Hi folks.
First let me explain our situation and then ask a few questions I have about solving our problem.
When we bought the house about 4 years ago, the previous owner had to install a softener due to high iron content in the well water. It appears that it is a Culligan system (I say appears because it's a Culligan control head, but everyone that's seen it says it's not a Culligan tank.) that has never really been up to snuff. At first it would burn through a ton of salt and require forced regen cycles and such. It was a complete mess. Anyway, it has completely failed now. The iron in the water is horrible. The toilets and sinks are all getting stained orange, the water feels horrible and has a very strong metal smell, and is fouling up our appliances. If you shower or wash your hands, the metal smell stays on your skin for hours. Know those kitchen sponges....one use and it's completely stained orange. It's some pretty nasty water.
We had a few companies over to test and give us options for treating our water. The pH is 6.8, the Iron is 2.5 and the hardness is 3. We decided to go with a company that will install a Kinetico 60 system and chlorinate the lines in the whole house. Knowing all that, I still have a few questions...
1. Given my situation does the Kinetico system sound effective enough?
2. Does having Iron this high indicate a problem with the well? The house is roughly 30-40 years old.
3. Is there a temporary fix that I can use to at least lessen the impact of the iron? They can't make it out till the 7th, and this water is really bad. They are going to do their best to get out sooner, but they are booked solid and hoping for a cancelation.
4. Has the iron done permanent damage to the plumbing in the home? It's mostly 3/4 copper.
5. Is there any harmful health effects from the iron that anyone knows of? I've searched the net for any references, but it seems to be more of and annoyance problem than anything else.
Any answers and tips you can provide would be great. I really want to get this fixed once and for all.
Thanks.
First let me explain our situation and then ask a few questions I have about solving our problem.
When we bought the house about 4 years ago, the previous owner had to install a softener due to high iron content in the well water. It appears that it is a Culligan system (I say appears because it's a Culligan control head, but everyone that's seen it says it's not a Culligan tank.) that has never really been up to snuff. At first it would burn through a ton of salt and require forced regen cycles and such. It was a complete mess. Anyway, it has completely failed now. The iron in the water is horrible. The toilets and sinks are all getting stained orange, the water feels horrible and has a very strong metal smell, and is fouling up our appliances. If you shower or wash your hands, the metal smell stays on your skin for hours. Know those kitchen sponges....one use and it's completely stained orange. It's some pretty nasty water.
We had a few companies over to test and give us options for treating our water. The pH is 6.8, the Iron is 2.5 and the hardness is 3. We decided to go with a company that will install a Kinetico 60 system and chlorinate the lines in the whole house. Knowing all that, I still have a few questions...
1. Given my situation does the Kinetico system sound effective enough?
2. Does having Iron this high indicate a problem with the well? The house is roughly 30-40 years old.
3. Is there a temporary fix that I can use to at least lessen the impact of the iron? They can't make it out till the 7th, and this water is really bad. They are going to do their best to get out sooner, but they are booked solid and hoping for a cancelation.
4. Has the iron done permanent damage to the plumbing in the home? It's mostly 3/4 copper.
5. Is there any harmful health effects from the iron that anyone knows of? I've searched the net for any references, but it seems to be more of and annoyance problem than anything else.
Any answers and tips you can provide would be great. I really want to get this fixed once and for all.
Thanks.