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While most people get their drinking water from public water supplies, more than than 13 million households in the United States rely on private wells for their drinking water. Well water tin can blot many different compounds from the surrounding soil — and when levels of compounds like sulfur go as well high, you'll need to filter it. If you're dealing with high levels of sulfur in your drinking supply, acquire how to remove sulfur from well h2o.

What Is Sulfur and How Does Information technology Arrive Well Water?

Sulfur is a naturally occurring chemic compound. At that place are ii sources of sulfur in well water – sulfates and hydrogen sulfide gas.

Sulfates are a type of salt that contains sulfur. They may be in the soil and rocks surrounding your well. Equally groundwater and rainwater seep through the soil and rocks, they can carry sulfates into your well water.
Hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S) can happen naturally when plants or other organic material decays. It can likewise be related to pollution in the h2o. And when sulfur bacteria feed on sulfates in well h2o, they can create H2S. Yous'll need to remove the H2S from your water and vent the gas from low-lying spaces around your well.

Is Sulfur Harmful?

It depends on the level of sulfates or hydrogen sulfide in the water. In small amounts, these things don't cause a problem.

Likewise much sulfate can cause diarrhea and aridity. It can too take a biting taste, clog your pipes with slime and stain your laundry.

Also much H2S causes a rotten egg scent in well h2o. In large amounts, it can exist poisonous and pb to nausea and illness — but this is more likely to happen from animate the gas than from drinking h2o. H2S can also corrode pipes and stain your utensils.

How Tin I Tell If My Well Water Has Sulfur?

There are a few means to tell if yous have a sulfur problem:

Smell or gustation — Sulfur has a distinctive odour similar to rotten eggs, and sulfates can give water a biting taste. If your well water has sulfur in it, you may notice an unpleasant smell or odd gustatory modality.
Slime or stains — Sulfur leaner can leave black stains or a white, grey, black or blood-red-brownish slime on silverware or plumbing.
H2o tests — Get your well water tested every twelvemonth, even if yous don't notice signs of sulfur or other problems. You tin can observe several different water testing kits online or in stores. But to ensure accurate results, detect a land-certified laboratory to practice the tests. And check with your local health section first, in case they provide these tests for free.

How Can I Remove Sulfur From My Well Water?

In that location are many options for removing sulfur from your well h2o. The best option for yous volition depend on the source of the sulfur, how serious the problem is and how much yous're able to spend. Options include:

Activated carbon filtration — Activated carbon filters use minor pieces of porous carbon (like charcoal) to attract chemicals in water and filter them out. Yous can install an activated carbon filtration system as a depression-price and depression maintenance solution to remove a low concentration of sulfur — but it won't handle high concentrations of sulfur.
Aeration treatment — This is a low-cost and safe solution that adds air to the h2o. This process may reduce the hydrogen sulfide to acceptable levels, simply may not go rid of it completely. And information technology won't impale sulfur bacteria.
Chlorine bleach — You lot can inject chlorine bleach into your water before filtration. This is a low-price solution that can effectively remove medium-to-high levels of hydrogen sulfide from your water. Only this method isn't fast-acting, and information technology also adds sodium to the water and can leave toxic balance.
Potassium permanganate — You can use potassium permanganate solution in combination with a special type of filter to remove sulfur particles. This process gets rid of several odors, but information technology can exist toxic and may leave your water looking pink.
Hydrogen peroxide — This is a fast and safe solution that leaves no chemical residue and no taste in the h2o. Merely an almanac supply of peroxide may be expensive, so information technology'southward not as common in private home water systems.
Ozone gas — This is also a fast and safe solution that leaves no chemic residue. But ozone systems are expensive, and they add together gases to the water that you then need to vent.

If you own a individual well, or are thinking of putting one in, check in with your local health section about maintenance procedures to make sure your water is safe for everyday use. Many health departments offer free h2o testing to check the levels of sulfur and other compounds — and they tin can provide more detailed advice about the best filtration methods.

Resource Links

"Hydrogen Sulfide and Sulfur Bacteria in Well H2o" via Minnesota Department of Health
"Hydrogen Sulfide and Sulfate in Private Drinking Water Wells" via Academy of Massachusetts Amherst
"Individual Drinking H2o Wells" via U.Due south. Environmental Protection Agency