Well water - clogged screens on faucets and hot water heater

[Egon]

Did a short check of biofilms on Google. Seems to be more common than thought and can take different forms. It may also harbour some types of nasties.

Suggest getting the services of a proper water treatment group. One that may deal with municipal water treatment .

 

[daveshoot]

Please get that tested and let us know what it is. I have never seen that in our well or water, and don't want to... but now I'm dyin' to know.

 

[speedbump]

I just started reading on page 3, but have you guys ever tested your water for hardness. That's what builds up in the pipes. A softener will cure that problem as will an iron for getting out iron. Even if installed after years of building up. The equipment will help clean up the pipes over time. Not like new plumbing, but it will help.

Sand, that's another problem altogether. I can stop it with a simple sand filter (not one of those inline things) but that's not going to stop the sand from eating your pump.

 

[Xfaxman]

The well tested good when we bought this place in the fall of 2011. It hadn't been lived in for several years. After we moved in, the kitchen faucet aerator plugged, I cleaned it and saved the bioslime. Didn't know what it was then. When it happened again I saved some more, then the clothes washer screen plugged with the same stuff. I took the stuff and a water sample to the DEQ, they were clueless. I asked them to test the water and tell me what it was. They said tell us what it is and we test for it. I said I don't know what it is. They said for $280 they could check for everything, I said "No thanks".

Fortunately it isn't a health hazard, and it doesn't form as often as it used to.

 

[Xfaxman]

will it disolve in water if you put it in a glass of warm water an stir?

I dropped in a dry 1/4 inch piece from this filter, and it didn't even want to break apart. I let it set, stirred some more, it separated somewhat, but did not dissolve.



Notice how it is on both sides of the filter, that is why I think it is a biofilm bioslime. Anything else small enough to get through a screen or filter would not stay there, it would move on with the water flow.

 

[Soundguy]

yep.. if it didn't disolve any.. it likely is a bio film

 

[farmgirl19]

Nope, still second from the bottom, but I got some done and crossed off, so the list is shorter!

Beggars can't be choosers, I guess!

 

[Alan L.]

I just started reading on page 3, but have you guys ever tested your water for hardness. That's what builds up in the pipes. A softener will cure that problem as will an iron for getting out iron. Even if installed after years of building up. The equipment will help clean up the pipes over time. Not like new plumbing, but it will help.

Sand, that's another problem altogether. I can stop it with a simple sand filter (not one of those inline things) but that's not going to stop the sand from eating your pump.

Yes, my water is very soft, and has a pretty high Ph

 

[Alan L.]

No, it is bacteria, plus. Here is one definition: biofilm science definition
A complex structure adhering to surfaces that are regularly in contact with water, consisting of colonies of bacteria and usually other microorganisms such as yeasts, fungi, and protozoa that secrete a mucilaginous protective coating in which they are encased. Biofilms can form on solid or liquid surfaces as well as on soft tissue in living organisms, and are typically resistant to conventional methods of disinfection. Dental plaque, the slimy coating that fouls pipes and tanks, and algal mats on bodies of water are examples of biofilms.

It is slimy when wet, and will completely plug a screen, growing on both sides of it.

It is pretty slimy, but is only on the input side of the screen - never gets on the output side.

 

[Alan L.]

So I wonder if we should be screening it out or otherwise trying to kill it. I have never put chlorine in my well because it is sealed and there is no way to get access to the well itself without picking up 400+ feet of pipe and the pump.