Water Treatment Advice Needed (See test results inside)

[22bfan]

I recently had my well water tested by a reliable local lab not associated with any water treatment companies. The test sample is from a water source after my pressure tank but before my existing water treatment equipment.

The results are as follows (Can any of you guys make sense of this?):



Total Aluminum: None Detected (EPA 200.8 R5.4 - - MRL = .01, MCL = .05)

Total Iron: .575 mg/l (EPA 200.8 R5.4 - - MRL = .1, MCL = .3)

Total Manganese: None Detected (EPA 200.8 R5.4 - - MRL = .01, MCL = .05)

E. coli (Chromogenic): Absent (SM9223B-97)

Total Coliform (Chromogenic): Present (SM9223B-97)

Total Hardness: 392 mg CACO3/l (SM2340C-97 - - MRL = 1)

Total Sodium: 3.75 mg/l (EPA 200.8 R5.4 - - MRL = .01, MCL = 20)

pH: 6.41 S.U. (SM4500H+B-00)

Specific Conductivity: 635 umhos/com (SM2510B-97)

Total Alkalinity: 284 mg CACO3/l (SM2320B-97 - - MRL = 1)

Total Dissolved Solids: 402 mg/l (SM2540C-97 - - MRL = 10, MCL = 500)

Turbidity: .28 N.T.U. (SM2130B-01 - - MRL = .22

Total Sulfate: 44.3 mg/l (EPA 30.0 R2.1 - -MRL = .5, MCL = 250)

Total Chloride: 8.82 mg/l (EPA 30.0 R2.1 - -MRL = .5, MCL = 250)



To be honest, I don't know what most of this means.



I'm looking at this report from the perspective of how to improve the water quality in my house for drinking, bathing, and washing.


Whole house water treatment: I currently have a regular Whirlpool water softener from Lowes and a large particle canister filter for sediment that I have to replace every couple of months.

Drinking Water Treatment: Lowes RO kit

Thanks in advance for any advice given!!

Brad

 

[Reach4]

>Total Iron: .575 mg/l (EPA 200.8 R5.4 - - MRL = .1, MCL = .3)
This is a fair amount of iron to be handled by a softener. A separate backwashing iron filter has advantages, especially if you have another condition such as H2S (sulfur) smell. See iron comments below.

>Total Coliform (Chromogenic): Present (SM9223B-97)
This may or may not indicate a problem. Good news is no E. coli. This could come from not adquately sterilizing the tap when you drew the sample. http://www.moravecwaterwells.com/index.php/maintainance/disinfection-and-testing is my favorite sanitizing method, although I think the flooding volume should be greater if using liquid chlorine source rather than pellets that you can drop past the pump to the bottom... I illustrate my reasoning in https://terrylove.com/forums/index....izing-extra-attention-to-4-inch-casing.65845/ Guess I was presuming a submersible pump in a deep well.

>Total Hardness: 392 mg CACO3/l (SM2340C-97 - - MRL = 1)
That's 23 grains of hardness-- pretty hard. This is the softener's headline job, although your softner is taking on the harder job of iron removal. To help with that, you need some extra treatment and work. Use the special iron treating softener salt pellets. Search the softener forum on this site for "iron out" (with the quotes) for some suggested periodic cleaning. A backwashing iron+whatever filter makes that frequent cleaning unnecessary.

You want to get a Hach 5-B test kit to check residual softeness. If you see any remaining hardness, increase your regeneration frequency. I would tell your softener that you have 26 to 30 grains of hardness to compensate for the iron and whatever.

>pH: 6.41 S.U. (SM4500H+B-00)
I don't know... this is outside of the recommended 6.5 to 8.5, but I don't
know if it is worth treating with a calcite tank.