Cheating on Water Tests: finding Chlorine in Drinking Water InspectAPedia® -
What are the possible sources of chlorine in drinking water?
How do we remove un-wanted chlorine odors in drinking water
How to Avoid Water Test & Septic Test Cheating Problems
What to Do About Questionable Water Test Results
Questions about how and why people cheat on water potability tests
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Cheating on water tests: This article explains why people might do something that prevents you from obtaining an accurate water test,
how to detect this bad behavior, and what to do about it. Cheating on drinking water tests may come as a surprise to most folks - who would do such a thing, and why? This article is part of our series on CHEATING ON WATER TESTS.
Readers should be sure to see CHLORINE IN DRINKING WATER. Also see Choices of Water Tests & Fees: A Summary of Types of Water Tests,
Degrees of Comprehensive Water Testing, Details of Water Test Parameters. And see
Water Testing Advice based on information from Cornell University of Maryland with extensive edits, text additions, and
additional references.
If your property has a private septic system, the same folks who poured chlorine into a well (to cheat on a water test) may by that means or other steps, also have sent bleach or chlorine into the septic system - possibly harming the system and possibly subverting a septic loading and dye test - see CHLORINE IN SEPTIC WASTEWATER and see CHEATING ON WATER TESTS.
Sources of chlorine in drinking water from private wells and public water supplies
Chlorine in private well water? From what cause or what source do we find chlorine in water? One would not expect to find chlorine in well water from a private residence except for a few conditions, most of which indicate a concern for the sanitation of the water supply.
Chlorine from municipal water supply: If your water smells
like chlorine, first let's find out if your water is supplied by a private well or by a municipal water system and it is chlorine that you smell.
Chlorine is quite volatile and doesn't stick around in water - if you run water from a tap into a pitcher and let it sit, the
chlorine will dissipate pretty quickly. People who want to avoid chlorine in their water can install a treatment system
such as charcoal filtering to remove it.
Municipal water supplied: The water may not be from a private well - you may have misunderstood or been misinformed. Community water supplies often contain chlorinated water.
Old wells and complete water supply systems are sometimes left in place after a home is connected to a municipal water supply.
Most municipalities are careful to be certain that the homeowner has no physical plumbing connections between the well water system
and the municipal system, as they don't want to risk back-contamination of their supply. An old well might be kept working, for example, to water laws or wash cars.
Follow the pipes in your building to the point where water service is provided to be sure you know where water is entering and from what source it arrives.
Well Water Chlorinator may be Installed: (photo at left) The water supply may be known to be unsanitary, and a chlorine injection system may be installed. If post-processing of the
chlorinated water is not properly adjusted, odors of chlorine may be present at fixtures, or may be detected by testing with a Hach or similar test kit.
If a drinking water treatment system is installed, you can find it, make sure it's working, test the well to determine what's really needed, and be sure that the treatment system is properly maintained. If your home water smells like chlorine and you have a chlorinator installed for water disinfection, make sure the equipment is properly adjusted.
If someone has just shocked or sanitized the water well to try to correct a bacteria problem (a step which is ineffective if there is a persistent bacteria source - See WELL CHLORINATION SHOCKING PROCEDURE) it is possible that you have not run enough water to flush out all of that chlorine (bleach).
Recent well shock treatment after work on the well, well piping, or submersible well pump: the well may have been shocked as normal good procedure following work on and removal/replacement of a submersible pump or piping in the well itself. Chlorine from this or any well shock treatment
is left in place (typically for 24 hours at the proper concentration of chlorine), then flushed from the well quite thoroughly in order to avoid giving the occupants chlorine to drink or to accidentally bleach their clothes.
If you have just sanitized your water softener it is possible that you have not run enough water to flush out all of that chlorine (bleach).
So unless a well shock for a legitimate reason
is virtually in process at the time of an independent test that detects chlorine, we'd suspect something darker, discussed in the next bullet. [Thanks to SGP Rich for this tip -- DJF 5.2006]
Recent well shock treatment to Hide a Problem: The well supplying the building may have been recently "shocked" with bleach either in a attempt (questionable) to correct a known
bacterial contamination problem, or in a attempt to disguise a known contamination situation (highly dishonest and dangerous).
If readers know of other reasons why we'd find chlorine in a private water supply, please let me know.
As we mention in the list above, people might shock a well or install a chlorine treatment system for sanitation or to remove an odor from water - for a legitimate reason. Finding out if this is the case is one step in determining if the building piping or well casing
have become soiled and contaminated or after actually doing work on the well pump or piping in the well itself.
Shocking a well with bleach will have only a temporary effect in reducing the bacteria level
in water if there is a persistent source of contamination in the water supply.
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Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.
The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 2010, $69.00 U.S., is available from Carson Dunlop, and from the InspectAPedia bookstore. The 2010 edition of the Home Reference Book is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. InspectAPedia.com ® author/editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume.
Crystal Clear Supply provides portable ceramic water filter purifiers and portable reverse osmosis water treatment equipment - see http://www.crystalclearsupply.com/category_s/7.htm
Handbook of Disinfectants and Antiseptics, Joseph M. Ascenzi (Editor), CRC, 1995, ISBN-10: 0824795245 ISBN-13: 978-0824795245 "The evaluation of chemical germicides predates the golden age of microbiology..." -
This well-focused, up-to-date reference details the current medical uses of antiseptics and disinfectants -- particularly in the control of hospital-acquired infections -- presenting methods for evaluating products to obtain regulatory approval and examining chemical, physical, and microbiological properties as well as the toxicology of the most widely used commercial chemicals.
Potable Aqua® emergency drinking water germicidal tablets are produced by the Wisconsin Pharmacal Co., Jackson WI 53037. 800-558-6614 pharmacalway.com
Principles and Practice of Disinfection, Preservation and Sterilization (Hardcover)
by A. D. Russell (Editor), W. B. Hugo (Editor), G. A. J. Ayliffe (Editor), Blackwell Science, 2004. ISBN-10: 1405101997, ISBN-13: 978-1405101998.
"This superb book is the best of its kind available and one that will undoubtedly be useful, if not essential, to workers in a variety of industries. Thirty-one distinguished specialists deal comprehensively with the subject matter indicated by the title ... The book is produced with care, is very readable with useful selected references at the end of each chapter and an excellent index. It is an essential source book for everyone interested in this field. For pharmacy undergraduates, it will complement the excellent text on pharmaceutical microbiology by two of the present editors."
The Pharmaceutical Journal: "This is an excellent book. It deals comprehensively and authoritatively with its subject with contributions from 31 distinguished specialists. There is a great deal to interest all those involved in hospital infection ... This book is exceptionally well laid out. There are well chosen references for each chapter and an excellent index. It is highly recommended." The Journal of Hospital Infection.: "The editors and authors must be congratulated for this excellent treatise on nonantibiotic antimicrobial measures in hospitals and industry ... The publication is highly recommended to hospital and research personnel, especially to clinical microbiologists, infection-control and environmental-safety specialists, pharmacists, and dieticians."
New England Journal of Medicine: City Hospital, Birmingham, UK. Covers the many methods of the elimination or prevention of microbial growth. Provides an historical overview, descriptions of the types of antimicrobial agents, factors affecting efficacy, evaluation methods, and types of resistance. Features sterilization methods, and more. Previous edition: c1999. DNLM: Sterilization--methods.
U.S. Army Field Manual 21-10, Field Hygiene and Sanitation, 1988, web search 07/02/2010, original source: http://www.enlisted.info/field-manuals/fm-21-10-field-hygiene-and-sanitation.shtml The purpose of this manual is to assist individual soldiers, unit commanders, leaders and field sanitation teams in preventing disease and environmental injuries. The manual provides information on preventive medicine measures (PMM) to the individual soldier as well as essential information for the unit commander, unit leaders, and the unit field sanitation team on applying unit level PMM.
When Technology Fails, Matthew Stein, Chelsea Green Publisher, 2008,493 pages. ISBN-10: 1933392452 ISBN-13: 978-1933392455, "... how to find and sterilize water in the face of utility failure, as well as practical information for dealing with water-quality issues even when the public tap water is still flowing". Mr. Stein's website is www.whentechfails.com/
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