What's wrong with your well water?
Pick what you're seeing, smelling or tasting. Each guide explains the cause, how to confirm it with a test, and which fix matches your levels, starting with the cheapest one that works.
Start with the symptom
Orange or rust stains
Usually iron. Find out which kind and what removes it.
Black or dark brown stains
Usually manganese, which can also be a health issue.
Smells like rotten eggs
Hydrogen sulfide. Is it the well or the water heater?
Brown or yellow water
Tannins or iron. A glass test tells them apart.
Cloudy or milky water
Air, sediment, or a warning sign after rain.
Metallic taste or blue-green stains
Minerals, or your pipes corroding: copper and lead.
White scale and spotty dishes
Hard water. When it is worth treating.
Sand or grit in the water
The filter setup, and when it means a well problem.
Smells like sewage
Possible contamination. What to do right now.
After a flood
Step-by-step: disinfect, test, test again.
Free tool: Well water test results interpreter
Type in the numbers from your lab report. See what passes, what fails against EPA limits, and the order of treatment. Runs in your browser; nothing is sent.
Testing your well
Is well water safe to drink?
How to know for sure, and who should be most careful.
How to test well water
What to test for, where, and how to take a sample.
How often to test
The yearly baseline and when to test right away.
Read your results
Every common result and its EPA limit.
Home kit vs lab test
When strips are enough, and when they are not.
Choosing a test kit
Three types, what a good one covers, red flags.
Fixing the problem
Whole-house system
Which stages you need, in what order.
Choosing an iron filter
Match the filter type to your test results.
Iron filter vs softener
Different jobs. When you need both.
Air injection filters
Chemical-free iron and sulfur removal.
Remove sulfur smell
From a cheap anode swap to injection systems.
Remove manganese
Why pH matters, and health levels.
Water softeners
Sizing from hardness and iron.
Sediment filters
Types, micron ratings, setup.
UV disinfection
Class A units and pre-treatment limits.
Shock chlorinate a well
Step by step, with well-volume table.
Well costs
Test before you buy anything
Federal drinking water rules don't cover private wells, so testing is the owner's job. A certified lab test for iron, manganese, pH, hardness and coliform bacteria costs far less than the wrong treatment system. Many county health departments offer low-cost well testing. Start there.
Every guide on The Well Owner cites the EPA, state health departments or university extension services. How we research.