HCT UNIVERSITY · EDUCATION
Chlorine disinfects. WaterSOLV™ BC bioremediates.
The difference decides whether your well gets short-term relief or long-lasting rehabilitation. Chlorine kills free-floating bacteria on contact; it was never designed to reach the colonizing organisms that build biofilm inside screens, gravel packs and the near-wellbore formation. WaterSOLV™ BC was.
NSF/ANSI 60 certified · UL verified · Canadian Standards Council · non-corrosive classification · biodegrades to O₂ + H₂O
THE CORE PROBLEM
Chlorine treats the symptom. BC treats the cause.
Most water wells fail because of biological colonization, not mineral scale. A disinfectant addresses what is floating in the water column; bioremediation addresses the structure the bacteria built.
90%+
Of well failures are biological
Colonizing bacteria and biofilm, not structural failure or scale alone.
4–10%
Typical BC use rate
Prescribed per treatment cycle depending on severity.
72 hrs
Soak time per cycle
Long enough for complete bioremediation of the colony.
2–3
Cleaning cycles
Each cycle compounds the results of the last.
WATCH
Chlorine and water wells.
See why chlorine falls short in water well rehabilitation — and how WaterSOLV™ BC provides a fundamentally different approach.
Chlorine tablets are insoluble in the lower zones of a well. The deep anaerobic zones where sulfate-reducing bacteria thrive are exactly the areas that need treatment most — and the ones chlorine never reaches.
HCT · Chlorine vs. WaterSOLV™ BC in water wells
THE CHLORINE PROBLEM
Why chlorine isn’t enough for well rehabilitation.
Chlorine is a disinfectant — it kills free-floating bacteria on contact. But well decline isn’t caused by free-floating bacteria. It is caused by colonizing organisms that build structured biofilm communities inside screens, gravel packs and the near-wellbore formation. Chlorine wasn’t designed for this.
01
Can’t penetrate biofilm
The polysaccharide sheeting bacteria produce acts as a shield. Chlorine contacts the outer surface but never reaches the living organisms embedded inside.
02
Corrosive to infrastructure
At the concentrations needed for aggressive disinfection, chlorine corrodes steel casings, screens and pump components — especially 416 stainless bowl shafts. Flushing can’t undo that.
03
Short-term results, faster decline
You may see a temporary microbial reduction, but the biofilm structure survives, so the colony recolonizes faster than before. Each cycle recovers less for a shorter time.
04
Tablets don’t reach the bottom
Chlorine tablets are insoluble in the lower zones of the well — the anaerobic zones where sulfate-reducing bacteria thrive. Pouring chlorine down a well is one of the worst things you can do to it.
TERMINOLOGY MATTERS
A biocide is not chlorine
Chlorine is a disinfectant. A biocide bioremediates. Some product names end in “cide” and have no biocidal efficacy at all — and some acids are actually food sources for bacteria.
DISINFECTION
Kills what is floating
Reduces free-floating bacteria in the water column. Embedded colonies inside the biofilm survive and rebuild.
BIOREMEDIATION
Removes the structure
Breaks the biofilm sheeting and the bacteria’s DNA, liberating trapped iron and sediment. The more cleaning, the longer lasting.
HEAD-TO-HEAD COMPARISON
Every characteristic that matters for well rehabilitation, side by side.
WHAT MATTERS DOWNHOLE
Penetrates biofilm
Destroys bacteria DNA
Non-corrosive to well alloys
No neutralization needed
Reaches deep anaerobic zones
Environmentally clean breakdown
Long-lasting results
NSF/ANSI 60 certified
CHLORINE
✕
✕
⚠
⚠
✕
~
✕
~
WATERSOLV™ BC
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
HOW IT WORKS
WaterSOLV™ BC in practice.
WaterSOLV™ BC is an organically inhibited, catalyzed hydrogen peroxide solution — not a disinfectant. Every treatment is prescribed to the specific well. Here is what that looks like.
01
Prescribed per well
Use rates run 4% to 10% depending on severity, soak times are prescribed at 72 hours per cycle, and most wells need two to three cycles — each one compounds the last.
02
Delivered by tremie pipe
Unlike tablets that sit at the top and dissolve unevenly, BC is a liquid chemistry placed directly in the zones that need it. Gradient flow is checked first so the chemistry stays where it is put.
03
Safe with bowls in place
Because BC is non-corrosive it can be applied without pulling the pump — a real cost and time advantage. HCT does not acidize with bowls in place unless the shaft alloy is confirmed.
04
No neutralization, no special disposal
The chemistry biodegrades into dissolved oxygen and water — continuous chemical aerification. Properly diluted effluent is usually beneficial to soils, vegetation, ponds and lakes.
CERTIFICATION & TRAINING
Certified users only
BC is a very concentrated product. HCT requires users to be certified in its use, handling, storage, spill and leak protocols and constrained piping applications.
PACKAGING
Three formats
5-gallon poly pails, 53-gallon poly drums and two-part 305-gallon IBC containers.
THE COMPOUNDING EFFECT
Opposite of chlorine
With chlorine each cycle recovers less. With BC each cycle compounds the last, because it removes the biological structure — not just the surface organisms.