Water well filtration

[ACWxRADR]

Requesting advice.

I have not completed all my water evaluation tests yet, but I have completed two in situ tests to discover the pH and (H2S) hydrogen sulfide parameters. My new well water pH is 7.05 and the H2S is reading zero after conducting a Hach HS-C test several times - straight from the well. I know that the ferrous iron content is high, but I have not submitted my sample to the lab yet to know exactly what it is.

After exposing the water to air, it turns orange-ish within eight hours and the ferric iron settles out as a precipitate. I expected this well to have high iron content so I am not caught off guard, I am certain that there is a high calcium content as well so it is hard water. This is a brand new well and I am just getting started in the process of designing my filtration system.

This is my proposal and I would like to hear feedback comments from the gurus here. The first stage will be a natural zeolite filter (BRZ media from Bear River mine in Preston Idaho) atop a gravel bed in a 10x54 tank with a Fleck 5600SXT backwash valve. Second stage will be a 10x54 tank with BIRM media and a gravel bed with a Fleck 5600SXT-OCS (air chamber) valve. The 3rd and final stage will be a Jacobi catalytic carbon filter in another 10x54 filter atop a gravel bed with a Fleck 5600SXT backwash valve.

Please reply with any comments and suggestions.

Gordo

 

[Reach4]

The first stage will be a natural zeolite filter (BRZ media from Bear River mine in Preston Idaho) atop a gravel bed in a 10x54 tank with a Fleck 5600SXT backwash valve.

Katalox Light is composed of zeolite coated with 10% manganese dioxide coating. It is more effective than just zeolite. You may not need injection, or you could benefit from injection, such as H2O2 into the incoming water. You could benefit from a bleach solution during the scheduled backwash. Or you may need nether.

atop a gravel bed in a 10x54 tank with a Fleck 5600SXT backwash valve.

The 5600SXT can only backwash at a 7 GPM rate max, and that is a little light for a 10 inch tank. See https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?threads/fleck-5600sxt-or-5810sxt.74535/

Second stage will be a 10x54 tank with BIRM media and a gravel bed with a Fleck 5600SXT-OCS (air chamber) valve.

You should not need that second stage.

The 3rd and final stage will be a Jacobi catalytic carbon filter in another 10x54 filter atop a gravel bed

You may not need that. If you do have that, you could inject H2O2 at a higher rate, and the catalytic carbon would then remove the residual H2O2.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Valveman]

Moving this to the softener forum. Maybe get a few more eyes on it for you.

 

[BIGBREW]

Just installed an air injection head tonight, seemed to make a huge difference, my sulfur was a part and a half.

I had 24 grains of hardness with a trace of iron. I just have to finish plumbing in a 64k softener with a Fleck head tomorrow or Friday

Mine goes pressure tank, sediment filter, air injection, softener, uv light, house. I can report back on my softener if you would like

 

[Matt Peiris]

I would go with 5810 XTR2. It's can backwash at a higher flow rate (use a 3/4" drain line), has a touchscreen controller & programmable relays to control any equipment you want to install downstream.

You won't need a separate katalox light filter to remove iron, if there is enough calcium and magnesium ions in water. A softener alone will do the job. Wait for the analysis. 'A softener can remove 0.5 ppm of Fe for every grain/gal. of hardness up to 10 ppm at minimum pH of 6.7 (unaerated water)' -Water Quality Association

 

[Reach4]

I would go with 5810 XTR2. It's can backwash at a higher flow rate (use a 3/4" drain line), has a touchscreen controller & programmable relays to control any equipment you want to install downstream.

What equipment might that be? I can't imagine, unless it was to inhibit the softener from regenerating during filter backwash. Normally people schedule those to non-overlapping times.

Have you seen a good use for the contacts?

 

[Reach4]

I have not completed all my water evaluation tests yet, but I have completed two in situ tests to discover the pH and (H2S) hydrogen sulfide parameters. My new well water pH is 7.05 and the H2S is reading zero after conducting a Hach HS-C test several times - straight from the well.

What does your nose, and the noses of others, say about the H2S?

 

[ACWxRADR]

What does your nose, and the noses of others, say about the H2S?

I feared H2S content because the water smelled "off" coming right out of the well. This is why I applied the Hach H2S test and repeated it several times. It came up negative (zero H2S) every time. So what I smell is just river mud or stale water, not H2S. It does NOT smell like rotten eggs, but it is a bit unpleasant at first. After sitting in the sun for two weeks, it is clear, has no odor and no taste. I did not drink it, but I did taste it and I am very surprised! It actually tastes damned good! Can't tell the difference between it and quality bottled water and maybe it is even better. Obviously that is no indication of the total water quality or any bacteria that may be present and I won't be gulping this down to quench my thirst until I have all the tests completed, but I am really, happily surprised. The longer I run the pump, the better it gets, too.

Gordo

 

[ACWxRADR]

Moving this to the softener forum. Maybe get a few more eyes on it for you.

Thanks Valveman, sounds good to me!

Gordo

 

[ACWxRADR]

I would go with 5810 XTR2. It's can backwash at a higher flow rate (use a 3/4" drain line), has a touchscreen controller & programmable relays to control any equipment you want to install downstream.

You won't need a separate katalox light filter to remove iron, if there is enough calcium and magnesium ions in water. A softener alone will do the job. Wait for the analysis. 'A softener can remove 0.5 ppm of Fe for every grain/gal. of hardness up to 10 ppm at minimum pH of 6.7 (unaerated water)' -Water Quality Association

Matt,

Thank you. I know that a water softener will work for low ppm iron, but my goal was to set up a system where it was not necessary to rejuvenate the media with any chemicals (salt or otherwise). I was looking for a stand alone system that operated with back-washing only. This is the reason for selecting BIRM.

Gordo

 

[ditttohead]

We use the contacts for NHWBP, Separate Source Regen, pulsed output for chemical injection,BMS system integration, HMI's, alarm outputs and much more. We use them relays all the time in many of our system designs. Birm... good media in the 90's. It is very inexpensive and is rarely used nowadays. KL is much more expensive but it has taken over the market for the vast majority of our customers. Birm is not even allowed for sale or use in California...

 

[ACWxRADR]

We use the contacts for NHWBP, Separate Source Regen, pulsed output for chemical injection,BMS system integration, HMI's, alarm outputs and much more. We use them relays all the time in many of our system designs. Birm... good media in the 90's. It is very inexpensive and is rarely used nowadays. KL is much more expensive but it has taken over the market for the vast majority of our customers. Birm is not even allowed for sale or use in California...

Hi Dittohead,

The Katalox media caught my attention and I was looking into it. However, it required a greater backwash flow because it is a little more dense than BIRM and I was apprehensive about that. It is a little more expensive than BIRM, but not a huge margin. Roughly $40 more per cubic foot from what I have found. Katalox does seem to be more resilient than BIRM, however. Supposedly it can tolerate H2S and even aid in removing it. I don't have to worry about that issue now, though. My water tested free of H2S.

I am surprised that BIRM is not allowed in California. Although I shouldn't be, nearly everything is banned in California including water. Hee hee. I suppose they have found that water causes cancer or drowning.

Gordo

 

[ditttohead]

California is a strange Country run by some crazies that I am ashamed of. Birm was a go to media many years ago. Every media has its pros and cons. KL has a slightly higher backwash rate requirement than Birm . https://view.publitas.com/impact-water-products/2018-catalog-final/page/154-155

KL tends to raise the pH significantly on occasion. But, it can handle far higher iron, manganese and H2S levels than Birm. Birm is highly restrictive in its application and oxidant use as well.

 

[Matt Peiris]

Gordo,

I would go with KL as well. However since no one suggested, I'd like to point out you also have another option.
KDF-85 is also rated to treat iron and H2S (concentrations up to 5 ppm). KDF is rated for a higher effective flow rate than KL.

Katalox Light is only rated for 12 gpm/ ft2 while KDF is rated for 15 gpm/ ft2.
So your 1054 tank with 0.66 cu.ft KDF-85 media can allow for a max service flow of 8 gpm.

Downside is that to backwash this unit you need at least 16 gpm.
Plumbing smaller units in parallel is still a viable option though.

 

[ditttohead]

KDF85 is also considerably more expensive and the backwash rates simply make it a poor choice for iron reduction. I stock pallets of KDF that we assembly filers and systems with. For very low levels of iron the Hybrid design for whole house filtration is a fairly popular system since it keeps the cost reasonable. Using KDF85 for higher levels of iron... not typically done for many reasons. https://view.publitas.com/impact-water-products/2018-catalog-final/page/14-15

 

[ACWxRADR]

Matt and Ditto,

Thanks very much for your sincere and professional input! I truly appreciate the advice from both of you. Since my water tests for hydrogen sulfide and pH were good, I decided to start with BIRM media first, as a trial run. It is less expensive and requires less backwash flow than KTL or KDF85.

I am just going to perform a test run with BIRM and see how it works. If it fails, I will try one of the other two medias. Please wish me luck. I will report back my results.

El Gordo

 

[WellOff]

Any updates?

I'm a bit concerned with is this comment: "what I smell is just river mud or stale water"

What is the depth of your well? Are you adjacent to a river?

I have a shallow well (38') and a major issue I have is with Iron Reducing Bacteria (IRB). IRB can create odors. It's present when there is iron. If one does not look to deal with IRB up-front then one cannot effectively eliminate iron as this bacteria wraps itself around the iron: IRB will also tend to plug up filters and generally make things a mess. My IRB levels aren't real bad, just bad enough that I have to use a treatment system: I inject H2O2 via Stenner pump; dosage is really low in which case H2O2 isn't costly for me. When extracted water is left to sit IRB can be seen as an oil sheen on the top of the water: it also can be seen IN the water (as long filaments)- shine a bright light through a clear water glass and you'll see the beam refract.

Really do need lab results here in order to properly assess. IF one has a shallow well then one ought to be on the lookout for IRB (or MRB - Manganese Reducing Bacteria) as well as more general bacteria: all of these can be effectively treated using strong oxidization methods.