well water iron

[Jeff922]

I finally hooked up my pressure tank and have running water at my place.     When I first ran the pump the water was very red.  I wasn't surprised because the well sat unused for two years.  I think my static depth extends up into my well casing which probably created much of the rusty water.  I ran the water for about 8 hours to really flush the system good and the water cleared up.  I sent my water samples into a lab to have it tested.  I'm pleased with the results:  Not hard, good Ph, no arsenic, etc but the iron level is at .74 mg/L (.3 is the EPA limit). It's not a health concern - more aesthetic (taste, stained plumbing fixtures...).  I'm wondering if I flushed my system good enough. 

Does anyone know how long a new well should be flushed before an accurate test can be done?  Probably depends on many factors.

Does anyone on here have any experience with so-called "red-water" (insoluble) iron in their water?  What kind of filter do you use?

[Arky217]

Only cure that I know of is to put in a sand filter.
They work really well for 'irony' water.
Make sure the top seals tight enough to keep out the insects.

Arky

[alex trent]

Had the same problem in my home.  plumber wanted to do a $1,000 filter solution to fix.

Omni filter (at HD or on line) did it for 50 bucks.

I used a whole house filter and a 5 micron filter right at where the water line came into the house. 

Filter ($10) lasted about two weeks until I got a noticeable flow decrease. That is a pain to change so often.  !0 microns was OK but still some sediment. But lasted a long time.

I then put two filters in series...a 10 micron up front and then a 5 micron. that extended filter change cycle to about 3-4 months.

Worked great.

[Jeff922]

Thanks for the excellent advice!!!   

[alex trent]

I may have misstated the size of the filter elements....

But EZ to experiment and the cartrides are not expensive..  May have been a bit more coarse..like 10 and 25, not the 5 and 10 that I mentioned.  I think some of that depends on the size of you sediment.  I had a LOT.

[Jeff922]

I recall reading that a good "general use" whole house filter is around 20 I think.   I'll have to play around with it to get it appropriate for my water, and it's good to hear how two filters worked for your situation - not sure I would have thought of that on my own.

[alex trent]

You may even get by with one.  I had a ton of sediment and rust...more than most I suspect.  In any case, you could try one and add another up line if it clogs quickly. I put a bypass valve around the first one, so I could use just the smaller filter downline as the first one clogged much quicker with the big particle.

I recall the whole unit costs 50 bucks, so for 100 you have a system.

I lived with this problem for years and it ate my copper pipes up...had tons of pinpoint leaks and then found out this is what caused them.

[stricsm]

Men (or post-menopausal women) shouldn't drink water with high iron; it is bad for your heart.  At my office, we use a cheap canister filter upstream from our 5 stage filter bed and it catches a tremendous amount of iron.  The filter is usually red after about one month.  We change it out every 3-6 months but our water pressure is good.  I can't recall the particulate size but we buy our filters at HD or Lowe's. 

[considerations]

You may want to consider migrating your wardrobe to non-white clothing. Iron is why bloodstains are so hard to remove.   

I had heavy iron sediment (orange) in my well water in Oregon.  There was a large filtration system that back flushed itself every day.  I ended up adding 2 in-line cartridge filters as well.  My work clothes that had to be white ended up being done by the dry clean/laundry service. 

It tasted ok, after going through a Brita filter as well.