Well water treatment, by contaminant

Treat what your test found, nothing more. Most problems have one right answer: reverse osmosis for arsenic and uranium at the kitchen tap, aeration for radon, an oxidizing filter for iron and manganese, carbon for PFAS, and a fix to the well itself for bacteria.

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Arsenic

Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Adsorptive media (iron-based) whole-house; Anion exchange.

Tap Score well water test kit Mail-in test kit, about $209
Certified lab analysis of your own tap water, bottles and prepaid return shipping included. The Essential well panel covers arsenic, uranium, nitrate, lead, copper, manganese, iron, sodium and bacteria; radon and PFAS are add-ons.
Under-sink reverse osmosis system Under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.
Whole-house arsenic and uranium filter Whole-house, about $2,500
Adsorptive iron-based media; sized to your well yield.
Aquasana SmartFlow reverse osmosis Under-sink or countertop, about $225
Certified to NSF/ANSI 58 and 53 to reduce arsenic (96%, pentavalent), fluoride (90%), lead (99%), nitrate, nitrite and PFOA/PFOS at the kitchen tap, with a remineralizer.

Chloride

Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Distillation.

Tap Score well water test kit Mail-in test kit, about $209
Certified lab analysis of your own tap water, bottles and prepaid return shipping included. The Essential well panel covers arsenic, uranium, nitrate, lead, copper, manganese, iron, sodium and bacteria; radon and PFAS are add-ons.
Under-sink reverse osmosis system Under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.

Copper

Neutralizing filter to raise pH; Point-of-use reverse osmosis.

Tap Score well water test kit Mail-in test kit, about $209
Certified lab analysis of your own tap water, bottles and prepaid return shipping included. The Essential well panel covers arsenic, uranium, nitrate, lead, copper, manganese, iron, sodium and bacteria; radon and PFAS are add-ons.
Under-sink reverse osmosis system Under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.
Acid neutralizing filter Whole-house, about $1,200
Raises pH so plumbing stops leaching lead and copper.

E. coli

Shock chlorination and fix the well cap or casing; UV disinfection whole-house; Chlorination system.

Tap Score well water test kit Mail-in test kit, about $209
Certified lab analysis of your own tap water, bottles and prepaid return shipping included. The Essential well panel covers arsenic, uranium, nitrate, lead, copper, manganese, iron, sodium and bacteria; radon and PFAS are add-ons.
UV disinfection system Whole-house, about $900
Fix the well cap and casing first; UV keeps bacteria from returning.
Tap Score coliform and E. coli test Mail-in test kit, about $99
Presence or absence of total coliform and E. coli in your own tap water, bottles and prepaid return shipping included, results in five business days.
Aquasana Rhino Well Water with UV Whole-house, about $2,871
Whole-house system built for wells: sediment pre-filter, KDF and carbon, and a UV lamp rated to kill 99.99% of bacteria and viruses. It does not remove arsenic, nitrate, uranium or radon.

Fluoride

Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Activated alumina; Distillation.

Tap Score well water test kit Mail-in test kit, about $209
Certified lab analysis of your own tap water, bottles and prepaid return shipping included. The Essential well panel covers arsenic, uranium, nitrate, lead, copper, manganese, iron, sodium and bacteria; radon and PFAS are add-ons.
Under-sink reverse osmosis system Under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.
Aquasana SmartFlow reverse osmosis Under-sink or countertop, about $225
Certified to NSF/ANSI 58 and 53 to reduce arsenic (96%, pentavalent), fluoride (90%), lead (99%), nitrate, nitrite and PFOA/PFOS at the kitchen tap, with a remineralizer.

Gross alpha

Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Water softener (cation exchange) for radium; Anion exchange for uranium.

Under-sink reverse osmosis system Under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.

Iron

Oxidizing filter whole-house; Water softener (low levels); Aeration plus filtration.

Tap Score well water test kit Mail-in test kit, about $209
Certified lab analysis of your own tap water, bottles and prepaid return shipping included. The Essential well panel covers arsenic, uranium, nitrate, lead, copper, manganese, iron, sodium and bacteria; radon and PFAS are add-ons.
Iron and manganese oxidizing filter Whole-house, about $1,800
Air-injection or greensand media; fixes staining at the source.

Lead

Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Certified lead-removal carbon filter; Neutralizing filter to raise pH and stop leaching.

Tap Score well water test kit Mail-in test kit, about $209
Certified lab analysis of your own tap water, bottles and prepaid return shipping included. The Essential well panel covers arsenic, uranium, nitrate, lead, copper, manganese, iron, sodium and bacteria; radon and PFAS are add-ons.
Under-sink reverse osmosis system Under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.
Acid neutralizing filter Whole-house, about $1,200
Raises pH so plumbing stops leaching lead and copper.
Aquasana SmartFlow reverse osmosis Under-sink or countertop, about $225
Certified to NSF/ANSI 58 and 53 to reduce arsenic (96%, pentavalent), fluoride (90%), lead (99%), nitrate, nitrite and PFOA/PFOS at the kitchen tap, with a remineralizer.
Aquasana Claryum 3-Stage under-sink filter Under-sink or countertop, about $175
Certified to NSF/ANSI 53 to reduce 99% of lead and 99.7% of PFOA and PFOS at the tap. Not a fix for arsenic, nitrate or bacteria.

Manganese

Oxidizing filter (greensand, birm) whole-house; Water softener (low levels); Point-of-use reverse osmosis.

Tap Score well water test kit Mail-in test kit, about $209
Certified lab analysis of your own tap water, bottles and prepaid return shipping included. The Essential well panel covers arsenic, uranium, nitrate, lead, copper, manganese, iron, sodium and bacteria; radon and PFAS are add-ons.
Iron and manganese oxidizing filter Whole-house, about $1,800
Air-injection or greensand media; fixes staining at the source.

Nitrate

Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange; Distillation.

Tap Score well water test kit Mail-in test kit, about $209
Certified lab analysis of your own tap water, bottles and prepaid return shipping included. The Essential well panel covers arsenic, uranium, nitrate, lead, copper, manganese, iron, sodium and bacteria; radon and PFAS are add-ons.
Under-sink reverse osmosis system Under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.
Aquasana SmartFlow reverse osmosis Under-sink or countertop, about $225
Certified to NSF/ANSI 58 and 53 to reduce arsenic (96%, pentavalent), fluoride (90%), lead (99%), nitrate, nitrite and PFOA/PFOS at the kitchen tap, with a remineralizer.

Nitrite

Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange; Distillation.

Under-sink reverse osmosis system Under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.
Aquasana SmartFlow reverse osmosis Under-sink or countertop, about $225
Certified to NSF/ANSI 58 and 53 to reduce arsenic (96%, pentavalent), fluoride (90%), lead (99%), nitrate, nitrite and PFOA/PFOS at the kitchen tap, with a remineralizer.

PFHxS

Granular activated carbon whole-house; Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange.

Under-sink reverse osmosis system Under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.
Whole-house PFAS carbon system Whole-house, about $3,000
Granular activated carbon certified to NSF/ANSI 53 for PFOA and PFOS; replace media on schedule.
Aquasana HealthShield whole-house filter Whole-house, about $2,099
Whole-house carbon system the maker certifies to reduce PFAS (PFOA and PFOS) and VOCs at every tap; a UV option adds bacteria protection.

PFNA

Granular activated carbon whole-house; Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange.

Under-sink reverse osmosis system Under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.
Whole-house PFAS carbon system Whole-house, about $3,000
Granular activated carbon certified to NSF/ANSI 53 for PFOA and PFOS; replace media on schedule.
Aquasana HealthShield whole-house filter Whole-house, about $2,099
Whole-house carbon system the maker certifies to reduce PFAS (PFOA and PFOS) and VOCs at every tap; a UV option adds bacteria protection.

PFOA

Granular activated carbon whole-house; Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange.

Under-sink reverse osmosis system Under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.
Whole-house PFAS carbon system Whole-house, about $3,000
Granular activated carbon certified to NSF/ANSI 53 for PFOA and PFOS; replace media on schedule.
Aquasana SmartFlow reverse osmosis Under-sink or countertop, about $225
Certified to NSF/ANSI 58 and 53 to reduce arsenic (96%, pentavalent), fluoride (90%), lead (99%), nitrate, nitrite and PFOA/PFOS at the kitchen tap, with a remineralizer.
Aquasana HealthShield whole-house filter Whole-house, about $2,099
Whole-house carbon system the maker certifies to reduce PFAS (PFOA and PFOS) and VOCs at every tap; a UV option adds bacteria protection.
Aquasana Claryum 3-Stage under-sink filter Under-sink or countertop, about $175
Certified to NSF/ANSI 53 to reduce 99% of lead and 99.7% of PFOA and PFOS at the tap. Not a fix for arsenic, nitrate or bacteria.

PFOS

Granular activated carbon whole-house; Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange.

Under-sink reverse osmosis system Under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.
Whole-house PFAS carbon system Whole-house, about $3,000
Granular activated carbon certified to NSF/ANSI 53 for PFOA and PFOS; replace media on schedule.
Aquasana SmartFlow reverse osmosis Under-sink or countertop, about $225
Certified to NSF/ANSI 58 and 53 to reduce arsenic (96%, pentavalent), fluoride (90%), lead (99%), nitrate, nitrite and PFOA/PFOS at the kitchen tap, with a remineralizer.
Aquasana HealthShield whole-house filter Whole-house, about $2,099
Whole-house carbon system the maker certifies to reduce PFAS (PFOA and PFOS) and VOCs at every tap; a UV option adds bacteria protection.
Aquasana Claryum 3-Stage under-sink filter Under-sink or countertop, about $175
Certified to NSF/ANSI 53 to reduce 99% of lead and 99.7% of PFOA and PFOS at the tap. Not a fix for arsenic, nitrate or bacteria.

Radium (226 + 228)

Water softener (cation exchange); Point-of-use reverse osmosis.

Under-sink reverse osmosis system Under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.

Radon

Aeration (bubble-up or diffused) whole-house; Granular activated carbon whole-house (lower levels only).

Tap Score well water test kit Mail-in test kit, about $209
Certified lab analysis of your own tap water, bottles and prepaid return shipping included. The Essential well panel covers arsenic, uranium, nitrate, lead, copper, manganese, iron, sodium and bacteria; radon and PFAS are add-ons.

Sodium

Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Distillation.

Tap Score well water test kit Mail-in test kit, about $209
Certified lab analysis of your own tap water, bottles and prepaid return shipping included. The Essential well panel covers arsenic, uranium, nitrate, lead, copper, manganese, iron, sodium and bacteria; radon and PFAS are add-ons.
Under-sink reverse osmosis system Under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.

Total coliform

Inspect and repair the well cap and casing, then shock chlorinate and retest; UV disinfection whole-house; Chlorination system.

Tap Score coliform and E. coli test Mail-in test kit, about $99
Presence or absence of total coliform and E. coli in your own tap water, bottles and prepaid return shipping included, results in five business days.
Aquasana Rhino Well Water with UV Whole-house, about $2,871
Whole-house system built for wells: sediment pre-filter, KDF and carbon, and a UV lamp rated to kill 99.99% of bacteria and viruses. It does not remove arsenic, nitrate, uranium or radon.

Uranium

Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange; Whole-house anion exchange.

Tap Score well water test kit Mail-in test kit, about $209
Certified lab analysis of your own tap water, bottles and prepaid return shipping included. The Essential well panel covers arsenic, uranium, nitrate, lead, copper, manganese, iron, sodium and bacteria; radon and PFAS are add-ons.
Under-sink reverse osmosis system Under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.
Whole-house arsenic and uranium filter Whole-house, about $2,500
Adsorptive iron-based media; sized to your well yield.

Not sure which problem you have?

Buying the wrong system is the expensive mistake. If you have a lab report, the interpreter matches every result to the limit and names the smallest fix. If you have never tested, book a free in-home water test and get the numbers first.