Water System Replacement

[AR_Hills]

I'm looking to fully repair or replace my system.

I bought a family owned house a few months ago with an unmaintained water filtration system. The system is an old CSI two tank system with what appears to be either H2O2 or Chlorine solution tank. The tank isn't attached to anything and the somewhat working motor has rusted.

I tested the water at the filter as that's the only access to the system. Kar reported the following:

Arsenic - 0.003 mg/l
Barium - 0.06 mg/l
Calcium - 137 mg/l
Iron - 0.14 mg/l
Lead - 0.002 mg/l
Magnesium - 52.6 mg/l
Manganese - 0.188 mg/l
Potassium - 2.5 mg/l
Silicon - 8.9 mg/l
Sodium - 42.0 mg/l
Strontium - 0.6 mg/l
Sulfur - 27.0 mg/l

Alkalinity - 378 mg/l
Bicarbonate - 378 mg/l
Bromide - .12 mg/l
Carbonate - .45 mg/l

The house has two HW. The newer, <10 yr, has a horrible sulfur smell in the kitchen. The older, 20> yr, one has a heavy metal smell when your taking a shower.

The sulfur smell goes away for a month or two if a shock the well with Chlorine. So I'm guessing sulfur bacteria.

The well is 155' cased fully at 4.5". The rock is Blue Shale till the bottom 40' which is in Sandstone. The well tested at 8 gph when drilled in the early 80s.

 

[Reach4]

You did not post pH or Corrosivity.

I tested the water at the filter as that's the only access to the system.

Are you referring to the spigot that has a garden hose attached?

The system is an old CSI two tank system with what appears to be either H2O2 or Chlorine solution tank. The tank isn't attached to anything and the somewhat working motor has rusted.

Somewhat working? Right now that is powered by the pressure switch to turn on when the pump runs. That means the solution was to be injected before the pressure tank. How about a photo of the area between where the well supply comes in and the tank tee on the pressure tank.

Maybe put water into the solution tank, and run a tube from the output of the pump to a jar. See if water is getting pumped into that jar when the well pump runs.

That gray tank might be GAC for removal of chlorine or H2O2. GAC has a lifetime of a few years, so that may need replacing if you get the injection working again. The thought is that the bleach solution gets metered into the incoming water.

The sulfur smell goes away for a month or two if a shock the well with Chlorine. So I'm guessing sulfur bacteria.

You might get a longer period with the more extensive method I describe in http://www.terrylove.com/forums/ind...izing-extra-attention-to-4-inch-casing.65845/

Regarding the hot water heaters, for H2S generated in the WH, the SRB reacts with the sulfate in the water plus the sacrificial anode. You can put in a powered anode to prevent that while also protecting the WH. I think the ones with the long expandable spring electrode are significantly better at protecting than the powered anodes with a short probe. Some just remove the anode, and put in a brass plug instead. That does not protect the WH.

On your comments on needing a new system, that can work. The system could use KL or other media that works on iron+H2S. This can use light injection first, but that is often not required. It depends on the water characteristics, and that test is not a mail-in test and is not a cheap home test. So the usual best action is to try without the injection. If your existing peristaltic pump works, that could be used in a system with KL.

That peristaltic system could also be used to inject H2O2 or chlorine before a contact/settling tank. That would be followed by a GAC tank.

I am not a pro.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[AR_Hills]

You did not post pH or Corrosivity.

My bad:

Chloride - 138 mg/l
Conductivity - 1240
Corrosively - 12.3 , 0.3 SU, 6.6 SU
Fluoride - 1.41 mg/l
Hardness - 559 mg/l , 32.6 grains
pH- 7.1
Salinity - 0.625 ppt

Are you referring to the spigot that has a garden hose attached?

Yes

Somewhat working? Right now that is powered by the pressure switch to turn on when the pump runs. That means the solution was to be injected before the pressure tank. How about a photo of the area between where the well supply comes in and the tank tee on the pressure tank.

I'll get a pic upload later today. The pump runs but it won't pump any liquid. It looks to be fully rusted and/or mineralized.

Regarding the hot water heaters, for H2S generated in the WH, the SRB reacts with the sulfate in the water plus the sacrificial anode. You can put in a powered anode to prevent that while also protecting the WH. I think the ones with the long expandable spring electrode are significantly better at protecting than the powered anodes with a short probe. Some just remove the anode, and put in a brass plug instead. That does not protect the WH.

I am not a pro.

The anodes for the old WH is rusted to the tank and the newer WH only has a few inches above the tank. Just enough to attach the hoses before it goes into the stairwell.

 

[Reach4]

Gotcha.... So maybe sanitize with test strips, vinegar, and flooding volume.

Are you looking to get a whole new system? If so, the new softener and KL makes sense. You would want a softener with about 2 cubic ft of media for 2 people. 1.5 and 2.5 would be alternate sizes. If you are going to have chlorine or H2O2 injection, you would want 10% crosslinked resin. Even without injection, it might be worth considering. I got 10% crosslinked resin without injection.

My iron+H2S system uses a Centaur Carbon, which I think is not like generic catalytic carbon (but I cannot be sure). There is a solution tank that the controller draws from only during the regeneration every 3 days. KL was not available when I got my system, although mine has worked perfectly for me. The H2S was the major motivation. I also got a powered anode for the WH. I ordered that before deciding to get the backwashing filter. I think it is probably still worthwhile.

Anyway, try cranking your hot water tanks up to 140 or so. Maybe do it on just one initially to see if that helps. Be careful that nobody gets burned. A mixing valve that adds cold water to cool the hot for the bathroom and sinks down to 120 is the standard today. That primarily protects the old and young that should not be around really hot water.

 

[AR_Hills]

What type of filter will help the manganese, lead and sodium? Greensand or the KL?

 

[Reach4]

What type of filter will help the manganese, lead and sodium? Greensand or the KL?

https://www.purewaterproducts.com/img/docs/manuals/Katalox-Light.pdf says it helps lead. You don't want greensand for this.

Your sodium is not high IMO. Even after the softener, it will be safe to drink for the majority of people. You can do the math, if you are inclined to do so. You could also choose to pipe the water from the neutralizer to the kitchen cold faucet for drinking and cooking. That way the softener would not have replaced the calcium and magnesium with sodium.

But if you really want to remove sodium, you would want a point-of-use reverse osmosis filter.

 

[ditttohead]

I would recommend replacing your unit with a very similar but greatly updated design. Considering the high hardness a larger softener would not be a bad idea. The KL system would take care of the majority of the odor and iron/manganese especially with the injection of H2o2 ahead of it.

 

[AR_Hills]

I would recommend replacing your unit with a very similar but greatly updated design. Considering the high hardness a larger softener would not be a bad idea. The KL system would take care of the majority of the odor and iron/manganese especially with the injection of H2o2 ahead of it.

Would this work:

Screw down sediment filter
CSI REACTR - 2.5 cu ft. SmartBlend KL
CSI Two Tank Softener - 3.0 cu. Ft 81,000 grains

 

[ditttohead]

Stick to orginal Fleck or Clack based units.

 

[AR_Hills]

Here a photo of the line in and the pressure tank. It comes in from

 

[Reach4]

I thought I might see a turbulator injection device where the peristaltic pump used to hook up to.

What I do see at F-G is what I think is a check valve. That is usually not such a good thing, although many people have these without problem. This is unrelated to any problem you are describing. The symptom if you had it would be a bang whenever the pump turned on.