Iron In My Water

Jeff68

I live in the country. My water comes from a well. There is lots of iron in the water and it comes out brown from the tap. A water company has already come and installed a rustmaster to my filtration system. The water is a bit cleaner but still has an iron smell and some brown to the water. Either way. Its not drinkable. My goal is to be able to drink the water. And at the least. Not scare away guest when they turn on the tap. Does anyone know of anything else I can do to clean the water?

abracaboom

Reverse osmosis.

Jeff68

Yeah. I was thinking about adding that. But will that take the remaining iron out of the water?

Bob999

Please post an analysis of your raw water, including results for both ferric and ferrous iron. If you don't have a water analysis that is the first step in solving your water problems.

Please describe the "rustmaster" a bit more--what is the media? are any chemicals added to the water? Is air added to the water?

From your description an RO membrane would quickly foul and stop working if fed the "brown" water.

Jeff68

I will look for any further information I can find. Off the top of my head its a rust-master system from culligan. Similar to the picture below. Yes air is added to the water.

As soon as I have the results I will post them.(if I find them)

Attached Images

 

Bob999

OK--Did the system work to your satisfaction when first installed? How long has it been installed?

From the picture it appears to be air injection in the first tank and then a second tank with media. Culligan sells a mixed media under the name rust master that includes neutralization for acid water, a catalytic media to speed the oxidation process of the clear water iron into a form that will precipitate and can be filtered, and a media to filter out preciptated iron and clarify the water.

Mixed media cost less to install--only one tank but maintenance is the downside when there are problems.

If the unit worked when new it may only need some maintenance and perhaps new media in the second tank. One of the issues with air injection is that in iron laden water the injectors get plugged up and then the air injection doesn't work. If the air injection doesn't work then not all the iron is oxidized and if not oxidized it can't be filtered out.

Have you contacted Culligan about the problem--what do they say?

Jeff68

The system has been installed for way to long. Yes, I contacted them. The company came by a month ago to fix it up a bit and it seemed to work. But never has it been to the point of clear drinking water.

I think the main issue is that it has never really worked any better then it is now. Even when it was new it wasn't doing that good of a job. But it was still doing something. Since you couldn't see threw the water at first. And now you can.

Akpsdvan

From day one it was not set right.
Is it back washing every day?
Was it sized for the amount of iron that you have and the flow rate that is needed?
Sounds like of like it was under sized..

Jeff68

Could be just another filter needed. That would be nice. It is backwashing every day around 3am.