Iron will cause an orange stain and many times it will be accompanied by manganese and hydrogen sulfide gas odor. Iron staining will be chocolate brown when it is combined with manganese.

Uranium treatment for the private homeowner will be necessary if the concentration of uranium is above EPA’s maximum exposure level (MCL). The EPA has set the MCL for uranium at 30ug/L (ppb). Although uranium is radioactive, the MCL was set based on its chemical toxicity. At elevated concentrations, uranium affects kidney function and can cause cancer.

Manganese will cause a black stain and is often accompanied by iron staining and hydrogen sulfide (egg) odor. In combination with iron, manganese staining will sometimes be chocolate colored or brown.

“What is hard water?” is a question we quite often get asked. Hard water is the result of the dissolved minerals Ca (calcium) and Mg (magnesium). These minerals become less soluble at high temperatures and form a white precipitate (solid). This characteristic is what causes most of the problems with hardness.