FAQ's

Click on the question for a detailed answer:

Why is my water cloudy?
There are several reasons that your water can have a cloudy appearance.

  1. Your water may have some air dissolved in it. Let it stand for a minute and if the water clears up, it is simply air. The small bubbles air creates rise to the surface and burst. You may want look into why you water has air dissolved in it.
  2. Your water may have some minerals, clay or silt in suspension. If you let a small water sample sit for 24 hours undisturbed and a small discolored film or layer forms on the bottom of the container, you have suspended particles. Removal of suspended particles is usually done with a mechanical filtration process. Mechanical filtration is simply making water pass through a screen or filter media that has openings that are smaller than the particles you want to trap.
  3. Your water may have iron, manganese or other minerals dissolved in it. This means that the iron, manganese or minerals will not settle out and must be removed by a specifically designed filtration method.

Why does my water smell like rotten eggs?
The most likely reason that your water smells like rotten eggs because it contains Hydrogen Sulfide. Hydrogen Sulfide is a poisonous gas that can be harmful if it is released in an enclosed environment that humans regularly occupy. Hydrogen Sulfide is particularly dangerous because after the first sniff or two your sense of smell is desensitized and cannot readily identify there is an odor that danger present. Hydrogen Sulfide is not uncommon in well water and can be readily removed by a few different methods:

  1. Air Stripping. Bubbling air through water containing hydrogen sulfide will remove the hydrogen sulfide present over a period of time. Many times filling a storage tank by spraying the water to aerate it before it collects will remove most of the Hydrogen sulfide.
  2. Ozone Stripping. Ozone (O3) can be mixed with water to remove hydrogen sulfide very rapidly.
  3. Adding a polymer to convert the Hydrogen Sulfide to a form that can then be filtered out. This technique usually involves very expensive ‘patented’ polymers that are not always effective and are usually very expensive to install. They ensure whoever specifies and installs them a long future of return visits and expensive polymer sales.

What is a charcoal filter?
Activated charcoal is a great filter when used within the scope of its intended application. The intended applications for charcoal filtration include removal of heavy metals, chlorine and other specific contaminates. Some proponents of charcoal filters promote them for removing bacterial contamination. This is a complete misnomer and a charcoal filter should never be used in this type of situation as charcoal can actually provide a habitat that promotes bacteriological growth!

How do I remove pathogenic organisms (bacteria, cysts, spores and viruses) from water?
Pathogenic organisms come in many shapes and sizes ranging from bacteria, cysts, spores, viruses, protozoa, and fungus. Some pathogens are actually beneficial to our environment while others are extremely dangerous such as fecal coliform bacteria, Legionella, cryptosporidium. One of the most common paths that pathogenic organisms utilize to propagate is water!

Decontaminate the Source The first approach to a well or water supply contaminated with a pathogenic organism is to try and eliminate the source of the contamination. In cases where the contamination source is easily identified, this is simple. For example, if a storage tank has a dead animal in it, the animal would be removed and the water in the tank would be heavily chlorinated. The chlorinated water is then flushed into the distribution pipelines until chlorine is present throughout the system. The heavily chlorinated water would be allowed to sit a minimum of 24 hours in the pipelines. The system is then flushed to remove all chlorine and a bacteria sample taken and analyzed to ensure the water is safe for consumption.

If the source of contamination is not easily identified or is recurrent, one of the following methods of continuous pathogen removal should be implemented to insure safe water:

Ultraviolet (UV) light is commonly used reduce health risks posed by waterborne pathogens. Ultraviolet light works by taking away the ability of the organisms to reproduce. The key factor in the ability of pathogenic organisms to harm a human is found in the organisms ability to quickly reproduce. A single bacterium can reproduce itself into hundreds of millions of bacteria in a few hours if left to their own devices! If that bacteria is sterile, it cannot reproduce, and will likely cause little to no harm.

Chlorine is a common disinfectant and is often used on small, medium and large scales. Chloine is injected into the water to kill or neutralize pathogenic organisms. Chlorine is usually dosed into the water so that there is an excess available to ensure that the water stays free of pathogens as it travels the long distances through distribution pipes to the households. Chlorine systems require regular water testing and maintenance. Drawbacks to chlorine usage include taste and odor problems. It is a matter of preference, but we find some residential and food and beverage customers shy away from chlorine usage.

Ozone-residual (short half life) is another technology that is commonly used to disinfect water. Ozone is a heavyduty disinfectant that literally takes the pathogenic organisms and tears them apart. Ozone levels used for disinfection in water are not harmful for humans and ozone does not leave an aftertaste like chlorine. Ozone is typically generated onsite and does not require the continued purchase of chlorine or other chemicals. Ozone systems do require regular maintenance. Residual ozone in your water has a relatively short half-life so it is not able to disinfect long distances of contaminated pipeline.

Slow Sand Filtration Slow Sand filtration is an age old technique that requires very little energy input and can produce clean water. Slow sand filtration systems require careful design and planning as well as regular basic maintenance. Slow sand filtration requires that water move through a sand bed with a depth of 24 to 36” under minimal head pressures. A layer forms on top of the slow sand filter that digests pathogenic organisms. The first few inches of the slow sand filter catch particulate matter. One of the drawbacks of slow sand filtration is the space requirement. A system capable of providing 10 Gallons per minute would take up 40 square feet. Slow sand filtration is a “green” technology that uses natural components from our environment and no electricity to produce pure clean water. Diatomaceous Earth. Diatomaceous Earth is a technology where water is forced through a fabric that is coated with diatomaceaous earth. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceaous_earth Since DE is extremely jagged on a microscopic level, it is an excellent filter that catches suspended solids that can harbor bacteria and slices or shreds them. DE filters require regular maintenance and a dedicated pumping system but typically have a small footprint for a relatively high volume output.

There are a myriad of filtration designs, some of which utilize combinations of the above-mentioned technologies to ensure complete pathogen removal. Whichever technology(s) is utilized must be properly designed by a water professional and have regular maintenance performed in order to ensure that they maintain a high level of performance. Any specialty filtration technique, when improperly designed, installed or maintained can leave your water supply at risk of bacterial contamination. Systems that use of any type of pathogen removal should be closely monitored and regularly tested to ensure the safety of the consumer.

What is Reverse Osmosis filtration used for?
Reverse Osmosis Filtration is commonly used to remove difficult contaminates. Common contaminates in our area include arsenic, boron, and silica. While Reverse Osmosis filters have very fine, sub-micron filtration capability, and theoretically can filter out cysts, microbes and bacteria, RO is not an approved disinfection technology for bacteria removal because there is no way to ensure the pathogens are effectively destroyed. Reverse Osmosis filtration is rarely used on a stand-alone basis. Pre treatment/filtration is often done to remove particulate matter and large quantities of iron or manganese. This is done to extend the life the reverse osmosis membranes. A UV light is commonly used in conjunction with RO filters to ensure that bacteria is effectively deactivated. Reverse Osmosis filtration produces very pure water which is naturally corrosive to the metal piping in a water system. A filter that distributes calcite into the system should be added to keep corrosion to a minimum. Reverse Osmosis filtration does have its applications, however anyone thinking about utilizing an RO should consider that it is an energy intensive technology that requires regular, high-level, maintenance. Additionally, for every gallon of filtered water a RO system produces, up to four gallons of wastewater is produced. RO membranes are relatively costly and need to be changed on a regular basis, typically about 5 years, to ensure proper operation and output.

Why do I have green staining on my fixtures?
The green staining on your fixtures is caused by water that is corrosive dissolving the copper in your piping. That copper-bearing water encounters the air at your sink faucet, oxidizes and leaves the green stain. This problem can be corrected by raising the pH of your water so that your water is no longer corrosive. The process can often involve aeration, filtration, or injection of chemicals to raise the ph levels. Sometimes combinations of these technologies are required to raise the pH effectively.

Is hard water bad? Do I need a water softener?
Hard water is not “bad” but hard water may not be your preference. Hard water is caused by the existence of Calcium or Magnesium in water that causes white scaly water spots. These spots show up on your class ware, car, and windows when they are washed and then dry. Some people prefer hard water since soft water makes them feel slimy which makes it seem hard to rinse soap off. Others like soft water because it does eliminate some water spotting on things like glassware and your car. Hard water can be “softened” most simply a water softener. Water softeners belong to a category of filters known as ion-exchange. This means they take the hard mineral ions such as calcium and magnesium and substitute “soft” ions such as sodium or potassium. Water softeners change water chemistry, typically lowering the pH causing the water to be more corrosive which can potentially damage any copper or iron pipe in your house.

What are the red stains from in my sinks and toilet bowls?
The red staining in your sinks and toilet bowls is often from iron in the water oxidizing/depositing on your fixtures. The iron in the water can come from two sources:

  1. Relatively pure water with a very low pH. This acidic water is encountering old iron pipes, dissolving them and then depositing your dissolved piping on your fixtures! The solution in this case often involves raising the pH of your water so that it will not dissolve your pipes.
  2. Your water had iron in it from the source. The iron will need to be removed with an appropriate iron filter to stop the staining.

Why do I have low water pressure?
Your water pressure may be low for several different reasons.

  1. You may be connected to a city water supply that does not have pressure that is high enough for your household needs. You may be able to contact the city to discuss your problem, or install a pressure boosting system if the city is unable to raise your pressure.
  2. The piping to your house may be too small, a valve may be partially closed or your piping may have iron/mineral deposits inside which present a significant restriction to the flow of water. When this is the case water will usually have very good flow and pressure for the first second or so then quickly taper off. The solution can be as simple as opening a valve or as complex as cleaning the deposits and scale from your existing piping or replacing your piping.
  3. If you have your own well and pump then the pressure could be low for one or several reasons. Those listed above or your well-pump could be old an in need of new parts or replacing altogether, the pressure switch that controls how much pressure you have is not adjusted or functioning properly or you may have a well that is not yielding enough water to supply your needs.

I own a well and sometimes when I’m using water the water will completely stop and then start coming again a second later. What is happening?
There are 3 basic components that work in conjunction to provide your water. The pump pumps the water in a well and stores it in a pressure tank. When the pressure is high enough in the system, the pressure switch shuts the pump off and a charge of pressurized water is kept in the pressure tank. As you utilize water the pressure slowly drops and the pressure switch turns on the pump to recharge the pressure tank. This problem is most likely happening because the pressure switch is set at a pressure that is too low and/or the charge in your pressure tank is too high.

My well is dry, what do I do?
A dry well, in most cases is a misnomer. Wells that go “dry” actually are producing less water than they originally produced. This can be due to a couple of different causes:

  1. Sustained periods of drought can cause the water table to drop. A dropping aquifer is indicated by a well maintaining a low water level even after running your pump. There is very little one can do about the aquifer level dropping other than drilling a new well since deepening wells is typically not practical.
  2. Your well can also have reduced production if it becomes plugged with minerals and scale. A plugged well is indicated by the water level dropping very quickly after pumping and only slowly recovering after the pump is shut down. These minerals can be dissolved and flushed out via a professional cleaning or well rehabilitation. OPS has conducted many successful well rehabilitations where yields have been restored to acceptable operating levels.

Does the water I use impact my electricity bill?
If the water you use comes from a municipal water supply it may not impact your electricity bill at all. Your water bill, however, could be impacted. Typical municipalities build the cost of the electricity it takes to pump, treat and monitor the water they provide into their consumer rates. The more water they must provide, the higher costs, the higher your rates. Did you know that current data indicates that 40% of all energy consumption in the United States is utilized in pumping water!

If the water you use comes from a well and pump then your electric bill is dramatically impacted by how much water you utilize. Look on your pump controller and find out how many horsepower (HP) your pump is. At current electrical rate schedules each horsepower costs between $0.10 and $.20 per hour to run. This means if you have a 5 horsepower pump and it needs to run 5 hours a day to meet your irrigation and household needs you could be spending up to $2.50 per day or about $75 a month to power your well pump.

Can I reduce the amount of energy/cost to pump water?
Yes. Here are a few ways you can reduce the amount of energy to pump water:

  1. Pump your water as few times as possible. Many water systems include many pumps that pump the same water multiple times. Take for example a system OPS helped revise at a large Mission Hospital in Nepal. As you read, note the number of times “pumped” is used.
    Water comes from springs located up in the foothills of the Himalayas and travels in pipes to the hospital where it is stored in an underground storage tank. The water was then pumped to a second underground storage tank where it was then pumped up to an elevated storage tank. From the elevated storage tank the water gravity feeds the hospital compound and then travels down hill to a nursing school where the water was held in an underground storage tank. This water was then pumped to a second underground storage tank from where it was then pumped to another elevated storage tank.
    For users at the very end the water was “pumped” FOUR times! The tragic part of this scenario is that the water would never need to be pumped even once if the water system had been properly laid out or installed in the first place! OPS was able to cut the number of times the water was pumped down to two because complete system replacement was not feasible. Are there ways that your water system can utilize gravity or modify operations to eliminate unnecessary pumping?
  2. Pump your water as efficiently as possible. Not all pumps are created equally nor are they created for the same job! Pump A may be able to pump water at the same pressure and volume as Pump B. Pump B, however, utilizes a high efficiency motor and has been hydrodynamically engineered to reduce internal energy losses and has been sized to operate in it’s peak efficiency range. Pump A is 50% efficient and Pump B is 70% efficient when you compare the amount of electrical energy put into the pump to the amount of mechanical energy output in the water.
  3. Use less water! There are several areas in which water may be reduced. Irrigation water is usually one of the highest water consumers. Check with your landscaper and slowly start reducing watering times/frequency and monitoring plant health. Utilizing mulch in cultivated soils significantly increases water retention and can reduce water needs. Install plants that require less water or none at all. You can also install shower heads, toilets and sink faucets that flow at much reduced rates. Don’t run a load of dishes in the dishwasher until it is full, and when you run a load of clothes in the washer, make sure to adjust the load size to the actual load you are putting in. Running the machine on the full setting when you have only half a load can waste a significant amount of water and energy.
  4. Waste less water. Wasting water comes in the form of several areas. Leaks are one of the biggest culprits. A dripping faucet can waste 5 gallons of water a day! A hose not completely turned off can waste 500 gallons per day! Leaky underground pipes are sometimes responsible for leaks on the order of thousands of gallons per day. To find leaks in your system, you need to strategically locate one or more water meters, make sure you aren’t using any water and check the meter to see if it is showing water movement. You can also check for leaks in your well water system with the use of a pressure gauge. Make sure you don’t use any water for a given period of time. Watch your pressure gauge and if it goes down over that period of time, then you have a leak!
  5. Pump your water in off peak electrical demand periods. If you have tried the above methods to reduce water usage and are after some additional cost savings, pumping your water in off peak electrical demand periods may be a possibility. This scenario involves pumping your water to storage tanks in the night and mornings and then using water from those storage tanks during the on-peak demand hours when electricity is much more expensive. You system needs to be reviewed and analyzed to see if it can benefit from such a scenario.

Why would I need or even want a water tank or storage system?
There are several very good reasons for storage tanks.

  1. Storage tanks provide a reserve of water that can be used during high demand periods.
  2. Storage tanks can be used to collect rain water for
  3. County ordinances often require storage tanks in certain areas to ensure an adequate supply of water in the case of a fire.
  4. Storage tanks give a buffer capacity of water to offset times when your well pump needs servicing or replacement
  5. Storage tanks make some methods of water treatment (air stripping and circulation loop/polishing filters)

Where does my water come from?
Your water more than likely comes from one of two basic sources and is provided by either you on your own property or by your local water company or municipality. Water is generally categorized as surface water coming from lakes, runoff, streams or rivers; or as ground water which originates from springs or wells. Municipalities generally rely on surface water while homeowners generally rely on wells or springs which provide ground water. Surface water is typically softer with a low mineral content and usually must be treated for bacterial contamination since the rivers, lakes and streams have some level of bacteria present.

Well water typically has higher mineral content and is, in general, harder. Ground water is typically free of pathogenic organisms and thus does not need to be treated. Keep in mind that all well water was surface water at some point! Surface water from streams, lakes and rivers slowly seeps down through the earth over the period of years and in so doing the bacteria age and die and the water dissolves many of the minerals present in the earth. Places where the surface water quickly penetrate to the aquifer often have contaminated aquifers because the bacteria have a quick path to the ground water.

What Qualifications should the person working on my water system have?
When looking for a contractor to work on your well, pump or water filtration system it is important to select a qualified company of good report. Always ask for references and a license number. Verify the license information at http://www2.cslb.ca.gov/General-Information/interactive-tools/check-a-license/License+Request.asp. Check to see that the name they give you matches the name on the license. Also verify that the license and insurance are current. Ensure that the license endorsement(s) are appropriate to the work they are doing. For working on wells and pumps a well drilling or pump endorsement is a must. In addition, it is advised that an electrical endorsement and a plumbing endorsement be on the license as well.

If your system requires a permit to operate or is considered a public water system, the qualifications to work on your system are even more stringent and are regulated by the state of California. The contractor should have a State of California Treatment and/or Distribution License.

You should look for a well established business. The smaller one man shops can give some up front cost savings, however, they often have limited experience and resources at their disposal, are not available for emergency calls/warrantee work and in general have a hard time giving you the best all round pumping system. The contractor should have been in business for at least 5 years and be able to provide verifiable references.

What should I be wary of when hiring a contractor to dig a well?
When you’d like to have a well dug, check the licensure of the well driller (see above question). Ask the driller for references and also ask some of your neighbors that have wells. It is also useful to call a couple of pump companies in your area that do not drill wells (like Oakville Pump Service, Inc) and ask them who does a good job of drilling wells. The pump guys see lots of wells and how a well is drilled determines the well’s productivity and impact the water quality of the well. Some drillers think that since you can’t see what’s down the hole, they’ll put sub standard materials or scrimp on the details. The results show up when the pump is installed or when a camera is sent down to find out why a well is behaving badly. Often the cheapest well drillers end up costing the most because they have lots of “extras” that aren’t included in quoted price.

How should I locate someone to fix my pump?
Our industry suffers from its share of individuals which have no scruples when it comes to getting the most they can out of every service call. Well pumps do suffer from mechanical problems however, fewer than 30% of the pumps we troubleshoot need to be pulled or replaced as the problem is often a minor one that can be dealt with on the surface. If a contractor says you need to pull the pump you should be prepared to ask the following questions:

  1. Is it the pump or the motor that has the problem?
  2. What is wrong with the pump/motor?
  3. Can you show me your diagnostic information? (Electrical current, static pressure, winding resistance and winding resistance to ground)
  4. How can you be sure the problem isn’t with the pressure tank, pressure switch or control box?

They should be prepared to answer each of these questions promptly and the answers should make clear sense. They should be able to show you motor diagnostic readings that verify problems with the pump motor or demonstrate the pump is simply not meeting your flow and/or pressure requirements. If they have given clear answers to the above questions, ask the next series of questions:

  1. What pump will you replace it with?
  2. How deep is my well?
  3. What is the depth to water?
  4. How much water does the new pump produce?

This may sound silly, but be VERY wary if they have too many answers! Many wells do not have all the information printed on them as to what their depth, productivity, water level and pump type is. This information may be buried in some of your files, in the well log at the county, or in the contractor’s file if they have serviced your system before. The pump contractor needs to have the well depth and depth to water or the model number of the existing pump to have a good starting point to properly size a pump. Keep in mind that there are many models of pumps within any given manufacturer to meet the variety of conditions, flows and depths of wells. Any contractor that stops and tells you he needs to confirm correct well information in order to put the right pump in is a good one to have! A contractor that tells you he has just the pump for you but has little to information is probably about to sell you something you don’t need.

Some contractors try to sell you much more pump than you need! It is not uncommon for our service men to find a very large pump installed to provide water for very minimal demands. This means you’re using more power and paying more upfront than you really need to. Ask your pump contractor to tell you why he as chosen a particular pump for your application. Pumps that are oversized have the capacity to pull more water than the aquifer can supply. This means your pump will run out of water. The contractor can then sell you pump controls that turn the pump off should it run dry. We’ve seen some contractors sell huge pumps and then strap a valve on them to throttle the pump down to the desired output. Another waste of energy and an increased up front cost.

Once the contractor has gotten the data pertinent to your well and sized a pump that you as the customer agree to, get a quote on the cost to replace the pump, wire, pipe and any other items that aren’t ready for another 10 years of service in your well. Make sure to ask the contractor to tell you the efficiency range your new pump will be operating in as well as how long the warrantee on the pump is for.

Why are there so many different types of pumps? A pump is just a pump isn’t it?
There are so many different types of pumps because there are many different types of pumping applications. Some applications require pumping water at very high pressures and some applications require very high volumes. Some pumping applications involve very corrosive water and some require very hot water. Pumps are designed for specific applications. While a pump designed for pumping at very high pressures may work at pumping at lower pressures, that pump may actually be damaged by pumping too low a pressure! Perhaps your well is a sandy well. If that’s the case there are some pumps that handle sand quite well and some that will lock up in short order. Perhaps you have a hot water well. A pump with composite materials may not stand up very well in this situation and the motor for this pump needs to be oversized since cooling becomes an issue. At Oakville Pump we look very closely at your pumping application and find just the right pump for the job. There’s a reason the pumps we install last longer than the industry averages!