Best Water Filter for Low amounts of Iron, Magnesium, and Manganese

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Roger Smith

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Hi Terry
I am looking for a solution that wont cost thousands of dollars to resolve what is mostly an aesthetic issue. We have really dark, almost black, stains in the toilets and porcelain sink bowls, tan-ish staining on the shower glass doors and light brown (Calcium/Lime??) stains on the tile sides of shower and bath. There is a slightly metallic taste, no sulfur smell, and the water will sting your eyes during a shower.

Our private well water has 24MG/l Calcium, .36MG/l Iron, 9.9MG/l Magnesium, and .02MG/l Manganese. The water has a Hardness of 5.8 Grains/Gal, a TDS of 180MG/l and a PH of 7.2.

Neither of us care for the somewhat “slimy” feel imparted by [most?] water softeners but I would still like to put in a remedy that: A) wont cost thousands up front, B) wont cost hundreds per year for filters or media, C) Will give a clear indication when something needs to be renewed. My studies seem to indicate that injecting H2O2 followed by GAC would be the most effective but I also think this woulod be gross overkill for my low levels. What do you think?
 

Reach4

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Easiest answer based on the numbers you posted: water softener, and use less soap. That is going to be cheaper than an H2O2 system. If you go H2O2, you would want to have a contact+settling tank after the injection and before the GAC.

You did not mention a smell, so I presume that is not a problem.

But I did not see what would sting your eyes. How deep is your well? If shallow, maybe a test for tannins would be worthwhile.
 

ditttohead

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Water can be so strange... stinging your eyes? I am not doubting it, it is just an unusual symptom with your water that appears fairly easy to treat with the low levels you indicated.

I would think a KL system with a softener would be ideal, especially considering the low level of iron and ideal pH for KL to work.

Where are you located? Water temperature? Anything else you can tell us about your water?
 

Roger Smith

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Easiest answer based on the numbers you posted: water softener, and use less soap. That is going to be cheaper than an H2O2 system. If you go H2O2, you would want to have a contact+settling tank after the injection and before the GAC.

You did not mention a smell, so I presume that is not a problem.

But I did not see what would sting your eyes. How deep is your well? If shallow, maybe a test for tannins would be worthwhile.
Dont know how deep the well is as we just moved here but the locals all complain about the high water table and a lot of fields have open water in the low spots most of the year.
 

Roger Smith

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Water can be so strange... stinging your eyes? I am not doubting it, it is just an unusual symptom with your water that appears fairly easy to treat with the low levels you indicated.

I would think a KL system with a softener would be ideal, especially considering the low level of iron and ideal pH for KL to work.

Where are you located? Water temperature? Anything else you can tell us about your water?


Thanks Dittohead. We are in Northern Nevada at 4700 feet. There is a very high water table here so the well is probably shallow. There has also been record precipitation over the past 6 months. Water temperature measured at a faucet close to the pressure tank has been 42 F since we moved in back in October.
 

Reach4

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Where is the pump? Is it down the well, or is it where you can see it?
 

Roger Smith

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I am assuming it is a submerged pump but cant be sure. The house is 40 years old so no telling just how old the pump and the plumbing are.
 

Roger Smith

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If my photo upload works the above should be pics of the wellhead. Hope it helps

[EDIT] The photos do work but you have to right-click on them to open in a new tab.
 
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Roger Smith

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Sorry about the pics not working... they worked for me when I tested so it must be some kind of authentication issue for you.

6: A simple air injection and Clinotilolite media backwashing system. I have many companies in the Northwest that use this system design. It is the lowest cost and depending on the water conditions it can be very effective. This is the least expensive and simplest system design that works.

As for the above quote - I like the part about "very effective" and "least expensive". Ternzer's (original poster) situation sounded pretty close to mine but I have never heard of Clinotilolite??

Also, I would like very much to explore your Hybrid KL [light] Softener suggestion. We are still apprehensive about the slimy feel when water is over-softened but it is very much worth looking into.
 

ditttohead

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Clinoptilolite is the mined media base for filter-ag+, nextsand, micro-Z, Zeolite and a dozen other names.

I am not real fond of clinop for this application. Katalox light is a combination of Clinop and Filox and it tends to provide the best of both medias. High iron reduction potential and high sediment reduction.

As to the "Slimy" feel, this is something that is usually overcome in a short amount of time as your brain relearns your water and the "slimy" water becomes normal and hard water will start to feel "sticky". This is how most people realize their softener is out of salt, the water suddenly turns sticky.
 

Roger Smith

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Thanks much Dittto' - your advice has been most helpful and I have been reading this forum enough to know that you are a thoughtful and highly respected poster. Before I make my final choice I would like to ask one more question that might also be on the minds of a lot of Lay people trying to wade through the morass of sales and marketing claims you find online in the water filter and softener industry. Since my contaminant levels are so low would a simple filter, such as the Big Blue 20" with something like a iSpring FM25B 4.5" x 20" high capacity iron and manganese water filter cartridge for for me? They do claim 6 months filter life with lesser contaminant levels??
 

ditttohead

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BB iron reduction filters are very expensive to maintain, perform poorly, and really are only commonly used in applications where the water usage is extremely low and intermittent. We sell many similar filters and the vast majority of them get replaced with the proper equipment within a year.

I have a customer that sells hundreds of those filters a year with for the soul reason that the maintenance is so high that they can make a lot of money servicing them. A more common system design has almost no maintenance and very little recurring cost.
 
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