Dave Bowers
New Member
Hello All,
First I want to say I have read and read and read a lot if not all of the posts on Iron Bacteria, but unfortunately, I still have a few questions!
Short (not so short) Summary:
We purchased our house 2 years ago, and initially had a mineral/sulfur odor. We noticed this smell mainly when showering or doing the dishes. Very mild staining in sinks and toilets, but the inside of the toilets did/do have a slight brown film on the inside walls (photo attached). We called in a local water company, and they did the initial tests and found the water to be hard, and very low iron (sorry I don't have results). This being the case, we discussed a softener, and an iron filter. The company suggested the softener since it would do the work to remove the iron as well. We moved forward with the softener, and discussed the iron filter for future.
Fast forward a few months, and the odor was still there on the hot water side. We called in another company to discuss, and again they tested the water and found the softener was working and the iron was very low. Then he looked in the toilet and saw the brown walls, and said we needed a chlorine injection system.
Not sure of this, we called back the other company, and they said no to the chlorine its old technology. However, they did test both the hot and cold water for iron and the hot water was higher. Based on all testing and observations we decided to chlorinate the hot water tank. We let it set for a few hours then drained. It did not help for more than a day. Maybe an iron filter was in order, but they did not recommend one at that point I also spoke with the hot water tank (superstore) manufacturer, and they said "This known as desulfovibrio, you can install a chlorine feeder; or periodic flushing with common household bleach, This process is 100% effective only if a continuous chlorine feeder is installed. Also, increase the temperature on the tank to 160.00 º F ." The tank was at factory 120, so we turned it up. After more research on Iron bacteria, we decided to shock the well. This removed the smell for a couple of weeks, but it returned.
Fast forward another few months, and we determined we had to get a new hot water tank. There was too much sludge/slime there. We replaced the tank with another SuperStor, and the smell went away. That was 3 months ago, and now the odor has returned!! We also remodeled the bathroom, and there is no slime in the toilet (photo attached).
I am getting ready to shock the well again per @Reach4 procedure. However, I feel like we need a better long term solution.
My questions:
- Is there an iron filter out there that removes iron bacteria?
- Do I need to go with a chlorination system?
- Why do I only have the issue on the hot water side?
Thank you for your time, and sorry for the long post.
Dave
First I want to say I have read and read and read a lot if not all of the posts on Iron Bacteria, but unfortunately, I still have a few questions!
Short (not so short) Summary:
We purchased our house 2 years ago, and initially had a mineral/sulfur odor. We noticed this smell mainly when showering or doing the dishes. Very mild staining in sinks and toilets, but the inside of the toilets did/do have a slight brown film on the inside walls (photo attached). We called in a local water company, and they did the initial tests and found the water to be hard, and very low iron (sorry I don't have results). This being the case, we discussed a softener, and an iron filter. The company suggested the softener since it would do the work to remove the iron as well. We moved forward with the softener, and discussed the iron filter for future.
Fast forward a few months, and the odor was still there on the hot water side. We called in another company to discuss, and again they tested the water and found the softener was working and the iron was very low. Then he looked in the toilet and saw the brown walls, and said we needed a chlorine injection system.
Not sure of this, we called back the other company, and they said no to the chlorine its old technology. However, they did test both the hot and cold water for iron and the hot water was higher. Based on all testing and observations we decided to chlorinate the hot water tank. We let it set for a few hours then drained. It did not help for more than a day. Maybe an iron filter was in order, but they did not recommend one at that point I also spoke with the hot water tank (superstore) manufacturer, and they said "This known as desulfovibrio, you can install a chlorine feeder; or periodic flushing with common household bleach, This process is 100% effective only if a continuous chlorine feeder is installed. Also, increase the temperature on the tank to 160.00 º F ." The tank was at factory 120, so we turned it up. After more research on Iron bacteria, we decided to shock the well. This removed the smell for a couple of weeks, but it returned.
Fast forward another few months, and we determined we had to get a new hot water tank. There was too much sludge/slime there. We replaced the tank with another SuperStor, and the smell went away. That was 3 months ago, and now the odor has returned!! We also remodeled the bathroom, and there is no slime in the toilet (photo attached).
I am getting ready to shock the well again per @Reach4 procedure. However, I feel like we need a better long term solution.
My questions:
- Is there an iron filter out there that removes iron bacteria?
- Do I need to go with a chlorination system?
- Why do I only have the issue on the hot water side?
Thank you for your time, and sorry for the long post.
Dave