Hello, I'm new to this forum, although I've read and learned a lot here. This is my first post.
I am looking to put an iron filter, a 1.5 or 2.0 cf filox filter, on my well water.
My well is a 150' deep, 4" steel cased, with 1.0 HP submersible pump, on a galvanized drop pipe, and Well-XTrol 302 pressure tank, set to 40-60 psi. The well was new in 2008. I have a sediment filter with a 60 mesh plastic filter insert (Now I still get a few, literally 3-5, grains of sediment breaking through, like in a white dishpan / 1 gallon of water it is visible on the bottom).
The tag on my well says it outputs 25 GPM. I tried my best to do a flow test by myself at the well, and I got about 20-21 seconds to fill a 5 gallon bucket, at the spigot right off the well head, which was a 3/4" garden hose spigot connected via a 90 deg elbow to a short 1" galvanized pipe, connected to the 2" Tee coming off the 2" pipe that goes to the pressure tank (so, one side of Tee is 2" going to well, other side reduced to 1" then 3/4" hose spigot). I may have been able to shave a couple of seconds off if I had a helper to mind the stop-watch, while I held the bucket to fill. The pressure tank refills in just under a minute.
The house sat mostly vacant for the last several years. Iron built up in the system, which I have recently flushed for several hours at a time on a few different days to clear most all of it out, so I no longer get orange water at the taps. The water now runs pretty clear, although it looks slightly yellow when a white 5 gal bucket is filled, and still smells pretty metallic, so I wouldn't want to drink it.
I don't think I have iron bacteria, because everything I have read about it, and speaking with the well driller's office, says iron bacteria deposits are slimy. While I did find plenty of iron deposit in the toilet tank, it was fluffy, and not sticky, slimy, or in coagulated globs at all. Touching it with my fingers easily sent a cloud of fluffy fine powderous iron swirling into the tank water, no slimy goo, globs or chunks at all.
I got my water tested at the local pool store, where I was told I had 0.15 ppm iron, 141 ppm calcium hardness (I think this was off, personally). I am having the well driller come out next week to get a check-up for the well, do their own iron, hardness, tds test, flow test. I am not really concerned with bacteria in my well, as I am surrounded by woods, and my septic tank is good. I am a little concerned about bacteria in the house piping as it sat for so long unused (copper piping throughout, circa 1976).
I hope this info helps with my following questions.
I have read that shocking a well can help loosen iron deposits inside the well, and house pipes, as well as disinfection.
I am wondering if it is worthwhile for me to shock the well (have the well driller do it) and house piping since it went relatively unused for so long? I'm thinking it may be a good idea to loosen up + flush out as much remaining iron build-up in the system before installing a new iron filter, and I'm wondering about bacteria in the house plumbing itself. Your thoughts?
Also, when I get an iron filter, it will be going into an outside shed - a few spiders, spider webs, occasional transient mouse, geckos. In central Florida, I am in an area with frequent, albeit usually short, power outages + surges, and lightning storms. I had installed a whole-house surge supressor (forget the joules) on it's own 30 Amp breaker when we put in a new electrical panel. The microwave clock + other clocks still go out frequently though...
.
Given this info, Would it be better to go with a Fleck 2510 mechanical valve timer, or would it be okay to use the Fleck 2510SXT digital timer? Would a 30 Amp whole house supressor protect it from frying the circuit board during a lightning storm? Would spiders-bugs crawl into the digital control and muck it up, moreso than a mechanical timer?
My last concern is the required backflush rate for Filox media. I have read anywhere from 12-13 GPM to 25 gpm is required. I am wondering why I am finding such discrepancies. Does the backflush GPM depend on the mesh size of the media? Or does it depend on if it is a 1.0, 1.5 or 2.0 CF media tank? Or a bit of both?
In the Filox and Mang-Ox manufacturer spec sheets I read, the mesh sizes were different... Filox 12 x 40, Mang-Ox 8 x 20/20 x 40. I guess my question is, does it matter that much the mesh size of the media? Does the mesh size affect the backflush GPM needed? The Mang-Ox specs also listed backwash as 22-30 GPM/SF. I guess I am getting confused over the tanks being listed as 1.0 or 2.0 cubic foot of media, but the backwash rates being given as eg. 12 gpm/SF of media... Can someone help explain this cubic foot vs. square foot to me? Or at least tell me if a 15 GPM backwash will be sufficient for a 1.5 or 2.0 CF Filox (or other brand) media?
Another thing I am a bit confused about, is some sellers advertise a Filox or Mang-Ox system... but the fine print says the magnesium dioxide may be from a different brand/supplier. If this is the case, does it matter that much?
I apologize this post is long, but just wanted to give as much info as I could up front. I thank you in advance for any advice you can give.
PS: I want to avoid using a water softener. We have generally good water in this area, albeit it's a bit hard, and I have more iron as I'm fairly close to a lake, and most of the homes in this area have iron issues. That's why I'm looking at just an iron filter, and possibly a carbon filter for ice/drinking water in the kitchen. People who live just a little further away from the lake, their water is great, if a bit calcium hard.
I am looking to put an iron filter, a 1.5 or 2.0 cf filox filter, on my well water.
My well is a 150' deep, 4" steel cased, with 1.0 HP submersible pump, on a galvanized drop pipe, and Well-XTrol 302 pressure tank, set to 40-60 psi. The well was new in 2008. I have a sediment filter with a 60 mesh plastic filter insert (Now I still get a few, literally 3-5, grains of sediment breaking through, like in a white dishpan / 1 gallon of water it is visible on the bottom).
The tag on my well says it outputs 25 GPM. I tried my best to do a flow test by myself at the well, and I got about 20-21 seconds to fill a 5 gallon bucket, at the spigot right off the well head, which was a 3/4" garden hose spigot connected via a 90 deg elbow to a short 1" galvanized pipe, connected to the 2" Tee coming off the 2" pipe that goes to the pressure tank (so, one side of Tee is 2" going to well, other side reduced to 1" then 3/4" hose spigot). I may have been able to shave a couple of seconds off if I had a helper to mind the stop-watch, while I held the bucket to fill. The pressure tank refills in just under a minute.
The house sat mostly vacant for the last several years. Iron built up in the system, which I have recently flushed for several hours at a time on a few different days to clear most all of it out, so I no longer get orange water at the taps. The water now runs pretty clear, although it looks slightly yellow when a white 5 gal bucket is filled, and still smells pretty metallic, so I wouldn't want to drink it.
I don't think I have iron bacteria, because everything I have read about it, and speaking with the well driller's office, says iron bacteria deposits are slimy. While I did find plenty of iron deposit in the toilet tank, it was fluffy, and not sticky, slimy, or in coagulated globs at all. Touching it with my fingers easily sent a cloud of fluffy fine powderous iron swirling into the tank water, no slimy goo, globs or chunks at all.
I got my water tested at the local pool store, where I was told I had 0.15 ppm iron, 141 ppm calcium hardness (I think this was off, personally). I am having the well driller come out next week to get a check-up for the well, do their own iron, hardness, tds test, flow test. I am not really concerned with bacteria in my well, as I am surrounded by woods, and my septic tank is good. I am a little concerned about bacteria in the house piping as it sat for so long unused (copper piping throughout, circa 1976).
I hope this info helps with my following questions.
I have read that shocking a well can help loosen iron deposits inside the well, and house pipes, as well as disinfection.
I am wondering if it is worthwhile for me to shock the well (have the well driller do it) and house piping since it went relatively unused for so long? I'm thinking it may be a good idea to loosen up + flush out as much remaining iron build-up in the system before installing a new iron filter, and I'm wondering about bacteria in the house plumbing itself. Your thoughts?
Also, when I get an iron filter, it will be going into an outside shed - a few spiders, spider webs, occasional transient mouse, geckos. In central Florida, I am in an area with frequent, albeit usually short, power outages + surges, and lightning storms. I had installed a whole-house surge supressor (forget the joules) on it's own 30 Amp breaker when we put in a new electrical panel. The microwave clock + other clocks still go out frequently though...
Given this info, Would it be better to go with a Fleck 2510 mechanical valve timer, or would it be okay to use the Fleck 2510SXT digital timer? Would a 30 Amp whole house supressor protect it from frying the circuit board during a lightning storm? Would spiders-bugs crawl into the digital control and muck it up, moreso than a mechanical timer?
My last concern is the required backflush rate for Filox media. I have read anywhere from 12-13 GPM to 25 gpm is required. I am wondering why I am finding such discrepancies. Does the backflush GPM depend on the mesh size of the media? Or does it depend on if it is a 1.0, 1.5 or 2.0 CF media tank? Or a bit of both?
In the Filox and Mang-Ox manufacturer spec sheets I read, the mesh sizes were different... Filox 12 x 40, Mang-Ox 8 x 20/20 x 40. I guess my question is, does it matter that much the mesh size of the media? Does the mesh size affect the backflush GPM needed? The Mang-Ox specs also listed backwash as 22-30 GPM/SF. I guess I am getting confused over the tanks being listed as 1.0 or 2.0 cubic foot of media, but the backwash rates being given as eg. 12 gpm/SF of media... Can someone help explain this cubic foot vs. square foot to me? Or at least tell me if a 15 GPM backwash will be sufficient for a 1.5 or 2.0 CF Filox (or other brand) media?
Another thing I am a bit confused about, is some sellers advertise a Filox or Mang-Ox system... but the fine print says the magnesium dioxide may be from a different brand/supplier. If this is the case, does it matter that much?
I apologize this post is long, but just wanted to give as much info as I could up front. I thank you in advance for any advice you can give.
PS: I want to avoid using a water softener. We have generally good water in this area, albeit it's a bit hard, and I have more iron as I'm fairly close to a lake, and most of the homes in this area have iron issues. That's why I'm looking at just an iron filter, and possibly a carbon filter for ice/drinking water in the kitchen. People who live just a little further away from the lake, their water is great, if a bit calcium hard.