Chlorine injection or drip system?

[Greg Mueller]

First let me describe my system......
I have a 600' well.
When the float in my 1100 gallon cistern closes the well pump fills the cistern through the upper inlet.
Out of the cistern's bottom (outlet) I ran a poly line about 250' to a smaller (300 gallon) holding tank in the basement. The 300 gallon tank is fed by gravity from the 1100 gallon cistern. Before entering the 300 gallon tank the water goes through 4 Big Blue filters (in parallel) just to take out dirt and rocks.
The water sits in the 300 gallon tank until water is required in the house.
A pump then runs it up to 45lbs pressure. From there it goes through 4 more Big Blue filters and then through a GE Whole House osmosis system which back flushes once a day.
The water is clear but has a slight sulfur smell.

I would like to introduce some chlorine into the water just to make sure there are no bugs (bacteria) living there although the osmosis system is suppose to remove anything that large.

The simplest thing I can think of is to mount a drip system on top of the 300 gallon tank and let it drip an occasional drop of chlorine in to the 300 gallon tank. I would not have to cut up the system that way for some kind of injection system......

Suggestions appreciated.
Thanks

 

[Reach4]

Some people would have the water entering the first tank go into a spray bar over the water surface that would aerate the water as it enters the cistern. You could see if that helps.

To see if you like it, you could measure out some bleach into the cistern. Use some low range free chlorine test strips to test the levels. City water can have up to 4 ppm at the customer's tap to be considered acceptable.
For low range testing, LAMOTTE 2963LR-G .25 ppm to 10 ppm chlorine test sensitivity, looks good.
http://www.lamotte.com/en/drinking-water/test-strips/2963lr-g.html
For my well sanitizing, I use high-range chlorine test paper: Hydrion Cm-240


From manual chlorine pouring, you could decide on a system that meters chlorine in. It could be a pump that injects at a programmable rate whenever the deep pump runs.

You might consider a well and system sanitizing. https://terrylove.com/forums/index....izing-extra-attention-to-4-inch-casing.65845/

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Boycedrilling]

Greg;

Do you have power at your 1100 gallon cistern? If so that’s where I would introduce the chlorine. I would use a chlorine injection pump that runs when the well pump runs. You only need or want a prophylactic or preventative dosage of chlorine. This way your whole system is chlorinated. The longer the contact tine, the lower the dosage of chlorine needed for the same results.

Aeration would help with the sulfur smell. If the water going into each cistern were to go thru a spray head it would help.

A third idea would be to use an ozone generator rather than chlorine to sanitize your water. Ozone will kill bacteria. So will ultraviolet light.

 

[Greg Mueller]

I could run power to the cistern from the house (about 200'), but right now it only has some romex (1000') that runs down to the well. When the float switch closes it completes that circuit to a mag relay which turns on the well pump. Not sure if there's enough amps there to run the injectors we're talking about. That would be the best system, I agree.

I was trying to think of a way that I could have a mechanical (paddle wheel?) that would trip-a-drip every so many revolutions in to the cistern as the well pump shot water in to it???

Right now we are not here all the time as we are still moving stuff down from WA. The sulfur smell is considerably stronger now in the hot summer weather and also since we are gone for weeks at a time fetching more stuff from "the old house".

When they first drilled the well the sulfur smell was very pronounced, but diminished over time. That's been about 12 years.

 

[Treeman]

Is a water powered injection pump feasible?? Dosatron is one of many brands.

https://4887e318oxar4aozr52vncb7-wp.../uploads/2017/01/Drinking_Water_Treatment.pdf

 

[Boycedrilling]

Yes, that Dosatron, water powered chlorine injector would be a simple addition.

 

[Greg Mueller]

I went out yesterday an added a cup of bleach to the cistern and ran the well pump for a bit.
Then went in the basement and added 1/3 cup bleach to the 300 gallon tank and stirred it with a paddle a bit.
We'll see what happens next.

The water in the cistern is clearer than it ever has been. Once I get by this last hurdle I think I am home.

 

[Greg Mueller]

Anyone know off hand how long chlorine takes to dissipate or evaporate or otherwise go away?

 

[Reach4]

Anyone know off hand how long chlorine takes to dissipate or evaporate or otherwise go away?

It can go away from being consumed in reactions. That is going to be a big factor I think.

In pools, there are stabilizers added.

Half life will depend on the pH, temperature, and more. On figure 15 of https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1474301/pdf/envhper00440-0022.pdf , if I interpret correctly, the half life would correspond to a vertical axis of about -0.3, or perhaps 2 hours. That seems short. Maybe that involved some continued reactions that would not happen as much in your cistern.

Yet we know it lasts for months in a bleach bottle. Most of that is because they raise the pH quite a bit. Lower pH means more reaction activity but shorter half life.

They can get a half life of weeks in a pool with stabilizers.

Many public water systems use chloromine rather than chlorine to get a longer life.

You should get some low range test paper.