Do people use Iron Out to manage iron level?

[Young]

Is using Iron Out recommended to manage iron level in water? I haven't done iron level test yet but I do see orange stain in places like shower. I use Fleck 5600. I recently replaced resin because we had serious water flow issue. This was after ~7 years of service. Water flow issue is gone now.

Also, does Iron Out dissolved in brine get washed out during regen? Wonder if it will get into service water.

Thanks!
Young

 

[Bannerman]

Iron Out and similar resin cleaners, are mild acids which are utilized in conjunction with salt brine, to breakdown and dissolve iron that has accumulated on the resin beads outer surface, which helps to restore the resin's ability to remove hardness.

A resin cleaner added into the resin tank, will be transferred to the media tank along with the liquid brine, usually within the 1st 15-20 minutes of a typical 60-minute Brine Draw cycle. Slow Rinse flow will continue during the remaining 40-45 minutes, which will cause the cleaner and brine to be pushed downward through the resin bed. As Slow Rinse utilizes fresh water, the cleaner, hardness minerals, Chloride, excess sodium and the loosened iron deposits are rinsed from the resin and flushed to drain, meaning they should be eliminated before the control valve returns to the Service position to restore soft water delivery to the home's fixtures.

I recently replaced resin because we had serious water flow issue.

Reduced water flow through the resin bed, will most often be caused by resin that has been damaged over time due to constant chlorine exposure. Is you water supply municipal or a private well?

 

[Sponsor]

 

[WorthFlorida]

Do you use glandular salt, salt pellets or a salt block? Most salt pellets do have some iron out in the pellet for constant maintenance.

 

[LLigetfa]

I would not use Iron Out on a regular basis. AFAIK, frequent use of Iron Out is detrimental to softener beads. Anytime I used it in the past, it left a smell and taste in the treated water which suggests that it does not get completely rinsed out during regen. After the regen, the residue can also liberate some iron that has built up in the plumbing and water heater.

I use Morton Clean and Protect Plus Rust Defense softener salt with citric acid to maintain my softener.

 

[Young]

Iron Out and similar resin cleaners, are mild acids which are utilized in conjunction with salt brine, to breakdown and dissolve iron that has accumulated on the resin beads outer surface, which helps to restore the resin's ability to remove hardness.

A resin cleaner added into the resin tank, will be transferred to the media tank along with the liquid brine, usually within the 1st 15-20 minutes of a typical 60-minute Brine Draw cycle. Slow Rinse flow will continue during the remaining 40-45 minutes, which will cause the cleaner and brine to be pushed downward through the resin bed. As Slow Rinse utilizes fresh water, the cleaner, hardness minerals, Chloride, excess sodium and the loosened iron deposits are rinsed from the resin and flushed to drain, meaning they should be eliminated before the control valve returns to the Service position to restore soft water delivery to the home's fixtures.


Reduced water flow through the resin bed, will most often be caused by resin that has been damaged over time due to constant chlorine exposure. Is you water supply municipal or a private well?

So hopefully everything gets rinsed away. It's city water. And resin in Fleck lasted ~7 years.

Do you use glandular salt, salt pellets or a salt block? Most salt pellets do have some iron out in the pellet for constant maintenance.

We use Morton Clean and Protect pallets. https://www.mortonsalt.com/home-product/morton-clean-and-protect-pellets/ I am not able to find anything else from hardware stores around me.

 

[MaxBlack]

I looked-up the SDS for Morton Clean & Protect plus Rust Defense and the only two ingredients are Sodium Chloride (98.5-98.9%) and "Citrates" (a miniscule 0.33-0.55%). Makes me wonder how "worth it" for the additional cost.

Iron-Out comes in many formulations:

The powder form of Iron OUT contains the following ingredients:

• Citric acid (1.0-5.0%)
• Sodium carbonate (10.0-30.0%)
• Sodium hydrosulfite
• Sodium metabisulfite
• Sodium sulfite (1.0-5.0%)
  https://www.whatsinproducts.com/typ...T Rust Stain Remover Powderspan style="color:
  The liquid form of Iron OUT contains:
• Oxalic acid
• 1,2-Propanediol
  https://www.mindat.org/mesg-416220.html
  It's important to note that the exact concentrations of some ingredients are not specified in the sources. Also, different versions of the product (like "Super Iron Out" or "Outdoor") may contain additional ingredients, such as Ethanedioic acid, dihydrate

I don't know which of the above might be harmful to resin? Anyone know?