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 is not formulated to penetrate the colonizing organisms’ biofilm inside screens, gravel packs and the near-wellbore formation. WaterSOLV™ BC is.

NSF/ANSI/CAN 60 listed (well cleaning aid) · corrosion-inhibited · biodegrades to O₂ + H₂O · Danger: corrosive concentrate, see SDS

THE CORE PROBLEM

Chlorine disinfects the water. BC removes the biofilm.

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.

9 of 10

Declining wells HCT assesses are biofouled

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 tablets rarely reach.

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 disinfects; it was not made to dismantle that structure.

Can’t penetrate biofilm

The polysaccharide sheeting bacteria produce acts as a shield. Chlorine reacts with the outer surface and is largely consumed before it reaches the organisms embedded inside.

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.

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.

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. Shock chlorination has its place as a disinfection step; as a rehabilitation method it leaves the biofilm and the scale it protects in place.

TERMINOLOGY MATTERS

Disinfection is not bioremediation

Chlorine disinfects the water. Bioremediation breaks down the biofilm and deposits the organisms live in. They are different jobs, and a rehabilitation may use both in sequence — disinfection last.

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 down the biofilm sheeting and oxidizes the bacteria within it, 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

Oxidizes the bacteria inside it

Corrosion-inhibited for well alloys

No neutralization step

Reaches deep anaerobic zones

Environmentally clean breakdown

Long-lasting results

NSF/ANSI/CAN 60 listed

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.

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.

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.

Applied with bowls in place

Because BC is corrosion-inhibited it can be applied with the bowls in place under HCT protocol — a real cost and time advantage. HCT does not acidize with bowls in place unless the shaft alloy is confirmed.

No neutralization step

The chemistry biodegrades into dissolved oxygen and water — continuous chemical aerification. Spent solution is disposed of under the label and local requirements.

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

In HCT's field experience each chlorine cycle recovers less, while each BC cycle compounds the last, because it removes the biological structure — not just the surface organisms.

TAKE THE NEXT STEP

Ready to move beyond chlorine?

Whether you are an engineer writing bid specs or a well owner looking for a real solution, HCT can help you evaluate WaterSOLV™ BC for your specific well conditions.

KEEP LEARNING

HCT, LLC · HCT University · Chlorine vs. WaterSOLV™ BC