KL filter water color varies from clear to brown

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tecman

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I have a well water system with H2O2 injection and a 12” KL filter with Clack WS1 valve. I believe we have some IRB because the toilet tanks got orange slime when there was no iron filter.

The current issue is that the iron after the KL is all over the place. Sometimes the water out of the KL is clear (my Hatch kit says 0.2ppm Fe), and sometimes the water is very brown (tested 2+ppm Fe). I have replaced the injection check valve and can see the flow ball moving each time the injection pump rotates, so I'm sure the injection pump is working.
Here’s an example of how the iron has been changing:

1) yesterday I got a water sample after the KL filter and it was very brown in color. Tested at 2.5ppm Fe after the KL and 2.9ppm before the KL. I have been backwashing the KL every 30min every 3 days @12.4 GPM & 5min rinse, but I initiated a manual 42min backwash to see if the water would be clear.

2) Immediately after this BW, the water out of the KL was clear in color.

3) The next morning after 2 people showered, the water after the KL was very brown.

4) I manually initiated 30min BW/5min rinse—water was now slightly brown. Thinking the KL might not be thoroughly clean, I initiated another 30min BW. The water remained the same slightly brown.

I’m baffled by these swings in Fe. It’s seems like the KL sometimes works great and then just stops working. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Water Report June 2021 by NTL :
Total Coliform by P/A Total Coliform and E.coli were ABSENT in this sample.
Aluminum ND mg/L 0.2 EPA Secondary 0.1
Arsenic 0.008 mg/L 0.010 EPA Primary 0.005
Barium ND mg/L 2 EPA Primary 0.30
Cadmium ND mg/L 0.005 EPA Primary 0.002
Calcium 93.5 mg/L -- 2.0
Chromium ND mg/L 0.1 EPA Primary 0.010
Copper 0.008 mg/L 1.3 EPA Action Level 0.004
Iron 5.988 mg/L 0.3 EPA Secondary 0.020
Lead ND mg/L 0.015 EPA Action Level 0.002
Lithium 0.003 mg/L -- 0.001
Magnesium 41.30 mg/L -- 0.10
Manganese 0.074 mg/L 0.05 EPA Secondary 0.004
Mercury ND mg/L 0.002 EPA Primary 0.001
Nickel ND mg/L -- 0.020
Potassium ND mg/L -- 1.0
Selenium ND mg/L 0.05 EPA Primary 0.020
Silica 15.5 mg/L -- 0.1
Silver ND mg/L 0.100 EPA Secondary 0.002
Sodium 5 mg/L -- 1
Strontium 0.098 mg/L -- 0.001
Uranium ND mg/L 0.030 EPA Primary 0.001
Zinc 0.018 mg/L 5 EPA Secondary 0.004
Physical Factors
Alkalinity (Total as CaCO3) 370 mg/L -- 20
Hardness 400 mg/L 100 NTL Internal 10
pH 7.1 pH Units 6.5 to 8.5 EPA Secondary
Total Dissolved Solids 430 mg/L 500 EPA Secondary 20
Turbidity 16.0 NTU 1.0 EPA Action Level 0.1
Inorganic Analytes - Other
Bromide ND mg/L -- 0.5
Chloride 15.0 mg/L 250 EPA Secondary 5.0
Fluoride ND mg/L 4.0 EPA Primary 0.5
Nitrate as N ND mg/L 10 EPA Primary 0.5
Nitrite as N ND mg/L 1 EPA Primary 0.5
Ortho Phosphate ND mg/L -- 2.0
Sulfate 31.0 mg/L 250 EPA Secondary 5.0
 

Reach4

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Consider sanitizing your well and plumbing.

I have been backwashing the KL every 30min every 3 days @12.4 GPM & 5min rinse,
Are you confident that the backwash is really achieving 12.4 gpm? There may be a limitation/restriction. Be sure the pressure gauge stays 30 psi or more during the backwash. If it does not, your pump does not keep up.

If your drain line is flexible, you cold play the drain line into a 5 gallon bucket during backwash. The bucket should fill in about 24 seconds. Your drain line will need to be at least 3/4 and maybe 1 inch.

If your KL tank is natural tan, you could shine a bright light through during backwash to see the shadow of the bed expansion. You should be getting substantial expansion.

How do you remove the residual H2O2 -- is there a carbon tank after the KL?

Do you measure the H2O2 residual after the KL? Maybe your KL needs a boost.
 

tecman

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Backwash is at least 12.4GPM with pump pressure steady at 45PSI. I've checked this with a 5 gallon bucket multiple times. Drain line is flexible 3/4".
KL tank is tan, and I get about 9-10" of bed expansion during backwash.
Residual H2O2: There is a pentak 1 micron sediment filter after KL, followed by a big blue GAC.
I don't yet have a test kit to measure residual H2O2. Do you have any suggestions on a good test kit?

I had the stenner pump turned up to "10" (which is 3X the calculated H2o2 need with 6ppm Fe) and it took several days for the KL output to be clear water. After that, I reduced the pump setting every couple of days down to "4" and the water stayed clear. Only below "4" did the water begin to turn brown, so I set the pump back up to "4" and the water went clear again.

Also, before I switched to H2O2, I was using chlorine and had similar issues. I could set the injection pump up to "10", and the residual chlorine out of KL was 4ppm but the KL water was still brown.
 

Reach4

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Backwash is at least 12.4GPM with pump pressure steady at 45PSI. I've checked this with a 5 gallon bucket multiple times. Drain line is flexible 3/4".
KL tank is tan, and I get about 9-10" of bed expansion during backwash.
You certainly have that covered.

Residual H2O2: There is a pentak 1 micron sediment filter after KL, followed by a big blue GAC.
I don't yet have a test kit to measure residual H2O2. Do you have any suggestions on a good test kit?
Here are my notes, but I have not used any of these:
https://www.zoro.com/lamotte-test-strip-hydrogen-peroxide-pk25-2984/i/G2254655/
https://www.zoro.com/industrial-test-systems-test-strips-peroxide-0-4ppm-pk50-481015/i/G3992475/
https://www.zoro.com/search?q=peroxide test (comes up with other stuff)
https://www.hach.com/hydrogen-peroxide-test-kit-model-hyp-1/product?id=7640218476


Also, before I switched to H2O2, I was using chlorine and had similar issues. I could set the injection pump up to "10", and the residual chlorine out of KL was 4ppm but the KL water was still brown.
Well dang.
 

tecman

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I think I've found the issue-- Despite what I've read that H2O2 doesn't need much contact time, I need a contact retention tank.
After the post-shower brown water I described above, I took another water sample later that day and it was clear! So I turned on the KL water facet and started taking samples while the water was flowing. Sure enough, the water is clear until about 1 min after the well pump starts, then it gets steadily browner. If I then stop the flow for a few minutes, it gets clear quickly until the well pump starts again. This happens at both high and low flow rates.
I can't think of anything else it could be, other than the H2O2 needs more contact time than it gets once the well pressure tank is depleted.
 

Reach4

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I think I've found the issue-- Despite what I've read that H2O2 doesn't need much contact time, I need a contact retention tank.
That will help a lot. here are some search terms for you:
"baffle factor" "blowdown " settling OR contact tank

Add another boiler drain valve after the new contact tank for sampling.
 

timeport

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Sorry to resurrect an old thread. Did the contact tank resolve? I'm having somewhat similar issues, also in NJ with a very similar water test, just a little lower PH.
 
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