Dodgy setup?

[happyhermit]

Hi

First time poster so apologies in advance!

Just bought a place with a private water supply (well). The water tests are dodgy so I am upgrading and putting in filters. I am concerned about some of the plumbing and would be grateful for any advice particularly as we have a young child and don't want to take any risks. The system is fairly conventional, water tank in a bedroom airing cupboard (loft too small) which is fed from the well pump, then all the cold water supplies (including kitchen) are taken from the tank under gravity. The tank also supplies the hot water cylinder which is vented and indirectly heated by a coil connected to the oil fired central heating. The CH header tank is above in the loft space. Couple of things worry me:

a) The water tank had no lid and the contents looked like a pond; brown sediment, gloop hanging off the ballcock valve, green rust (verdigris?) and most of all cream coloured scale/sediment up to the water line, on the underside of the ballcock and in one of the cold outlet pipes.

b) The overflow from the CH header tank fed straight back down into the cold water tank. A lable says that Fernox has been added.

So my questions are:

1) Will the overflow have introduced Fernox into the cold water supply? How dangerous is this and can I be confident that I can flush it out of the water pipes and hot water cylinder with something? Don't want baby drinking Fernox.

2) Anyone know what the cream coloured scaling is?

3) I have removed the cold tank and will replace this. I intend flushing with something like chlorine dioxide to sterilise the entire system, but is there something else I can use to scour the system out and remove sediment, scale, fernox etc.

4) Finally the overflow from the CH header tank. Can i connect this to the cold water tank overflow but obviously downline from the tank?

Sorry for so many questions. Would appreciate any advice.

Cheers

Neil

 

[gas4you]

I can't reply to anything about the well as I only qualified in gas and heating.

The overflow from the ch header should NOT terminate in the cold storage tank. Both tanks should have lids on them and ideally have seperate overflows.

The gunk could be due to ch header overflowing into cold storage tank and contaminating the water.

Fernos should NOT be present in the domestic water.

I would stop using it until you can thoroughly clean out system or replace

 

[bobthebender]

Do what gas says and if i were you i would fit something like this on my kitchen cold tap at least.

 

[Agile]

In view of the questionable test results I would be inclined to NOT use that water for drinking and rely on bottled water.

Its fine for washing and washing up but I would use the bottled for drinking and cooking.

Chemical contamination is usually pretty irrelevant but its the biological contamination which is a problem.

Has the property been empty for any length of time?

I would be inclined to run lots of the water to waste for a few days and you may find the quality improves greatly.

Tony

 

[Biggles..]

You could run and waste it all day long but you wont remove all the contamination.

Find someone that knows how to follow the regs and chlorinate your water.

Oh and warning pipes should be individual not connected(see water regs)

 

[happyhermit]

Hi

Thanks for the replies. We are not living in the house yet, I have drained the systems down, removed the tank and the water quality (especially bacteria) is being addressed by specialist pump and filtration company based on a lab analysis of the water. We will have fully potable water.

My main concern is how to scour out any contamination left in the pipes from the old setup and particularly if the Fernox MB-1 may have got into the drinking pipes and left a residue. Can anyone shed any light on how to chemically clean out the potable pipe systems and commnet on whether residual traces of fernox in the drinking pipes after flushing are likely to be a problem.

Neil

 

[Agile]

I think you have three problems!

The well is probably very stagnant and samples of water are probably not typical of the water with regular use, hence my suggestion of pumping it to waste for a few days.

Again the storage is contaminated and cleaning and replacing that will deal with that.

Even if a little Fernox has entered the tank that will not be relevant when you have drained and washed out/replaced the storage.

An analysis of the water after pumping to waste might give different indications of treatment or just possibly no treatment at all. It all depends on the way the well is supplied and what the water is in contact with.

Tony