Can I drink my well water? The results are in

Original video: • I dug a 40 foot well i...
Responding to comments: • Reaction to comments o...
Answering MORE comments: • Answering comments on ...
The water test I used is only $30: amzn.to/45GoW63

[@michaelbilledeaux3590]

You should have tested your tap water in comparison

[@BadHomeowner]

I will at some point.

[@samstringo4724]

@@BadHomeowner It would be really nice to see!

[@-.Samuel.-]

If you want an interesting experiment leave both well and tap water out for your animals and see which they prefer.

[@demonrathunter]

that will only tell you they are thirsty , Remember dogs will eat their own poop.

[@drb0mb]

@@demonrathunter i thought that was because it's delicious and not because they were hungry

[@BensMiniToons]

​@@demonrathunter My dog will not drink my tap water. it prefers drinking from the Creek.

[@leavethemkidsalone860]

@@BensMiniToons I've experimented on something similar. Tap water in a dish vs berkey filtered tap water. The straight tap water is gross and murky in a day or two. The filtered is good for about a week.

[@CorkySandpiper]

I did something similar. I dug 50 ft of hole but in the end, I could only get 40ft of suction pipe in the hole. It has been running for 25 years now and has never once ran out of water.

[@rustyg.7143]

What a blessing 🙏

[@jacobsmithjr]

I grew up drinking well water. It taste alot better than city water.

[@ddouglas3687]

You tapped into the aquifer so the water has been continuously filtered. Only time you should be concerned is when rain or surface water infiltrates your well. Great results for a diy well! Just make sure the well head area doesn't pool water from the surface and you should be fine forever!

[@seandrake7534]

It amazes me how many people think you cant drink well water

[@Fletcher91]

At least here in Europe everything is so old it's hard to know whether the ground has been contaminated at some point.

[@JesseFaught]

a 40 foot well is pretty shallow for drinking water. The more shallow the well, the more likely it is to be contaminated.

[@scdhl4]

This was going to be my next question. Happy it worked out for you, here in SoCal, people pay top prices for high alkaline water, so you scored there too. Stay Safe and Stay Vigilant Friend.

[@AntoninJezek]

It's funny because high alkaline water is just the result of water being hard.

[@leavethemkidsalone860]

​@@AntoninJezekno way... had no idea

[@ForgottenFables-oi1oc]

Now you can bottle and sell it at the local farmers market.

[@Flumphinator]

Artisanal craft water.

[@michellecelesteNW]

Fantastic. Now when you get major rainstorms be sure to test the nitrites/nitrates again. I'm so happy for you. Thanks for sharing the making of video. You saved future me $20-40k

[@TooManyHobbiesNotEnoughTime]

"if I don't upload any more videos, you'll know why..." been there. Great video. Thanks!!

[@billygilbert7911]

Use a lab to test the water unless you aren't consuming it.

[@Axrover]

softner or filter and you're good to go.

[@72151]

Nothing filters water like limestone. Dirt and rocks are very good at filtering water. Remember in most locations in the US, water flows N to S underground.

[@joecummings1260]

Growing up our house got it's water from a hand dug rock lined well that was about 50 feet deep that was dug in the 1700's. There was a door in the basement with a short passageway that you could use to access the well. Up at ground level was a hand pump. I was told that the door with the tunnel was in case they were under attack.

[@zulucharlie5244]

Very interesting results and project. Thank you for posting; lots of good ideas were generated for me.

[@cheeseymccheese7249]

My money is on your well water is going to be much better than your city water. I am on well water and have been for 15 years now. I have zero filters on it, just straight out of the ground at about 16 deep deep. Sent my water sample in last year and the guy i spoke with said it is some of the cleanest water he has seen

[@BadHomeowner]

I bet you're right

[@dbmail545]

In my state potable wells have to be 100' minimum. Shallow wells can only be used for irrigation. Because of the sinkholes in the area aquifers under 50' deep will be contaminated with surface water. Nothing that can't be handled by filters, UV light, bleach or boiling.

[@EdwardM919]

It'll more than likely draw down faster than it can recharge, even if you could avoid pesticides and make it safe to drink. It's viable for watering gardens or other small things that need water, not really, for whole home use.

[@BadHomeowner]

Yes I'm mainly using it for irrigation. The well has been running for over a year now, I'm hoping it will last years to come. I guess we'll see how long it lasts!

[@CryptoNewsTV]

It’s good, except for the hard water. If you use this for the shower or sinks, you will get a lot of calcium build up and crusties around your fixtures and will go green/yellow

[@chuckfinley3152]

No flouride is a massive plus

[@Flumphinator]

fluoride*

[@BCM16AR]

Not sure why it tests for fluoride. That's a chemical added to the water by your water company, its not something that's in your ground water.

[@Roobotics]

@@BCM16AR Because it's a generic sort of test kit, you would use this on a house plumbed to the municipality all the same. Reasons ranging from bacteria growing in your heater, to lead pipes. It's a catch-all. That said, I'm not an expert, but that might mean there are more tests that aren't as generic, that he SHOULD test specifically being well water, different sorts of bacteria, other metals or contaminants, radiation, etc etc.

[@rickywinthrop]

Johnny soft tooth over here with the debunked anti public health theories...bet you don't vax either lol. Soft in the head likely too.

[@seanseoltoir]

Back in my grandfather's day, when they dug a well for the ranch back around 1900 or so, it was not as deep as you ended up drilling and they survived drinking from it for MANY decades... By the 1960s or so, they had a more professional well drilled and it was a few hundred feet deep, but the old well that had been dug by had was still there... It really depends on the area though... Sometimes, you have to go pretty deep to get good water... Sometimes, if you go too deep, you get water with a bit of hydrogen sulfide smell to it...

[@jlong16]

A home test? No, no, no ,no. Check with you state's department of health to see what they require to conduct a water test. They actually have qualified techs and laboratories to analyze your water sample and the cost will vary from state to state but usually they rum anywhere from $25 to $50. A small price to pay to insure your water is safe.

[@BadHomeowner]

I saw the words "State Department Of" and stopped reading

[@canuckfixit7722]

Probably best to take a sample of that water to a local water testing lab and have it professionally tested for "potability". In terms of bacteria (or micro biology), you aim to have no (as in "0") fecal coliform counts.

[@Iampalindrome]

PVC is not rated for potable water, CPVC is used instead because it can better withstand the heat. PVC, as well as PEC, will if heated past a certain point permanently leach chemicals into the water and it can't be reversed. Where PEC was buried out west they had to rip the lines out of the ground after the fires because the buried lines were contaminating the water.

[@eugeniusbear2297]

This is 100% not true. PVC is used all the time for potable water applications. CPVC is just chlorinated PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride), basically the same compound with additional plasticizers integrated into it to improve its thermal capabilities. PVC should be more than adequate for this application as PVC can easily withstand pressures up to 100 Deg F without a significant derating of its pressure capabilities. I seriously doubt the water drawn from this well will ever exceed 70 Deg F.

[@joelhenry4643]

Incredible alkaline water!!!!!😅

[@desktorp]

Many counties have water testing services that will give more detailed results, where they provide you with containers and you bring them back and get the results from a lab. Might be worth checking out.

[@drsoils]

this is awesome dude

[@DustanMoore]

It's definitely safer to drink than municpal water. Our water tastes like chlorine, so we buy bottled water lol

[@BadHomeowner]

I don't think I can afford to drink bottled water all the time! I grew up drinking tap water out of a garden hose and I think I turned out fine.

[@gridtac2911]

​@@BadHomeowner back then we didn't have the decay of piping, massive amounts of birth control and other medications being flushed down the toilet, and the completely incompetent people managing our water filtration. It's a different time man.

[@alexv259]

All the people here and other places keep whining about city water, I truly wish I had a time machine that I could send you back to 150 years ago and let you have a great romantic time in that era, where smell of manure becomes part of your skin and whole being. It is so sad and disappointing for you people to appreciate how far humanity have made great progress; particularly, and very particularly in a democratic system like U.S., overall, has been great. Now, please start whining… oh about fluoride!! The evil chemical that has been so great against dental cavities.

[@marcushoward6560]

@@alexv259 Nah, I'll happily take the higher quality well and spring water I grew up on, over the absolute garbage that tastes worse than untreated river water, ruins the appliances, and kills aquarium fish and plants. Then again, I'm not a brain-dead zombie that worships at the alter of government and the nonsense it spews.

[@marcushoward6560]

@@BadHomeowner It looks pretty decent, but I'd suggest getting a good ceramic and charcoal filter just to keep on hand, in case you ever needed to drink the water in an emergency (or other non-critical situation). They aren't expensive, don't take up much room, and last a long time. Did you ever consider using a pitcher pump or were you settled on the electric pump from the beginning? If it got sluggish in a hot dry summer, you could always set a cistern next to it to collect water between well recharging. This video has definitely made me reconsider giving this a try. Thanks.

[@markmacleod6971]

if you filter the water you can drink it. you should filter well water anyway , just to be on the safe side. Run it through a good gravity filter or a good pressure filter . One that filters out bacteria , like Giardia etc. and you will be just fine.

[@JxH]

Two words to know and understand: *REVERSE OSMOSIS* It's a type of "hyper" water filter that's not far off 'distillation' levels of purity. You can purchase one to install beside your kitchen sink for just a few hundred dollars. We've on a drilled well and have had a RO filter installed for more than 20 years (we're on the 2nd one, so they last about a decade). We find them to be almost maintenance-free, but YMMV !! There are versions to "save" the bypass water, pumping it back into the hot water feed to your kitchen sink, but that makes exactly zero sense for most people. I mention this technology, these products, because so many people are living though water purity nightmares that could be (perhaps) solved for a few hundred dollars. We dragged city drinking water to our house for a couple of years, but it wasn't too bad. Still, an RO filter was a huge improvement. Do your own research.

[@gantz4u]

get a TDS meter. True reverse osmosis gives a water of 0 TDS that acts as a solvent on the body. Water needs a little dissolved minerals in it before drinking to make drinking grade water. You can accomplish this by adding a little potassium chloride, magnesium sulfate, sodium chloride and calcium supplement (what have you) to simulate the water passing through natural rock layers. I'd suggest finding a known drinking water PPM to use as a baseline then boosting your RO water to that PPM level. It doesnt matter what Good minerals are in it as much as theres a proper level of PPM to prevent the water from stripping your body of its minerals. 0 PPM RO water has been studied as drinking water. Its not healthy and may result in not alive syndrome from complications.

[@JxH]

@@gantz4u Okay, but one could also... 1) Go outside once in a while, have a meal elsewhere. Fast food, fine dining, visiting family. 2) Drink various drinks that are made with non-RO water, such as commercial Ice Tea, beer, wine, soda/pop, etc. If you find yourself in a prison cell with access to only RO water, then best to lick the concrete walls once in a while. ;-) I'm kidding, but it's a very odd assumption that people are trapped in their house and constrained to drink only RO water. Daily I'll have a coffee or two (at home) made with RO water, and a glass of water. The other 80% of my liquid intake is not made with RO water from my RO tap at home. Sodium Chloride is salt, please pass the chips. Other salts are found in what's called 'food'. You point is true, but only a small fraction of the impact for anyone that isn't under house arrest or house-bound. Cheers.

[@JxH]

@@gantz4u "...get a TDS meter..." Actually, I have several. The TDS meter reads about 10% (very roughly) of what the raw well water reads. Not zero. Our raw well water has an ever-so-slight slight mineral taste, extremely mild. The RO water has no taste that I can detect.

[@gantz4u]

@@JxH your counter argument of "we dont actually drink reverse osmosis water so its chill" seems safe. as far as being trapped with your only source of clean water being RO the soviet study trying to solve a weird unalive rate was from a siberian island or something, thats conclusion was Reverse Osmosis strips the body of minerals and causes unexpected unalive syndrome. Also boats. For me I watch what water sources I drink from, from fear of pollution like BPA PFA's and other endocrine disruptors. I drink enough RO to where its not a problem for me to drop a few pinches of minerals from bags like nusalt, epsom salt etc.

[@eugeniusbear2297]

FWIW... Filtration is the removal of solid particulate matter. Reverse Osmosis is technically not 'filtration' as it removes dissolved solids. There are some dissolved solids that Reverse Osmosis membranes have difficulty handling and usually lead to fouling of the membrane. These are the calcium and magnesium-based salts that show up in the 'hardness' number. A hardness of 120 ppm (roughly 7 grains) is considered to be mildly hard. If you do not soften this water before running it through an RO system, the membranes will quickly become 'calcified', and the efficiency of your RO system will become very low, eventually becoming completely fouled and unable to process water through them.

[@reallywontsufferfools1620]

my neighbor dug a well 40m down til he hit water had it tested full of iron .capped well. 2k down the well.

[@RogerKeulen]

Here where i live the water table is at 10m/15m but our farmer wells are digged at 80m/100m. They also use a outer pipe to stop contamination. And they let the well run for a couple of days before using. That water will be discharged in the upper water table and be filtered through the ground. In the mountains all rivers are full of iron, magnesium and other metals. Do not think it's that harmfull. Most people have a iron deficiency.

[@brettschaapveld9449]

@@RogerKeulen Yeah but a lot of times with high iron content you get the hydrogen sulfide gas which gives the water that rotten egg smell and taste. The kind of water I drank from the garden hose and the kitchen tap growing up in SE Iowa.

[@thadrobinson8343]

​@@brettschaapveld9449 I remember a Burger King location that used sulfur water for the fountain drinks.

[@SnickasBah]

The look on your face in the thumbnail cracks me up.

[@ryanside9117]

Test the tap against the well water

[@kgbear3662]

All those minerals are good for you, don’t be deceived, copper is great for what it does to the water.

[@philipfreeman72]

I worked for a guy in AK he said he drove his well by hammer , this looks way easier .

[@terminantorx2416]

"Well that makes basic water"

[@belavet]

I think there's a super unnecessary assumption that well water is unsafe, in general. Obviously you should have water tested, particularly if consuming, but I suspect most places it is totally safe. 25% of american live on a well and septic and all most of us needs is some filtration for sediment, minerals, etc. Here in central MA we have been drinking our filtered well water for 10 years. And we test it yearly.

[@BadHomeowner]

That's fair, but I generally don't trust anything until I see it for myself. This is one of those times :)

[@stoamnyfarms]

Run it through a RO filter and no worries.

[@BadHomeowner]

That will work but I didn't want to spend that much money :)

[@arresthillary9502]

rent a skid steer with a 6" auger. buy some steel pipe, drill holes to connect them. drive on in 10ft, disconnect, add another section of pipe. rinse and repeat. use the mini skid steer to drill 100,200,300 foot well

[@JM-yx1lm]

Ya right. Not gonna work like that.

[@BadHomeowner]

Yea and how does all the dirt get out of the hole? Something will magically lift it up? Go do that and let us know how it goes.

[@sport07-o2l]

“Drill holes to connect them”. The pipes? How does the auger keep digging?

[@gpo746]

I would rather drink that water than city water from the tap

[@robertbutler8004]

And why not send a sample of your water to be tested instead of what you are doing?

[@BadHomeowner]

Those tests are a lot more expensive.

[@user-re2bq7ck2q]

This test is good enough and gets you similar results. No need for anything much more than this.

[@bobbywills9487]

Drinking that water is a million times better than the garbage that's pumped through our homes.

[@Lone-Wolf87]

Sewer water recycle back to drinking water for starters. Enjoy that water city people.

[@nicholas1460]

How do you know, did you do the same test?

[@spoongina]

Here in Australia our government puts chemicals in our water to protect us

[@shantor100]

Except it's going through pvc however I agree city water isn't much better

[@brettschaapveld9449]

@@shantor100It depends on the city’s treatment process, their source or sources of water and any chemical additions such as chlorine and fluoride which can leave a residual amount in what is pumped to the customers. Flouride is added under the premise that it protects school children from developing cavities in their teeth but there is little proof of it being so effective that everyone else needs to be subjected to drinking water that is tainted with a deadly neurotoxin…and chlorine is a deadly gas used for disinfection of the water and the distribution system and a residual at the consumer’s tap can be high enough to cause unpleasant odor and taste and has a level of toxicity that I prefer to avoid. Know the source of your water and what’s in it. Municipal water suppliy sources, treatment processes and chemical usage should be publicly available information.

[@TheRush05]

I don't know if I would be drinking Alkaline water regularly, but looks good otherwise.

[@BadHomeowner]

Same. but good to have a backup

[@Wheel_Horse]

In my location, a 40 foot well is unusable due to Iron. I mean LOTS of Iron... OFF THE SCALE on the water test! Comes up clear but so much Iron that it turns orange in just a few minutes. I tried using it for irrigation and it pretty much killed whatever I watered with it.

[@BadHomeowner]

I was actually expecting a lot more iron than showed up in the test.

[@themadatheist1976]

I live in Florida, I'd get a 2nd opinion, and see if there's other stuff.

[@BadHomeowner]

If I don't upload any more videos, you'll know why.

[@Walkercolt1]

Even if your well water "tests" safe (which most state labs ALWAYS find well water "contaminated") there's an 80% or more chance your municipality WON'T ALLOW YOU TO USE WELL WATER "FOR DOMESTIC PURPOSES OR USES"!!! 34 Years I worked in the State Medical Examiners Office as a chemist, and my backyard well is BETTER THAN SHITTY WATER! By EPA MANDATE, cities can say your well water isn't PROVEN safe for the sewer system and approved for stream run-off, so you can't water your lawn or garden with well water!

[@BadHomeowner]

My county does not have those rules. I am not required to test the water, I only did it because I was curious.

[@francom6230]

​@@BadHomeownerMan, you got a LOT of uniformed fear mongers. 🐑.. Water isn't that scary.. Your greedy municipalities & over-population have created a monster. The EPA et al are the boogy men... VA might be a good place to move to cuz FL & GA etc,, make biG money from "water meters", police revenues and any structures.. 😨 😠 😡

[@islandaerial3414]

Get an Alexa or Zero Water system and you'll be all set

[@daviewilson_1]

in peckham england theyd call this water peckham spring

[@misterdubity3073]

The Peckham Spring from "Only Fools and Horses" (ep 7.9) was really just tap water that Dell Boy was pretending was from a spring.

[@klarion]

120ppm is what I get from tap here... With god knows what is in that 120 ppm... I wouldn't drink that. Get an RO system and drink water that's less than 10ppm...

[@TheMalerdaemon]

I didn’t see a test for arsenic 😂

[@tubbysanchez]

Have you thought of hooking up a filter like pool equipment have it probably save the pump from going out again

[@louiel8711]

That well water is better than any lousy municipal supply any day.

[@Kyletoff]

Do you live in the city or something and are worried the water table is contaminated there? Just curious why you would be not optimistic that you could drink well water.

[@BadHomeowner]

Yes, I live in an urban area that was previously home to heavy industry and farming.

[@Dan-yk6sy]

Figured it would be fine. Unless you are surrounded by industrial farms, pretty much any underground water should be fine (besides hard water , iron / blood taste). Dilution is the solution, and there's a lot of water under there.

[@GoogleMe-en9sg]

Dude. It's been 8 days. Are you okay?

[@BadHomeowner]

ha yes feel great

[@justdoingstufffr]

Do you have to consider the well freezing, and if so what can you do if not just let it thaw?

[@neutrodyne]

Why don't You send the water to a lab and have it tested? That would tell you how safe the water is.

[@Grisher100]

wouldnt they just do the exact same test? seemed good to me

[@ethanm9211]

No sending water to a lab is far more accurate than these little strip tests. I would never trust these with my life. Also, there are way more things to be testing for (like bacteria for example) than just what was on these tests

[@pacearrow4620]

Hey buddy get a Boroux water filter or Burkey water filter... Those home toxic tests aren't accurate enough

[@RobHereAKATrev2323]

Awesome. Put it through a zero water pitcher you'll be super safe

[@Dan-yk6sy]

Unless you are used to it, that iron taste can be pretty hard to get over.

[@chuckfinley3152]

That removes all the minerals out of the water, it’s actually not good for you unless you add the minerals back

[@OrganicGreens]

I wonder If I could do this here in St louis county. I read in northern Missouri it can be hit or miss

[@goodbonezz1289]

Well done 😊

[@BadHomeowner]

Yes it is

[@BadHomeowner]

Subscribe for more DIY videos! www.youtube.com/@BadHomeowner

[@garybrown4753]

Probably better than your tap water

[@eugeniusbear2297]

A pH reading north of 8.5 to 10 is typical of aquifer sources that have limestone deposits in or near the watershed. Your hardness reading of 120 ppm indicates this to be the case. The pH and hardness of this water doesn't present a health hazard in and of itself, but you do need to drill a little deeper and check for fluorine concentration specifically. Fluorine based salts are known to deposit in limestone as well. Based on the pH and hardness numbers you showed, I wouldn't be surprised if your well water had anywhere from 1 to 3 ppm of fluoride... which is near what some municipalities add to their supplies, but, as I think most people who know how to think for themselves know, is still not good for the human body.

[@userx702]

Just be aware if theres communication between your drywell and your water well during a heavy rainstorm it could cause cross contamination.

[@BadHomeowner]

Good point. The drywells aren't as deep, but there probably is some flow between them over long periods of time. And they are about 40 feet apart, so that means there's 40 ft of sand to filter out any contaminants.

[@rupe53]

@@BadHomeowner in general, codes were developed years ago and a well (for drinking) WAS to be 50 ft away from a septic or drywell. Codes have been updated and in many areas that distance is now 75 feet. This may be something you need disclose if you ever sell the property.

[@VaporIsAllWeAre]

City water has been stripped of all its essential minerals your body needs. There a big market now, folks selling those minerals to be added to your glass of water bc folks dealing with chronic illnesses are showing deficiencies of such minerals

[@toddburgess6792]

My $100/month water is nowhere near as clear as yours. All the county health department tests have said the water is safe, but you wouldn't think so to look at it.

[@samueldelgado1458]

That well water is healthier than city water... i'm very impressed

[@rainmaker3]

You should have tested this in a proper lab. It's an annual testing that you do to determine if the water is actually potable.

[@BadHomeowner]

ok bro

[@marcushoward6560]

It's less important if he doesn't plan on drinking it, so for a YT video, it was pretty good. Additionally, most people on wells do not test them yearly.

[@CrucesNomad1]

Cesium and forever chemicals are not tested.

[@BadHomeowner]

Yes that's true. I'd need a much more expensive test for PFAS and other things.

[@Bighitter03]

That water is better than your tap water

[@BadHomeowner]

prly

[@kdbublitz88]

...I mean, you could just send a sample to an actual lab and they will give you results..I would think that's way more accurate than a Walmart test at home kit...

[@FuckALLauthorities]

Distill all water all the time.

[@manandatractor]

I would really like to see your plan on how to do that efficiently for an average household.

[@FuckALLauthorities]

@@manandatractor see one of my oldest community page posts for Solutions, or not.

[@FuckALLauthorities]

@manandatractor see an old post

[@3toedSloth75]

Should test for radon too

[@richj120952]

In a lot of states and counties, it is illegal to drill your own well (in suburban or urban zones). Before doing this everyone that wants to try this, needs to check with the local laws.

[@manandatractor]

... because we all love begging the government for permission to use our own property and resources. 🙄

[@JustinKais]

@@manandatractor lol

[@marcushoward6560]

LOL

[@stoneyswolf]

That's why you drill your well in your basement. Nobody knows nobody complains.

[@bobby0081]

😂

[@cryptoasset743]

can you test your tap water please

[@BadHomeowner]

I haven't yet but I should! If I do I will post it