Water Quality for new house

H

house

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Hi all,

I wish to tap into an existing well for my new home, so i carried out a water test by a private company, the only item that the water failed on was hardness of water but it turns out while its bad for appliance it has no health effect (see report below).

Does any one know of a filter to remove hardness from water?
will there be a problem with my co. co. when they see the report?


Part of test report
This test measures the hardness of your water, which is the level of dissolved calcium and magnesium salts. Hardness in water is in fact beneficial to health, reducing mortality rates from heart diseases and also improving the taste of the water. However, at levels above 150 mg/L CaCO3 it can cause limescale buildup in kettles, on washing machine and dishwasher elements, and in hot water tanks and piping.

Your Results: Your water’s Hardness is greatly above the threshold of 150 mg/L CaCO3, so you may be experiencing severe scaling problems.
 
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Hi house,

Is the existing well on your property?

What type of well is it (spring well, shallow dug well or deep bored well)? Is the well protected from surface water contamination, ground water contamination, access by animals/vermin/insects and vegetation)?

Is the yield of the well adequate for the intended usage (single person, couple, large family ect)?

What type of pump system (if any) do you propose to use gravity, sub pump, surface pump?


Was the water test conducted by a reputable accredited laboratory which is independant of companies selling treatment equipment?

Did they test for Bacteria? What general water chemistry parameters did they test (pH, harnnes, Nitrates ect). What metals did they test for (Iron, Manganese, Arsenic, Lead, Copper etc)?


How hard was your water?

There are very many contractors installing water softeners around the country. Do a search of AAM (and Boards.ie) for "softener" you will get plenty of hits. There is one particular poster zenn who is very expert in the area. Beware of the water treatment industry as it is populated by charlatans, snake oil salesmen and cowboys. There are however a small number of honest reputable and knowledgeable water treatment contractors.

Since hardness is not a health issue your local authority (water services dept) would have no interest one way or the other in your test results. As the owner of a private well you are solely responsible for its operation and maintenance.

If the house is merely at planning stage you would have to check with your particular LA planning authority whether they have any requirements with respect to planning and your propsed sources of water.

aj
Water Softner yearly servicing-Racket?

Water filter/softener question on removing limescale
"Pure H2O" water filtration system - fact or myth?
 
aj
to answer your questions

No - the existing well, is an old council well, (not looked after by co) (one household currently using the water)
its a spring well

its protect to a certian extent not 100% protected

the yield is more than adequate but do i have to prove this?

I would intend using a surface pump

no test was carried out for bateria, however iron , maganese, nitrates, pH, conductivity, disolved solids, alkalintiy, hardness, turbidity, colour, odor, sediments, taste - all satisfactory with the exclusion of the hardness which was 442.0 mg/L CaCO3 greatly above the threshold of 150 mg/L CaCO3
Is it my pre-plannig officer i should talk to or should i talk to or the water service dept?
Did you submit any of your private well details to the council ??
was this done at planning stage?
 
It is essential that the water is tested for bacteria (in particular e.coli). e.coli can be a very dangerous pathogen and any water from a contaminated source should be boiled before consuming.

If you dont own the well then you simply cant use the well without the consent of the owner. The fact that the reputed owner is the council is neither here nor there. You need permission of the landowner to lay and maintain water pipes and electricity cables. You also need the permission of the landowner to pass over his land to inspect and maintain your intake. A landowner would be completely within his rights to deny such access and to cut off the supply if he wished.

Spring wells are highly problematic in terms of water quality and quantity.

You would be foolish to spend money on developing a well only to find there was not enough water for your needs.

Were the tests conducted by a reputable independent laboratory?

Hardness of 442.0 mg/L CaCO3 is indeed high. A well designed and installed water softner should be able to handle this for you.

I know nothing of the planning requirements of your local authority. Why not ask them?

As far as I know a private well is just that private and the council would not be involved (unless a large community is being supplied, or a commercial enterprise, or perhaps from a planning perspective).

Out of interest is there public mains or group water scheme in the area?
 
"The fact that the reputed owner is the council is neither here nor there."

Will you please clarify this statment please surely if the council would hold onto their right to it??


I have permission do use the well inspect it and run pipes through my good neighbours land!

Im reluctant to ask the council anything though as i have had a hard time with just the pre planning stages!! My good neighbour has used this well thier entire life and i dont want to mess things up for them by drawing the attention of the council to it,

there is no problem with the quantity of water!!
 
If you dont own the well then you must get permission of the landowner to use it. In this case if the well belongs to the council then you must get their permission to use it.
 



Well, Ajapale your advice was more than comprehensive here, I have been hectic in the last few months and missed out on many postings.

Most or all councils are still offering 75% grants (from quotes around 2,700 euros) to fund new well drilling or water treatment systems or a bit of both to a net payment 2,000 euros (give or take 20 euros) where a property is over 7 years old and without reasonable access to a nearby mains water supply. This applies to any property owner.

Some rural council owned properties will have all costs associated with water treatment and well drilling paid for by the council for the tennant even if the total costs are 10,000 euros in some cases. And if the contractor got it all wrong and they had to start again, they may pay another 5,000 or more to put it right again with a better contractor.

The tennant has a right to water, and therefore there is no cost barrier because of this. It can take years and years and a lot of shouting however to get the council to get anywhere near to sorting out something like poor access to a good water supply for council tennants however.

Lets face it, historically hundreds of thousands of households are often short of a good water supply in one way or another.
 
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