COMMON CONDITIONS/TIPS
IRON:
Iron problems can range in severity due to location and the water table height at different times of year. A home can experience dingy laundry and light stains in sinks & toilets. These problems are annoying, but manageable with some household iron cleaners. White laundry cannot be washed with bleach more than a few times without looking dingy. This is because iron stains appear when used with bleach easier due to a chemical reaction. So when bleach is used to whiten your clothes, it only makes the stains worse.
TIPS:
When bleach is used in small amounts to help combat odor in laundry, it should be followed by a rinse cycle with a little IRON OUT. IRON OUT can be purchase at Safeway or Sam's Club. Only a little is needed and it will keep whites looking white. It is recommended that it be used whenever your clothes start looking dingy.
You may have heard local people make jokes about blondes turning into redheads... Use a clarifying shampoo daily or do a clarifying treatment once a week. This will remove iron and other hard water minerals. High quality clarifying treatments can be found at any beautysalon.
Your home may have an Iron Remover. Iron removers require potassium cartridges that can be found at Sears. They may last 8-16 weeks depending on usage. Each tenant is required to replace these as needed.
Your home may have a Water Softener. Water softeners require green salt bags that can be found at any store or at Sam’s Club. A full water softener can go up to 8 or 9 months between filing depending on usage. Be sure to reset your salt level every time you add salt. Each tenant is required to refill there softener as needed. If it has run out, you must do an immediate regeneration when refilling. Just hold down the REGEN button.
If you need help with your settings on either of these, please call us.
For general cleaning: Use a diluted mixture of Poly-z.
CAUTION: Poly-z is an acid! It will damage fixtures if not properly diluted. Do not leave one fixtures for any length of time. It must be rinsed of immediately. It will work VERY FAST. Read all precautions on the container. WEAR GLOVES. For the toilet, pour in about ½ cup and scrub as usual. It can be added to a spray bottle for cleaning sinks and tubs. It is very strong so be ready to rinse it off and do not use at 100% or use when children are too close. 100% strength is too much….
ODOR:
Two forms of sulfur are commonly found in drinking water supplies: sulfate and hydrogen sulfide.
Hydrogen sulfide gas occurs naturally in some groundwater. It is formed from decomposing underground deposits of organic matter such as decaying plant material. It is found in deep or shallow wells and also can enter surface water through springs, although it quickly escapes to the atmosphere. Hydrogen sulfide may be temporarily controlled by conducting a shock chlorination / disinfection of the well or water source. This is initially done when each well is first drilled just before a Pot ability test is run to ensure safe drink ability.
Sulfates are a combination of sulfur and oxygen and are a part of naturally occurring minerals in some soil and rock formations. The mineral dissolves over time and is released into groundwater naturally. Many people pour bleach down their well to help with this problem. This temporarily stops the odor because the bleach-water in the well is then sucked up through the water softener, killing the existing bacteria. But the bleach will damage the water softener/iron remover. And the odor always returns when the water in the well cycles. This is only about 5 days.
TIPS:
To manage odor in laundry or dishwashers, dilute ¼ cup bleach to 1 gallon of water and run a rinse cycle. This will eliminate any odor due to sulfides. Follow up with iron out may be necessary. To remove hydrogen sulfide, install an activated carbon filter. The filter must be replaced periodically to maintain performance. Frequency of replacement will depend on daily water usage and concentration of hydrogen sulfide in the water and is the tenants’ responsibility. These can be installed on your sink for drinking water or next to the water softener. If you would like to request one of these please call.
Drinking water only? Purchase a Britta water pitcher/filter. These work well for that.
If you have a dishwasher, be sure to clean it with iron out, and/or vinegar every 4 to 12 weeks to keep it cleaning well. A full rinse aid dispenser will help keep glasses clear. For More Household cleaning tips, go to the Links page.
COMMON CONCERN:
Does this mean my water is unsafe? NO!
ALL WELLS ARE SANITIZED AND TESTED FOR POTTABILTY. THIS MEANS THEY ARE SAFE TO DRINK AND USE.
Both of these nuisances that usually occur do not pose a health risk at the concentrations found in domestic water supplies. They are both common to wells in the North Pole area.
With awareness and good cleaning techniques, you should be able to manage like everyone else in the community.