Is there a cheap solution to filter my well water?

Have the water tested first ! A simple filter cost between $50 and $100 plus plumber fee. But get it tested first then you’ll know what steps to be taken.

For washing machine and drinking water a whole house filter system is the only answer.

You need to do some serious research.

@stanleybmanly My hasn’t led me anywhere so far. So I turned here in hopes that someone has an idea I haven’t heard of yet.

Fill a clear glass jar with water and let it stand on your windowsill for 2 days.

Then. look closely at the water and jar. Is the water clear now? Is there sediment in the bottom of the jar?
If yes, you might be able to filter it with one of these filter bags . You want something in 1 micron, or 5 or 10 micron range.
It is worth experimenting.

I use 10 micron to filter the sediment out of my fish pond.

@LuckyGuy I’ve actually done this and it does have sediment and also has rust colored residue that sticks to the sides of the cup.

Sounds like you need to add salt to the softener. Salt for softeners is relatively cheap and easy to replace. If that doesn’t take care of the color taste/smell, then I would suggest a whole house filter. You don’t need to go overboard and put in some high tech system, just a couple good sized cotton wound filters. Maybe work with the landlord to have him/her foot the cost for the materials or the labor or both.

@ItalianPrincess1217 That is great news. If you can take the cover off your well casing , you might be able to rig up a way to pump water from your hose back into the well.

If there is a lot of sediment it is possible you might have a crack in your well casing or a small leak where the pipes go into the side of the casing.
Does the water get dirtier after a rain? That is a good indicator.

Do you know what kind of well it is? Or how deep? For example, mine is 90 ft deep jet pump with the pump in the basement. Do you have access to the casing?
If you can take the top off the casing you can do some diagnostic work. Look for ripples in the water surface . That might indicate ground water dripping into the casing.
You can also dump a gallon of bleach into the well and run the hose back into the well to mix it up and get the bleach everywhere. Make sure to use real bleach, not a laundry substitute.

I wonder if a Brita pitcher would solve the problem for your drinking water? Are your clothes getting stained?

@JLeslie Oh it’s definitely staining the clothes. I only buy black now because everything else is tinged with orange. And a Brita filter wouldn’t be enough because of the bacteria in the water. We’re used to just buying bottled water now.

@LuckyGuy I don’t know too many of the specifics but I believe the landlord said it was 60ft. I also know he dug a brand new one when he bought this place a couple years ago so it’s new.

There’s special water softener salt for rust. It makes our rusty water better than it was. A reverse osmosis filter would help, and we did ours ourselves. Hubby did the plumbing himself. You could install it, and take it with you.

@snowberry We do get the rust salt currently. I didn’t know I’d be able to take the reverse osmosis filter with me when I moved. Thanks!

You’ll need one, maybe 2 sediment filters first, and then the reverse osmosis filters. I think your landlord has no idea how bad your water really is. Show him your your towels and the jar of water with the sediment and tell him why you only wear black now. Ask him if he’d be willing to install these filters (I think he could write the cost off on his taxes). Don’t forget that the filters will need to be changed periodically. As a good faith gesture, and if you can, tell him you’ll help pay for it.

We bought our filters online. I’ll find out how often we need to change them and I’ll pm you with the details.

Also, as long as you’ll be doing plumbing anyway, you could ask if you could have one tap installed for drinking water, because drinking soft water isn’t good for your health. That would be after the reverse osmosis and before the water softener.