Well Sanitizing & Disinfection Services

Bacteria in Your Family’s Water? We’ll Find It, Kill It, and Keep It Out.

Certified Well Sanitizing & Shock Chlorination for New York Homes

Harmful bacteria in well water usually give no warning – no taste, no smell, no color. The only way to know is a water test, and a positive result for coliform or E. coli means it’s time to act. Left alone, bacterial contamination is a real health risk to your family, and it’s the kind of thing that fails a home-sale inspection at the worst possible moment.

At The Pump Man, we don’t just dump bleach down the well and hope. We sanitize your system with proper shock chlorination, inspect the well to find where the bacteria are getting in, retest to confirm it’s gone, and tell you honestly if you need ongoing protection. As NYS DEC certified well specialists (License #NYRD10652), we treat the cause – not just the symptom.

Whether it’s from seasonal runoff, a cracked well cap, recent well work, or a failed real-estate test, we’ll restore your water to safe, drinkable quality – fast.

Worried About Bacteria in Your Water? Let’s Make It Safe.

We sanitize, find the source, and retest so your family’s water is safe to drink. Honest, upfront pricing every time.

Request an Estimate →

Or call 845-528-2929

Common Reasons to Sanitize Your Well

Most of our sanitizing calls come down to one of these:

A positive coliform or E. coli test
A real-estate sale that requires a passing bacteria test
After new construction, a new well, or pump and well work
Stormwater or surface-water intrusion, often after heavy rain or flooding
Seasonal maintenance and peace of mind
Sudden odors, slime, or cloudy water

The Pump Man protecting a New York family from well water bacteria

Our Professional Well Sanitizing Process

Done right, shock chlorination is more than pouring in bleach. Here’s how we do it:

Inspection – we check the wellhead, cap, seals, and sanitary compliance to find how bacteria are getting in
Shock chlorination – proper, measured dosing with NSF-approved chlorine or peroxide for the size of your well
Circulation & contact time – we run it through the whole system (pipes, tank, lines) and hold it long enough to fully disinfect
Flush & retest – we safely drain the system and retest to confirm clean results
Long-term plan – if needed, we recommend UV or a continuous system so it doesn’t come back

What to Expect After We Sanitize

Shock chlorination puts a heavy dose of chlorine through your system, so there are a few things to know:

Your water will smell strongly of chlorine until we flush it out – don’t drink it during this stage
The chlorine can temporarily loosen iron and sediment, so water may look discolored for a short time
We bypass or protect water softeners and certain filters, which heavy chlorine can damage
After flushing, the water has to be retested and confirmed clean by a certified lab before it’s safe to drink again – we’ll tell you exactly when

We recommend a follow-up retest down the road too, since a clean result right after shocking doesn’t always mean the bacteria are gone for good.

Why a One-Time Shock Isn’t Always the Whole Answer

We believe in being straight with you about what shock chlorination can and can’t do:

Sanitizing kills the bacteria that are in your well right now – it’s a powerful reset
But it doesn’t fix the source. Studies show a one-time shock alone keeps bacteria out long-term in only a fraction of wells when the way bacteria are getting in isn’t addressed
That’s why we inspect your well head, cap, and seals for vulnerabilities like surface-water intrusion or a failed cap
If contamination keeps coming back, a UV or continuous disinfection system may be the right long-term fix

Well Sanitizing & Disinfection – Frequently Asked Questions

My well tested positive for coliform or E. coli – what should I do?

First, stop drinking the water or boil it until it’s disinfected. Then call a professional to shock chlorinate the well, inspect for the source of contamination, and retest. A single positive test means bacteria are present, and E. coli in particular needs prompt action. We handle the full process and confirm your water is clean before you drink it again.

How long after shocking the well until the water is safe to drink?

Plan on not drinking the water for a stretch after we sanitize. We flush the chlorine out, then the water has to be retested and confirmed clean by a certified lab before it’s safe to drink, often a week or two later. We tell you exactly when based on your results, and we never call it safe until a clean test proves it.

Does shock chlorination fix the problem for good?

Not always. Shock chlorination kills the bacteria in your well right now, but it doesn’t fix how they got in. If the source isn’t addressed, contamination can return. That’s why we inspect your well cap and seals, and if bacteria keep coming back we’ll recommend a UV or continuous disinfection system for lasting protection.

Do I need well disinfection to sell my house in New York?

Often, yes. Many New York towns and mortgage lenders require a passing bacteria test before a home sale can close, and a failed test can stall a deal. We sanitize the well, fix what’s letting bacteria in, and retest to get your water compliant so your closing stays on track.

Will shock chlorination hurt my water softener, filters, or septic?

It can if it’s not handled properly. The heavy chlorine dose can damage softeners and some filters, so we bypass or protect them, and we manage how much chlorine reaches your septic system. We also flush the system carefully afterward to clear the chlorine out.

Do you test the water before and after sanitizing?

Yes. We recommend testing before and after. Bacteria like coliform and E. coli must be analyzed by a certified lab – we can collect and submit the sample, or you can drop your own at a certified lab. Basic water quality like hardness, iron, pH, and TDS we can screen in-house.

Worried About Bacteria in Your Water? Let’s Make It Safe.

We sanitize, find the source, and retest so your family’s water is safe to drink. Honest, upfront pricing every time.

Request an Estimate →

Or call 845-528-2929