What Other Choice, Removing Iron

[Melkus]

Hello all,
Got a question as to what else I could use for my small iron problem I have with my well water. For years I have used a water softer to remove the 2ppm of iron I have but would love to get away from using a salt system since I don't have hard water. From what I have read most iron only system take a fair amount of water to back wash properly, I have only 5 gpm at the pump. All my other water test readings are good like my Ph 7.6. So just wanted to hear what other think. Thanks for your time.

 

[Reach4]

My iron +sulfur filter use a 5 GPM backwash. It uses Centaur Carbon media. Message sent.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Mikey]

Chlorine + GAC. Cheap and effective.

 

[Reach4]

Chlorine + GAC. Cheap and effective.

(Stenner pump drawing Chlorine or H2O2) + mixer + contact tank + GAC, right?

 

[Mikey]

I use a Pulsafeeder pump, but all in all, right!

 

[ditttohead]

Katalox Light is probably your best media as it will usually work for low levels of iron with adequate pH and usually does not require an oxidant. If an oxidant id needed, it can be added later or if the system is set up correctly intialy, the oxidant can be added by regeneration similar to the way a softener works. The KL will also reduce sediment down to the 3-5 micron range but back washing will be higher than with some other medias. Do you have storage after the pump and before the softener? Do you have an atmospheric tank with distribution pump?

 

[Melkus]

Thanks for the feed back from all. I have the typical set up for a well system and that is a deep well jet pump up top drawing water up from 52 feet. This gose into my pressure tank. From there it is feed into a shed out side my house which has two inline filters (1 before and 1 after) along with the tank to adjust my ph and the water softer it self. So no storage tank etc.
I look at some of the Katalox systems and it sounds good but I'm not sure I have enough flow to back wash it properly even a small tank like 10x52. As I said in my first post I'm only getting 5 gpm and that's at the pump.

 

[Reach4]

I think you are saying that the well currently can only deliver 5 GPM at much reduced pressure rather than keeping over 30 PSI during that test. So in that case, to use Mikey's suggestion, you would have a hard time doing a full backwashing of even GAC, unless you went to an 8" x 44" tank with 0.75 cu. ft. of GAC. I don't know if that would be enough media. It might be.

If your casing is 4 inch or more, you could switch to a submersible pump. That has some advantages besides being able to go to a pump that can deliver more water at full pressure. It is much quieter, and it does not require priming.

 

[Melkus]

Yes that be right Reach I'm talking about water delivery rate. This well had a submersible pump to start with but after it going out 3 times the first time I had someone do it for me and the other 2 times me doing I had enough of pulling a pump up 52 feet hand over hand, not fun so it's up top now. As for our house, it's just two of us now and we have a bath and a 1/2 so there not a lot of demand here.

 

[Bannerman]

unless you went to an 8" x 44" tank with 0.75 cu. ft. of GAC. I don't know if that would be enough media.

One option is to install 2 separate - 8" X 44" filters, plumbed in parallel, each programmed to backwash at a different time on the same night.

 

[ditttohead]

Since you have a little lower flow than is optimal, Chlorine/contact tank/GAC is a great option. While technically not designed for this purpose, it is one of the best ways to do it. This also offers you sanitization of the water supply.

 

[Melkus]

dittohead your talking about something like this right ? then put the GAC after it to remove the taste and odor. http://www.cleanwaterstore.com/CS000340.html?gclid=COTzv8HHlM8CFYQ9gQodbu4CyQ#tab=tab1?utm_term=chlorine contact tank&keyword=chlorine contact tank&_vsrefdom=wordstream&keyword_session_id=vt~adwords|kt~chlorine contact tank|mt~p|ta~98219602962&tab=tab1

 

[ditttohead]

Umm, a no name pump... diaphragm... not my first choice for chlorine injection. Diaphragm pumps were great 25 years ago, they do require maintenance on the dual check valves regularly when the chlorine precipitates out into some minor solids... peristaltic pumps are preferred for this application. Pump tube replacement takes only a minute or two and Stenner USA made pumps will cost a bit more than some unknown Chinese knockoff but...

As to the contact tank, a baffled tank design or a static mixer works much better than a standard tank, but the standard usually works well enough.

 

[Melkus]

Feel like I found what I can use.
https://www.ohiopurewater.com/product-detail/?products_id=22862
10x44 Katalox system and only needing 4gpm for back washing and I did recheck my system and getting 5 1/2 gpm so this should work just fine since there just two of us here now. Thanks to all for the feed back.

 

[Reach4]

Hold it. Don't do it.

The backwashing requirement is proportional to the cross sectional area. A 10 inch tank needs about 7 GPM or more depending.

If you want a lower backwash requirement, you need a skinny tank. Too bad you could not get an 8 x 72.

You could get an 8" x 44" holding 0.75 cu. ft. of media. Maybe that would be enough media. I don't know.

 

[Melkus]

Reach you can get a 7x44 tank like this one.
onehttp://www.water-softeners-filters.com/7-x-44-pentair-structural-30213-poly-glass-vessel-media-tank-w-base.php
Then I have to buy a distributor tube, control valve, resin, just thinking.

 

[Reach4]

I did recheck my system and getting 5 1/2 gpm

While getting that flow, what pressure was maintained? Was this at the wellhead and the house pressure dropped low during the flow? Or did the pressure stay above 30 PSI? For your backwash flow, you need some pressure to shove water through the passages and lift up the media.

Did you read the Thursday message?

 

[ditttohead]

The backwash rates many companies claim do not match the real world experience of those actually using and installing the systems. Since most online companies are just guys hanging out in their underwear in their moms basement running multiple businesses from their computer...

How many gallons is your pressurized storage tank?

 

[Melkus]

ditttohead it's 36-Gallon and the air is at 38 psi 2 psi below pump cut in which is at 40 psi also my cut off is set at 50psi.

Reach4 to answer your question the test was done at the pump house using the spigot right after the press tank. Using a five-gallon bucket I time how long it took to fill this which was 33 sec so 33 divided 5 =6.6 GPM. I started the test with full press (50 psi) it then drop to the cut in at 40 psi and stay there never getting and lower.

 

[ditttohead]

The backwash of KL is typically only 5 minutes for lower levels of iron. I have a few customers using KL for 25+ ppm iron and backwash times are obviously considerably longer and more frequent. Bed expansion is the key to the media lasting and operating properly. Lower backwash levels may work but we see media failures much more often when this is attempted. Softener resin, anion, even GAC tends to do fine when inadequate backwash methods occur. Iron and sediment reduction medias due require special attention to this for them to work properly. PM sent.