Iron stains, rotten egg smell, arsenic, uranium, bacteria. What's in your well depends on the ground under your home, and no one tests it but you. We find out what's there and fix it.
Updated
About 2.4 million North Carolinians rely on groundwater as their main drinking water source, according to NC DHHS. City water is tested and treated by the utility. A private well is not: there is no mandated oversight of private well water quality in North Carolina, and it is up to the homeowner to test and treat it.
New wells must be tested within 30 days of completion. After that, no test is ever required. Fewer than 200,000 of the state's private wells were tested for contaminants between 2000 and 2010.
NC DHHS puts it plainly: many wells in North Carolina have too much lead, arsenic, iron, manganese, low pH, and harmful bacteria.
What your well carries depends on the rock under your home. These are the problems we see most across our service areas.
Orange and black stains, metallic taste, clogged fixtures. Common across the Piedmont, where clay soils leach iron into groundwater. NC State research found manganese above water-quality standards in wells serving over a million southeastern Piedmont residents.
SmellHydrogen sulfide gas makes water smell like rotten eggs and tarnishes silver and copper. Often worse in hot water.
Eastern Wake CountyThe rock under eastern Wake County is naturally rich in uranium. Wake County expects one in five wells there to have unsafe levels of uranium, radon or related contaminants.
Slate BeltFound more often in the Carolina Slate Belt, which runs from Union County to Person County. Alexander, Anson, Dare, Montgomery, Stanly and Union counties typically see more of it. You can't see, smell or taste it.
Coliform bacteria can enter through a damaged wellhead or after flooding. NC DHHS recommends testing for it every year.
Hard well water scales water heaters and fixtures; acidic water corrodes copper pipes and can pull lead from older plumbing.
We match the equipment to what your test shows. Most wells need more than one stage.
| Problem | What fixes it | Our system |
|---|---|---|
| Iron, manganese, sulfur | Air-injection oxidation filter | Iron & Sulfur Filter (up to 15 ppm iron, 5 ppm manganese, 5 ppm sulfur) |
| Bacteria, viruses | UV sterilization | UV Sterilizer |
| Sand, silt, sediment | Sediment pre-filtration | Pre-Sediment Filter |
| Hardness | Ion exchange softening | Dual Tank Softener |
| Arsenic, uranium, PFAS, nitrate | Reverse osmosis at the tap | 7-Stage RO or 5-Stage RO |
| Several of the above | Multi-stage treatment | Well Water System |
We come to your home, test your well water on the spot for hardness, iron, pH and dissolved solids, and walk you through the results before recommending anything.
For bacteria, arsenic, uranium and other contaminants that need a certified lab, we show you how to order a panel through your county health department, then design the system around both sets of results.
No. North Carolina requires a test only when a new well is completed. After that, testing and treatment are up to the homeowner. Your county health department can arrange lab tests, and we test on-site for free.
NC DHHS recommends testing for bacteria every year, for heavy metals, nitrates, nitrites, lead and copper every two years, and for pesticides and volatile organic compounds every five years. Test again after well repairs or flooding.
Often, yes. Our Well Water System combines sediment filtration, iron and sulfur removal, softening and UV sterilization. Reverse osmosis at the kitchen sink adds protection against arsenic, uranium and PFAS in drinking water.
Only a test can tell you. Arsenic, uranium, radon and bacteria have no taste or smell, so water that looks and tastes fine can still carry them.
It depends on what your water needs, so we quote after testing. The test and the quote are free, and every system carries a lifetime warranty.
Free on-site water test, a system matched to your results, and a lifetime warranty.