How to Treat Well Water

GA from me.

One of the most complete answers I have seen on ANY subject.

You are not "Slacking" Mr Slack!!!!

Hi JE,

First off from your description I'd checkout those old pipes. The odd colored water maybe from internal corrosion the pipes in the house.

So ascertain the cause then you can best apply a solution be it replace piping and filtration or a non-salt type water-softening filter like that of Crystal Quest.

What I did with mine was to install a softener, , add a coarse filter between the pump and the softener, feed it all into a UV system, then tap off to an under-sink reverse osmosis system. No point in reverse osmosis for the toilet, bathtub, and dishwasher!

I use potassium choride in the softener. Good for those on a sodium reduced diet. Posassium also won't kill the trees.

My water was foul and full of sulpher and iron and a certain amount of germs. It is now very good, safe, with no chlorine or other additives. However, visits to the dentist have gone up since I don't seem to be getting the minerals anymore.

I'm working on using a slow sand filter to offset that lack of minerals you mention.

Trying to determine the proper treatment for water without a complete chemical/biological analysis is a good way to spend money foolishly on unnecessary and ineffective systems.

I suffered with the same problem. There is no inexpensive solution. I put in an ozone generator system that meters ozone into the water line by use of an ejector. That water then goes through two tanks of about 30 gallons each and thence to an iron filter. The iron filter is a simple machanical filter capable of being backwashed every night. The outlet of the iron remover goes to a conventional water softener and our water is now fine. The water is a little fizzy on occassion but otherwise good.

The ozone system cost me about $5000 installed. Previously I had used a similar system but without the ozone, that one pulled air into the water system, didn't need the two additional tanks and it worked great for about 10 yrs the the filter go so clogged it stopped working. I suspect that if I had backwashed more often that system may have continued to work.

The ejector is very simple and can probably be purchased seperately. The filter can be home built and even your water softener can be rebuilt unless it has just rusted ou or something. The bed can be either renewed by something like a treatment with Iron Out.

I use a rain soft brand water softener/filter on my well water. http://www.rainsoft.com

It has worked very well for about 4-5 years and all I have had to do is keep salt in it. The installed cost of the one I use was around 5000.00 and it filters to 5 microns. The one I have has a lifetime warranty on everything but the desiccant. Before I installed it we had the problem of reddish ring stains at all the drains in the house as well as premature failure of hot water elements from the iron in the water but that is all over now.

Hey guys...

thanks for all of the input.

First of all.. The pipes are all copper in this house.. and most of those are getting replaced in this overhaul.

The water was found to have high iron, but it's not off the charts.

It actually does run quite clear.. it will run reddish only if the well pump has been off for a while

would it be out of line to add a charcoal or other?? filter AFTER the softener, but before things like the ice maker and drinking / cooking water?

newer softeners don't fudge up the taste or composition that bad .. do they? Is that the only issue?

I drank a lot of soft water growing up.. but then hey.. look at how I turned out.

it's more slippery?

Soft water areas cause, amongst other problems, more heart attacks as you don't drink some important chemicals, missing in soft water...

Quite. Softened water is high in either potassium or, more likely, sodium, and low in calcium and magnesium. As such it's not what the human body needs.

Hi JE,

Non-salt softeners are more interesting I think

http://www.aquaferwater.com/iron_filters.html

I am thinking the same, but what do I know..

the iron max fx-125-10 is a couple hundred more than the one that is not "fx"

but my eyes are crossed trying to see why?

I like the idea that it's better for you to drink, and better for the septic field.

...I'm assuming there is a catch?

Is it the cost of the replacement media in 10yrs?

how likely is it that rust bacteria are in the water and need to be pre chlorinated?

Is that taken care of with a drip of bleach?

I guess that some fresh water should be sent in.

..Has anybody seen or used one like this?

..thoughts?

It's a pretty fair investment

I have known those whom were satisfied, some where very satisfied and a few were ecstatic. The expense of replacement media conforms to norms; contact and request from manufacturer pricing for the past fifteen years for comparison.

I don't have answers for product specifics; contact them.

A better idea yes...a catch I'm not thinking so...No chlorine iron bacteria treatment with the Hallet UV...

Yes I intend installation this year to filter the rural water we receive which though chlorinated, we want good quality on and in our bodies so the body can function without the chemical/bacterial/viral burden, yet benefit from mineral content.