Bacteria in Water

Bacteria Overview

Dangerous bacteria can contaminate your water without warning. Private wells, community wells and city water with older water lines can all become contaminated from many sources, posing a health risk to you and your family. Many low-lying areas in flood zones are also susceptible to bacteria leaching its way into pipes and aquifers. If you have any concern about bacteria in your water, we highly recommend that you have it tested. We put together the following tips to help you identify whether bacteria could be in your water and what you can do to eliminate it.

• Well Water Bacteria
• City Water Bacteria

Well Water Bacteria

• Cause: Bacteria typically makes its way into private and community wells through one of three ways:
  1. Poor well construction, recent well repairs or new construction
  2. Aquifer or surrounding soil contamination
  3. Contamination in your home’s plumbing or water systems

  Although bacteria is tasteless and odorless, if you do notice a sewage stench coming from your water, that’s a good indicator that bacteria could be leaching into your water. That said, the only way to know for sure is to have your water tested.

• Testing: Contact your local health department or hospital to have your well water tested for bacteria. The EPA states that testing 2–6 hours of sampling provides the most accurate results.
• Prevention: For bacterial iron (commonly found in toilet tank), we recommend our IronShield Max Whole House Water Filtration System. IronShield Max injects hydrogen peroxide into our proprietary filtration media to eliminate bacterial iron and other contaminants. For coliform bacteria, such as E. coli, we recommend our BacteriaShield UV Whole House Water Filtration System. This natural, innovative UV system will treat 99.9% of the bacteria trying to get through to your home’s water. If you’re looking to only treat your drinking water, see our RevitaLife RO.

City Water Bacteria

• Cause: City water treatment uses disinfectant chemicals such as chlorine and/or chloramines to treat water for bacteria. Therefore, for bacteria to be present in your city water, it typically must leach in after treatment prior to reaching your home. This usually occurs due to old city pipes or bacteria growing within your home’s plumbing or water equipment. If your area has experienced high amounts of rain or surge causing flooding, city water is at a higher risk for bacteria leaching into the water. This is why there are water boil alerts put out by cities from time to time.
• Testing: Contact your local health department or hospital to get help with lab testing your water for bacteria. The EPA states that testing within 2–6 hours of sampling provides the most accurate results.
• Prevention: If you have concerns about bacteria in your water, we recommend our BacteriaShield UV Whole House Water Filtration System. This natural, innovative UV system will treat 99.9% of the bacteria trying to get through to your home’s water. If you’re looking to only treat your drinking water, see our RevitaLife RO.

Get your free water filtration quote today by filling out the form below or calling 1-888-766-7258 to speak to one of our water experts.

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