splintergroupie
New Member
That's the name of the critters infesting my well water, aka IRB, according to a lab test. Through my extensive reading of this forum and the Net, my options seem to be:
* treat the well water with a pellet dropper, maybe destroy the pump, etc.
* treat the incoming water with inline oxidation, maybe allow IRB to destroy the pump, etc.
I've already shocked it twice after i noticed crud started appearing in my tap water a few days after the well was drilled, but the color and crud returned a few days after each attempt.
I was all set to order above-ground chlorination/mixing tank except for the well production going down from 15 gpm right after it was drilled in late May, to 10 gpm in late June, then returning to 15 gpm last week after i got my irrigation system going for eight hours/night, which helps to keep the iron-y to a manageable level for showers/cleaning, but it's too icky to drink.
My working theory - feel free to fill it full of holes - is that the IRB had already started plugging my pump, but the subsequent heavy watering schedule tended to whack that growth loose. Hence, my concern returned about treating my well water in situ compared to POE.
I'm wondering if anyone sells a system of using inline oxidation (recirculating perhaps?) that feeds dilute chlorine or H202 into the well water, both protecting the pump from IRB while obviating the problem of concentrated pellets forming a bridge club or communing at the bottom of the well. Should i quit my day job and invent this?
Well is 270'; static at 126'; 6" steel casing; 1" PVC drop pipe; 1-1/2 hp F&W submersible pump rated at 11 gpm, according to the driller. The bore was producing 30 gpm while the driller was pumping it. Wellhead is in my yard; pressure tank is indoors, about 60' away. Temps from -30º to 100º. I'm irrigating 3/4 acre including fruit trees, couple producing greenhouses. I have a private septic system with no issues.
Some water test results:
The Kinetico guy came out, said no one around here has IRB, so not to bother to test for it. <smile> His numbers:
Hardness: 5
pH: 6.7
TDS: 190
Total Iron: 3.7 (Ferrous: .8; Ferric: 2.9)
Next up: the Culligan man told me a lot of people around here have IRB, that he'd install an inline injector and mixing tank, an AN, and iron filter. I asked if the chlorine would help my pH number enough to forego a AN, and he said chlorine would actually make my water more acidic. Huh? His numbers:
Hardness: 6
pH: 7.0
TDS: 200
Iron: 1.4 (no breakdown for ferrous/ferric)
My own tests (2), this morning, with test strips from The Clean Water Store:
Alkalinity: 80
Hardness: 3
pH: 7
Iron: 3
The numbers are pretty inconsistent (with the exception of my two tests' agreement), with various opinions as to whether my pH is a problem for any sort of treatment. Further: no nitrate/nitrite, or copper, but i do have .008 arsenic.
I suppose i first have to make some sort of guess about whether the pump might die more quickly from IRB or chlorine corrosion, then think about precipitating/removing the iron. Since you all are better schooled in the art of water than i am, i'd welcome some more input to my pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey endeavor.
And after disinfection...what else is recommended, and in what order? Installation will be DIY.
Thanks,
Colleen
* treat the well water with a pellet dropper, maybe destroy the pump, etc.
* treat the incoming water with inline oxidation, maybe allow IRB to destroy the pump, etc.
I've already shocked it twice after i noticed crud started appearing in my tap water a few days after the well was drilled, but the color and crud returned a few days after each attempt.
I was all set to order above-ground chlorination/mixing tank except for the well production going down from 15 gpm right after it was drilled in late May, to 10 gpm in late June, then returning to 15 gpm last week after i got my irrigation system going for eight hours/night, which helps to keep the iron-y to a manageable level for showers/cleaning, but it's too icky to drink.
My working theory - feel free to fill it full of holes - is that the IRB had already started plugging my pump, but the subsequent heavy watering schedule tended to whack that growth loose. Hence, my concern returned about treating my well water in situ compared to POE.
I'm wondering if anyone sells a system of using inline oxidation (recirculating perhaps?) that feeds dilute chlorine or H202 into the well water, both protecting the pump from IRB while obviating the problem of concentrated pellets forming a bridge club or communing at the bottom of the well. Should i quit my day job and invent this?
Well is 270'; static at 126'; 6" steel casing; 1" PVC drop pipe; 1-1/2 hp F&W submersible pump rated at 11 gpm, according to the driller. The bore was producing 30 gpm while the driller was pumping it. Wellhead is in my yard; pressure tank is indoors, about 60' away. Temps from -30º to 100º. I'm irrigating 3/4 acre including fruit trees, couple producing greenhouses. I have a private septic system with no issues.
Some water test results:
The Kinetico guy came out, said no one around here has IRB, so not to bother to test for it. <smile> His numbers:
Hardness: 5
pH: 6.7
TDS: 190
Total Iron: 3.7 (Ferrous: .8; Ferric: 2.9)
Next up: the Culligan man told me a lot of people around here have IRB, that he'd install an inline injector and mixing tank, an AN, and iron filter. I asked if the chlorine would help my pH number enough to forego a AN, and he said chlorine would actually make my water more acidic. Huh? His numbers:
Hardness: 6
pH: 7.0
TDS: 200
Iron: 1.4 (no breakdown for ferrous/ferric)
My own tests (2), this morning, with test strips from The Clean Water Store:
Alkalinity: 80
Hardness: 3
pH: 7
Iron: 3
The numbers are pretty inconsistent (with the exception of my two tests' agreement), with various opinions as to whether my pH is a problem for any sort of treatment. Further: no nitrate/nitrite, or copper, but i do have .008 arsenic.
I suppose i first have to make some sort of guess about whether the pump might die more quickly from IRB or chlorine corrosion, then think about precipitating/removing the iron. Since you all are better schooled in the art of water than i am, i'd welcome some more input to my pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey endeavor.
And after disinfection...what else is recommended, and in what order? Installation will be DIY.
Thanks,
Colleen
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