Pressure Loss

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Reach4

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What iron filter do you use?
Mine is "The Eliminator" 5600 SXT 1.5 Cubic Foot which uses Centaur Carbon. It has a 15 gallon solution tank that I put a gallon of bleach in, and top with water every 36. I actually do it every 5 weeks for easier scheduling. The bleach solution is only used during the regeneration every 3 days.
 

Bannerman

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Your Ecowater Iron/Sulphur filter uses air as an oxidizer. Air is an effective oxidizer, usually better than chlorine, but doesn't have the disinfectant qualities as chlorine.

As you already own the Eco filter and found it to be effective for the sulphur odour, it should be relocated before the softener as a softener is not an efficient iron removal device. As it was specifically made to remove iron, it will flush the oxidized iron residue to drain during the backwash cycle.

With the iron filter before the softener, that will help extend the life of the softener resin as the resin will not be subjected to iron fouling and the quantity of salt required to regenerate may be reduced. Softening is usually the last process of water treatment.

What is the intended purpose of the 5 micron BB filter?

Your revised drawing shows the BB located before the softener. As a softener regen cycle will backwash sediment particles to drain, there is little benefit to having such a fine filter before the softener. As a finer filter is prone to clogging, having it located before the softener could result in flow issues during regeneration. If sediment remains a concern after the softener, the 5 micron BB could then be installed as a final filter.
 
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Reach4

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Good points. I had not been thinking about the softener backwash, tho my softener seems to be working well.

I have 3 big blue housings after my iron+sulfur backwashing filter because I ordered them before deciding to get the backwashing filter. I mounted the housings, and had the plumber pipe to them in copper while installing the big filter. I keep my first housing empty. It collected a tiny amount of something that looks like flakes of rust in its 13 months before I first went back into the housings after install. My last filter is a WP1BB20P Pentek 1 micron string wound 20x4.5 filter. The BBs are before the softener and everything else inside. Based on your thoughts, I am going to have my pressure gauge record the lowest pressure seen after the BB filters including when a softener backwash runs. I have about 16 months on the cartridges currently.
 

Bannerman

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tho my softener seems to be working well.

Every water condition is unique. While you have a 1 micron filter in-place for 16 months without issue, jferello had his 5 micron filter restrict/clog within 3 months. Will this still occur once the iron/sulphur filter is ahead of the BB? Who can say as we don't know with certainty what caused the restriction.

If the intention for the 5 mic BB is to further filter water utilized by the house occupants, it would be better to use that filter where it is most effective for that purpose.

The water conditioning equipment is designed for water conditions typical in most circumstances, which often will include some sediment and debris. The backwash cycle is intended to flush away reasonable quantities of debris while also expanding and redistributing the media. If sediment, rust or dirt is visibly abundant, a large, coarse pre-filter should likely be utilized.
 

Reach4

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Every water condition is unique. While you have a 1 micron filter in-place for 16 months without issue, jferello had his 5 micron filter restrict/clog within 3 months. Will this still occur once the iron/sulphur filter is ahead of the BB?
I would give odds that it will not still occur. I hesitate to discuss filter cartridges here for fear of distracting jferello from doing what really needs doing-- getting the order of things corrected.

But I will anyway. My first filter is a 50...5 micron Pentek DGD-5005-20. It is a spun filter with courser material in the outer windings and finer material toward the core. These filters were selected before I decided to get the backwashing filter, and are totally overkill now. I like a little overkill. My first element was barely discolored at all, after 13 months, and the other one looked pristine. I might go down to one element, but the 50...5 is a pretty cheap cartridge considering it lasts me over a year.
 

Bannerman

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Here is a link to information on pH adjustment including Soda Ash injection. http://www.extension.org/pages/32302/drinking-water-treatment-ph-adjustment

While I can't state for certain the order of the pH adjustment in relation to the iron/sulphur removal, I anticipate the iron removal filter will require a specific pH range in order to work effectively. In all likelihood, the pH adjustment will need to be performed before iron/sulphur removal.
 

jferello

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Banner,

Sorry I disappeared on you guys, I stopped getting notifications. Anyway, I have not had the time or money to fix this yet. I am trying to get the money together now so that is why I cam back.

So are we saying that I should remove the BB all together and have the order like this?
Pressure Tank
Soda Ash
Iron Filter
Softener

Also, I can't seem to find an answer to this, but my water from the pump is usually about 6.8 for PH, does that even really need to be treated?

Thanks,
Justin
 

jferello

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Reach,

I forgot to mention, thanks for the poly suggestion on the filter, ever since I got rid of the cellulose filters we have no sulfur smell anywhere, even in the BB!!

Thanks,
Justin
 

ditttohead

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Iron and low pH are a bad combo for most water treatment designs, except for softening. Iron reduction systems rely on changing the iron from ferrous to ferric. Low pH is not conducive to this process. On the other hand, high pH, iron and softening = fouled resin beds. So raising the pH, removing the iron, then softening is the best alternative.

The BB is fine to leave in place, it will add some very cheap protection to the equipment. I would recommend plumbing a 3 valve bypass around it in case of a housing or o-ring failure occurs.
 

jferello

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Ditto, thanks for the advice. Where would you put the BB then? With it before the iron filter I am changing the filter every month to keep flow up.
 

Reach4

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Pressure Tank+pressure switch+pressure gauge.
pH treatment if used
Iron Filter
Big Blue filter housing with polypropylene cartridge
Boiler drain which might be used for drinking mineral water or to attach a GHT water pressure gauge to watch pressure drop
Softener
 
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