Hello,
I am having an iron problem that seems to be worsening over time and I'm wondering if anyone can comment on how my well chemistry might be changing and/or other ideas as to what's going on. I've been in the house for 9 years with a standard kenmore water softener (rated to remove iron up to 4 ppm) and have never had any iron staining or other water problems until this summer. We started to notice yellow/reddish discoloration that would ebb and flow (sometimes clearing up completely) so I had the water tested in mid-July. Results were total iron at 0.76 ppm and everything else normal. I decided to replace the water softener on the assumption that it had become iron fouled (it was > 9 years old). That did not solve the problem and it has gotten really bad over the past month. I had another iron test done early November this time prior to the water softener, (Total Iron = 10.922 ppm, Iron-dissovled not detectable). I drained the holding tank and there was a large amount of very red water in the bottom along with some larger particles that would crumble when pinched. The well flow rate at the tank is still good (10 gpm) but the water from the well goes through periods of high turbidity and is not a constant color, sometimes fairly clear and sometimes reddish/orange. I had a guy out from Hague yesterday and they were a bit puzzled by the situation and are returning for more tests tomorrow. The tests they did showed:
pre-softener
Iron = 10 ppm (I think he said ferrous and he didn't give me a number for red iron because he didn't understand the results he was getting)
TDS = 250
PH 6.7
Hardness = 12 gpg
He also said it looked like there was iron bacteria based on slimy film in toilet tank.
Thanks in advance for any advice!
I am having an iron problem that seems to be worsening over time and I'm wondering if anyone can comment on how my well chemistry might be changing and/or other ideas as to what's going on. I've been in the house for 9 years with a standard kenmore water softener (rated to remove iron up to 4 ppm) and have never had any iron staining or other water problems until this summer. We started to notice yellow/reddish discoloration that would ebb and flow (sometimes clearing up completely) so I had the water tested in mid-July. Results were total iron at 0.76 ppm and everything else normal. I decided to replace the water softener on the assumption that it had become iron fouled (it was > 9 years old). That did not solve the problem and it has gotten really bad over the past month. I had another iron test done early November this time prior to the water softener, (Total Iron = 10.922 ppm, Iron-dissovled not detectable). I drained the holding tank and there was a large amount of very red water in the bottom along with some larger particles that would crumble when pinched. The well flow rate at the tank is still good (10 gpm) but the water from the well goes through periods of high turbidity and is not a constant color, sometimes fairly clear and sometimes reddish/orange. I had a guy out from Hague yesterday and they were a bit puzzled by the situation and are returning for more tests tomorrow. The tests they did showed:
pre-softener
Iron = 10 ppm (I think he said ferrous and he didn't give me a number for red iron because he didn't understand the results he was getting)
TDS = 250
PH 6.7
Hardness = 12 gpg
He also said it looked like there was iron bacteria based on slimy film in toilet tank.
Thanks in advance for any advice!