AIO Filter Drain Line Constantly Weeping

[J W R]

Hello All, I have a two year old well that's pretty much sucked since day one. Currently, we have a spin down sediment filter, then a Pentair 2510 AIO 2.5 cu ft filter with Katalox (I believe), then a water softener. AIO filter worked okay for 14 months or so, and now it seems it cannot handle the iron we have. Water tests have shown iron and iron bacteria, sulphur, tannins, manganese, and very hard. I've had to turn up the softener and backwash it every two days to keep the water bearable. Have used iron out to clean the softener resin, and have now begun to use Crystal Clean in the brine tank. The AIO filter backwashes daily.

I noticed staining around the air injection on the AIO, so I took it apart and the screen was definitely plugged with iron residue. Cleaned and reinstalled, and it helped probably 20%. I then noticed that the AIO drain line is constantly dripping. Would this cause the AIO filter to not perform properly?

I'm thinking the valve head is likely fouled with iron, and not allowing the valves to close all the way. I'm handy and willing to tackle just about anything, but I believe there's special tools involved in breaking down the 2510 valve, correct?

If the weeping wouldn't cause the issues I'm having, should I run some bleach through the media to see if it can be recharged somewhat? Any negative implications to doing this?

Also, just came across a product called the Sulphur Eliminator. Seems to kinda use the well casing as a large AIO filter. Anyone have any experience with them?

Would like to get my own test kit to better stay on top of the water quality. What would ya'll recommend for testing iron, sulphur, tannins, ph, total hardness, manganese, etc.?

Thank you to everyone on here. I've learned so much perusing over the last few weeks!

 

[Bannerman]

Perhaps the Backwash flow rate for the Katalox Light media is insufficient. The time frame you mention, seems to suggests that.

The recommended BW rate for KL media is 10-15 GPM/ft2, so for a 13" diameter tank, this calculates to between 9.2 - 14 GPM @ 60F water temperature. When the iron and or manganese amount is high (ppm not specified?), closer to 14 GPM is recommended. If your water supply is warmer than 60F, the drain flow rate should be increased by a factor of X1.1 for 70F-80F, and X1.2 for 80F to 90F.

The BW flow rate is usually controlled by the DLFC (drain line flow control) restrictor, but this assumes your well, pump and supply piping to the AIO system is capable of supplying that flow rate for the entire BW cycle (usually 10-minutes).

To reduce the rebuild time, a special tool is often utilized by professionals that rebuild valves on a regular basis, but for a DIY rebuild, a simple metal wire hook maybe easily fabricated to remove the seals and spacers that are deepest within the control valve where your fingers can't access.

2510 rebuild procedure is shown here:

Edit to add: A filter located before the iron filter, will often reduce water flow to the iron filter during the BW cycle, particularly once coated with debris. You could measure the flow rate to drain while the filter is in-place, and again with the filter bypassed to determine how much difference there is with the drain flow rate. Unless there is excessive sediment or debris from the well, a filter before the KL media should not be required nor recommended. Part of the purpose for BW cycle, is to flush away any sediment/debris that the KL media has filtered out.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Bannerman]

A further potential issue maybe bacteria.

The oxygen from an AIO system will cause bacteria to proliferate. When any type of bacteria is present, an AIO system will often be converted to an Ozone system by adding an Ozone generator.

Instead of oxygen from air to oxidize ferrous iron and manganese to convert them to a ferric state, the ozone will offer the same benefit while also sanitizing the media.

Alternately, chlorine is often injected prior to the KL filter, or will be drawn in instead of air during the air draw cycle.

Suggest posting your complete lab report with your personal info redacted.

 

[J W R]

First, thank you for all the detailed info. This is actually my parents house and I'm trying to get this sorted for them. The well installers put the AIO filter on. At the time, they said sulphur was present as well as iron but no iron bacteria. They didn't claim to be filtration experts they had someone they called with their test results that they performed, so maybe they missed the iron bacteria? Mentioning this because if I understand what I've read, AIO will not remove the iron bacteria. After about a year, they had a 2.5 cu ft water softener installed by another company. Water would occasionally have some odor, so I progressively increased the backwash frequency till it's now daily. I've also turned up the softener while researching this issue to help make the water bearable. It's backwashing every other day, and the water will still have odors in the morning out of the cold faucet.

The cartridge filter does require frequent cleaning. There's this nasty black fines of some sort. It requires soaking in CLR to get rid of the black coating. I'm assuming that's iron bacteria with sulphur? It really stains anything it touches if that helps identify. I can't imagine letting all that through to the katalox. Just seems that gunk would clog the valves?

In the couple weeks of information consumption, I've seen lots of talk of the backwash rates and flows. What do I need to get to determine this? Pump info, pipe size, etc.??? I have no issue increasing the rate. Is there any inherent disadvantage to increasing other than more water usage?

They had Leaf Water come out and test the water. He was supposed to provide a copy of his analysis, but he seemed to forget it when he realized that his $12,000 system was too expensive for them. I did manage to get the following: Iron 3PPM, Hardness 45, sulphur, iron bacteria, tannins. I unfortunately don't have the numbers for those, I wasn't there.

Getting our own water test is next on the list, so we can add whatever equipment we need to fix this. Any recommendations for testing, or is local best? I would also like to get a good test kit, so I can continue to monitor. Any recommendations there?

If the water tests ultimately show the iron bacteria, what's your opinion of ozone, hydrogen peroxide, UV, or chlorine injection?

Tried to attach a pic to the weeping drain line but it says it can't load it. Just wonder if that could be affecting the performance of the AIO filter and is causing the degradation of quality? I'm unfortunately thinking maybe the iron bacteria is building up?

 

[J W R]

A further potential issue maybe bacteria.

The oxygen from an AIO system will cause bacteria to proliferate. When any type of bacteria is present, an AIO system will often be converted to an Ozone system by adding an Ozone generator.

Instead of oxygen from air to oxidize ferrous iron and manganese to convert them to a ferric state, the ozone will offer the same benefit while also sanitizing the media.

Alternately, chlorine is often injected prior to the KL filter, or will be drawn in instead of air during the air draw cycle.

Suggest posting your complete lab report with your personal info redacted.

I was typing as you were replying. I agree, the root cause is going to be the iron bacteria. The toilet tank walls are black inside. The AIO filter obviously wasn't the right option.

I'm pretty sure I remember reading that Pentair doesn't have the ability to add ozone to the 2510 mechanical valve. Do you know if that's correct?

I know Pentair has a peroxide injection system that uses the 2510 valve. Is that something I could add to the existing system and then change the necessary settings?

Short term, could I clean the katalox with bleach or peroxide? Maybe that would help as I'm deciding on additional equipment?