Why Is My Well Water Foamy? (Air Bubbles? Here Is How To Fix)

Do you know why my well water is foamy or what causes air bubbles in my well water? Well, you are at the perfect place to find the answer to such a question.

Noticed that your well water has taken on a bit of a foamy appearance? Wondering what is causing it? Read on. 

Well water is often foamy due to gases from underground being forced into the well water. However, it can also be due to certain organic materials (animals or plants) dissolving in the water. This releases methane, causing the well water to foam.

Let’s expand upon this a little bit. We are positive that not only do you want to know why your well water is foamy, but what you can actually do about it.

Why Is My Well Water Foamy?

There are a few reasons why your well water may be foamy.

Obviously, your well water is being pulled up from the ground. It isn’t just water that is ‘living’ down there.

All sorts of gases can start to form. In some cases, these gases will combine with the water so when the water is pumped, the gases will form small bubbles in the water.

This gives the appearance of something quite foamy.

In rare cases, it may be because something has literally died in your well. This could be an animal or a plant. When these things decompose, they will release methane.

This methane, just like the gases before, will form small bubbles in the well water. This gives the appearance of foam.

Finally, if you live in an area with high radon, this radioactive gas can cause bubbles to form. This is exceedingly dangerous. We will come to this soon, though. 

Read also: Is Your RV Water Foamy? This Might Be Why.

Is Foamy Well Water Dangerous?

Generally speaking, no. If the well water is being pumped from bedrock, then a bit of foaming is likely. This is because the bedrock is quite cold. As the water gets pumped up through your system, it starts to warm up, and this creates a foamy appearance.

These gases are not dangerous. They are natural gases, and you should be 100% fine drinking them. While this type of foaming can happen at any time, some people report that it is much more likely to happen when the weather outside is warm.

If something has died in the well and has started to break down, then this has the potential to be dangerous. This isn’t so much the case if it is plant matter dying, but if an animal has started to decompose in your well, then you could get seriously sick.

There is a chance that it could have been an animal that died in your well if the foamy appearance has suddenly started to occur, or the water has taken on a slightly odd odor. 

If the issue is caused by radon, then this is a serious problem. Radon is naturally around us at all times. It is radioactive but, for the most part, it doesn’t impact us greatly.

However, if you are ingesting large quantities of the stuff, then this could have a serious impact on you.

It can lead to an increased risk of certain cancers, for instance. Obviously, this is not something that you will want to be drinking.

Read also: RV Water Pressure Regulator: 12 Facts You Need To Know (Explained)

How Do You Remove The Foam From Well Water?

Your first job will be to test the water. There are plenty of well-water testing kits out there. If you live in an area that has high radon, then you will want to purchase a kit that will test for radon.

If there is nothing untoward in the water (i.e. it is just normal gases from bedrock), then you don’t really need to do anything.

While some people will find the foamy water to be a little bit unsightly, it doesn’t cause too many issues. You may want to filter it a little bit more but, even then, this isn’t going to be strictly necessary.

If there is a dead animal in the well water, then you will want to remove that animal. You will also need to completely empty the well and let it fill up again.

Don’t drink any of the water until you are 100% sure that it is no longer contaminated.

If you have radon in the water, then you will need to talk to the experts. They will be able to advise you as to whether it is possible to remove the radon from your water supply, or whether you are going to need to completely change the way in which you get your water.

You are not going to be able to remove radon yourself.

Other than these options, there isn’t a whole lot that you are going to be able to do with your well water.

In most cases, you are probably just going to need to learn to live with the foaminess. As long as it isn’t radon, it won’t kill you.

Read also: Why Does My RV Water Smell Like Sulfur? – 4 Ways to Fix It

Final Word

Well water can be foamy for a whole host of different reasons. Perhaps the most common is because the well water has gases from the bedrock leaking into it.

In rare cases, it could be because there is dead plant or animal matter in the water.

In most cases, foamy well water isn’t an issue, assuming that you have properly filtered everything. However, if the water has suddenly taken on a foamy appearance, it may be worth testing it anyway, just to make sure that there is nothing there that needs to be fixed (particularly radon contamination!) 

References

https://www.groundwatergovernance.org/what-makes-well-water-foamy/

https://www.groundwatergovernance.org/why-does-my-community-well-water-suddenly-look-foamy/