If you own a well, you should test your water
Well water varies in pH, contaminants, and other properties according to location and depth of the well. If you live in an area with a lot of calcium in your bedrock, then your natural pH will be higher than if your location has mostly slate bedrock, for instance. Also if your location has a lot of pine forests and/or acid rain, that drives the pH down to be more acidic. Iron in your bedrock or well promotes the growth of certain microorganisms which give off Sulphur. Using a water softener is not always the best answer, because it removes the natural, healthy calcium, magnesium and potassium from the water and replaces it with sodium.
If you own a well you are probably the only one responsible for testing your water. There are inexpensive tests you can use. Or, better yet, you can call in a water-testing expert locally. They will help you know whether or not your well-water fits into the EPA Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality http://water.epa.gov/drink/info/
Comprehensive Well Water Test Kits can be purchased at Home Depot or other local stores for a single test of your water for 9 of the most important things well-owners should know about their water. It's also best to do repeat-testing regularly.
If you do find your water is of poor quality, there are always ways to filter/prefilter it, so you can have perfect water or ionized water no matter what. We will be happy to discuss your water filtration issues with you, via email or phone, to help you analyze it and find the right filters.
Iron:
If you get an orange-colored deposit in your tub under the faucet that means your water has an excess of iron in it. Iron is electrically conductive and could harm your water ionizer if you have an excess of it in your water. You can easily fix this problem with an iron/sulphur prefilter. Also, the PureEasy filter system will remove iron and rust from water.
Bacteria:
The most effective filters for single, point-of-use, elimination of bacteria are the Dual Ceramic CM-01 filters made by PureEasy Filter Systems. The double ceramic will not allow bacteria, virus, fungi, etc. to get into the system.
Arsenic:
Arsenic can be in water and go undetected, but if you have it in your water you should use an Arsenic-Lead-Fluoride filter. It's an alkaline mineral and so you would be getting greater concentrations of it in your ionized water. Arsenic will either have no smell or color at all or it will have an almond-like smell to it.
Sulphur:
Sulphur can be in water and go undetected, but if you have it in your water you should prefilter it out. It's an alkaline mineral and so you would be getting greater concentrations of it in your ionized water. Sulphur will have either no smell at all or it will sometimes have a rotten egg smell to it. It can be removed using a iron/sulphur prefilter.
Hard Water:
If you don't do something to handle the water hardness and excess TDS (total dissolved solids) you will eventually have a problem.
Hard water is a problem for water ionizers. Even medium-hard water can cause a water ionizer to lose its pH or ORP over time, due to scaling on the plates. Certain models [such as the Jupiter ionizers have continuous cleaning inside the water cell, and so would be better to use with hard water. Other solutions to hard water are discussed in detail on our page: https://www.alkalinewaterplus.com/what-to-do-about-hardness-in-your-water/