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John RiceWater Solutions

What's going on with your water?

Most homeowners know the symptom, not the cause. Find what you're seeing below. Similar symptoms can have different causes, which is why John diagnoses the actual problem before recommending any equipment.

What are you seeing?

Same symptom, different cause.

A rotten egg smell can come from the well or from the water heater. Orange stains can be dissolved iron or iron bacteria. Cloudy water can be sediment or just air. Treat the wrong cause and you've paid for equipment that doesn't fix anything. That's why John diagnoses first.

Hard water and scale

What you may notice

  • White, crusty scale on faucets, showerheads, and glass doors
  • Spots on dishes and glassware
  • Soap and shampoo that won't lather or rinse clean
  • Scale building up inside water heaters and appliances

Possible causes

  • Dissolved calcium and magnesium the water picks up from rock and soil
  • Found on both private wells and public water

How John diagnoses it

John looks at how hard your water is and whether iron or low pH is also in the picture, because both change how a softener has to be sized and set up.

Treatment that may fit

Iron and orange or brown staining

What you may notice

  • Orange, red, or brown stains in toilets, sinks, tubs, and laundry
  • Water that comes out clear, then turns orange after it sits
  • A metallic taste

Possible causes

  • Dissolved iron in the groundwater, common on private wells
  • Manganese, which leaves darker brown or black stains
  • Iron bacteria, which can leave slimy orange buildup in toilet tanks

How John diagnoses it

The right equipment depends on how much iron there is, what form it's in, and what else is in the water. John works all of that out, with testing when it's needed, before recommending a system.

Sulfur and rotten egg odor

What you may notice

  • A rotten egg smell from the tap
  • A smell that's stronger in hot water, or only in hot water
  • Tarnished silverware or dark stains

Possible causes

  • Hydrogen sulfide gas in the groundwater
  • Sulfate-reducing bacteria in the well or plumbing
  • A reaction inside the water heater, often at the anode rod

How John diagnoses it

John first works out whether the smell is in the water coming into the house or being created in the water heater. If it's the water heater, a filter may not be the answer at all.

Treatment that may fit

Acidic water, blue-green stains, and corrosion

What you may notice

  • Blue-green stains in sinks, tubs, and around drains
  • Pinhole leaks in copper pipe
  • A metallic or bitter taste

Possible causes

  • Low pH (acidic) water, common on private wells
  • Acidic water slowly dissolving copper plumbing and fixtures

How John diagnoses it

John checks for low pH and looks at the plumbing for signs of corrosion, so the fix protects your pipes instead of just hiding the stains.

Treatment that may fit

Chlorine, bad taste, and odors

What you may notice

  • A chlorine or pool-like smell
  • An earthy, musty, or off taste
  • Buying bottled water because the tap tastes bad

Possible causes

  • Chlorine or chloramine used to disinfect public water
  • Organic compounds and dissolved solids

How John diagnoses it

Taste and odor can come from several sources. John works out which one you have, then matches the filtration to it.

Sediment and cloudy water

What you may notice

  • Grit or sand in aerators, toilet tanks, and filters
  • Cloudy or murky water
  • Clogged faucet screens and appliance valves

Possible causes

  • Sand, silt, or debris from the well
  • Iron that has already turned into particles
  • Tiny air bubbles, which clear from the bottom of the glass up

How John diagnoses it

Cloudy water can be particles, iron, or just air. John checks which it is before recommending any filtration.

Drinking water concerns

What you may notice

  • You bought a home with a private well
  • Your water changed in taste, color, or smell
  • Your well hasn't been tested in years
  • You simply want to know what you're drinking

Possible causes

  • Private wells are tested and treated only by their owners
  • Public water is treated at the plant but can pick things up on the way to your tap

How John diagnoses it

This is where testing earns its place. John often recommends independent laboratory testing for the most comprehensive and unbiased picture of what's in your water, and can test in-house when appropriate or requested. Then he recommends treatment for what's actually there, and nothing more.

Well water or public water, we treat both.

Wells and public water tend to have different problems, but the approach is the same: diagnose the actual problem, then recommend only what's needed.

Private well water

With a private well, nobody tests or treats the water but you. Common well water problems:

  • Hardness
  • Iron and manganese
  • Sulfur odor
  • Low pH (acidic water)
  • Sediment
  • Concerns that call for UV disinfection

What we typically install: Softeners, iron and sulfur removal, acid neutralizers, sediment filtration, and UV disinfection.

Public water

Public (city or municipal) water is treated before it reaches you, but it can still be hard, and the disinfectant can affect taste and smell. Common public water problems:

  • Hardness and scale
  • Chlorine taste and odor
  • Off tastes in drinking water

What we typically install: Softeners, carbon and whole-home filtration, and reverse osmosis drinking water systems.

Not sure what's causing it? Let John help diagnose.

Tell John what you're seeing. He'll help work out what's actually going on before recommending anything.

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