Iron removal

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Wojo42

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Last few months we've been getting a lot of red staining in the sinks etc. had another water test done and came back with the attached results. 2.37 ppm or mg/l

Currently have a fleck 7000 for our water softener, but now it looks like we'll be needing an iron remover as well. We were provided Information from our local water treatment store for an " ion pro" http://www.watercare.com/products/ion-pro/ but I can't really find a lot of information about it, and it seems very generic which worries me.

I've seen a few posts on here about a Katalox iron filter system but wanted to make sure this is what I needed before I purchased one. How do you determine the size of the system besides resin taking into consideration the GPM for backwashing?

Thanks again for all the help.
 

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Reach4

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See KL calculator: http://www.watchwater.com/systems/kl_system.php

Note that the number it suggests is very sensitive to GPM and not so sensitive to PPM it seems to me.

My iron+sulfur filter works very well for me. It uses Centaur Carbon with a bleach solution used during regen only (every 3 days). My iron number is just a little higher than yours.
 

Wojo42

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are you using the Katalox system? What is the bleach salution used for during the regeneration?
 

Reach4

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are you using the Katalox system? What is the bleach salution used for during the regeneration?
Not Katalox Light. Centaur Carbon which is a catalytic carbon. The backwash rate is lower than for KL. Yet KL regen is not as hard as it is with conventional media. KL was not available when I got my system. I expect KL would have performed very well in my application too.

KL can be used with a similar system of dosing during regeneration. http://watchwater.de/katalox_light/documents/KL_Brochure_NEW_ver_1.1.pdf
and says Regeneration / Dosing is optional depending on "ORP".

The dose during regen has cleaning oxidizing function reportedly. My system uses a gallon of chlorine bleach every 35 days, and it is only during regen.
 

Bannerman

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How do you determine the size of the system besides resin taking into consideration the GPM for backwashing?

As your water's iron level is not unreasonable, total system capacity is likely less of an issue than the flow rate supported. Sizing is usually based on the flow requirements for the home.

If the occupants average say 8 gpm while all showering/shaving/washing clothes at the same time, then a system that would support at least that flow rate would be needed to remove all traces of iron, manganese or sulfur.

As prior iron removal media required a significantly higher backwash flow rate than the service flow rate they supported, often the sizing limitation is the actual flow rate delivered by the well, pump and distribution system for backwashing. When the system size is less than optimal, some iron leakage may occur as the supported flow rate is exceeded for that volume of media.

Since Katalox Light is much lighter and more capable than most prior iron reduction media, it supports higher service flow while requiring significantly less backwash flow. As the backwash requirements are less of an issue, the system can often be sized appropriately for the actual household service flow requirements.

Here's a link to a chart which indicates a rough estimate for service flow supported and average (not optimal) backwash requirements for various size systems and media. http://www.purewaterproducts.com/articles/backwash-chart
 
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Wojo42

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I'd like to go with the Katalox resin, but the controller head they use is a Genesis which I've read on here has horrible customer support. Looked into seeing if I could get the resin with a fleck controller, but was told they are discontinuing the backwash controller in September so they won't sell them together. Any suggestions on where or what other controller would be ideal?
 

Reach4

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Any suggestions on where or what other controller would be ideal?
A mechanical controller should do well. These things would usually be regenerated on a timed basis rather than metered. Did you decide how much media you need?
 
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Last few months we've been getting a lot of red staining in the sinks etc. had another water test done and came back with the attached results. 2.37 ppm or mg/l

Currently have a fleck 7000 for our water softener, but now it looks like we'll be needing an iron remover as well. We were provided Information from our local water treatment store for an " ion pro" http://www.watercare.com/products/ion-pro/ but I can't really find a lot of information about it, and it seems very generic which worries me.

I've seen a few posts on here about a Katalox iron filter system but wanted to make sure this is what I needed before I purchased one. How do you determine the size of the system besides resin taking into consideration the GPM for backwashing?

Thanks again for all the help.

I have had experience with the WaterCare Ion Pro system. The valve is a clack valve (it is not proprietary). The system draws air as the oxidant and operates by metering water usage and on day override (typically 3 days). The Ion Pro uses Birm as the filter media. You also have trace amounts of manganese in your water, which this system removes. The clack valve facilitates better flow rates and I find it to be an exceptional valve for filtration systems. The settings for this system are basically the same as a water softener and can be customized to your water chemistry, usage. Centaur carbon certainly has it's applications for the water treatment industry. It has always been my media of choice for hydrogen sulfide problems with chlorine injection. Centaur is very dependent on the dissolved oxygen content in your water supply. Where as the Centaur carbon requires chlorine as a regenerate at least every three days and frequently more often. Katalox light media works very well but I have seen issues with this media when silica is present and I see by your water analysis that some silica is present. So for your application I believe the Ion Pro would be a better choice with longer media life and virtually no maintenance required by you.

The Water Softener Blog
 

Wojo42

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I was going to settle for the ion pro, but the quote I was given was extremely Ridiculous compared to other systems I've looked at. Double the price.

I really like my fleck softener, and would love to get the same for iron removal (Birm filter). What's everyone's opinion of purchasing fleck even though they are discontinuing the 7000? Would you still purchase one or look for something else?
 

ditttohead

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Many Fleck products are available, the 7000 is a great design that will be available for a short while as many companies are buying as many as they can.

I would not recommend Birm, their are more modern medias that work far better.
 
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