The object of this test is to make sure the well is free from coliform. Coliform is a common indicator bacteria which is easier to test for than other types of bacteria like E. coli.

1. Make sure you have completely purged the system of any Chlorine (if the lab detects any chlorine, they will not test your sample). Purging chlorine from the system can take anywhere from two to six hours (possibly more). If you smell chlorine in your water, run the tap until you cannot smell it anymore.
2. Make sure your water conditioner is bypassed.
3. Identify a good faucet to take your sample from. We recommend using a laundry wash sink. Good faucets should:
   1. Be all metal for easier sanitizing.
   2. Not be used for food preparation.
   3. Not have an aerator or screen, or at least should have the screen removed.
4. Sanitize your sample faucet.
   1. If your faucet is metal, you can heat the faucet with a propane torch or lighter for a few seconds. Keep your flame in constant motion and do not heat the metal until it glows.
   2. If using a faucet with plastic components, swab the end of the faucet with alcohol.
5. Run water for one hour before taking any water samples.
   1. Allow sample tap to run UNDISTURBED at ½ – ¾ speed. Do not adjust this tap at all until after the water sample has been taken.
   2. Additionally, it can be helpful to run two hoses at full speed for an hour before taking the test as well.
6. Collect water in a sample bottle, obtainable from your local county health department.
   1. Do not open the bottle until the moment you are ready to take the sample. Do not place the bottle cap on any surface. Wear clean nitrile gloves and a facemask. Try to fill the bottle in a single pass.
7. Immediately transport the sample to your county health department in a small cooler.
8. If you’ve already taken in more than one sample, ask the lab if they will give you a bacteria count so you can tell if you are making progress.

Not likely.

In Michigan, we are fortunate to have an abundant supply of water in huge interconnected aquifers which are replenished by water that filters through the ground. Most wells in Michigan don’t go dry, but instead become clogged with mineral deposits over long periods of time and do not produce as much water as they once did.  If this occurs, there is a possibility that the well can be cleaned or blown out to alleviate this problem.

In most cases, it’s best to have your well drilled before constructing a new home so the house can have water as soon as possible. The latest the well should be drilled is during the drywall stage of construction.  Some areas in Washtenaw County are designated “well-first” by the health department.  These sites must have a completed well (not including the pump or water line) to get a building permit. Check with your local health department to find out if your project is in a well-first area. Augusta, Superior, and York are designated well first in addition to parts of other townships within Washtenaw County.

The best way is by reputation.  Ask a friend or neighbor that has had a well drilled, they’ll often have an opinion about their well experience. Price comparison can also be helpful, but should not be your only deciding factor; your well is one of the most important aspects of your home, and should be invested in accordingly. Form an opinion of the company by the way it presents itself along with reputation and price.  If there is still doubt after that, you can always inquire with the state environmental health department.  Most states will list any company with complaints filed against them.

Ground water is generally very safe and dependable, and water testing is required before most homes are sold. If you think your water source has been contaminated, have the water tested through your county health department. The most common test is for Coliform bacteria, but there are a few other things that you can test for like arsenic and nitrates. Most people will not find a problem with their water, but testing can bring peace of mind for a worried home owner.  There are also certified private labs in most areas for more detailed water testing.

A water conditioner has millions of poppy seed sized beads made of negatively charged poly styrene plastic which naturally attracts positively charged ions like calcium and magnesium.  Water flows through the beads (mineral/resin bed) and exchanges sodium or potassium for the minerals which cause hardness. This process does add a small amount of sodium or potassium to your drinking water so further treatment may be desired, usually in the form of a reverse osmosis drinking water system.

When the resin bed has used the majority of its negative charge, the system regenerates with a sodium or potassium solution called brine. Most modern softeners have a metered regeneration feature which is designed to save salt. If the unit is not equipped with a meter, it will have a clock which can be set to regenerate the unit on a set schedule of days automatically.

When a water conditioner regenerates, it will typically behave in the following order at 2 AM.

1. The backwash cycle will start and run for about 10 minutes. The softener will pump water down the center distributor tube.
2. The brine and rinse cycle begins when the unit draws the brine solution from the salt tank. The brine works its way down through the resin and up the distributor.  At this time the sodium or potassium exchanges with the iron and hardness captured by the resin beads.
3. The rapid rinse cycle sends water down from the top through the resin and up the distributor for about 8 minutes.
4. The brine refill cycle sends water to the salt tank to make new brine for the next time the water softener regenerates.
5. The service cycle then sets the control valve to service which allows the softener to deliver soft water throughout the home.

Our Quicksilver Water Systems utilize up-flow brining.  This means that when the unit brings in brine for regeneration, it will enter the resin bed from the bottom instead of the top.  This is a more efficient way to introduce brine to the resin bed, resulting in roughly a third less salt used per regeneration.

While the water softener is running, any other water being used in the house will not be softened. The water softener will typically run at 2 AM, so it shouldn’t conflict with your daily schedule. Twin tank water softeners have a backup resin tank, so you can have soft water 24/7.

Most average households will use 1 or 2 bags of salt every month. A good softener is calibrated to the unique hardness of the water it’s treating.  It is not uncommon to see one occupant of a home using 15-20 pounds of salt per month or a family of 6 use 60-80 pounds of salt per month.  The amount of hardness, iron, and members in a family are the main factors of salt use.  Also, the type of salt saving features in a water softener system can impact the overall salt usage.  Once a water test is taken and your equipment is selected, we can give a better estimation of salt usage.

Softeners can remove some iron if it’s fully dissolved in the water and iron removing salt is used. Extreme cases will need pre-treatment of some kind ahead of the softener to properly remove all of the iron.

A good quality, properly maintained system can reduce most contaminants, including sodium, by 90%. Other contaminants which reverse osmosis is effective against include: arsenic, fluoride, radium, sulfate, potassium, nitrates, and others.

There isn’t a straightforward answer, though sodium from softened water is generally negligible when compared with overall daily sodium intake. The exact amount of sodium in softened water is determined by how hard the water was to begin with. To roughly calculate your sodium based on hardness, multiply grains of hardness by 1.8 to get milligrams of sodium in an 8 ounce glass.

(GRAINS HARD) X 1.8 = MILLIGRAMS OF SODIUM IN AN 8 OZ GLASS OF WATER

 The Mayo Health Clinic has estimated that water with an initial hardness of 7 grains will have about 12.5 mg of sodium in an 8 ounce glass. Comparatively, a slice of white bread contains roughly 140 mg of sodium, while a slice of pizza will average 640mg.