Water test results - high level of sulfur

[rdsnake]

First off, great forum with tons of info! I can't stop reading and educating myself!

I moved into a home about 4 years ago. Well water wasn't the best. So I had a twin tank 40K softener with res-car system on a Fleck 9100SXT valve installed. I haven't been happy with the water quality since the system has been installed. I have iron stains that come and go. So I ended up purchasing a Katalox light back washing Iron filter with air injection on a Fleck 2510SXT valve. Filter is not installed yet so in the mean time I had my water tested.

Results are as followed:

Iron .89 PPM (surprised it was so low)
Magnesium 46.6 PPM
Manganese .010 PPM
Sulfur, total, by ICP 38.4 PPM!
Hardness 395PPM
Hardness GPG 23.1 grains/gallon
PH 7.7

First question regarding "sulfur, total, by ICP" can anyone explain this to me? If I am reading this correctly 38.4 PPM of sulfur is extremely high?

The iron filter I bought will only reduce the sulfur by 10 PPM. What other system should I be looking into? H202 system or bleach injection? Do I need a carbon filter after the injection system?

I am open to any suggestions on the Sulfur level.

 

[Reach4]

Sulfur, total, by ICP 38.4 PPM!

First question regarding "sulfur, total, by ICP" can anyone explain this to me? If I am reading this correctly 38.4 PPM of sulfur is extremely high?

Explain, yes . No, not high. That will mostly be as part of sulfate. Sulfate + sacrificial metal anode in WH+SRB can make some H2S, which is what smells. You can sanitize your well and plumbing system to be rid if SRB, or you can use a powered anode. Or do both. Some do the intermediate thing of using an aluminum+zinc anode instead of magnesium. Some even replace the anode with a brass plug to avoid this reaction, but that does not have the WH protection of an anode.

The iron filter I bought will only reduce the sulfur by 10 PPM.

I expect that is not quite what the lit for the iron filter that you bought says. While we tend to refer to sulfur smell, we really mean H2S = "hydrogen sulfide". It is very hard to get a ppm reading for H2S, and your water test is unlikely to have tested for that.

An iron+H2S filter is not going to filter out sulfate. It is highly unlikely that your well water has 1 ppm of H2S.

 

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[rdsnake]

In regards to anode rod in the water heater. This sample was taken before the water heater itself. So that rules out that contributing factor.

Is there any other way to remove SRBs? Should I even be concearned with that number of sulfate?

 

[Reach4]

In regards to anode rod in the water heater. This sample was taken before the water heater itself. So that rules out that contributing factor.

You don't smell sulfate. You smell H2S, and the average person can smell H2S in air at about 0.00047 ppm. Sulfate secondary MCL is 250 ppm.

Is there any other way to remove SRBs?

Crank the WH hotter maybe.

SRB is sulfate reducing bacteria. They are not harmful to drink. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfate-reducing_bacteria Sanitizing the well and plumbing and WH can be cheap and occasional. It could eliminate SRB, but more likely would just knock them down for a year or two. Some treat the incoming water with UV before the WH and after the sediment filters.