Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ
The authoritative public forum
for Metal Finishing since 1989
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Is our well water safe?
Q. My granddaughter lives here and she has three mid-to-large dogs. Her water supply is from a sulfur well and she was wanting to know if sulfur water is bad for her dogs to drink.
Ray Lyons- Intercession City, Florida
April 14, 2024
A. Hi Ray.
Although many reputable sources say sulfur water is not actually very dangerous to people, despite its unattractiveness and its effects on plumbing, we remind you as vets often remind us: Dogs are not people.
Chocolate & onions & garlic are fine for people, for example, but bad for dogs. You'd have to either talk to a vet or find some research having to do with dogs and sulfur. Sorry that I have no answer for you.
Luck & Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
⇩ Related postings, oldest first ⇩
Q. Me & my mom just moved to a house that has black sulfur water. Is it safe? It is well water. Is there anything we can do or put in the well? Is it safe for our dog & cat to drink?
Rhonda [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Melrose, Ohio
2002
A. I suggest you get it analyzed by your Public Health Inspector before you start drinking it or giving it to your dearest pets. It would be a very dangerous thing to confirm over the internet if something like well water was safe to drink unless it has been professionally analyzed and the results are known.
Trevor Crichton
R&D practical scientist
Chesham, Bucks, UK
Q. My work is associated with the oil industry. I learned yesterday that my uncle has used a 14 inch galvanized pipe for the casing of his artesian well. This well is used, as a daily source of water for all households needs including drinking. Could you please explain any health issues this might potentially cause?
Thank you Best Regards,
Gregg Linvilleconcerned nephew - Oxnard, California, USA
2004
A. I would not think galvanizing is a good idea for water of unknown qaulity, but I am really unqualified to say. Your town health department or building department ought to have, and probably does have, testing available combined with codes that will imply whether it's safe.
Good luck.
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
A. I wouldn't worry about the galvanized casing unless I were relying on it to get my minimum daily requirement of zinc. You will still need a supplement. Remember that galvanized pipe used to be THE standard for potable water lines, and has been replaced by plastics primarily because of life-cycle costs. I think his decision was a good one for the area, where the water may have some saline content that could shorten the life of the standard black iron pipe used in most casings of that size.
Paul Morkovsky
- Shiner, Texas, USA
Q. I live off of my well water.I just bought a place in the country and have had the well water tested for animal and pesticide contaminants, which all came up negative. So I put a nail in a glass of well water for three days and its getting brighter then new. What gives? Am I drinking contaminated water?
Dennis HandySculptor - Ferndale, California
January 8, 2009
A. Hi, Dennis. Sorry, I don't think you can determine the purity or safety of water by putting a nail in it. But nails can last decades, sometimes centuries, so I wouldn't worry that it didn't rust in 3 days though. Good luck.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Comment: I noticed someone said something about testing their water by putting a nail in it and letting it sit for a few days. The PE respondent kind of brushed off the person's question because I don't believe he was aware of the science involved.
The nail test changing color in water is looking for iron reactions, in this instance by confirming anti-oxidization. There is clearly a chemical reaction occurring here, and the original poster's question is quite valid. There are studies that show elements such as certain organic sulfurs, can cause anemia in felines. in this particular case, I'm quite intrigued by the poster's question, and quite surprised it was blown off trivially, for the sake of both science, and the well being of animals.
I'm still looking for an answer to whether or not my well water (which has some sort of sulfur contaminant, is harmful for my cats to drink. Because I am not sure, I've decided to use spring water by the gallon purchased at a local store for less than a dollar a gallon. It's worth the money for the peace of mind, I think. I would truly love to know if my concerns are scientifically valid or not.
- Greenbackville, Virginia, USA
January 12, 2020
Hi Daron. You're right that I've never heard of this nail test; please further explain the science involved as you understand it.
I replied to an earlier question that I didn't know if sulfur was dangerous to dogs because vets tell us: "dogs are not people". To the question of whether sulfur is dangerous to cats, I'll have to respond the same way. Please disagree with anyone or anything you see here, but please try your best to do it with facts, opinions, anecdotes, humor, or whatever -- but aloha always, ad hominems never :-)
Thanks & Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Q. My well has high pH and Arsenic. I inject bleach
⇦ bleach/sodium hypochlorite in bulk on
eBay
or
Amazon [affil links]
, then ferric chloride
⇦ this on
eBay or
Amazon [affil links] to remove the arsenic with a filter, but I'm told the pH (8.1) is too high for this to be very effective.
I know muriatic acid
⇦ this on
eBay or
Amazon [affil links] will lower the pH, but I'm really concerned about injecting acid, followed by bleach, as the warning labels say 'don't do it'. Injecting less than 10 ppm of either seems safe, as the levels are so low, provided I don't mix them directly together.
Any comments?
- Lummi Island, Washington
June 5, 2009
A. Hi, Mike. Concentration matters. I think if you are sure the mixing is good, this would not be much of a problem, and not very different from people adding chlorine to a swimming pool on one occasion and muriatic acid on another occasion. But, yes, concentrated chlorine plus concentrated muriatic acid would definitely release clouds of poisonous chlorine gas.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Q. I'm repairing my home chlorination system. It's in place to deal with sulfurous water. As presently configured, the water comes from the well into the pressurizing tank (a captive air tank) then past the chlorine injection point and into a dwell tank of some 125 gallons. (After that, it passes to a dechlorinating column, then to the house.) The chlorine solution is injected via a peristaltic pump connected to the well pump, so chlorine is being added when the well pump runs, whether or not water is passing the injection point. (There's no expansion space other than the captive air tank.) Would it not be better to place the injection point ahead of the captive air tank so that there's always water moving there when the injector pump is running?
Andy LykeRetired electrical engineer, homeowner - Whitehouse, Ohio, USA
January 2, 2011
A. In the dark ages, the rubber in the air tank was frequently Buna, some grades of which do not like chlorine or chloride. So I will guess that is the reason that it was added after that tank. Modern elastomers might work. Why change it if it has worked for years?
James Watts- Navarre, Florida
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