One of many areas that homeowners rarely consider is what the mineral makeup of their water is. In most cases, when you are thirsty you just pour a glass of water and drink it. Also, you are likely forgetting to test your drinking water as regularly as you would your swimming pool water. To ensure that you and your family have better health it is a great idea to test your well water regularly. Does well water have fluoride? Fluoride is found in the minerals in your soil. It is not added to your well water like it is to city water.
Let’s take a look below for a better understanding.
What Is Well Water
When you are building a home you are either going to need a well or your home’s plumbing is hooked up to your town or city’s domestic water system. The builder will have a well drilling company come in and drill a hole that can go as deep as 1,000 feet. The reason for the depth is aquifers that contain your groundwater can run very deep into the earth. A steel pipe casing is then installed to keep the surrounding soil walls from caving in at first rain.
This also keeps out any contaminants from your surrounding soil and water runoff. Your well water is untreated ground water that is taken from the aquifer and pumped through your home. The well water can be filtered through a filtration system that is built into your home.
What Is Fluoride
Minerals found in the bedrock are often found in your water source. Fluoride occurs naturally in your water source. If you have well water, then you are filtering through water that has already absorbed a variety of minerals such as fluoride, through rain and runoff.
Here in the United States, fluoride is added to the public water systems so that we can keep our gums and teeth as healthy as possible. Not everyone can make it to the dentist for yearly cleanings, so the fluoride is added for preventing tooth decay and gum disease. You will also find fluoride added to toothpaste, mouthwash, and some vitamin supplements.
How Does It Work
Fluoride is meant to keep your oral health in good condition. Tooth decay occurs when bacteria get into your mouth. Fluoride can stop these bacteria from using their acids to break down your tooth enamel. Fluoride will also help a damaged tooth repair itself by eliminating the acid. The only part that fluoride treatment cannot do is repair a cavity or reverse tooth decay that has already begun.
Should I Supplement
If you are using well water and not city water, the chances of you needing to supplement your fluoride are much greater. Although there is fluoride in your groundwater, it typically is not substantial enough to protect your health. When should I consider a fluoride supplement?
- If you have kids older than 6 months
- Fluoride is not present in your well or city water
- You only have bottled water being consumed in your home.
You can always use special fluoride toothpaste or in some cases tablets or drops prescribed by your dentist or doctor.
Is It Safe
Having fluoride in your water is very standard and fluoride is safe. Your public domestic water system already has fluoride and other minerals added as a public health service. This is to enhance the water quality that we drink and make it healthier for you. In most cases, drinking bottled water will not get you the recommended fluoride consumption. Fluoride is needed for healthy teeth and gums and most bottled water only contains 0.3 ppm or less of fluoride in the water.
Make sure you are are reading the labels of your bottled water. Some companies are good at ensuring the fluoride levels in your bottled water is 0.7 mg to 1.2 mg ppm. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that all bottling companies list fluoride on their bottling labels. This is done if fluoride is added during the bottling process. Keep in mind that too much fluoride consumption can cause you to feel nauseous and dizziness.
Other Recommended Maintenance
Now that you have learned about fluorides’ presence in well water, wouldn’t it be nice to know how you can have your well water tested for fluoride or other chemicals? Make sure that you read up on how often you should have your well water tested. This will help you protect your and your family’s health and safety.
If you have a well that is how you are getting water to your home, then you likely also have a septic system collecting your waste. Just like getting your well water tested, you should be getting your septic system inspected regularly. Always remember that if there are mechanical parts to it, the likely hood of a breakdown is possible. Keeping up a regular maintenance schedule is key. Especially, when the septic tanks are full.
Lastly, if you are experiencing an issue with your well that is causing your faucets to run brown well water, it is a great time to get your well inspected. Understanding what could cause brown well water is key. Take your time to read up on everything pertaining to wells and well water so that you can keep your family healthy and safe.
When Do I Call A Professional
Calling on a professional company that is known to inspect and test your well water is necessary. You should have your well water tested often. This will only keep you and your family healthy and safe. Consider calling on your local home inspection team. In some cases, they will offer a service for well water testing. If they do not offer this service, then they can refer you to a reputable professional well water testing company.
Conclusion
If you begin to smell or detect an issue with your well water, it is a great idea to get it tested. First, your local home inspection team could inspect your plumbing to make sure that everything is working properly. Then, they will either test your well water or recommend a reputable well water testing company.
Maintenance on your well should be done regularly so that you are aware if things are damaged or starting to fail. Give Twin State Inspections a call. We will take a look at the water coming out of your faucets and how the well is working during our home inspections in the Twin State areas of VT, and NH.
