Water Quality-Think Safe to Wash Hands In?

[sparking5]

Hi!

As I last posted,I did get the foreclosed/winterized house shallow well jet pump working (numerous problems but mainly plugged nozzle).

I'd like to feel I can at least wash my hands & maybe dishes if I use soap & bleach water.?????????????

Due to lack of time because I am concentrating on getting my former house ready to be a rental, I am not spending any more time yet on this house I just moved into...I guess you could say I am morelike "camping out" in it.

I am still pail flushing the remaining toilet & have not even turned on about 1/2 of the fixtures. I do have cold water at kitchen sink. Have not even tried the water heater yet. (I shower at my Mom's or old house).

Question: What the odds that the 35' open casing well is UNSAFE for even washing hands & dishes?

Condition: Looks mainly clear w/ some rust that settles & visible black manganeisum (sp?). Is there a quick, easy test I can do to check. I am not expecting it to be potable yet.

I will not drink it til I later do a state lab test that verifies it is potable. But do you think I can at least wash my hands/dishes? It is getting to be a pain to drag my few dirty dishes around & wash hands from hose in backyard running from my Mom's.

You do what you gotta do! Good thing I live alone & don't have little kids running around. It is better accomodations than I had when I went to the Gulf Coast last Sept for Hurricane Katrina & Rita.

P.S. Speaking of disasters, for future reference, when is water so bad that one does not want to use it for washing in a disaster? I guess that would depend on disaster & what was in the envirnoment nearby.

Thanks for any info/advice.

Next will be some snaking of drains that have kicked my butt so far. The toilet works when I take the time to put the newly insulated tank out of the back of my truck & install it.

Bye

[speedbump]

Pam, you've lived in the city too long. That well water won't hurt your hands. I would be more concerned about the city water they keep adding chemicals too than I would well water from 35 feet down.

The county I live in just recently added Fluoride to our drinking water. And this year they went from Chlorine to Chlorimines. I guess they had some extra Flurorid and Ammonia they didn't know what to do with, so they added it to the drinking water. Don't wash in that stuff!

bob...

[sparking5]

Hi Speedbump,

I am not a city girl. I have lower standards for drinking water than average. But after seeing the condition of the well & rest of house, knowing it sat stagnant for months, seeing the open air plastic grille vent at grade above the open well casing in the (forget name, where they kept canning jars of fruit & veggies in cellar)...I had some reservations.

(I'll add new sanitary cover when I am done).

OK, I hear ya. It probably is ok for washing. Youwanna test it for drinking? What's your address and I'll send you a sample.
Thanks

[Gary Slusser]

Assuming no chlorine in the water. As long as you don't have open sores or cuts the water can't harm you unless you bathe in it; showering should be fine. But you already shocked the well, and as long as you've run off the water from the well, you should be fine for everything but drinking/cooking with it but... A water test only tells you the quality of the sample of water that was tested, not future water quality.

Your well may need to breath, so you may not be able to seal it and still get water out of it, especially with a shallow well single line jet pump.

[speedbump]

That would be a well seal. That looks like a three inch well, but could be a 4". After chlroinating and installing the well seal, you should be good to go.

I can check your water for hardness, iron and PH. But for bacteria nitrates etc. you will have to send it to a lab.

I'll PM you with the address.

bob...

[sparking5]

To Speedbump:

When I asked if you'd test my water I meant would you do that by Drinking it! I was just kidding. Thanks anyway!

Bye

[speedbump]

It wouldn't bother me to drink that water as long as it's not surface water I'm sure it is ok. I have probably drank much worse over the years.


bob...