Filox backwash - how much is really needed?

The guy at the local water treatment store said to effectivelybackwash 1.0 cubic feet of Filox, I'd need a lot more than the recommended 6.6 GPM to lift the bed. More like 15! Problem is, when I look at the differnt units out there, I don't see anyone publishing anything near that high for a 10" x 54" tank/1.0 ft3.

I'm barely getting 2 years between my first changeout of the media but I am attributing that to the fact that I'd let backwashing go 3 days usually vs every day or every other day as people have recommended now.

My iron is high 15+ ppm.

Do I really need a backwash rate of 15? And whats the best way to test how strong it really is? Thanks guys...Nick

The weight for the media is the key.. from one site it looks like it is 57lbs just for a half cubic foot..
Greensand media is 100 per cubic.. and with a service flow rate of 2-5 gpm/sq foot it has a back wash rate of 12gpm/sq foot... so the person is correct in that the one cubic is going to need close to 15gpm for a cubic, don't forget to add the weight of the iron that it is removing.. so if you are doing 7 gpm service flow it will need to be double that for back wash..
The biggest killer that I see for WaterSoft iron filters is the lack of back wash flow.. the customer has a pump that does 7gpm but the system that they where either sold or bought needs 12gpm...

A 10" x 54" tank is used for a 1.5 cuft filter or softener. A 1.0 cuft uses a 9" x 48" tank.

If your well can handle it, you can lengthen the time in backwash and backwash like every night or every other night.

I have a 1cu ft filox filter. I backwash at a rate of 9 gpm. I also have one of those so called 'vortex' tanks that is supposed to help improve backwashing. It has been installed for 2.5 years and during that time I have not noticed any change in its performance. I also backwash every day and I believe that is a requirement to prevent the filox from failing.

Oh and my iron is between 12-15ppm also.

-rick

ok...sounds like i need to backwash much more frequently. I also took a look around the web and I don;t see anyone recommending more than 6 or 6.5 GPM top backwash 1.0 cubic foot of Filoxâ„¢. My jet pump is only 3/4 hp and I doubt can do more than 7 at most.

Is there an easy way to test?
Easy for me: while backwashing, time how long it takes to fill a 5 gallon pail. Good?


Thanks again...

Look to see what the flow control is for your unit, if it is 5gpm then it should fill that bucket in 1 minute if your pump can do that.. if the control is 6gpm then it should fill that bucket in say 50-53 sec....