Well water filter??

swiftboot · Apr 12, 2006

I recently had a well put down in Cent florida. I havent seen any well in this general area that doesnt have iron in the water that settles in containers. I have an eighth inch of "rust" settle in a quart jar of water. At my present residence I use a cylinder from one of the well known companies that filters out the iron and other impurities. Unfortunatly this cylinder is a three quarter in and out and my water line from pump to house is a one inch. It seems i would loose some pressure at the new location, so the question is would i loose too much pressure with this system on the new well?? I have been told by some that a potassium promagnate filter (with a 1 in and 1 out) would better suit my use. Initial cost of the potassium promagnate filter installation would be high, but then one only replaces the potassium as needed, does anyone have any experience with this type of filter? Sorry for the long post, but made it as short as i could, thanks much, chuck

JoeR · Apr 12, 2006

I asked numerous people about potassium promagnate , and was told it was very messy. I really don't think you would notice much difference between 3/4 and 1 inch when used with showers and household appliances.

At my old house, I had a 290' well and used a chlorinator/dechlorinator system to remove the iron. I had lots of problem with the chlorine metering pump, and it required a huge 80 gallon tank which allowed the iron to collect and settle to the bottom. Then I had to have a chlorine tank too.

Currently, I have a simple water softener from Sears. I like it since the brine tank and salt tank are all in one. I have one pipe in, and one pipe out. No daisy chaining between two pieces.

I think my salt water softener does a better job than my old chlorine system, and it easier to maintain. As long as you get the right hardness setting, you are good to go. By the way, I buy the salt that has citric acid to help remove the iron.

All that said, some softener are only capable of removing a certain amount of iron. It depends on how much iron you really have, then you might be stuck with a chlorine system since it can handle the highest levels of iron.

Joe

Mike_Lipke · Apr 13, 2006

If you put the filter between the pump and your pressure tank, you will not have any pressure loss to your plmg. fixtures. Most are clear now, so you can see when it is getting dirty and change it before it starts to make the pump work too hard.
Be sure to put a valve on each side of the filter, as it makes changing the filter soooooooo much easier.

MadReferee · Apr 13, 2006

High iron content is commonplace here in New Hampshire and my well produces reddish water. I have used a potassium permanganate (PP) backwashed filter for the last 26 years with no problems.

My system first injects a soda ash water soultion to the incoming water to soften it as soft water is easier to filter. When the water is drawn down from the pressure holding tank it goes thru the filter and out thru the house. The PP is used only to backwash the filter as it chemically removes the trapped iron from the filter.

The PP is stored in a small cylinder attached to the larger water filter cylinder. We have it professionally serviced and refilled every 18-24 months. Service/refilling ususally runs around $200. When the filtered water starts to slightly change colors and you get a rust stain it is time to immediately replenish the PP. You should really never let this happen.

Water usage rate will determine backwash frequency. When all the kids were growing up we backwashed every other night. Now we backwash every 4th night.

My water service guy told me that there are better systems and cheaper systems on the market today to remove iron, even in high concentrations. PP is very nasty stuff that permanently stains anything purple. If my filter ever fails (and it will someday) I will upgrade to the latest technology.

swiftboot · Apr 13, 2006

Thanks to all who responded. I have done further research and the Fleck brand system with greensand filter and PM backwash seems to be what is needed. The only thing now is to determine how often it will require a backwash. Being single with occassional overnite guests, i suspect not too often. I also intend to have a raw water source for yard irrigation prior to the filter. Some folks out my way use water softners for the iron removal, but i just dont like the feel of the water, cant seem to wash off the soap /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif I will post again with the results and cost of system when its installed in the event somone else is interested. Again thanks to everyone, this TBN group is really helpful. chuck

mikim · Apr 13, 2006

OK ... being new to wells and trying to learn .... what is a "PM backwash"? Tell me what you finally end up with ... and tell me as if I were a first grader - cause when it comes to well water - I am.

MadReferee · Apr 13, 2006

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The only thing now is to determine how often it will require a backwash. Being single with occassional overnite guests, i suspect not too often. )</font>

Depending on your iron content and actual gallonage usage, you could probably get away with once a week or once every 10 days. The timer on your backwash system may limit the maximum number of days between backwash periods. Mine does.

Also, water that is more soft than hard will be easier to filter iron. You don't have to have the water feeling slimey but softer is better for iron filtering. Your installer should be able to do a ph test to determine if softening is necessary.

Keoke · Apr 13, 2006

Chuck, when in doubt about gpm flow through a single filter consider using two similiar filters in parallel.
As mentioned earlier, putting isolater ball valves both sides of any filter will make service a lot easier.
With two filters in parallel put valves before the splitting tee.

cheers,

swiftboot · Apr 13, 2006

I will attempt an explanation and i am sure it will not be sufficient but am confident that someone will jump in and correct me. The water, under pressure, enters a chamber, normally a upright cyclinder about 54" tall and 10" diameter. This cylinder contains something called "greensand" as a filtering media. The water is forced thru this media and exits to the supply line to the home. Depending on the filter media, various things happen but mainly it filters out the iron and some other impurities before the water enters the line to the home. As you can imagine, the filter would eventually be saturated with the iron and other substances that have been filtered from the 'raw' water. Now comes the potassium promanganate, contained in a separate vessel but plumbed to the upright cylinder on a timer. Depending on the amount of iron (in my case) that is filtered out, ie. more iron - quicker saturated filter media, a timer is set to backwash the filter media to clean it with the potassium Promanganate solution. This backwash is plumbed to be dumped on the ground or other suitable area. Have read where some with setup in basement put it in barrels or other suitable containers. The timers are usually set (user programable) to backflow the filter at 2:00am so as not to interfere with one's normal use. Unfortunately i used the initials PM instead of PP in my other post. When you stop laughing with my explanation, you may post any other questions you may have, after all, i am learning as well. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif chuck

MadReferee · Apr 14, 2006

That was a PERFECT explanation of what actually happens. The green sand filter is just a little bit bigger than the average size oxygen cylinder used for welding. The potasium permanganate is in a small thin cylinder that is connected as you described.

My backwash water is plumbed into the garage and outside perimeter drain system and eventually makes it way to a dry well out back in the woods. You don't want to dump this stuff into your septic system.

Everything is still running just fine after 26 years.