Home Water Filter Question

marrt · Jan 8, 2003

I have a relatively new house (2yrs old) with a well. We have always had a problem with sediment in the water. The house has a rather large (20” “Big Blue”) sediment filter on the line coming in from the well. However, even this filter isn't large enough as I have to replace the cartridge every 45-60 days at about $35 a pop. I saw that larger filter systems are available, using a back wash system, but they cost $700 to $1000. I only need a sediment filter. But it needs to be larger than the do it yourself filters, but smaller than the $700 systems. Any ideas?

Darren · Jan 8, 2003

You can buy the cartridge setup for a lot less. The key point is the micron rating on the cartridge. Use a multiple cartridge setup in series. Put something like a 10 micron or even 2 micron setup in the line to filter the water first. that will pull out the gross sediment before it has a chance to foul the cartridge in your exiating unit.

The 2 micron cartridges are avalable at Walmart for about $3.00. The housing probably goes for about $40.

If you haven't had your water tested, it would be a good idea. If you have something like manganese, dissolved iron or iron bacteria, you have a problem that might not be solved by a simple filter.

WVBill · Jan 8, 2003

When I moved in my new house 4 years ago, we also had sediment (silt) in our well water. I put in two of the <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.omniwaterfilters.com/u25_filter.htm> Omni Filter U25 whole house filters </A> (canister size is about the size of a 1 liter soda bottle). They were less than $50 each at Home Depot. The reason I put in two was to make sure the filter did not restrict the water flow (gpm) so I plumbed them in parallel. This also has the effect of increasing the filter "capacity" or length of time between filter replacements.

I use the Omni filter RS1 filters (or equivalent) and replace them about every 90 days - the cartridges are less than $10 each.

Anonymous Poster · Jan 8, 2003

Hey Martt, just a thought but sometimes the pump is too low in the well (near the bottom) and it sucks a lot of sediment up everytime it kicks on. A neighbor of mine had this problem and he and two other guys pulled the pump, cut about 15-20 feet off the bottom pump, reattached the wires, etc. and then put the pump back in the well. Virtually eliminated the sediment problem. I have the same problem at my house so I might try to get the neighbor to work a deal with me. Of course you've got to know what you're doing (not me), or hire a plumber.

mrcaptainbob · Jan 8, 2003

I, too, went the multiple filter route. I'm using four Omni cartridges. The first two are at 20 micron's (usually), and the second filtration is at 5 micron's. This is done before it gets to the water softener. The incoming 1" is split off to two 3/4" to each cartridge. Then is sent on to the next cartriges and then reconnected to 1" on the way to the softener. As for sucking silt from the bottom, that is a possibility. raising it off the bottom (more than 3') brings it out of the screen area. That's alright to do if you have a very deep well, or a very fast recovery rate. At two years old, I don't think you'd have enough on the bottom to reach the pump. If it's shallow or the recovery rate is at the limit, you stand a chance of running out the water volume that's in the well casing and running the pump dry. That won't hurt it if it's a good quality pump. But it makes it hard on the household system if it runs low on pressure and can't recover fast enough. Since it is two years old, I suspect that all was done right and proper and that all you need is a neat set up with those Omni type filters. BTW...the well we're on is a 4" cast iron, 50' deep and almost 30 years old.

Anonymous Poster · Jan 8, 2003

My well has a settling tank as well as a filter. The water runs into the bottom of the tank and it is drawn from the top. The tank is about 3 Ft. Dia x 6 Ft high. About every week, or whenever I remember, I turn the spigot on full blast at the bottom of the tank and eject a bunch of crud onto the ground for a few seconds. Seems to work well.

A neighbor did the same thing mentioned above, raising the pump a little and that helped him with his problem.

Soundguy · Jan 9, 2003

Darren has a good idea.. use a cheap prefilter to grab most of the sediment before it hits your expensive filter.

( Though 45-60 days on one of the nice filters is not terrible... I have seen worse water systems ).

Don't go for the carbon units.. you just need the floss types for prefiltering... And ig you are up for this, try a sedimentation screen before your prefilter.

I have one on my system.. It is a metalic screen built into a tube, that mounts into a housint.. it is about the size of a 2 litre bottle... filter is washable, and lasts years with maintenance. Traps sand to clay size particles.... that and a cheap floss filter, will extend your nice filters life.

The sedimentation filter is also a cheap buy... less that 100 bucks.. in fact i believe mine was 80 installed....

Just flush the sand filter once a month and you are good to go.. and the floss might make it what 1-2 months? If you can get 8+ mos out of your nice filter you will be ahead of the game money wise by the end of the year.

Finally a discussion on the tractor board I'm actually qualified to comment on../w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Soundguy

Darren · Jan 10, 2003

Here's a source for the big blue filter housings and cartridges. http://farmtekcatalog.com/c/g8/p/fu...m/c/g8/p/fullpage.php?page=t1&session=1023928

Their filters are quite a bit less than what you're currently paying. It might be worth it to get one of their catalogs.

Your housing is rated at 20 gpm. A reuseable cartridge from Farmtek is $14.82 for 1, 5, 20 or 50 micron units.

Darren · Jan 11, 2003

Something else to consider is that your "Big Blue" setup is rated for 20 gpm. Most units you find in stores are 10 GPM. I'm not sure why you need that much flow but if you do and you want to prefilter the water, you should get another 20 gpm unit. Farmtek sells the 20" Big Blue for $37.00. Reuseable filters are $11.00.

marrt · Jan 11, 2003

I think I’ll take the advice offered here and add another 20” cartridge. However, the Farmtek filter looks like it uses a 2.5 inch filter. My cartridge is a 4.5 inch system. Anyone have any other sources? I’m also thinking about ordering a backwash system to go in front of the cartridge filters.