Iron Test Results

[BobMane]

New house with well that was drilled in 2008 and I just started using. I knew from talking to neighbors and knowing the area in general (flathead lake MT) that my well water is good clean mountain water. It also has no strange taste...tastes great + is crystal clear. But I noticed when I heated water in a glass water heater for coffee it leaves a reddish brown residue on the base / metal part of the water heater. Then the toilet started getting a reddish brown film. Can easily wipe the film off the porcelain which is strange because I assumed if I got metal stains they would be permanent. I have been using a pour through water filter (zero water) and it completely removes the issue of the heated water leaving a residue on the base / metal part of the water heater. But even the white plastic on the water filter gets some of the film on it over time.

So I got a test and here are the results...trying to figure of how to deal with it. Was told there are different kinds of iron that require different treatments. Also was told I'd have to put chlorine in the well (which seems counterintuitive...if you have to put it in once if will just come back anyway right? ) Also hard to know what to trust in online searches since so many articles or posts end up being ads for a particular filter.

 

[Gsmith22]

you will probably get a better response in the softener forum. That being said, it looks like you probably have ferrous (clear water) iron that is oxidizing when exposed to oxygen and precipitating out as small rust particles that you are seeing as reddish brown film. Very low levels can be handled by a water softener but its not efficient and you didn't say if you have a softener already or not for hardness (I don't see a hardness reading in the tests). Depending on ferrous iron levels, it can be handled by a variety of ways - one for larger amounts is to inject chlorine into the water as it is used (done all the time and not just once), which will oxidize it forming small rust particles, which you then filter out. It sounds like that was the procedure that was described to you but not sure if your ferrous iron level actually requires that. I would repost over on the softener forum

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reach4]

New house with well that was drilled in 2008 and I just started using. I knew from talking to neighbors and knowing the area in general (flathead lake MT) that my well water is good clean mountain water. It also has no strange taste...tastes great + is crystal clear. But I noticed when I heated water in a glass water heater for coffee it leaves a reddish brown residue on the base / metal part of the water heater. Then the toilet started getting a reddish brown film. Can easily wipe the film off the porcelain which is strange because I assumed if I got metal stains they would be permanent. I have been using a pour through water filter (zero water) and it completely removes the issue of the heated water leaving a residue on the base / metal part of the water heater. But even the white plastic on the water filter gets some of the film on it over time.

So I got a test and here are the results...trying to figure of how to deal with it. Was told there are different kinds of iron that require different treatments. Also was told I'd have to put chlorine in the well (which seems counterintuitive...if you have to put it in once if will just come back anyway right? ) Also hard to know what to trust in online searches since so many articles or posts end up being ads for a particular filter.

View attachment 80025
View attachment 80026View attachment 80027

I would consider a 10 or 5 micron cartridge filter.

Or maybe as a pre-test, see if a coffee filter can filter out that as you pour.