Chester County Home Inspections News & Updates

Most of the chemical results on a well water report are about taste, staining, or plumbing. Nitrate and nitrite are different: they have health-based limits, set to protect infants. Nitrate is also a particular concern in southeastern Pennsylvania, where farming and development are common. Here’s how to read your results and when to act.Reading the numbersYour report lists Nitrate-N and Nitrite-N. The “-N” means the result is reported as the amount of nitrogen, which is the standard way labs report it.Nitrate-N: limit of 10 mg/L. This is the same as 45 mg/L of nitrate, so don’t be confused if you see that number elsewhere. A result climbing toward 10 is worth watching, and anything above 10 calls for action.Nitrite-N: limit of 1.0 mg/L. Nitrite is usually below the detection limit in well water. A measurable result is unusual and worth retesting, since it can point to a nearby source of … Continued

Iron and manganese are two of the most common findings on a well water test, and they usually show up together. Iron is mainly a nuisance: it stains and it affects taste. Manganese is a nuisance too, but at higher levels it also carries a health advisory. Here’s what each one means, how to tell which form you have, and what treatment makes sense.Iron: a nuisance, not a health hazardIron is not a health concern in drinking water. The recommended limit of 0.3 mg/L is an aesthetic guideline, set because iron above that level causes a metallic taste and orange-brown stains on sinks, toilets, and laundry. Over time it can also build up in pipes, pressure tanks, water heaters, and softeners. Private wells in Pennsylvania aren’t subject to state or federal drinking water standards, so this number is a guide, not a rule.Iron shows up in three forms, and the … Continued