Carbon Block Recommendatikn

[Michael Stitsworth]

I have a drilled well that produces about 10 gpm. Water has little to no sand, but is prone to fine sediment. I installed a Rusco sediment trapper with a 150 mesh screen just before the incoming water splits into the horse line and outside faucet line. Next on the house line is another Rusco sediment trapper with a 500 mesh screen, followed by a just-now-installed 20” Aqua-Flo Big Blue before the water softener. Besides sediment, another big concern in our system is water pressure. I just changed the pressure switch to 50/70 (adjusted 20 gallon pressure tank to 48 psi), which boosted pressure somewhat. House has three full baths, washer, kitchen, utility sink; no irrigation system but I do water with hoses in dry periods.

A related concern, besides low pressure and sediment, is taste. I would like to use a carbon block, 10 micron filter in the 4.5 x 20 inch Big Blue.

Any recommendations on which filter to use that will remove most remaining sediment, improve taste and yet provide good flow rates and not too much pressure drop? Cost is a concern, but not as important as addressing the above issues.

Finally, as an FYI, I am strongly considering adding a CSV (cycle stop valve) before the pressure tank to further deal with the pressure issue.

Any comments or suggestions appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[Bannerman]

A backwashing carbon system containing granular activated carbon (GAC) would be appropriate for your point of entry application, especially as you are concerned with minimizing further flow restrictions. A tank containing 1.5 ft3 GAC is often suitable for an average-sized home but with 3 full baths, you might consider a larger system.

As your current pressure settings are higher than most, assuming your main plumbing line is sized appropriately, inspect the system to look for anything that could be causing a flow restriction. A valve that is only partially open or broken internally, can result in a flow restriction point that you are interpreting as low pressure when water is being utilized. Likewise, any mineral or sediment accumulation in the lines prior to the softener can reduce the flow rate for the entire home.

As a trial, bypass each of the filters and softener individually to check if there is an increase in flow throughout the home.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Bannerman]

While you said the well can produce 10 gpm, what gpm is the pump producing?

A pressure tank is usually sized to provide at least 1-minute minimum pump run time. As your small 20-gallon bladder type tank may provide 5 gallons of drawdown at 30/50 psi, the drawdown may reduce to approx 4 gallons at 40/60 psi. With increasing the system pressure to 50/70 psi, the tank drawdown may now have been reduced to only 3 gallons. When the drawdown volume results in the pump to run less than 60 seconds, this is considered as short cycling which may lead to the pump overheating which will reduce the pump's lifespan.

If the pump flow rate is lower than the rate water is being consumed at, then the pump will not keep up. This will typically result in the system pressure dropping lower than the pump cut-in pressure, which is a possible reason for your low-pressure complaint, particularly if the pressure reduction is significant.

 

[ditttohead]

You will find that many carbon BB filters claim flow rates in excess of 5-15 GPM, they will have little affect on contaminant reduction at higher flow rates since carbon is very contact time dependent. I did a video on Pepsi showing how carbon can decolor it if the contact time is long enough. I will be redoing this video soon showing the effects of contact time. When I first did it, the pepsi was not decolored unless it had extensive contact time. When I tired pumping the Pepsi through the carbon block, nothing happened at all. Taste, odor etc. all work similarly.