There's no single price for well water treatment, because no two wells need the same thing. A well with a rotten egg smell might need one filter. A well with bacteria, iron, manganese and hard water needs a full line of equipment. Here's what our own 2026 quotes actually came to, what the lab test costs before any of that, what it costs to keep running, and how much the council grant takes off.
Quick answer
- Lab test first: most tests cost €60 to €460, and grant testing, where the lab takes the sample, is at the top of that range
- Fitted treatment: our 2026 quotes ranged from €1,789 for a single filter to €5,350 for a full borehole treatment line, VAT included
- Running costs: a UV lamp roughly every 15 months, softener salt, sediment cartridges and a yearly service
- Grant: 100% of approved treatment costs up to €1,000, but softeners aren't covered and nothing can start before council approval
Typical setups and what they cost: our 2026 quotes
These are real fitted prices from quotes we issued in 2026, supply and installation by our own plumbers, VAT included. Each one was specified from that well's own lab report, so treat them as examples, not a price list.
| What it was for | Setup we quoted | County | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| A rotten egg smell (hydrogen sulphide) | One catalytic carbon filter that backwashes itself | Co. Westmeath | €1,789 |
| Soft water through the house, plus filtered drinking water | Water softener, whole-house carbon filter and a high-output reverse osmosis unit | Co. Louth | €1,879 |
| A well with E. coli, iron, manganese and very hard water | Shock chlorination of the well, catalytic carbon filter, iron-removing softener, pre-UV filter and UV, and reverse osmosis at the kitchen tap | Co. Meath | about €3,400 |
| A borehole with very high manganese, cloudy water and coliform bacteria | A bigger full borehole treatment line: backwashing sediment filter, chlorine dosing with a contact tank, manganese filter, softener, carbon and fine filters, UV and shock chlorination, with commissioning and the council retest | Co. Meath | €5,350 |
Every well is priced from its own lab report. Yours could cost less or more than these.
For the cost of single pieces of kit, see our water softener cost guide and our reverse osmosis cost guide.
What drives the price
- How many problems the report shows. Each one, bacteria, iron, manganese, hardness, smell or acidity, usually needs its own stage of treatment.
- How bad each one is. A little manganese can be handled by a filter. A lot may need chlorine dosing and a contact tank ahead of it, which is what pushed the second Meath quote up.
- The order of treatment. Each stage protects the next. Iron fouls softener resin, and sediment and hardness coat the glass sleeve around a UV lamp, so cutting a stage can cost more later.
- The pump. Self-cleaning filters need a good flow of water to backwash. A weak borehole pump may need upgrading, which is priced separately.
- Space and pipework where the supply comes into the house.
Treat what the report shows, no more. Plenty of wells, especially in Wicklow and Wexford, are soft, so a softener would be money wasted. Others mainly need the pH corrected, as in our guide to blue-green stains and acidic water.
Step one: the lab test, and what it costs
We don't test water ourselves. An independent, INAB-accredited lab does that, and we specify the treatment from its report. Prices as shown on each lab's website on 25 October 2026:
| Lab | Test | Price | Who takes the sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fitz Scientific, Drogheda | Check Drinking Water Suite (no nitrate or copper) | €230 | You, with a kit you post or drop back |
| Fitz Scientific | Check Plus (adds lead, copper, nitrate and boron) | €260 | You, with a kit |
| Fitz Scientific | Well grant testing to your council's list, from €305 (Wexford) to €460 (Leitrim). Meath and Westmeath are €350 | €305 to €460 | The lab's technician |
| TelLab, Tullow, Co. Carlow | Bacteria €60, chemical €175, or both for €210 | €60 to €210 | You, returned to the Tullow office Monday to Thursday |
| ALS Life Sciences, Clonmel | Water Test (bacteria, pH, hardness, nitrate, iron, manganese and more) | €217.48 | You, dropped off or posted back |
| Complete Laboratory Solutions, Galway and Dublin | Household drinking water test, 17 checks | €307.50 | You, with a posted kit |
Fitz Scientific's shop shows its prices as tax included. We couldn't confirm whether the TelLab, ALS and Complete Laboratory Solutions prices include VAT. Carriage or postage may be extra.
You can order Fitz Scientific's tests through us at the same prices, including the technician-sampled grant test. If we then fit your treatment within 90 days, the full test fee comes off the job.
Once you have the report, send it to us through our well water treatment page for an itemised quote.
Applying for the grant? The Department's terms say the laboratory must take the sample, not the applicant, so a kit you fill yourself won't count. Book a lab-sampled test to your council's list. Testing before and after the works counts towards the grant, but only once the works are done.
Running costs
| Item | How often | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| UV lamp | The EPA's disinfection manual gives a standard low-pressure lamp a life of 12,000 hours, about 15 months, and says to replace it at the supplier's limit | Depends on the unit |
| Sediment and pre-UV cartridges | When the pressure starts to drop. Dirty wells need them more often | 10-inch sediment cartridges in our store from €12.99 for a 2-pack |
| Softener salt | Check monthly. A 25 kg bag lasts a family of four on hard water about 2 to 4 months | See our salt guide |
| Reverse osmosis filters | Once a year | €89 DIY kit, or €150 fitted by us |
| Annual service | Once a year | From €150 for our standard service visit, plus any filters or media |
The EPA notes a UV lamp's output drops as it ages, so change it on time rather than waiting for it to fail. The same manual also notes that iron above 0.1 mg/L, or hardness above 140 mg/L, makes the lamp sleeve more likely to foul, which is why filters and a softener go in ahead of UV on wells like the Meath examples.
For comparison, the EPA's 2017 well leaflet put treatment systems at €600 to €3,000 to install, with annual maintenance of €260 to €340. Those are 2017 figures.
How much the grant takes off
The Housing (Private Water Supply Financial Assistance) Regulations 2020, S.I. 192 of 2020, set the private well grant:
- Water treatment: 100% of the approved cost, up to €1,000
- Fixing the well itself: 85% of the approved cost, up to €3,000
- A new well: 85% of the approved cost, up to €5,000
- Minimum: no grant if the total cost is under €750
- Not covered: water softeners, plumbing inside the house, and anything started before approval
The council inspects the well before any work starts and must approve the job in writing. You'll need three quotes and a tax clearance certificate from each contractor. On the €3,400 Meath example, if the household qualified, the treatment grant could pay at most €1,000 and wouldn't cover the softener, so most of the cost still falls on the householder. Our private well grant guide covers who qualifies and how to apply.
Want a price for your well?
Send us your lab report and we'll give you an itemised quote, VAT included, that you can submit with a grant application. Our own plumbers fit and service it, nationwide except Donegal, Kerry, Leitrim and Sligo.
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Common questions
Can you price it without a site visit?
Usually, yes. Our quotes are itemised from the lab report. Photos of where the supply comes in help us spot anything that needs extra pipework.
Why is my quote more than the €1,000 grant?
The grant is capped at €1,000 for treatment, and most wells with more than one problem need more than one stage. Softeners are never covered.
Is UV on its own enough for bacteria?
Only if the water is clear and low in iron, manganese and hardness. Otherwise the lamp sleeve fouls and bacteria get through, so filters go in first.
Do your prices include VAT?
Yes. Every installation price in this guide includes VAT and fitting.
We're in Co. Meath. Do you cover us?
Yes. Meath wells are nearly always hard, and iron and manganese are common. See our well water treatment in Co. Meath page.
