Softener won’t get iron out after issue..

[Jamiemm18]

hey there, I’ll try to make this short and then answer questions. We have a 300’ deep well, 10 gpm, which has a lot of iron. It’s been an issue for years, since we have irrigation - orange sidewalks, driveways, house siding, cars, kids toys, etc. from the nasty water coming from the sprinklers. We have a fleck 5600 economizer water softener that does a pretty good job. Over time the toilets and sinks get stained but iron out cleans them. So..... while away on vaca, the sprinklers stuck on for a week, then the water softener got stuck on the rapid rinse cycle and flooded the basement. We got the head unit repaired on the softener and I just shut off the irrigation for now. The water , whether coming directly from the well or after the softener, looks like lemonade after 1/2 hour of sitting. We can’t do laundry or dishes and all of the sinks and toilets are stained. Talked to the local company who said to run the well directly for a couple of hours, just drain it outside. Also said to put iron out in the softener. Tried both, no change. We put in a new well tank because the man said the bladder was gone so we replace the blue well tank and still have the water softener after it. Pressure is 35-55 so it’s decent. But the water won’t clear up and I don’t know what to try next. I’ve run a ton of Manual cycles, ran the well directly through a hose outside, put iron out in the brine tank, washed the brine tank, reloaded salt, checked the head unit for suction from the brine tank and also blew through the hose to the brine tank to the ensure the float was working. My well guy says we must have disturbed the well or had a ‘slide’. He says we need to wait it out but it’s been two weeks, looks no better despite all of my manuals and iron out. But it feels like we are stuck on a campsite buying water for everything and not using showers , etc. Any thoughts on how to clear this up? I’m pretty probably going to go run another manual cycle with some iron out in it. Thanks for any input.

 

[Bannerman]

We have a 300’ deep well, 10 gpm, which has a lot of iron.

We will need the results of a comprehensive lab test so as to know the pH, quantity of iron, hardness and other competing mineral load.

National Labs Well Check is most often recommended on this site.
https://watercheck.com

When attempting to remove a substantial quantity of iron from softening resin, you need to use a substantial quantity of cleaner such as 1 cup Iron-Out dissolved in 2 gallons water added to the brine well within the brine tank containing salt. Wait 1.5-2 hrs for additional salt to dissolve and then run a manual regeneration cycle. Once all of the fluid in the brine tank is drawn into the resin, shut off the water supply to the softener and pull out the power plug. After 30 minutes, turn on the water and repower the softener to allow it to complete the regeneration cycle. Multiple cleaning cycles maybe needed.

 

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[ditttohead]

http://watercheck.myshopify.com?aff=5 Great testing company, we need a real water test to start.

If you want to try something else, do a heavy dose of iron out on the resin, and bypass the unit when the water runs out of the brine tank and unplug the power from the unit for an hour. This will allow the iron out to "cook" in the resin for an hour. Not sure that this will do anything since it sounds like yor trying to use a softener for heavy iron removal. It might be time to budget for a proper water treatment system.

 

[Jamiemm18]

http://watercheck.myshopify.com?aff=5 Great testing company, we need a real water test to start.

If you want to try something else, do a heavy dose of iron out on the resin, and bypass the unit when the water runs out of the brine tank and unplug the power from the unit for an hour. This will allow the iron out to "cook" in the resin for an hour. Not sure that this will do anything since it sounds like yor trying to use a softener for heavy iron removal. It might be time to budget for a proper water treatment system.

Thanks. When you refer to resin, is that some part of the softener cycle? Are you saying I should put a heavy dose of iron out in the salt tank(right inside the tube that has the float) then run a manual cycle and at some point unplug it? How do I know when it’s sucked the iron out in? Is there a certain part of the cycle? Is it called resin on the dial, or something else? Thanks!!!!

 

[Reach4]

The brine will run out in the brine tank roughly 15 minutes into the BD cycle. It would usually be between 10 minutes to 20 minutes.

You might as well go for the big container:
https://www.zoro.com/iron-out-rust-stain-remover-bottle-152-oz-io10n/i/G1043192/

https://www.menards.com/main/housew...mover-9-5-lb/io10n/p-1444444183163-c-7097.htm

 

[Treeman]

Thanks. When you refer to resin, is that some part of the softener cycle?

Resin is the tiny plastic beads inside the softener tank that actually do all the work of adsorbing the hard water minerals out of your well water. Your beads might be fouled by too much minerals, especially iron, so that they no longer work. The Iron Out often helps to scrub the resin beads clean so they can work again.

 

[Bannerman]

When you refer to resin, is that some part of the softener cycle? Are you saying I should put a heavy dose of iron out in the salt tank

No. Ditttohead's suggestion is to remove the control valve off the top of the sealed tank, and add the Iron-Out directly into that tank. The resin media that performs softening is contained in that tank.

Once the control valve is reinstalled, he then suggests advancing the controller to Brine Draw to draw in the brine from the Brine Tank (salt tank). Once the brine has been drawn from the brine tank (you can look down inside the brine well to observe the fluid level), then shut off the water flow and power.

The method I previously suggested is essentially the same but somewhat simpler as you would not be removing the control valve but adding an Iron-Out solution to the brine well (large plastic tube) within the brine tank.

Edit to add: An alternate method to removing the control valve would be to create an Iron-Out solution of cleaner and water in a 3 or 5 gallon plastic bucket.
Disconnect the brine line at the top of the brine tank and submerge the open end of the brine line into the cleaning solution. Advance the softener controller to Brine Draw to draw in all the cleaning solution directly from the bucket. Once the bucket is empty, bypass the softener and pull the plug to allow the solution 60 minutes contact time with the resin as suggested.

 

[Jamiemm18]

Thanks everyone. I am game for any of this and have a 4.75lb bottle of granular IRON OUT about half full. I've thrown some of it in the white cylinder in the resin tank 3 times already and the water is improving. I now have an 8 0z iron out / 1 gallon water solution made up to use. Sounds like the easiest thing for me to do would be to triple that, and put the hose currently connected to the salt tank into a 5 gallon bucket with the iron out solution in it. Once I see that water has been sucked out of the 5 gallon bucket, just kill the water to the house and the power to the softener for 1 hour? That I can understand, if it will work. Or, put the solution into the salt tank and listen for when it sucks that water in and then shut it off at that point? Thanks!

 

[Reach4]

Just some thoughts.... not any experience on this.

A 10x54 tank holds about 16.4 gallons, but part of that is resin, which displaces some water. When you draw water, you get water plus the brine. About 1/3 to 1/2 of the mix going into the tank would be from what is drawn. I would think you would want about 5 gallons of solution drawn in if the iron out were to mix inside of the tank. If we presume it stays stratified, that would change the plan. Would we continue to let the BD cycle continue until we detect IO? I would not be eager to taste for IO. Maybe an orange color could be detected in the drain water? That would be good.


The brine/ironOut enters from the top of the tank.

Maybe a hybrid would be to draw until 5 gallons of solution had been sucked out. Wait your hour or so. Draw another 4 gallons of water or until you see orange coming out of the drain line -- whichever comes first. Then wait another hour.

 

[Bannerman]

Sounds like the easiest thing for me to do would be to triple that, and put the hose currently connected to the salt tank into a 5 gallon bucket with the iron out solution in it.

Yes. Although we won't know if 5 gallons will be adequate to submerge the entire column of resin in cleaning solution at the same time, the longer contact time will help to more thoroughly clean the resin that is in contact. While cleaning solution may be strongest surrounding the resin located near the top of the tank, the subsequent slow rinse after the 60-minute delay, will slowly push that cleaning solution through the remaining resin to drain.

Suggest prior to drawing-in the cleaning solution from the bucket, first run 5 - 10 minutes of Back Wash to expand the space between the resin beads so the cleaning solution may contact more of each resin bead surface than would be achieved if the resin bed is not first expanded.

 

[Jamiemm18]

My dial on the econominder has the following setting in order:
In Service
Regen
Rinse
Backwash
Brine Rinse
Rapid Rinse
Settle Rinse
Brine Refill

Should I just pour the 1 gallon iron out/water mix in, start a regen and then stop and unplug at the beginning or end of one of these cycles? Or do almost the same, fill a bucket with iron out/water, drop the hose that normally connects to the salt tank into the bucket, then run a regen and then stop and unplug at the beginning or end of one of these cycles? Thanks for the patience, I'm not a handyman and have already had the computer on the softener replaced and the well tank itself.

 

[Bannerman]

already had the computer on the softener replaced

Not sure we are talking about the 5600 Econominder as there is no computer. The Econominder is strictly a mechanical valve which is driven by a simple time clock motor. A photo of the Econominder is attached. Pls confirm if this is the control valve you have.

https://www.softwatersupply.com/product/fleck-5600-metered-control-valve

 

[Jamiemm18]

sorry, should have called it a dial or control unit. Here it is

 

[ditttohead]

Put the iron out in the brine tank, cycle the valve slightly past the brine rinse, yo should see the water level start to drop in the brine tank. As soon as the water is gone (you will here the air check seat in the brine tank and the noise will change) unplug the power and turn off the water (or bypass the unit). Let it sit for an hour, turn the water back on and plug the unit back in.

 

[Jamiemm18]

Sweet, thanks!!!