oil and fracking wells are multiples deeper than a drinking well. It shouldn’t be an issue.

It shouldn't be, but it does happen. It is a very local issue due to local geology and practices, but definitely falls into my "trust, but verify" bin.

All the best,

Peter

 

[ponytug]

FWIW: locally RO is a heck of a lot cheaper per gallon than bottled water, even the self fill 5 gallon variety. That's not saying it is true everywhere, but it is good to be aware that in most states, bottled water doesn't have to adhere to drinking water standards, and may not meet the drinking water standards. "Trust but verify..."

All the best,

Peter

 

[Valveman]

I don't recommend it either, but if drinking pool water would kill you, we would have all been dead by the age of twelve. Just saying.

 

[sandman2234]

I wonder if the copper pipe getting eaten by the water is the result of steel pipe not being isolated from the copper pipe. Or does the sediment carry the sand which basically sandpapers the inside of the copper pipe?
David from jax