- Nitrogen
- Pesticides
- Microbes
- Aluminum
- Copper
- Fluoride
- Bacteria
- Mercury
- Giardia
- Bleach
- Salt
- Chlorine
- Iron
- Lead
Not all water is created equal. If you know someone with a well—or have water that tastes like a pool—you’ve experienced that first hand. The impacts of low-quality water are often insidious, rarely noticed until you shower or drink somewhere else. Then, the issues become difficult to ignore.
But, if you call Yreka home, there’s no reason to settle for low-quality, hard, or metallic-tasting water. You have a professional water treatment company right in your backyard. Our plumbers have been serving the Yreka area for 35 years. This experience allows us to craft a solution for almost any water quality problem.
For those on public water systems, water is collected, filtered to remove large particulates, and then treated for bacteria and parasites. It’s then propelled through the city’s plumbing system into your home. For those on a well, the water is simply pulled into your faucets and tanks via a well pump. Regardless of how you get your water in Yreka, this purification process introduces a number of contaminants into your water supply. These include:
In our years of treating water in the Yreka area, we’ve encountered homeowners with a variety of water issues. Though there are certainly more, we find that these problems can be grouped into eight main categories:
Contamination Type | Source | Effect |
---|---|---|
Water Contamination | Multiple (aluminum, ammonia, arsenic, copper, fluoride, lead, selenium, etc.) | Microbial contaminants are not as easily detectable as the smell of sulfur or the black staining of manganese. But they can still be dangerous to your health. |
White Scale Build-Up | Mineral build-up | Hard water contains heightened levels of minerals like magnesium and calcium. Over time, these deposits build up inside your water heater and on any surface that contacts water. Overtime, this buildup can corrode your plumbing. |
Skin and Hair Problems | Mineral build-up | Hard water can leave soap scum on your skin and hair. This often leads to scalp issues, deflated up-dos, and dry or flaky skin. |
Acid Stains | Water with an improper pH | When the pH of your water dips too low, it begins eating away at your plumbing. The metal stripped from your pipes is sprayed out of your faucets and turns water basins a bluish-green color. |
Taste and Smell Issues | High sulfur levels | If your water smells like rotten eggs, you’ve probably got a sulfur problem. While sulfur won’t hurt you, it can drastically alter the way your water tastes. Those in Yreka with wells may also have to worry about the creation of hydrogen sulfide—a gas that smells like rotten eggs. |
Tastes Like Chlorine | High Iron Levels | If you think your water tastes like chlorine, you could be right. Often used to disinfect city water, high levels of it can leave your tap water tasting like a swimming pool. |
Rust | Mineral build-up | If your sinks, tubs, and toilets are covered in rust stains, you might have an iron problem. If left untreated, iron can clog your pipes and leave your water tasting metallic. |
Black Water Buildup | High Manganese | Manganese is often found in ground and surface water. High levels of it can stain water fixtures black. Overtime, this can reduce your water pressure and increase your maintenance costs. Worse yet, your water will end up tasting bitter and sharp. |
If any of these issues sound familiar, give us a call at 530-842-7862! We’ll send one of our water treatment specialists out to take a look.
SVM Plumbing, Heating & Air offers a wide array of water treatment options in the Yreka area. Our potential solutions include:
Before doing anything, we test your water on a number of variables. This is necessary because so many contaminants present themselves in a similar way. These tests also check your water for dozens of common contaminants. Through water testing in Yreka, we can pinpoint the exact problem and craft the perfect plan for combating it.
See What's In Your WaterOften encountered by those on well systems, hard water is typically caused by excess minerals in the water. By using a salt-based or other water softener, we remove these particulates. This gives you the taste and benefits of city water without the sky-high water bills. To learn more about our water softening services in Mt Shasta and Weed, read on.
Kiss Hard Water and Rust GoodbyeYour water is contaminated with bacteria, manganese, or chlorine. Now, what? This is where water filtration and purification products come into play. These can include not only whole-house filters but also small drinking water solutions.
Get Cleaner, Healthier WaterNo matter what the issue is, we can craft a water treatment solution to fit your needs. Before any of that, however, you’ll need to call us to schedule an in-home water analysis.
The good news? SVM is in your backyard and ready to serve you. We’ve been helping Yreka improve their water quality for 35 years and know how to engineer the solution that’s right for you. Imagine how different your life would be if you didn’t cringe each time you sipped a glass of water or stepped in the shower. With our plumbers, you get the best of all possible worlds: knowledge, top-of-the-like service, comprehensive warranties, and unwavering customer dedication.
To schedule water quality testing, reach out to us at 530-842-7862 or fill out our online form. We look forward to adding you to our family of satisfied customers.
A lot of homeowners aren't sure they have water, especially if they don't live on a well. Luckily, there's one surefire way to tell. You’ll see scale buildup on water heaters and other plumbing fixtures. You’ll also find soap deposits on dishes and soap scum in your toilet or your bathtub.
Water picks up gases and impurities as it goes through the water cycle. It can pick it up in the air or from the soil it falls into. Some of these items (including calcium and gypsum) are known as hard minerals. When you have disproportionate amounts of these minerals, your water is deemed hard. If softening it is what you want, reach out to our water softening experts in Yreka.
Soft water is water that is free of hard chemicals like iron and calcium. To take water from hard to soft, water softeners replace those unwanted chemicals with sodium or potassium. This results in less soap scum and a better occupant experience.
The slickness you can feel is your natural body oils. Because it has a hard time removing residue from soap residue, hard water often leaves your body with a layer of fine soap scum. Eventually, you’ll get used to how your skin feels without that extra layer of chemicals on it.
First and foremost, don't use rock salt. It isn't designed for softener use. While we recommend using solar or block salts, any type of clean salt can be utilized. Because the cleaners in rust-cleaning salt can damage equipment, we advise avoiding any brands that advertise themselves as a rust-buster. The acids in this type of salt don't always play well with others.
There are about 75 mgs of salt in one quart of softened water; this is less sodium than what’s found in your typical slice of bread. If your diet is very strict, consider using a reverse osmosis system in place of a traditional water softener.
Tired of an unsightly yellow ring around your toilet or faucet? Well, first, this won't harm you & me even if it is unsightly. This staining is probably caused by an overabundance of iron in your water. There are cleaners designed to remove the yellowing. The best permanent solution, however, is installing a new water softener in Yreka.
Black or brown stains in your dishwasher are often the result of manganese buildup. Because the dishwasher heats, mixes, and agitates, it makes a perfect oxidizer. If left untreated, an overabundance of manganese can stain your clothes.
If you notice a lot of bluish-green stains in your sink, your water might be acidic. This leads to it leaching metal from your piping and plumbing fixtures. When left untreated, this can lead to leaks in your copper piping.
Hydrogen sulfide buildup in your well or pipes is often to blame for this water problem. Though an abundance of sulfite isn’t a health hazard, it can leave an unpleasant taste in your water and corrode some pipes.
Nitrate is a naturally occurring substance that forms in the soil when oxygen and nitrogen combine. While perfectly fine in small amounts, an overabundance of nitrate can pollute groundwater.
You might be wondering where all these nasty contaminants come from. Are you doing something wrong? Not usually. Livestock waste, fertilizers, and septic run-off are the most common causes of nitrogen in the soil.
For most people, there’s no harm in consuming small amounts of nitrate. But things are different for infants. Nitrate makes it harder for their blood to transport oxygen. This can lead to a dangerous condition known as “blue baby syndrome.” For that reason, pregnant women and young children should avoid consuming nitrate-laden water.
Water problems are split into two categories:
In most cases, testing strips are only looking for primary issues. To handle the aesthetic issues, you'll want to reach out to someone who does comprehensive water testing.
There are few things as beautiful as a crystal clear glass of water. Unfortunately, not everyone in Yreka gets to experience this first hand. A lot of homes have water that's best described as "foggy."This cloudiness is often caused by tiny air bubbles in the water. It will dissipate if you let the water sit and poses no danger to your health.