Need help boosting my GPM..intermediate storage tank?

[KCunningham]

Hi everyone.
Our water's dirty. We built a house ~2.5 years ago in southern Maine along with a newly dug well ~16 ft and significant excavation around it. The last 2.5 years has been a DIY water nightmare that I'm hoping to (finally) win. In this 2.5 years we've had two children and I want them to have good clean tasting water. It will also relieve significant pressure from my wife..

We have high Fe, Mn, hydrogen sulfide, and hardness. Current system that worked nicely for ~6 months is: salt softener, chlorinator (added when katalox couldn't perform), 30gal contact tank, katalox backwash, carbon backwash, sediment filter. My water guy says my flow rate is the problem, which hovers between 4.5 to 4.75 gpm. These systems were listed for a lower GPM but apparently that's not accurate and I'm not able to completely backwash the grime off the media. Single income household so cannot afford to keep changing media every 6 months (and we've already spent a ton on all of this for little gains).

I was told an intermediate storage tank would allow me to raise my GPM high enough that the systems can appropriately backwash and work well. I've found a few packaged systems online but they're around $1.5-2k and I'm not sure how reliable.

I installed all of the above systems myself, but I also had instructions. I'm capable with DIY generally, but I'm not sure where to start with this.

Is there a list of the parts I will need (bonus points for suggested brands/models) or some kind of how-to that lists the steps? I have started looking at tanks but need to find one local because freight is crazy high.

Really really need some help and realize it will take some time to get all of this together, a big thank you in advance to any help you fellas can provide. I don't know much about plumbing so use small words..

KC

 

[Reach4]

We have high Fe, Mn, hydrogen sulfide, and hardness. Current system that worked nicely for ~6 months is: salt softener, chlorinator (added when katalox couldn't perform), 30gal contact tank, katalox backwash, carbon backwash, sediment filter.

You should describe your present system better. I know, for example, that the order that you listed stuff in is not the order they are installed into the path.

Tell us about the chlorinator? Do you measure residual chlorine before the carbon tank, and if so, what is the PPM?

 

[Sponsor]

 

[KCunningham]

You should describe your present system better. I know, for example, that the order that you listed stuff in is not the order they are installed into the path.

Tell us about the chlorinator? Do you measure residual chlorine before the carbon tank, and if so, what is the PPM?

No problem. The order I listed the stuff in IS the order they are installed. The salt softener was second to last (originally I was told not to put it first, but after it didn't work he recommended putting it first, which did improve it) at one point but the quality was worse than when it was first. I use iron-out salt which must take some of the load off the katalox. Chlorinator precipitates the Mn/Fe in the contact tank, katalox pulls it, carbon takes out the chlorine. That's my understanding, at least.

The chlorinator is a proportional flow model and goal is to keep it between .2 and 1 ppm free chlorine in the contact tank. I have a home tester and last week it was .4 ppm free chlorine. After carbon there is no chlorine.

 

[Reach4]

No problem. The order I listed the stuff in IS the order they are installed.

That is weird. Normally the carbon is after everything except the softener; it removes chlorine, and chlorine is not good for the softener resin. Yes, you are not feeding chlorine to your softener, but you are using the softener to remove the iron. Yet that should be the job of chlorine and KL. Get the other stuff working, and have the softener last.

Tell us about your sediment. Sand/ fine, lots/little -- what?

You need a good lab test for your raw water. I am wondering about stuff including pH.

I presume pressure tank and pressure switch are before everything that you listed.

Proportional chlorination requires a flow sensor. You did not mention that in your list. Is that built into the softener?

 

[KCunningham]

That is weird. Normally the carbon is after everything except the softener; it removes chlorine, and chlorine is not good for the softener resin.

You need a good lab test for your raw water. I am wondering about stuff including pH.

I presume pressure tank and pressure switch are before everything that you listed.

Proportional chlorination requires a flow sensor. You did not mention that in your list. Is that built into the softener?

Chlorine is after the softener resin, so I don't think that's hurting the resin, but the raw water may be. I was thinking of the flow sensor as part of the chlorinator, sorry about that. There is an outlet hose from the salt softener, then a separate in-line flow meter, then the chlorinator input, then the contact tank. I've had a recent water test from a lab for the raw water and the pH was 6.5, previously 7.1 a year ago, not sure why that changed; but other than that hardness is 240 mgCaCO3, Mn is 3.11, Fe is 1.44, positive sulfides. Everything else is in normal range and we had the full panel done.

 

[Reach4]

Click Inbox above.

 

[Valveman]

Then to get more flow (GPM) to supply the house and backwash the filters, here is a drawing of a cistern storage systems with a booster pump.

 

[Reach4]

I suspect a 1/2 HP 10 GPM submersible in the well with a flow inducer (probably with the pump horizontal) would supply plenty of water (11 or 12 gpm if needed for backwash), unless there is a problem with the well running out of water.

Static water level, well depth, well diameter would be useful in deciding this. Recovery rate would also be good to know.

If there is danger of running out of water, a suitable monitor could shut down the pump for a while if that ever happened.