The library · 32 guides
Well owner guides
Plain-English answers to the problems that send well owners searching: slime, smells, failed water tests, and how to treat a well properly. Each guide covers the traditional fix and the one this kit ships.
In a hurry? The 29 quick answers give one question one straight reply. To size a treatment you need your well's numbers, and every state's well-record office is listed too.
Equipment trouble? Start with well pump repair or the well pump pressure switch. Planning a new well? See water well drilling cost. Not sure what is in the water? Start with well water testing.
Smells and taste
Rotten eggs, sulfur in the morning, a taste of metal.
5 guides
Smells and taste
Rotten Egg Smell in Well Water: Causes and the Fix
One quick test tells you if it is the well or the heater.
4 min read
Smells and taste
Metallic Taste in Well Water: Causes and the Fix
Iron, manganese, or low pH eating your pipes. How to pin it down.
3 min read
Smells and taste
Well Water Smells Like Sulfur in the Morning: Why, and the Fix
Water sat overnight somewhere. A two-faucet test finds the heater or the well.
4 min read
Smells and taste
Hot Water Smells Like Rotten Eggs: The Water Heater Fix
Only the hot side smells? The water heater is making the gas.
5 min read
Smells and taste
Sulfur Water Filter for Well Water: Which One Works
Carbon, oxidizing media, or chlorine, matched to your hydrogen sulfide level.
12 min read
Stains and color
Orange rings, black gunk, water you cannot see through.
4 guides
Stains and color
Iron Bacteria in Toilet Tank: What It Is and How to Fix It
Orange gunk in the toilet tank is iron bacteria. Treat the well.
4 min read
Stains and color
Cloudy Well Water: Why It Happens and What Fixes It
Air, sediment, or something growing. One glass of water tells you which.
3 min read
Stains and color
Rust Stains From Well Water: Stop the Orange Staining
Orange stains on tubs and laundry come from iron, in three kinds.
3 min read
Stains and color
Black Slime on Faucets: What It Is and How to Get Rid of It
That black gunk is usually manganese plus bacteria. Clear it at the source.
3 min read
Bacteria
Slime that grows back and tests that come back positive.
3 guides
Bacteria
Iron Bacteria in Well Water: the Orange Slime, Explained
Orange slime and rusty stains are iron bacteria building biofilm in your well.
4 min read
Bacteria
Coliform Bacteria in Well Water: What a Positive Test Means
What a positive coliform or E. coli result means, and what to do.
5 min read
Bacteria
E. Coli in Well Water: What It Means and What to Do Today
Stop drinking it today, find the doorway, treat, and retest.
8 min read
Treating a well
How to do it, what to use, and what it costs.
4 guides
Treating a well
How to Treat a Well, Step by Step
Size the dose to your well, run it, and prove it held.
8 min read
Treating a well
Well Treatment Kits Compared: Bleach, Pellets, Pro Service, and Ours
Sanitizer packs, bleach, a pro visit, and a kit sized to your well.
4 min read
Treating a well
Chlorine Dioxide vs Bleach for Well Treatment
How the two differ on oxidation, pH, biofilm, and byproducts.
7 min read
Treating a well
Well Water Treatment: Which Treatment Fixes Which Problem
Every well water problem, the treatment that fixes it, and the cost.
8 min read
Pressure and equipment
Weak taps, clogged filters, and the yearly routine.
6 guides
Pressure and equipment
Low Water Pressure From a Well: Causes and Fixes
Clogged system, tired tank, or pump trouble, and how to tell which.
10 min read
Pressure and equipment
Well Maintenance Checklist: The Yearly Routine That Keeps a Well Clean
The yearly test, wellhead walk, and tank check. Most of it costs nothing.
5 min read
Pressure and equipment
Iron Filter for Well Water: When You Need One, and What to Do First
Which filter fits which iron, and the cleaning that should come first.
9 min read
Pressure and equipment
Well Pump Short Cycling, Running Nonstop, or No Water: Tank, Switch, or Pump?
Waterlogged tank, bad switch, leak, or worn pump, checked in order.
10 min read
Pressure and equipment
Well Pump Repair: Troubleshooting, Repair Costs, and When to Call a Pro
Breaker to pump in safe order, with 2026 repair costs.
9 min read
Pressure and equipment
Well Pump Pressure Switch: Problems, Adjustment, 40/60 Settings, and Replacement
Signs it is failing, 30/50 and 40/60 settings, and replacement.
7 min read
Water supply and records
A well running low, and how deep yours goes.
3 guides
Water supply and records
Well Running Dry: Signs, Causes, and What to Do
Drought or pump? The signs, the same-day steps, and the fixes.
9 min read
Water supply and records
How Deep Is My Well? Find Your Well Depth by Address
Find the drilling record, or measure the depth when there is none.
8 min read
Water supply and records
Water Well Drilling Cost: Per Foot, All-In, and a Calculator
Per foot and all in, by region, with a calculator.
8 min read
Testing and service
Test kits, home sales, and when to call a pro.
4 guides
Testing and service
How to Test Well Water: What to Test For, Where, and How to Read Results
What to test for, when a home kit is enough, and reading results.
18 min read
Testing and service
Well Service Near Me: What a Service Call Covers, and the Part You Can Do Yourself
What a service visit covers, and the one job you can do yourself.
4 min read
Testing and service
Well Inspection When Buying a House: What Gets Checked, and What to Do If It Fails
What gets checked in a sale, and how a failed test gets fixed.
4 min read
Testing and service
Selling a House With a Well: FHA and VA Well Test Requirements, and How to Prepare
What FHA, VA and buyers ask for, and how to get ready.
9 min read
For inspectors, agents and lenders
Flow tests, inspection checklists, and loan rules for a well.
3 guides
For inspectors, agents and lenders
Well Inspection: What It Checks, What It Costs, and a Printable Checklist
What a well inspection checks and costs, with a printable checklist.
7 min read
For inspectors, agents and lenders
Well Flow Test: How to Do a Yield Test and What Numbers Pass
How a yield test runs, and the gallons per minute that pass.
7 min read
For inspectors, agents and lenders
FHA Water Test Requirements, and VA and USDA Well Rules: a Quick Reference
FHA, VA and USDA well rules in one table, with sources.
7 min read