This is a question for all of those water and plumbing experts out there. I live in the country and am on well water. The water has a lot of iron in it. Our softener takes out some of the iron but not all of it. Additionally, bacteria live at the well head that feed off the iron and cause the water to smell like rotten eggs occassionally. Any suggestions how I could solve one or both problems?
TR
Replies
I too have high iron, and in the past, sulphur smell.
I have a reverse osmosis system, use "high iron" salt in it, and back up w/ a whole house charcoal filter. No probs since.
I was told the sulphur producing critters have to be killed by a chlorine shock to the well. Not sure how that works since I did not do it.
Spend the $$ to have a water system tech review your system, and or test your water.
It sounds like you may have multiple problems with the water. I'm posting a link that I think is a fairly good summary of water quality problems and possible solutions. You will almost certainly need to some water testing to determine the chemistry of your water supply, before a determination can be made as to the best approach to solve the problem. In most states the local Agricultural (Cooperative) Extension Office is a great source of information about household water problems.
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/housing/356-481/356-481.html
Our well water is very high in both calcium and iron.
From the storage tank, the water goes to a greensand iron filter (similar look to a salt softener, but with a small brine tank that is filled with potassium permanganate to remove the iron). That filter will also remove manganese and hydrogen sulphide (sulfur). There are also air injection iron filters that remove dissolved iron via oxidization, thus no permanganate.
Our water then goes to the salt softener to remove the calcium, then to a cartridge filter to remove any particulates, then to the UV filer to kill any bacteria that's made its way into the water. Only then does the water continue on to the rest of the house, including the hot water tank.
Cartridge filter is replaced twice a year and UV filter once a year.
Total setup about $3000 CAD and about $300 to $400 CAD per year in supplies.
My personal experience is, without the iron filter, the iron gunks up the salt softener's timer mechanism. Very important for me to keep permangante in the brine tank at all times.
I would also recommend that, if you install a permanganate iron filter, get a timer on the filter that recharges the tank on a set interval, rather than using a timer that recharges based on usage. That keeps the salt sofener timer from getting gummed up.
Your best resource will be an installer of the treatment systems. Talk to your neighbours for referrals to a good one - one who will sell you what you need based on an analysis of your water.
Ditto what Varoom says about the green sand filter. Softeners are not adequate for iron removal (in spite of what some water softener salespeople might lead you to believe). Besides relatively high O&M costs, the other downside is the additional stress on your septic system (I am assuming you don't have public sewer). Iron systems need to be back flushed regularly (daily in some cases) to dispose of the iron oxide.
Re: the potassium permanganate, if you have kids and want to make a cool volcano, pour some of the crystals out in the shape of a cone (in an area that has no flammable materials nearby) and pour some glycerine into a small hole at the top. Back away and don't go near it until it all burns out. This also works if you just happen to like watching things burn.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
There is so many filtration systems that take care of so many different situations.
Everpure & Aquapure are a couple of leaders in the filtration market.
I suggest to people is to take a water sample & have it tested then ask the maunfactures what system they have to remove the problems & always shop around.
Webite of our water treatment supplier may be of use to you and others:
http://www.neotecwater.com/
Provides nice summaries of the products they offer and what symptoms each will treat.
We are not hooked to public sewers. The iron filter is set to recharge every 3 days, so it does put a lot of water in the septic tank. Fortunately we have good sandy soil, so no real worries long term.
Reverse osmosis was not an option for us, as that does require a good steady supply of water. Our well only gives us 2 gallons a minute (sustained over a one hour period).
Three drawbacks with permanganate. One, it's poison in large doses, so the brine tank has to be locked to keep the kiddies out and the supplies well out of reach. Two, it's a purple powder that is a pain to clean up if you spill it and it will stain. I think the engineers at UWO would use it to dye their skin purple during frosh week. Third, is the cost - my last purchase was approx $20 for a jug the size of a quart of oil. Even with that cost, I'm still trying out the volcano experiment ... :)
Lots of good information and experience out there judging by all the responses. I think I would like to avoid the potassium permangate. I guess this leaves me with either an aerator or a chlorination system. Does anyone have experience with either of these systems and how did it work?
TR