Morton® Clean and Protect™ Plus Rust Defense™

[LLigetfa]

On my old system I had switched over to use Rust Defense rather than periodic cleaning with Iron Out™ or other resin cleaner as I was getting huge amounts of iron getting past the iron filter. Now that I have a new iron filter, I wonder if it is still prudent to use it as it is more expensive than ordinary salt.

I am trying to understand how they claim to remove 15 times as much iron than ordinary salt. Reading the MSDS, all it lists is citric acid which I understand will clean the resin beads during regen. During cation exchange, it is just sodium ions so how can it remove 15 times as much iron?

I am considering using it periodically with regular salt, say 1 in every 5 bags or so just to maintain the resin. The wife is so elated with the water quality with this new softener that she doesn't want to change brands.

 

[WorthFlorida]

First try using regular salt and in a few months do an Iron Out cycle and see what happens. If there is a large amount of iron in the resin then switch to the system saver salt or what you were using. With regular salt use, at least once a year do an iron out cycle even though the iron remover is doing its job. No harm is done.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[LLigetfa]

I'm hoping to debunk their claim that it removes 15 times more iron. I need to convince the wife that it is a bogus claim and that it is nothing more than just a resin cleaner additive. With the new iron filter and contact tank, I expect the softener to see much less iron and so not need as much cleaning.

I'd rather not go back to using Iron Out.

 

[Bannerman]

Do you have an ability to test iron from a water sample obtained prior to the softener but after the iron filter? A sample obtained just before the usual iron filter backwash is due, should provide an indication as to how much if any iron is leaking past the iron filter.

 

[LLigetfa]

Do you have an ability to test iron from a water sample obtained prior to the softener but after the iron filter?

Yes, I have a Tee off to the outdoor spigots and could take a water sample from any one of them. I plumbed them that way to avoid iron staining of my concrete pavers and white vinyl siding. I don't have an iron test kit but could let a white 5 gallon pail full of that water sit for a day and see if it turns orange.

Do iron test kits care if the iron is ferric versus ferrous? When my water treatment guy took a water sample, he took it from before the micronizer before it gets oxidized.

 

[LLigetfa]

I stocked up on Rust Defense today ( it was on sale) so now the brine tank is full and I have 320 pounds still in bags. My new softener is metered so I have yet to determine how much salt I will be using.

My water guy said he will document everything when he does up the invoice which I have yet to receive. I read somewhere (maybe on an outhouse wall) that the paperwork is always left to last.

 

[J.A.R.V.I.S.]

I am trying to understand how they claim to remove 15 times as much iron than ordinary salt. Reading the MSDS, all it lists is citric acid which I understand will clean the resin beads during regen. During cation exchange, it is just sodium ions so how can it remove 15 times as much iron?

FWIW, citric acid works great for removing iron stains. We moved into a house with well water that has high iron and the dishwasher was pretty gross. I used a dishwasher cleaner, which is just citric acid, and it got it looking almost brand new. I was impressed!

 

[Bannerman]

While plain salt will remove some iron deposits from the resin, acid added to the brine will make the process more effective. Whether the acid added to salt is 15X more effective, how would an average homeowner know?

Whether the citric acid within the salt will provide enough acid, will be conditional on how much iron the softener is exposed to, regeneration frequency, salt dose and water pH. Water with <7 pH will be somewhat acidic which may increase the effectiveness of plain salt to remove iron deposits, especially if the water contains minimal iron.

Do iron test kits care if the iron is ferric versus ferrous?

The Hach Iron Test strips linked below, indicate total dissolved iron.
https://ca.hach.com/iron-test-strip...-l/product-details?id=14533977110&callback=qs

 

[Reach4]

Do iron test kits care if the iron is ferric versus ferrous?

I presume they would only measure ferrous. How about iron sequestered in IRB? I don't know. Maybe a delayed reaction.

 

[LLigetfa]

I presume they would only measure ferrous...

Years ago, when I was having iron staining even after the softener, I took a water sample from after the iron filter to a local water guy to test and his test did not detect any iron. He had no explanation as to why it did not detect the iron. How does one measure the iron after the iron filter if the sample has to be taken from before the micronizer?

Anyway, my old system had mechanical heads where the valves on the softener would slam shut creating water hammer that would disturb the filter bed pack and release a bunch of iron. I had programmed the iron filter to backwash 24 hours before the softener regen so in theory there should have been less iron in the filter bed when the water hammer happened but aside from releasing a flush of stored iron, I think it disturbed the pack enough that the filter was rendered less effective.

 

[LLigetfa]

I stocked up on Rust Defense today ( it was on sale) so now the brine tank is full and I have 320 pounds still in bags.

My stockpile is all gone but the brine tank is still a little over two thirds full. When the salt level depletes, I need to clean the sludge out of the brine tank before refilling it. Since the Canada/US border closure, I've not been able to buy this Morton Clean and Protect Plus Rust Defense so I went looking for alternatives.

Windsor Salt has Windsor® Clean and Protect™ Plus Clean Care™ which appears to be identical. I contacted Windsor Salt to inquire about an MSDS to compare ingredients. Windsor is a sister company of Morton and they directed me to Morton for an MSDS as follows.

Thank you for contacting Windsor Salt, and for your interest in our products.
The equivalent to Morton ® Clean and Protect Plus Rust Defense would be our Windsor® Clean and Protect™ Plus Clean Care™ (formerly Rust Remover™) Pellets. This is a combination of 99.6% salt and citric acid. The citric acid used in Clean and Protect™ Plus Clean Care™ is a food-grade, natural substance commonly found in citrus fruits. It is used in many commercial foods and beverages. Like salt, citric acid is thoroughly flushed from the system during resin regeneration.
Windsor® Clean and Protect™ Pellets are formulated to guarantee 99.7% pure salt which ultimately means cleaner dishes and laundry and smoother hair and skin! Clean and Protect™ pellets is 99.7% salt combined with very low concentrations of a surfactant (detergent) and sodium citrate, a naturally occurring, food-approved material common to citrus fruits.
Please send your document request for Windsor Salt products to our sister company - Morton Salt - using the following email address: technicaldocuments@mortonsalt.com.

 

[Taylorjm]

I add a scoop of citric acid bought online, layered with each bag of salt I put in.

 

[LLigetfa]

For my situation, having the citric acid embedded in the salt works. Due to the 75 GPG hardness, the size of brine tank, and the size of my softener, the brine fill raises the level almost up to the overflow so most of citric acid "layers" would be dissolved in one regen cycle.

 

[Taylorjm]

For my situation, having the citric acid embedded in the salt works. Due to the 75 GPG hardness, the size of brine tank, and the size of my softener, the brine fill raises the level almost up to the overflow so most of citric acid "layers" would be dissolved in one regen cycle.

I have 65 gpg of hardness so I understand your issues and how the brine tank does fill to the overflow in order to provide enough for the backwash and rinse. It may all get dissolved at once like your saying, I really don't know, but around here the price for the rust defense was pretty outrageous compared to the regular salt. I don't have a lot of iron so I don't have a dedicated iron filter like I believe you have, but if the iron filter is working, I wouldn't think you need to waste money on the rust defense salt. How large of a softener do you have?

 

[Charlie Bosco]

On my old system I had switched over to use Rust Defense rather than periodic cleaning with Iron Out™ or other resin cleaner as I was getting huge amounts of iron getting past the iron filter. Now that I have a new iron filter, I wonder if it is still prudent to use it as it is more expensive than ordinary salt.

I am trying to understand how they claim to remove 15 times as much iron than ordinary salt. Reading the MSDS, all it lists is citric acid which I understand will clean the resin beads during regen. During cation exchange, it is just sodium ions so how can it remove 15 times as much iron?

I am considering using it periodically with regular salt, say 1 in every 5 bags or so just to maintain the resin. The wife is so elated with the water quality with this new softener that she doesn't want to change brands.

The acid used which is typically Citric Acid removes more that just Iron. I use it on my water softener and I have Zero Iron. It removes calcium and scale as well. For the extra buck a bag. It's a no brainer.
I fully believe that most people who have their media replaced (that was not destroyed by chlorine) only needed to super clean it. I inherited a 15 year old Kinetico in the home I recently purchased. The media was dead. And by conventional wisdom I should have had it replaced. I got it running perfectly again with Rescare. I use a continuous drip. And on top of that I use the iron treatment salt. So maybe an extra $20 over 6 months.