1Q: What is the slimy stuff on my filter cartridges?
A: Most likely that is biofilm, a goo comprised of millions of individual bacteria and their excretions.
2Q: Why does my hot water smell but not the cold?
A: There are two possibilities here. First, you may literally have smelly hot water but odourless cold water. In this case the problem is in your hot water tank. Either you have biofouling in the tank (most likely by sulphate reducing bacteria that actually like elevated temperatures) or a problem with the hot water tank’s sacrificial anode. Second, you may actually have a slight odour in the cold water but just be noticing it more in the hot water. Odours are by definition caused by volatile compounds that can get into the air and up your nose. Heat increases the volatility of these compounds and hence the degree of perceived odour.
3Q: Why do the screens on my taps plug up?
A: If material gets through your water treatment system it can accumulate on the aeration screens of your taps and plug them up. This material can be any combination of sand and sediment, precipitated materials, biofilm, and (occasionally) insects.
4Q: How do insects get into my water system?
A: Insects (especially earwigs) most often enter wells through well caps that are not vermin proof. Sometimes there are also holes in the well casing or access points where the electrical lines of a submersible pump enter the well. The worst case we ever saw was from a woman who called us because she had no water in her kitchen. There were so many earwigs in her well that their dead bodies had literally plugged her kitchen tap!
5Q: Why is it that our well used to make lots of water but now provides far less or even runs dry?
A: Do you perform as well as you did twenty years ago? No? Then give your poor, old well a break! Actually, you may be experiencing a real shift in the quantity of water available in the ground beneath your home. More likely, though, are the possibilities of biofouling in the well, a problem with the pump, or plugging of your water filtration equipment.