In today's article, I will talk about several ways to help determine the quality of well water. Their advantage is that you don't need any special devices. I advise you to check yourself whether you can drink water from the well every time in the off-season.
When we determine the quality of water using our own receptors, this is called organoleptic method. It allows you to smell and taste, evaluate transparency and purity. Through chemical analysis you can clean the water hardness and acidity.
What is the organoleptic method
1. First of all, you need to determine the smell of water
I advise you to do this in two steps:
- When heated to 20 degrees.
- With stronger heating - up to 60 degrees.
In the absence of any odors, it can be argued that your water is clean. If it is contaminated, you need to understand what exactly led to this:
- When water has a foul smell, it means it is filled with hydrogen sulfide. It is not advisable to drink such water, as it can provoke nausea, dizziness, rash and other problems.
- If the smell of oil products comes from the water, it contains industrial waste. I don't think it is worth saying that drinking this water is categorically impossible.
- The water "gives off" with bleach. If you use such water, digestion will be significantly affected.
- A rotten smell from water indicates the presence of organic contamination (including decomposition products).
2. Next, you need to evaluate the color of the water
Pure water should be transparent, if it has any shade, it contains substances of organic or inorganic origin. To accurately determine the color, pour water into a transparent container and place it on a white background.
3. Moving on to taste
This stage is final. If the water has passed the test for all other indicators, you can try it to draw final conclusions.
- A sweetish taste indicates the presence of gypsum in the water.
- The bitterness is given by magnesium sulfate.
- A salty taste indicates a high salt content in the well water.
- If the water tastes like copper, there is too much iron in it.
- A putrid taste indicates organic contamination of the water.
We will carry out a chemical analysis
Determine the stiffness
If the water contains magnesium and lime, it becomes hard. You can calculate this in two ways:
- Lather your hands well. In hard water, detergents will foam very poorly, and the amount of foam will turn out to be negligible.
- See if limescale remains on the kettle. Don't forget to look at your taps. In the presence of deposits, we can talk about increased water hardness.
Several popular ways:
1. Fill a glass jar with water and hide it in a dark place for two days. After the specified time, evaluate the result: if flowering begins in the water, it is not advisable to drink it and use it for cooking.
2. Place a few drops of well water on the glass surface. See if any residue remains after the droplets evaporate. If yes, there are impurities in the water.
3. Use soap after chopping it into small pieces. Try to dissolve the soap in hot water. If you can do it quickly and without problems, the water is clean and drinkable.
4. Brew a mug of tea and dilute with raw water. If the drink stays clear, your well has clear water. If the tea becomes cloudy, you can safely pour it out!
5. Boil water for about 15 minutes. When the boiling water has cooled down, drain the water and see what scale has formed on the kettle. When the color of the scale is dark gray, iron oxide is present in the water. When the scale is yellow, the water contains calcium salts.
6. Take potassium permanganate and dissolve a few drops in a small amount of water. If the color of the liquid turns yellow, it is strictly forbidden to use such water for food.
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