I've known about this since we moved in the house but replacing a toilet today reminded me about it. Inside my toilet tanks, I have a brown slime all along the sides and bottom. Do any of you well guys have this? I guess it's iron? I have a water softener and a whole house filter but neither help with this matter. Is there something that should be used to treat the well? I worried about what it could do to my dishwasher, fridge, washer, etc.
I've got the worst of the worst. When I built the house I put in an $1800 treatment system, then a reverse osmosis thing for the ice maker and drinking water. 2 years later I sprung for $3600 to try and filter out this "Slime" as you call it. I now have a 250 gallon resevoir tank in the basement, charcoal filters etc etc. I buy bottled water to put through my coffee maker. I buy ice. I buy bottled water to drink because I have salt water. As of today public water is about 2 miles away. I'm waiting. Yes this slime coats your dishwasher(I have to add vinegar to the last rinse or I get water spots and sediment on the glassware. The slime coats everything.... especially your hot water heater. I bought this lot off my brother who has perfect water 150 yards from me at 120 feet. I drilled 2 wells, each at 192 feet and still ended up with crap. The houses up the hill from me have water at 150 feet and it's pure. I'm surrounded by good water and I can't find it. I've put over 20 grand into wells and treatment and still buy bottled water for cooking and drinking.
I dont have a well. But. Before we used drill wells for irrigation. They always punched a bunch of test wells and tested the water. Several of my friends work the well company and they say its kinda grooling some times trying to find good water for house wells.
David, sounds like you have it rough. My well is 350' deep. I guess the last time it was tested was about 4 years ago when we bought the place. Guess I ought to start there, huh?
That's where I'd start and then as long as it's not something serious, ask the testing lab how they would recommend you clean the water up.
I second Iowa's advice. I have a well, and grew up in a house with a well. Right now, I just have a sediment filter after the pressure tank, and that's it. I don't have too many issues (no brown slime), but I did test my water for pretty much every impurity a year or so ago. I would start there.
I work at a fish hatchery and we run some of our tanks on pure well water. The tanks ran on well water (along with the pipes for them) get a nasty black coating on them after extended use. This is from magnesium in the well water and the only way to get it off is with power washing and acid. I dont know if our black crust is the same as your brown slime, but this is my only experience with any well water. Good luck!
Well, I am going to get it tested and start there. Toby...its not bothering me to the extent of re-drilling and the water hasn't killed us yet. I don't even want to think of re-drilling a well. And I was wrong, our well is 450' deep. Supposedly, there is a neighbor of ours up the road that had to drill 1000'.
Man that's a bad deal you would think there is some kind of a screen/filter that could clean that out. How is the pressure in your shower heads or are they gummed up?
I had the same issue in my toilets until I had an iron filter installed. When my old softener went belly up on me I had the water tested and found my iron was through the roof. This explained the nasty brown toilet slime and "rust" on all appliances. Since the iron filter was put in, the problem is gone. Some of the best money I ever spent.
Wells have veins with sediment in them. It's to uncommon for these veins to leak some of that sediment in your well. Get a good filter and life should be good.
I remember when I posted my completed fence project that some of you made fun of my dirt. Its very red in color as you see. Hooker said it was rich in ferric oxide (iron). Guess that is the reason for my brown slime? Justin...do you also have a sediment filter. Is the iron filter before or after it? I would think after it, right? I'll look into that. Tony...I just got back home. I'll call you in a bit.
Hey Finch I drilled wells for years. Like others have said it sounds like you have a iron problem. Before I would just have a iron filter put in I would have your well chlorinated, you could have iron bacteria that some times can be taken care of from chlorination. There are a number of different ways you can go with a iron filter also. If you want give me a call and I will let you know what I think and what to look for. Tom 763 269 1962
That was it, Donnie .. a chlorinator will rust the microscopic iron particles making them easier to be filtered out.... I think that's how it went ....I dunno .... I can't remember ..lol A chlorinator is expensive and will require a carbon filter to eliminate the effects on your water ....
