The oxidation of iron to ferric may be being done in the well, but it may be being done in the cisterns.
Lots of Iron in my cisterns. Any advice?
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Yeah, I’m not sure where it’s getting oxidized? When the Well Driller was pulling up the PVC liner and well piping to get to my stuck pump, the PVC was completely covered and stained with iron (as was the water when they got that deep). So, I just assumed that the oxidation was occurring in the well? However, when I take a sample of the well water now as it’s being pumped into the cisterns, it’s clear and tastes pretty decent. It doesn’t even show discoloration or ferric iron solids when left in a jar overnight. Yet once that same water gets into the cisterns, within a few hours it develops a very heavy iron discoloration with iron flakes floating around on top.
When my well pump got stuck and had to be replaced back in January, I was advised to replace my pressure tank as well. It was obvious that the old pressure tank was completely filled with iron solids, as multiple drain and flushes of the tank yielded dark colored iron (the same being true when I drained and flushed my hot water heater...just tons of iron sediment and discoloration).
Before adding the cisterns, I just assumed that this heavy iron discoloration and sediment was due to it being oxidized in the well, and then fed into my pressure tank and iron filter? Yet with the samples I’ve taken of the “clean” ferrous iron being pumped into the cisterns, I really don’t know
Thanks. I definitely had a lot of noticeable iron bacteria “slime” (in the toilet tanks, bowls, etc). Haven’t really seen much lately, but I dump Super Iron Out powder in the tanks and bowls to help prevent that. The Well Specialist who recommended against the pellet chlorinator said I could just periodically add chlorine bleach to the cisterns and it would do the same thing? (I’ve been doing just that). However, treating the bacteria in the well via the pellets also makes total sense to me in that I’m battling it at the source.
As a newbie to this all, it’s hard to figure out who to trust? The guy who installed the KL Filter and said the chlorinator was necessary to rid the iron bacteria in the well. Versus the Well Driller/Specialists who insist nothing “foreign” should go into a well
https://terrylove.com/forums/index....izing-extra-attention-to-4-inch-casing.65845/ is my sanitizing write-up.
I don't know how well it would apply to your well, but I think mostly.
Very interesting. Thanks! When my well pump and check valves were replaced recently, the Well guy didn’t do any disinfecting of the well afterwards (I didn’t realize, at the time, that he probably should have?) and my water had a VERY foul stench and taste to it. I assumed that may have been due to hydrogen sulfide? I had ample water at the time (since my pump had been “stuck” for over a month) so I ran several backwashes. Unfortunately, my KL Filter wasn’t able to filter it out. It wasn’t until after I had the well production test (which, of course, emptied all water in my well) that the foul smell and taste went away.
Is it recommended that the procedure you linked be done periodically on a well to sanitize/disinfect it? (every year or so?). I’ve been adding bleach and vinegar to my cisterns to try and disinfect it from all the ferric iron buildup and sludge, yet it doesn’t appear that’s doing any good.
According to my recent water analysis, my Total Alkalinity is 97.7 mg/L, and my pH is 6.97 Units (I don’t have a water softener installed). I’m trying to figure out if that 6.97 pH is within bounds for my Katalox Light to work effectively?
I have one well. It is very different from yours. So if it makes sense on its own, maybe adapt some of the techniques like flooding volume, and using test strips for the chlorine and pH on the water. Also the bit about also sanitizing the piping and water heater.
Your chlorine pellet system may make this very different too. The flooding volume thing may be a useful thing to drive the sanitizing into the aquafer. You sure won't have a problem with how to get a flooding volume, given your water cisterns.
I expect to go a few years between sanitizing... but it would be symptoms-based.
Thanks again! I’m torn on whether to re-install the pellet chlorinator to help combat the iron bacteria and ferrous iron in the well. The two guys that recently worked on my well recommended against it. Their theory was that with a well as deep as mine (800’) that there was a possibility that the chlorine pellets may not make it all the way down, and could get stuck and calcify within the pipes, check valves, or even at the pump.
When my pump got “stuck”, they hoisted up sections of the PVC liner to cut through to get to the pipe couplings. At many points, there was obvious pellet calcification and buildup, so I get what they’re saying. However, one guy also said that the guy who installed the chlorinator did so incorrectly (the guy who installed it was not licensed to work on wells, as I found out later).
So, I’m wondering, if that chlorinator IS installed correctly, would there really be a risk of those pellets not getting all the way down the well, and possibly calcifying? I really think the chlorinator would help out, yet I don’t want to run any risk of damaging my pump, check valves, etc.
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