OK, I'm far beyond my level of coping and am hanging on only by a thread at this point. 11 days until closing and I get the phone call from dude saying that my well needs to be shocked :shock: Excuse me? I feed three houses on my well and there isn't a person in any home who is or has been sick from drinking it. He asked me on Tuesday morning when he came here to get the specimen if there had been problems with it in the past (no) and said he was going to test bottled water from work... honestly makes me wonder if he didn't do that in the end. If my well water isn't safe to drink, why didn't the department of health who analyzed the sample contact me directly? PLEASE pray about this... I can't handle anything else. My stmach (ulcer I'm sure) is killing me.
Seems like two things could be. One you have built in immunity to microorganisms etc in water from long term drinking. Or two he is being unscrupulous in the hopes of causing more problems. I would have the water tested myself at that point to see if his test was accurate.
I'm going to try and get ahold of the department of health tomorrow morning and find out what happened. How does a test that takes 7-14 days to analyze come back in less than 3 days with a fail on it? I'd like to see what it is that came on the report (sorry, I'm not believing that it actually failed). If I shock the well, as I understand it, I can't test again for another 7-10 days... simple math tells you that the results won't be back in time for the closing in 11 days... makes me wonder what his new game is? Has he been approved for financing? What is his game now? Why is he trying to extend again? Guess what !! NO MORE EXTENSIONS !! It either goes through to completion on the 15th like I was told or he'll be looking else where for a bargain because this chicklet has played all the head games I'm going to play. What an odreal this has been !!
WHO is saying it needs shocked? They guy buying the house? Is this the same guy who was giving you grief about financing and that finally fell through? I wouldn't trust ANYTHING he told you!
Yes Jackie. I had said no more extensions to him when he was trying to lie his way through his down payment. My lawyer called my on the Monday after that and said his bank called and said all financing was approved... the extension was needed to accomodate vacations for both lawyers (his was out last week, mine this week and next). Then he called here on Monday afternoon to say he needed a water specimen... wonder how many days he sat on that information before coming to me :roll: I don't trust him... it has been months of lies and I'm worn out completely. DH was going to go shock the well tonight because he too is freaked out that our water is reportedly not safe to drink. Well until I see the results on paper from the department of health, I won't believe it. 11 more days !! 11 more days !! Then the house will either close as intended or I will not be obligated to sell to him (and I will NOT even consider him... PERIOD)
What a sad day when I have to call the premier's office ("boss" of the province) to get answers !! Local public health office wouldn't tell me, the lab who analyzed the water wouldn't tell me, the inspector can't remember what was on the report... I didn't pay for the test so they don't have to tell me the results (who cares that I'm the well owner). DH called the purchaser and he said there is e coli in my water :cry: After the purchaser told us that, suddenly public health called to tell me on the phone what she said in person... nothing. I told her that I knew what was in the water and that they're system stunk. So I dump Javex into the well and then test the well twice at 5 day intervals. Both samples have to be e coli free before we're given clearance. I have to boil all water until it comes back bacteria free, DH has to be medically assessed because he's a brittle diabetic with known stomach issues... God is testing me and I'm not doing so great at it anymore
Gee, the water in your well is dangerous to drink, but we're not going to tell you about it, because you didn't pay to find out.... Yeah, right!!!
That's what I thought too... and that's how I presented it when I called the premier's office. When the public health inspector told me that, I told her I'd have the water tested myself so they would finally tell me about it in a couple days later :roll:
I know this has nothing to do with your water situation, but if your stomach is really causing problems, and you think it might be an ulcer, definitely do some research on cayenne pepper. That will cure you in a jiffy, about 1/2 tsp. of cayenne pepper in a minute amount of water, swallowed quickly, about twice a day will definitely do the trick, but do some research first.
My in-laws had the same problem. They poured bleach (Javex) down their well and have been boiling their water for years. They had it tested when their water turned green
LOL, there's always a brighter side... thank you for helping me see it. Someone suggested to me today that maybe it was the fawcet that was contaminated and not the actual water (just weird that no one is sick from it). Another neighbour is floored by it... the water never stops running between three houses, how do you get this kind of bacteria in it? In any case, 10 liters of Javex has been poured into it... if that doesn't shock it nothing will :lol: I'll retest it on Monday and we'll go from there
It sounds like there is quite a back history to this sale. You're in another country, but I'll give a little info about how things were done when I worked in a (private) lab about 15 years ago, where I was certified to test drinking water. Typically, a lender would require a well test before a home was purchased or refinanced. Many required only a bacteria test (presence/absence of coliform (soil) bacteria or e. coli); some would require bacteria/iron/turbidity/ph; some would also require nitrates/nitrites and/or a lead test. For the bacteria test, the sample was usually collected by someone certified to do so, although we did tests for private homeowners who just wanted to check the water for themselves. Sample technique was to use a non-swivel faucet, unscrew the aerator screen, let the water run for a couple minutes full, then turn back the volume to collect in the sterile sample bottle. At the lab, a small amount of the sample would be tested for the presence of chlorine. If any was present, the sample was invalid -- thus the need to wait after a well shocking until all chlorine was out of the system. A sterile nutrient packet would be added to the sample, and it would be incubated for a set amount of time. If coliform bacteria were present, a color indicator would develop and the sample would fail. If it failed, it would be examined under a black light. That would reveal if any of the coliform were e. coli. A bacteria test would be completed within 24 hours of sampling. Other tests could take longer. Due to privacy laws, I could not give test results to anyone other than the person/company that brought in the sample. It was not unusual for it to take days or a week for all detectable bleach to clear a well system before it could be tested, since some wells didn't produce enough water to run open non-stop until the chlorine was out (you don't want to run a well dry and burn out your pump motor.) Note: Coliform bacteria is present naturally in the soil. It isn't typically going to make you sick, but is used as an "indicator bacteria" that your well may be contaminated with surface water and therefore possibly contaminated with other substances such as fertilizer run-off or other bacteria not as easily tested. E. coli in your water could indicate contamination from a poorly situated septic field or animal waste coming in with surface run-off. Examples of things that have caused repeated well failures (ime) -- a well with a crack or lawnmower damage near the surface that allowed surface water in during rainstorms, a poorly attached well cap that allowed one well to fail until the hapless frog that had fallen in was removed, a broken well cap that allowed surface water contamination. People do get bacterial contamination in their home plumbing from time to time. Aerator screens on faucets can get nasty, depending on the quality of the water, or what might get splashed onto them while using the sink. It is usually recommended that people run some water through each faucet after a well is shocked and then let it sit for a time before clearing out the system to disinfect the household plumbing. You can google for specific procedures.
Kardamom, thank you so much for explaining that to me. I spent no end of time googling e coli but all I ever managed to find was what happens when you end up sick with it... not how it could be found in the water, etc. Never found anything about how the testing is done, etc. When we bought the house we had to have it tested as well (they check mortgage water for coliform and e coli only). What I didn't realize when I did the test last week was that there was an aerator on the tap... I didn't take it off and I didn't even think about the water filter that was under the sink (would you believe we've lived here for almost 7 years and I honestly had no clue it was even hooked up). Maybe the results are as they claim to be because I did the test wrong... it's quite possible I suppose. The well is shocked (oh, is it ever :lol: ) and to get the excess chlorine out of the water (so it can be tested again), we're running water into the pool as if we're filling it up (I kind of over did it with the chlorine... shhhh, don't tell anyone). The smell of chlorine is still evident when you run the water and when I let it run for a bit today, there was sand coming out... I was freaking out about it - but it may just be cleaning out the pipes as well... who knows I guess. I struggle to believe this guy and whether he was being truthful about there actually being bacteria in the water. I guess time will tell when he does or doesn't bring me a sticker that goes with the "failed" report he should be getting in the mail. When water doesn't pass, they send along two stickers to put on two seperate bottles when it is retested. If he doesn't give me a sticker that means he didn't get a fail report which would mean he was dishonest. Anyway, I'll be so thankful when this is behind us... not sure I can handle much more excitement. :roll:
You're welcome. It's good that you didn't run the strongly chlorinated water into a septic system. I'd be a little concerned if there's a lot of sand. It could just have been stirred up a bit, or it could mean you've been running the water enough that you are getting low in the well and could be close to having your well pump running dry -- do you have easy access to the pressure gauge? Either way, if it were me, and I was seeing a lot of sand, I'd back up on how much and how long I ran the water at one time, and let the well recover a bit in between. My prior work experience was on the lab side, not the well side. However, I did a little searching a few years ago when I needed to shock a relative's well after it failed and needed repair for damage near the surface, and also after a well pump motor was replaced. I can't post links at this time. If you'll be taking the sample for the retest or need more info on the process, try googling "bacteria and water wells" or "Government of Alberta Shock Chlorination Well Maintenance" Hoping all goes well. (no pun intended).
You're a Canadian too !! Awesome !! There isn't a lot of sand and it isn't as much as it was even yesterday. The well dips into an aquifer so I can't imagine it running dry. I'm just looking forward to the end of the chlorine smell inside when I run the water lol (I'm thinking maybe 9 liters of Javex might have been a bit of over kill :lol: No chance of anything that isn't supposed to be in there surviving at this point. Have I said I'll be so glad when this whole selling the house is over and done with (and so help me if my gutt instinct about no bacteria in the water is right... it won't be a happy scene).
Sorry, no I'm not Canadian. I live on the U.S. East Coast. I had what I printed out last time I shocked my relative's well handy -- and it happened to be from the Alberta site because they had a section on Iron Bacteria, a common problem around here.
Well then... come to find out there is NOTHING wrong with my water !! Not even a hint of e coli, coliform or anything else in the water !!! I have no idea what kind of scam dude was trying to pull off but there is nothing wrong with it. How do I know this? His bank required a water specimen to his financing. My laywer called me today (they're home for a day on their vacation) and told me they had been speaking to his lawyer and they said to go ahead with the final papers that all requirements have been met !!! Closing is on Monday.... PRAISE GOD !! We have an apartment in town until we figure out what we're going to do long term and we've been moving since last weekend. The biggest part of the moving happens on Saturday but I think most everything will be in the apartment by then. Please continue to pray over all of this... until the final papers are signed I won't breath a huge sigh of relief. I personally haven't been moving a lot of stuff myself because my back doesn't care for the lifting... but what has been moved is almost all unpacked now
Brenda, I'm not surprised. I wouldn't have shocked things until I had IN WRITING what exactly was wrong. But hey, with all the BS you've put up from with this guy, I would have probably done the same thing! Glad to know you haven't been poisoning yourself by drinking!
Jackie, I'm really not surprised either to be honest... is this righteous anger? No, but I spent a lot of money buying bottled water because they had me scared to death to drink from the tap. Oh well... live and learn.
