Home / Private Water Supplies
A private water supply isn't provided by the statutory water companies. If you're the owner or manager of a private water supply it's your responsibility to ensure it's safe to drink, cook with and wash in. One way to do this is to install and maintain an appropriate water treatment system that's capable of treating your water to a consistently satisfactory quality. By doing this you won't get into trouble with your local authority.
All private water supplies are unique and each one needs to be understood so that the right treatment system can be installed. We've helped many people who have a private water supply, so if you've got any questions please call 01352 838 281 for a chat.
Our pre-filter will effectively remove sediment (turbidity) from your water prior to our Rio or UV systems.
Twin sediment filter will effectively remove sediment (turbidity) from your water.
Removes sediment (turbidity) and particles (including micoplastics) from water.
Prefilter to remove sediment (turbidity) for high volume UV Systems
Twin sediment filter will effectively remove sediment (turbidity) from your water.
Self cleaning particle filter from Watts
3gpm / 11 lpm
6gpm / 22.7 lpm / 1.4 m3/hr
11gpm / 41 lpm / 2.5 m3/hr
15gpm / 57 lpm / 3.4 m3/hr
For flow rates of 79 lpm (21 gpm)
High quality UV system for homes and cottages where the peak water demand is unlikely to exceed 12 l/pm throughout the property.
The Atlas L22 UV water filter system is suitable for small to average sized properties where the peak water demand is unlikely to exceed 22 l/pm throughout the property.
The Atlas L41 UV water filter system is suitable for 3-4 bedroom properties where the peak water demand is unlikely to exceed 41 l/pm throughout the property.
The Atlas L57 UV water filter system is suitable for 3-5 bedroom properties where the peak water demand is unlikely to exceed 57 l/pm throughout the property.
The Atlas L79 UV water filter system is suitable for 5 bedroom + properties where the peak water demand is unlikely to exceed 79 l/pm throughout the property.
Any water supply that's not provided by a water company is considered to be a private water supply. You'll most likely have a private water supply if you don't receive a water bill from a company.
About 1% of the population of England and Wales have private water supplies to their homes with most situated in more remote, rural parts of the country.
The source of the supply may be a well, borehole, natural spring, stream, river, lake or pond.
A private water supply may serve just one property or several properties through a network of pipes.
In Scotland, approximately 3% of households draw their drinking water from a private source. Many more people come across private water supplies when they stay in holiday accommodation in the more remote parts of Scotland.
If you're the owner or manager of a private water supply, it's up to you to ensure that it's safe to drink or consume foods made from private water so that it doesn't pose a health risk. There are regulations on this: Private Water Supplies Regulations 2016 and in Wales - Private Water Supplies (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2010.
If your water doesn't come from a lake, spring or other surface water supply then it's coming from underground.
This means that the water will have fallen as rain some distance away from where you are drawing it. It will have travelled underground and overground to get to it's source, picking up chemicals and maybe microbiological contamination along the way. You'll have no way of telling how old the water is before it gets to you.
Older water tends to contain fewer micro-organisms since they are filtered out by the rocks or die off. But, older water can contain more chemicals because it's been in contact with the rock structure for longer.
For a surface supply the water may be contaminated with wild or domestic animal faeces.
Never assume that any stream is in mint condition just because it's in a remote area. You have no idea where that water has come from or from how many sources.
Most of the outbreaks diseases that are connected to drinking water from a private water supply occur after heavy rain.
A private water supply could contain viruses, bacteria or protozoa.
The smallest micro-organisms to be found in water are viruses and there are several that can cause problems, for example Norovirus and Hepatitis A. A major source of illness (particularly in young people or the elderly - or those not used to a certain supply for example, visiting house guests) in drinking water comes from bacteria, for example Salmonella, Campylobacter and E.Coli. And finally, protozoa which are small creatures such as amoebae, for example Cryptosporidium.
Some of these can make people feel very ill while others have no effect on health whatsoever.
When water is tested they look for 'indicator organisms' as it would be impossible to test for every known pathogen.
There are three main Indicator Organisms.
All three originate from the guts of mammals, including humans.
There may also be chemical contamination in private water supplies. This is because as rain falls and passes into the soil and rocks it dissolves chemicals from the geological structure. The lower the pH of the water the greater the amount of chemicals that will be dissolved as it's more acidic.
Inorganic chemicals contaminants that can be present in a private water supply include:
Organic contaminants that may be present in a private water supply are:
Physical contaminants in a private water supply could include:
You should have some form of final disinfection treatment if you're drawing your water from a private water supply, unless you are 100% confident that the water is of consistently high quality.
As well as the final disinfection you may need a more comprehensive treatment system. It's important to get a system that's right for your private water supply.
The size of the system you'll need will be determined by a number of factors, but it's normally based on the flow rate from your kitchen tap. If your house has a shower, a dishwasher and a washing machine that can all be used at the same time then you'll need a treatment system that can cope with the increased flow of water.
Private water supply systems can be bought easily online, however; not all private water supplies are the same.
It's important to decide whether you want to install a Point of Use or Point of Entry system.
A Point of Use system treats just one tap in your household - normally the kitchen sink tap. The system would be installed under the kitchen sink. Take a look at our Moby Rio.
A Point of Entry system treats all the water coming into your household. Have a look at our UV water treatment.
Rather than just buying something cheap that might do the job it's well worth while giving us a call on 01352 838 281 to discuss your water supply; where does it come from, how is it collected and are there any holding tanks with outlet pipes that could be postioned better?
If you happen to share your supply with other households then it can often be cheaper and more efficient to install one bigger system that will treat the water for all the households, rather than install separate private water supply treatment systems into each individual household.
We want to ensure that you and your family have access to safe, clean water; no matter where you are in England, Wales, Scotland or Ireland.
For every problem in private water supplies there is a treatment that's right for you, and by talking it through we can help find the best, and probably cheapest treatment option.
Yes we can. We often get sent copies of water analysis reports so that we can provide water treatment recommendations.
For example, your report may have highlighted an issue with manganese and you're unsure which one of our water filters will treat that.
We can help you narrow it down so that you find the right solution for you.
The easiest way for you to send us your water analysis report is to upload the document to our Contact page HERE.
Remember you can also call us on 01352 838 281.
What our customers have to say about us
18 Oct 2023Great 3-way tap, which was well packaged, with clear instructions. Our plumber commended the tap as good quality and easy to plumb in and connect to both water supply and under-sink filter. Looks brilliant in our new kitchen. Thanks to Fountain Filters for a helpful website and speedy delivery service.
12 July 2023Great product, simple to install including hints on common installation challenges which I did have and overcame instantly because of the care taken by the seller. Whole of house now has soft water without a noticeable drop in pressure. Has made a massive difference throughout.
1 Dec 2023It was a small but important order: replacement o-ring with silicon for my water filter housing. when I told them I had not received the articles after 7 days, they without fuss dispatched a replacement with the result I received the original and replacement 3 days later! Very responsive customer service.
17 June 2023After moving into a property with a fresh water supply, I turned to Fountain Filters for advice on replacing the water filter system. I purchased the Moby Twin Sediment System and it has been a worry-free system. Even changing the filters was far easier than the old system. Cannot fault this company on speed of service or quality of advice.
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Fountain Filters, Strowger House,
Sandy Lane Ind. Est.
Newcastle upon Tyne, NE3 5HE, UK.
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