Softener, Yikes, what should we do?

[Beth W.]

My sister's water heater died- no hot water! She has not yet installed a new water softener or a Katalox light filter for her hard water, iron, manganese and sediment. Toilet tanks sides have black/red slime coating. If she sanitizes the plumbing/has the well and plumbing shocked with chlorine, can she then have a water heater installed before getting a new water softener and filter? Don't want the water heater to be contaminated.

No equipment on hand yet- all has to be ordered. Found an independent plumber. Waiting to hear from a recommended online company. What's another reputable online company can someone suggest for water treatment equipment?

My sister can have the water heater installed by the heating company in the next week.

What should she do?
Shock well, install new water heater with powered anode, then install new water softerner and Katalox light filter
or
Shock well, must install water softener and Katalox light filter first, then new water heater

(Either way, thinking about adding hydrogen peroxide injection, too.)

To review water quality from previous threads about her well water:
Kar Labs
Bacteria negative.
Iron 0.38 mg/L
Manganese 0.189 mg/L
Sodium 28.7 mg/L
Sulfur 5.4 mg/L
Alkalinity 194 mgL
.Hardness: 167 mg/L and 9.7 gpg
PH is 7.8,
Sulfate 15 mg/L
Turbidity 3.31 NTU
Total Dissolved Solids 290 mg/L
Nitrates/Nitrites negative
IRB and/or SRB present.
Sediment in water.

Hope someone can help us with this dilemma .

Thanks.

 

[Reach4]

If she sanitizes the plumbing/has the well and plumbing shocked with chlorine, can she then have a water heater installed before getting a new water softener and filter? Don't want the water heater to be contaminated.

Yes.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Beth W.]

Thanks for the quick response. I'm concerned about the IRB and SRB getting into the water heater.

 

[Beth W.]

Thanks for the quick response. I'm concerned about the IRB and SRB getting into the water heater.

 

[Reach4]

Thanks for the quick response. I'm concerned about the IRB and SRB getting into the water heater.

You can sanitize again later. I am not sure if sanitizing will remove those long term anyway. Maybe yes. Maybe no. But if there is not iron to eat, the IRB won't be a problem. If no sacrificial anode to help the SRB, no/little H2S, I figure.

You could leave provision for H2O2 injection before KL, but try no injection first. Centaur Carbon works very well for me for iron+H2S. For mine, there is a bleach solution used during regen, but no injection into the treated water.

Another possibility is to do H2O2 or bleach injection, settling/contact tank, and GAC to remove residual H2O2 or chlorine. And softener too, after that. I would also use a cartridge filter after the backwashing filter. Click Inbox.

 

[Beth W.]

Sounds good to sanitize well and plumbing now, install the water heater. I know it only last for a short time. It may take a couple of weeks to order and install the water treatment system. That's why I'm thinking of the hydrogen peroxide injection as part of the water treatment plan when it finally gets installed. To keep the litter buggers at bay!

 

[Beth W.]

To clarify there is Iron, 0.38 mg,L and Manganese 0.189. Will do powered anode in water heater. My sister has a call in to the plumber about getting a water heater installed.

 

[Mikey]

You could also crank up the WH to 150° or 160° temporarily, to kill any bacteria that got in there. I run mine at 150° all the time to prevent bacteria growth in the first place. You may want a tempering valve to bring the temperature down to a safe level to some fixtures.

 

[Beth W.]

Thanks for the suggestions, Mikey. Heat kills...will look into that. Continuous high heat may be overkill. (Ha, ha, ha, just re-read the last sentence. Time for bed.)

 

[ditttohead]

I always remind people to be sure that if you are going to use this method which is highly effective, it typically needs about an hour at these elevated temperatures so each faucet should be opened to a small trickle and temperature should be checked, You must not exceed the speed of which the water heater can heat the water.
Most importantly make sure that their are no children, or people with metal issues that may be slow to react to the potentially deadly high temperatures. High water temperatures can cause severe and immediate burns so please do this sanitizing method with caution and common sense. Do not leave water temperatures set to high especially with children or the elderly who may be suffering alzheimers etc...

 

[Beth W.]

Will head the warning, Dittohead. Not going to do the high heat method.

 

[WellOff]

I'd love to hear of a follow-up on this. I've got a similar situation and have been pretty successful (though I'm still looking to perfect things- pretty sure that I'll do so soon).