Home › Start here
Start Here: Well Water Guides by Problem
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes what we recommend. How we make money.
The short answer: Test before you treat. Use the checker to match what you see, smell or taste to a likely cause, then get a certified lab test before you buy any equipment.
What's wrong with my well water?
Diagnose and test
- What's Wrong With My Well Water
Pick the smell, stain or taste in your well water and see the likely cause, which test to get and which type of treatment fits. - Well water testing
What to test for, how often, and what it costs - Well water test kits
What home kits can and can't tell you - Coliform in well water
After a positive bacteria test: shock chlorination and retesting
Smell, taste and look
- Sulfur smell in well water
Rotten eggs, sewage or metal smell: causes and fixes - Smells like gas or fuel
Stop drinking, call the health department, test - Salty, metallic or bitter taste
Match the taste to the lab test - White or milky water
The glass test: harmless air or something to test - Cloudy or brown after rain
Stop drinking, disinfect and test: what the agencies say - Black specks or black water
Manganese, safe levels, testing and treatment - Iron and orange stains
Orange or brown stains: iron and manganese causes and fixes
Hard water and softeners
- Hard well water
Scale and soap film: hardness levels and softeners - Salt-free vs salt softeners
Why salt-free conditioners don't remove hardness - Water softener cost
Sourced hardware and installed prices, and what drives them - Water softener installation
Location, drain, air gap, bypass, DIY vs plumber - Softener sizing
Hardness, water use and capacity, with a worked example
Filtration and treatment
- Well water filtration systems
Which type of filter or system fits which problem - Whole-House Well Water Filtration System
Whole-house well water system: when it makes sense, which equipment matches iron, manganese, hardness or sulfur, and the one step that avoids a bad buy. - Well water treatment cost
Sourced costs, what drives the price, what to ask
Pump, pressure and power
- Well pump not working
Breaker, symptoms, power outages and when to call a pro - Well pressure tank
How it works, failing signs, waterlogged tanks, sizing - After a power outage
Pressure loss, flushing, testing and disinfecting
Sources
- This page only lists our guides. Each guide ends with the sources it uses.