Can You Put a Filter on a Well Water System in Stafford?

Does a well pump already have a filter?

Not one that protects your drinking water. Most submersible pumps sit behind a screen at the bottom of the well casing, and some have an intake screen of their own. Those screens keep sand and gravel out of the pump. They do nothing for dissolved iron, odor or bacteria.

That is why treatment goes inside, after the pressure tank. Water arrives there at steady pressure, the equipment is easy to reach, and a bypass valve lets you shut the filter off for service without losing water to the rest of your home. We plan the layout so cartridges and media tanks can be reached without moving anything else in the garage or utility space.

Do you need a filter for well water, and what usually goes wrong?

A private well is not treated or monitored by a city utility, so its water quality is the owner's job. Many wells produce water that is perfectly fine to drink. Others have problems you can see or smell, and some have problems you cannot, which is why testing comes before any purchase.

Around the Houston area, heavy storms and flooding can push surface water toward a wellhead, so a well that tested clean before a big rain event deserves a fresh look afterward. These are the issues we see most often on private wells:

• Sediment and sand that clog aerators, wear out valves and cloud the water
• Iron and manganese, which leave orange or black stains on fixtures and laundry
• Hydrogen sulfide, the rotten-egg smell that is often strongest on hot water
• Hardness that builds scale in water heaters and on glass shower doors
• Bacteria, which has no taste or smell and only shows up on a lab test

Which filter fits which problem, and what it costs to keep

The cheapest system to install is not always the cheapest to own. A simple cartridge sediment filter costs little up front but needs regular cartridge changes, and a heavy sediment load can mean changing them often. A backwashing media tank costs more on day one, cleans itself on a timer and usually goes years between media changes. Over the life of the system, that difference in upkeep often matters more than the purchase price.

We look at both numbers with you. If the test shows only light sediment, a cartridge housing may be the sensible answer. If it shows iron and sulfur together, a single cartridge will foul quickly and a dedicated iron and sulfur filter will hold up better. Many homes end up with a short train of equipment, each piece doing one job well, followed by reverse osmosis at the kitchen sink for drinking and cooking water.

Free installation is part of every system we put in, and we offer full services after the sale, so replacement media, cartridge changes and checkups come from the same people who set the system up.

• Sediment filter: first in line, protects everything after it
• Iron and sulfur filter: removes staining and odor, usually backwashing
• Water softener: only if the hardness test supports it
• UV disinfection: treats bacteria without adding chemicals
• Reverse osmosis: a separate system for drinking water at one tap

How often should well water be tested?

A lab test once a year is a sound habit for most private wells, with bacteria and nitrates as the minimum. Test sooner after flooding near the wellhead, after any pump or plumbing repair, or any time the water changes in color, taste or smell.

Once a treatment system is installed, a follow-up test confirms it is doing its job. That result also gives you a baseline. If something drifts years later, you will know whether the well changed or the filter media is simply due for service. Our water testing service covers both the first look and those later checks.