Many are accustomed to the fact that well water is clean, tasty and safe. It's so nice to scoop up a bucket of cool water in the summer heat and enjoy the countryside. But not every well can be drunk. Novate.ru will tell you how to determine the safety of water even without a sample.
Wells not worth drinking from
Before drinking water from an unfamiliar well, carefully inspect it. If the liquid turns out to be of poor quality, problems with the stomach or intestines may arise, so it is better to play it safe.
First, pay attention to the appearance of the well. An ennobled place without moss and weeds indicates that it is being looked after. Accordingly, people drink from the source and take care of it. If the well looks sloppy or abandoned, there must have been a reason. In such a situation, it is worth looking for another source.
Second, avoid wells located near chemical plants, farms and other businesses that pollute groundwater. Even outdoor toilets should be located away from the source to avoid negative consequences. Be sure to consider this if you are only going to drill a well.
How to check water quality
Do not forget about trivial advice: drink only clean and transparent water without suspicious odors, especially chemical ones. Avoid liquids with a rotten, metallic, moldy, silty scent. Unusual odors mean that there is an overabundance of certain components in the water. By the way, the aroma can appear when the liquid is heated. It is also better not to use such water.
If the water looks like drinking water, take a sip. The sweet aftertaste is indicative of gypsum particles in the composition. Salty signals the presence of mineral salts. A bitter taste means there is a lot of magnesium sulfate in the water. Rot is felt due to the abundance of organic elements. And the metallic aftertaste comes from an excess of iron.
Experiments at home
To test other characteristics of water, do home experiments. For example, to determine the hardness, smear out a drop of liquid soap. If it foams well, then the water is soft. Backlash is a sign of stiffness.
Interested in the amount of mineral salts? Leave a drop of water on the glass surface. If after drying there is a cloudy trace, the mineral content is off scale.
Doubt about the purity of the water? Pour the liquid into a clear glass and try to read the text on a magazine or paper through it. Plus, this will make the sediment more noticeable, which may turn out to be debris, small stones, sand and even worms.
Potassium permanganate will help determine the quality of water. Add a small amount of the substance to the liquid and evaluate the shade. Pale pink indicates water safety. A dull yellow is a sign that you definitely shouldn't drink the liquid. Be sure to use our tips if you want to get drunk from the well and don't risk your stomach.
We also advise you to read, why it is forbidden to collect rainwater in the USA and Canada.