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RedTailHawk
Member
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# Posted: 14 Oct 2013 23:26
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My well water has a lot of iron. Within minutes of turning on water, it starts leaving rust colored stains in the sink. I have a pre-filter on the line as it comes from the well to the house, but the iron seems to overwhelm it. (The filters are $35 and should last 6 months, but my system seems to go through the filters about 1-2 months).
Can someone recommend something to treat iron?
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Just
Member
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# Posted: 15 Oct 2013 07:33
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A water softener in front of your filter would extend it's life
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KSalzwedel
Member
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# Posted: 15 Oct 2013 14:38
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We too have iron. I was advised by a plumber to shock my well. DON'T! My well guy told me the bleach destroys the inner lining of the well, sloughs casing into the well, and makes things worse while while slowlyndestroying your casing.
We got a really heavy duty filter. When (if) the house gets built on the property we will go to a water softener with iron reducing pellets or an iron curtain setup. For now water is run a lot (which helps keep it clear).
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RedTailHawk
Member
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# Posted: 16 Oct 2013 10:31
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The filter is currently between the well pump and the water softener. Sounds like I should move it after the water softener to let the salt do its job on the iron and then filter it before it continues into the cabin.
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razmichael
Member
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# Posted: 17 Oct 2013 07:59
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Quoting: KSalzwedel My well guy told me the bleach destroys the inner lining of the well, sloughs casing into the well, and makes things worse while while slowlyndestroying your casing.
This is really contrary to most other information sources I have reviewed. In cases with really old wells that have never been treated the bacteria slime can actually be holding things together and covering damaged areas. In this case a shock treatment can 'appear' to damage the well but everything else I have read supports shocking wells to handle contamination from dangerous bacteria and reduce/eliminate (at least for a period of time) impact from iron-related or sulfate-reducing bacteria.
In the case of iron problems the effectiveness of chlorination will depend on what the iron cause is - dissolved iron or bacteria (and likely it is a mixture). By going through a proper shock treatment a couple of times you can determine the primary cause (although it sounds like bacteria in this case).
Search on the method to properly shock the well as it is not just a matter of throwing some bleach down in. Make sure you bypass your filters and water softener during the process. It really helps to pick up a cheap pool water test kit as this allows you to check the chlorine level.
You may find that your iron problem is overwhelming your filters and a shock treatment on a regular basis will control it enough to allow your filter/water softener to handle the rest.
Our home well has a sulfur bacteria issue so we shock about twice a year (or if the odor gets noticeable) and this seems to be enough to control the problem.
Here is a sample of sites that may help you with your issue:
Alternatives for Iron Removal
Removing iron
Whats in your well?
Shock Clorination
Disinfecting a domestic well
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