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Tool Talk Discussion Forum

iron in water

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paul

01-18-2005 18:58:00




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I'll try to keep this short. My sis has lived in her house since the 80's, own well. Nothing much has changed in the water system in that time. Got a Kinetico softener ~`0 years ago, happy with it.

The past month, her water has been so 'rusty' that can't use it - stains clothing, etc.

She just had the Kinetico guy out, & he said, "The water tests really soft, so nothing wrong with the softener. Your water is high in iron & maganese that the softener can't handle it. You have really bad water."

Ok, I know consumer softeners can't handle bad water, & need extra iron filters, etc. in those cases.

Deal is, nothing has changed in my sister's house. Used to work before, had good water all those years.

Any ideas?

She added she is having the pressure tank replaced, as the pump cycles every 2 seconds.... Could that could be pulsating the pipes to knock iron deposits into the water - I'm not sure when that situation started???? All I can think of, anything else that could cause the bad water?

--->Paul

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Cliff (VA)

01-20-2005 10:17:47




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 Re: iron in water in reply to paul, 01-18-2005 18:58:00  
I have extremely high levels of iron in my water. We used to have a greensand filter to get rid of the iron. Backwashes with Potassium Permanganate to flush the iron out of the sand. You cannot use bleach (could react with the permanganate and release clorine gas). We still had to have the system cleaned and flushed 2-4 time a year.

Water got worse. System could not keep up. Installed new "airator" system. Pumps air into the water and catches the iron particles in a sand filter. Now we can use bleach, but the system exhausts as much water as it passes.

We still have problems with rust stains in clothing. I have never been completely satisfied with either system. I am getting ready to move soon and I am looking forward to better water.

Good luck.

Cliff

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Charles (in GA)

01-19-2005 17:32:43




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 Re: iron in water in reply to paul, 01-18-2005 18:58:00  
As DON TN says, wells change. My subdivision drilled a third well several years ago. After about a year of use it started to look like red Georgia clay mud water. We quit using it. Finally got it tested and it was iron. Somehow an iron vein had started feeding it.

We installed a Chem-Free (TM) iron removal system made by Chemical Engineering Corporation, water treatment division of CUNO, in Churubusco, IN (won't try to pronounce that) It uses a tank that has an air compressor to aeriate the water and then the water flows thru a sand filter tank. The iron clings to the sand. We have two sand filter tanks and they alternate, one each nite back flushes and cleans itself out. Works well and has been trouble free for four or five years now. No maintenance whatsoever.

Charles

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Bob H nw Oh

01-19-2005 15:36:00




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 Re: iron in water in reply to paul, 01-18-2005 18:58:00  
Paul,the softner has a problem,I have rusty water,put in a Water Boss myself,about $500,use rust remover salt every time,have excellent water,only takes 25 min.and 15 gal water to cycle,hth,Bob.



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1945A

01-19-2005 07:24:55




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 Re: iron in water in reply to paul, 01-18-2005 18:58:00  
Water softeners are not intended to remove iron from water---- that requires a special filter with a different media than what"s in the softener. I believe the media commonly used in iron filters is magnesium sulfate.
I used to live in an area that had terrible water---- both calcium carbonate which made it "hard", and iron, which made everything "rusty". I had a softener, used lots of salt, which made the water soft enough to wash with, but still had the iron, which made all the white clothes rusty looking.
If your sister"s pump is cycling that often, then I"d say the pressure tank has become water logged, either the air space has gone (common in galvanized tanks, and might be the source of the rust/iron, if the tank has rusted inside), or the bladder has ruptured, if it"s the type tank with an internal bladder.

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Mike M

01-19-2005 05:46:57




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 Re: iron in water in reply to paul, 01-18-2005 18:58:00  
Since she is cycling on and off every 2 sec. I wonder if she has an iron pipe going from the pump to the tank that has rusted out causing the high iron and the hole causing the cycling ? We had this happen before. Does she have a submersible pump ?



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Don TN

01-18-2005 19:47:14




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 Re: iron in water in reply to paul, 01-18-2005 18:58:00  
Well water is always subject to change. Sometimes it can change several times in a year and not be very noticeable, and sometimes it can change very drastically. The water that you get from your well may have entered the ground several states away. There could have been blasting, a small earthquake, or any number of other things that could open a crack in the rock and allow a new stream of �bad� water to mix with the �good� water you are used to getting or a crack could close and stop a flow of �good� water from diluting the bad water that you are now getting. That said, I would not put that as my number one suspect for your water problem. My first suspicion would be that your water has always had iron in it, and that your softener has finally become loaded with iron and can no longer hold what it has collected over the years. The first thing I would do is buy some �Water Softener Cleaner�. Sears used to sell it in 20 oz jars. Follow the directions and clean your softener. If it has collected iron for a long time, you may need to clean it twice. Next, I would buy some of the salt that is formulated for use in iron rich water. You may not need to use it all of the time, and in fact could possibly get by with using regular salt 75% of the time and the iron formulated salt every fourth time you charge the system. As for the pressure tank, there would have to be a fairly large hole in the bladder to allow enough iron into the water to cause considerable staining, but it still should be checked. It may just need recharging with air. If the cleaning and iron formulated salt do not relieve the problem, I would suggest getting a sample of your water straight from the well and having it tested for iron. If it does indeed show high, you may have to go to a different type of system.

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