Water treatment advice

**kg2k** · 03-09-2011, 04:11 PM

I am looking for some advice. I recently had a new well drilled and the old one plugged. The results of the water test are:

Turbidity = 2.6 NTU
PH = 5.9 Std. units
Iron = 0.38 mg/L
Manganese = 0.078 mg/L
Sodium 5.5 mg/L
Iron + Manganese 0.46 mg/L
Hardness 45 mg/L
Lead .0021
Alkalinity 40
E-Coli negative
Total coliform negative

I initially was just going to get a softener and an under the sink reverse osmosis system. It appears I should treat the acidity though as well so now I am thinking Acid Neutrilizer, softener and RO for drinking water. Based on these results should I be considering anything else? Thanks.

**Akpsdvan** · 03-09-2011, 07:28 PM

I would start with say a calcite filter and correct the ph, it might also lower the iron and manganese that is in the water.
Then the softener, and maybe a simple carbon block for under the sink.

**kg2k** · 03-11-2011, 12:08 PM

Thanks for the reply. That seems like a reasonable place to start but I have no idea where to begin. I searched Acid Neutrilizers and Calcite filters and there's not a lot of clear information. It looks like most people recommend upflow units. I'll keep searching around.

**Akpsdvan** · 03-11-2011, 12:27 PM

Upflow is just that up flow through the media with no backwash and works very good if there is nothing in the water or very low levels of iron and the like.
If the iron is high or over about 3 ppm then a backwashing control on top of the calcite would be better, 5600 is a good valve but really a 2510 would be better because one can control how long it is in each part of the cleaning cycle where the 5600 has no way of controling the parts of the cycle.

Calcite filters are sized both on flow rate needed and level of ph that is going to need corrected.
the higher the flow and more correction the more calcite, but there is a limit if a control is needed because of the backwash gpm needed, if the unit needs 8gpm but the well only does 5gpm that size will not work.

**kg2k** · 03-11-2011, 01:32 PM

Something like this http://www.cleanwaterstore.com/acid-neutralizer.html ? My well produces 7gpm. It's a 2 bath, 3 br home but I live alone currently so not a lot of water usage overall.

**Akpsdvan** · 03-11-2011, 01:38 PM

Not sure if I would use a Fleck 7000, but that aside the blend media is some thing that I would stay away from, if it is not done right it can become hard and then the whole thing goes out to the trash.

If I had a choice , I would do up flow, there is really no iron to speak of at .4 and the Mn is at .08.... neither to really build up in the calcite up flow.

just my thoughts and .02cents worth.

**kg2k** · 03-11-2011, 02:27 PM

My water gets pretty good red stains though. My inline filter also is completely red/brown. It's a marked improvement over the old well but still seems pretty bad. Any opinion on cleaanwaterstore.com? They seems to always come up near the top on a google search, not that that means anything...

Here are there upflow neautrilizers http://www.cleanwaterstore.com/upflow-neutralizers.html

Thanks again for the reply.

**Akpsdvan** · 03-11-2011, 05:25 PM

They are paying Google for that upper listing.

If your water is staining, then the test that you posted , was that after some kind of filter?

**kg2k** · 03-11-2011, 06:29 PM

I get it about the upper listing but an acid neutralizer isn't something that it appears you can pick up at a home depot or lowe's and there aren't really any other local choices. It seems difficult to find reseller reviews for online water treatment stores...

I do have a whole house filter but I had it on bypass and ran the water for about 20 minutes on bypass the day I collected my samples. The pressure tank filled several times so I am confident the sample was straight from the well.

**Akpsdvan** · 03-11-2011, 07:34 PM

And how long does it take for the iron to build up?

Neutralizers are a little more tricky than softeners or iron filters.. if there is a mix of media and it is not right then it channels and hardens. If it is not backwashed every 2-3 days the same thing can happen, if the flow rate from the well is not where it should be then it falls on its face...

A 12x48 is as large as you are going to be able to go, backwash is at 7gpm..
The 2510 is a simpler valve to work on over the 7000.. all that the 2510 would have to be is the flat cap backwash 12 day.
With the 12x48 you should be able to get 2 cubic of the calcite in it.

Neutralizers are not as fancy as the rest, it is one of the down in the trench work horses that often does not get talked about.

Simple valve, tank and the media.
One might even be able to find most of it used save for the media...

**kg2k** · 03-12-2011, 06:56 AM

It takes about 24-48 hours for a brown/red streak to appear if I leave the bathtub faucet dripping. A few days for the toilet to show some minor staining.

The 2510 is a manual backwash, right? I thought I read that somewhere.

Do I really need blended media with a PH of 5.9? It looks like most sites that sell this stuff reccomend it for below 6.0 but at 5.9 I think i might just go with straight calcite.

Thanks again.

**Akpsdvan** · 03-12-2011, 08:09 AM

2510 has three typs of control, Metered, day and then there is the Manual where you go and move a handle to each spot on the cleaning cycle.

If you are going with 2.0 it should unless you are running at the 7.0gpm 100% of the time.

Find a tank that has a shoulder hole on it, the tank will cost a little more but when it comes time to filling with the calcite it will be so much nicer.
Also a natural tank so that you can back light it for the media level in the tank.

**Gary Slusser** · 03-12-2011, 10:07 AM

A X gpm pump only delivers its rated gpm when the head of the system is at the point where the pump can't deliver more gpm than that; IOWs the head is less and you get more water than the rated X gpm of the pump.

Upflow AN filters require a prefilter due to no backwash and they are not a good choice IMO.

A 2.0 cuft AN filter requires much more than 7 gpm for successful backwashing.

The recovery rate of the well has nothing to do with how many gpm you can get out of the well's storage volume.

The 5600 is not to be used on a filter with larger than a 10" diameter tank.

Mixed bed AN mineral does not get hard. It doesn't channel either. Corrosex used alone can harden IF the water's hardness is more than 5 gpg. Mixed bed is needed for less than a 6.0 pH or you will not get the pH up high enough (7 pH) when using more than say 4-5 gpm in the house.

**kg2k** · 03-12-2011, 05:18 PM

Thanks, Gary and Ak. Gary, do you think a softener would be reccomended for my water results as well? I was half thinking of just going with the AN and seeing how things look, but, I might be better off to do it all at once.

For the AN, I was thinking either this unit http://www.midatlanticwater.net/acid...fleck.5600.php or this one http://www.cleanwaterstore.com/NF003...tralizers.html. I have no idea if either of these companies are better than the other.

**Akpsdvan** · 03-12-2011, 06:03 PM

I would not be using a 5600 for the AN filter, no control of the backwash.

After the AN filter the water might have a 4-5 grain hardness... you may or may not like that hardness ... You could leave room for it and put it in later if you decide to put a softener in.