Huskymaniac
New Member
Here is some background information:
1. Rotten Egg smell
2. Slime in holding tank of toilet
3. Smell in both cold and hot water but worse in hot
4. Adding some bleach into the brine tank of my standard softener helps buts does not eliminate the problem
5. 11 grains of hardness
6. 0.2 ppm Iron
7. Ph = 8.0
I don't have the bacteria results yet but I have concluded that I am smelling hydrogen sulfide gas dissolved in the water and it is coming from sulfer reducing bacteria. I have done some research on my options and here are the results:
1. Chlorination in a retention tank followed by activated carbon filtration and a standard water softener. There are many suppliers of equipment for this. It will kill the bacteria and remove the hydrogen sulfide gas but it is more bulky and messy than I would like. However, it is an option.
2. Injection of Hydrogen Peroxide followed by a catalyzed carbon filter. The following company sells the necessary equipment:
http://www.pwgazette.com/feedsystems.htm
including the Centaur Catalytic Carbon filter:
http://www.pwgazette.com/5600.htm
There is a diagram of the system:
http://www.pwgazette.com/feedpumpdiagram.htm
This is also a little bulky but it is extremely effective at both killing the bacteria and filtering the hydrogen sulfide gas. The hydrogen peroxide both kills bacteria and it oxygenates the water. The catalytic carbon filter (placed after the retention tank) is very good at filtering out hydrogen sulfide gas when the water is oxygenated. It only needs to be occasionally backwashed.
3. Zeolite based softener and sulfur abatement:
http://www.water-right.com/residential/sanitizer/sanitizer.html
The special zeolite crystals they use both soften water by ion exchange but they also generate chlorine from the brine during regeneration and the chlorine is used to kill bacteria and remove hydrogen sulfide gas. Also, since the filter is very good at filtering out iron, it keeps the bacteria's food from the plumbing system and especially the hot water tank. This is a pretty simple system.
4. MediaGuard filter and KDF 85:
http://www.qualitywatertreatment.com/media_guard_filters.htm
This is added to a standard water softener bed. I'm not sure about the details but I have read claims throughout the internet that this does a good job at filtering out the hydrogen sulfide gas and iron. This is also a pretty simple system and can be deployed when you build up the softener bed.
5. Ozone systems:
http://www.cleanwaterstore.com/products/well_water/ozone.html
http://www.aquatechnology.net/ozone_systems.html
These are supposedly very effective at killing the bacteria and getting rid of the hydrogen sulfide gas but they look pretty bulky and complicated. They also look expensive and expensive to maintain (UV lamps or corona discharge units). Also, the ozone needs to be filtered and monitored as it is also toxic in large quantities.
6. Chlorination of the well:
http://www.caitechnologies.com/shopping/items.asp?ACTION=DISPLAY&Category=6
This would also require an activated carbon filter or a catalytic carbon filter prior to the house plumbing. Seems simple and maybe more simple than the chlorination system that uses a retention tank. But it also requires careful calculation of the chlorine dosage and service of the unit that sits on the well. I have heard that they periodically fail and need to be replaced but they aren't very expensive so maybe it isn't a big deal to replace them every three years or so.
7.Pyrolox filter:
http://www.puritec.com/store/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=258&CFID=1207080&CFTOKEN=11048570
This is another very simple filter/softener combination. The pyrolox filter works like the catalytic carbon filter where it filters out the hydrogen sulfide gas and iron through a catalytic reaction. I'm not sure if it needs water with a decent level of dissolved oxygen to work like the catalytic carbon filter requires.
8. Catalytic Carbon Filter:
http://www.excelwater.com/eng/b2c/showproduct.php?cboCategory=1&txtKeyWord=Centaur
This is capable of filtering out iron and hydrogen sulfide gas but it does require some dissolved oxygen in the water. That can be achieved by injection of air or, as mentioned above, hydrogen peroxide if the water doesn't naturally have enough oxygen, which it might. It would have to be combined with a standard softener to remove the other minerals that this filter doesn't take care of. This company also sells a standalone pyrolox filter. They have some nice info on various options:
http://www.excelwater.com/eng/b2c/h2s.php?WL_Session=f2644196d2ff56bc7548ac6d1eaacc5c
9. Copper Dosing:
http://www.macclean.com/products/filtration/sulx.shtml
I have very little information on this other than it supposed works very well and comes from a reputable company (CUNO).
10. Aeration:
There are several companies selling systems for this. Here is one:
http://www.air-pump.com/package.html
This works well for getting out the hydrogen sulfide gas and the iron but I worry about the fact that the injected air can actually promote bacteria growth and even introduce contaminants from the basement air into the water. However, it is extremely simple.
11. Crystal Clean:
http://www.crystalclean.us/?OVRAW=sulfur well&OVKEY=well water treatment system&OVMTC=advanced
This is some sort of magical chemical to be used during regeneration of a standard softener. They claim it takes care of the hydrogen sulfide gas but it appears that it's real claim to fame is that it does a very good job at getting rid of the iron that the bacteria would feed on in the softener bed.
12. Kinetico:
http://www.kinetico.com/Kinetico/EN/Residential/Products/Specialty+Products/
There isn't too much information on this but people claim that it does a good job at removing iron and hydrogen sulfide gas.
13. Manganese greensand with potassium permanganate for regeneration. There are lots of sources for this old approach. We are weary of going with the Manganese Greensand because the Potassium Permanganate is so toxic. We understand that it is unlikely that the regeneration cycle will fail and Potassium Permanganate will be released into the drinking water but it is possible and that makes us uneasy.
Here are some other interesting links I have found:
http://www.waternet.com/article.asp?IndexID=6632944
http://www.pentairwater.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=538
http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/groundwater/pdfs/MDH-HS&SB.pdf#search='sulfur%20well'
http://www.motherearthnews.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3294&whichpage=1
http://www.watertanks.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=427&whichpage=1
http://www.water.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/3A2BB9B9-E34E-4048-A847-AB62C6F0C848/0/GWBwell_maint_and_disinf.pdf#search='sulfur%20well'
https://terrylove.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11910
http://www.wqpmag.com/wqp/index.cfm/powergrid/rfah=|cfap=/CFID/79937/CFTOKEN/63225778/fuseaction/showArticle/articleID/3173
Any comments or suggestions? How about omissions?
1. Rotten Egg smell
2. Slime in holding tank of toilet
3. Smell in both cold and hot water but worse in hot
4. Adding some bleach into the brine tank of my standard softener helps buts does not eliminate the problem
5. 11 grains of hardness
6. 0.2 ppm Iron
7. Ph = 8.0
I don't have the bacteria results yet but I have concluded that I am smelling hydrogen sulfide gas dissolved in the water and it is coming from sulfer reducing bacteria. I have done some research on my options and here are the results:
1. Chlorination in a retention tank followed by activated carbon filtration and a standard water softener. There are many suppliers of equipment for this. It will kill the bacteria and remove the hydrogen sulfide gas but it is more bulky and messy than I would like. However, it is an option.
2. Injection of Hydrogen Peroxide followed by a catalyzed carbon filter. The following company sells the necessary equipment:
http://www.pwgazette.com/feedsystems.htm
including the Centaur Catalytic Carbon filter:
http://www.pwgazette.com/5600.htm
There is a diagram of the system:
http://www.pwgazette.com/feedpumpdiagram.htm
This is also a little bulky but it is extremely effective at both killing the bacteria and filtering the hydrogen sulfide gas. The hydrogen peroxide both kills bacteria and it oxygenates the water. The catalytic carbon filter (placed after the retention tank) is very good at filtering out hydrogen sulfide gas when the water is oxygenated. It only needs to be occasionally backwashed.
3. Zeolite based softener and sulfur abatement:
http://www.water-right.com/residential/sanitizer/sanitizer.html
The special zeolite crystals they use both soften water by ion exchange but they also generate chlorine from the brine during regeneration and the chlorine is used to kill bacteria and remove hydrogen sulfide gas. Also, since the filter is very good at filtering out iron, it keeps the bacteria's food from the plumbing system and especially the hot water tank. This is a pretty simple system.
4. MediaGuard filter and KDF 85:
http://www.qualitywatertreatment.com/media_guard_filters.htm
This is added to a standard water softener bed. I'm not sure about the details but I have read claims throughout the internet that this does a good job at filtering out the hydrogen sulfide gas and iron. This is also a pretty simple system and can be deployed when you build up the softener bed.
5. Ozone systems:
http://www.cleanwaterstore.com/products/well_water/ozone.html
http://www.aquatechnology.net/ozone_systems.html
These are supposedly very effective at killing the bacteria and getting rid of the hydrogen sulfide gas but they look pretty bulky and complicated. They also look expensive and expensive to maintain (UV lamps or corona discharge units). Also, the ozone needs to be filtered and monitored as it is also toxic in large quantities.
6. Chlorination of the well:
http://www.caitechnologies.com/shopping/items.asp?ACTION=DISPLAY&Category=6
This would also require an activated carbon filter or a catalytic carbon filter prior to the house plumbing. Seems simple and maybe more simple than the chlorination system that uses a retention tank. But it also requires careful calculation of the chlorine dosage and service of the unit that sits on the well. I have heard that they periodically fail and need to be replaced but they aren't very expensive so maybe it isn't a big deal to replace them every three years or so.
7.Pyrolox filter:
http://www.puritec.com/store/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=258&CFID=1207080&CFTOKEN=11048570
This is another very simple filter/softener combination. The pyrolox filter works like the catalytic carbon filter where it filters out the hydrogen sulfide gas and iron through a catalytic reaction. I'm not sure if it needs water with a decent level of dissolved oxygen to work like the catalytic carbon filter requires.
8. Catalytic Carbon Filter:
http://www.excelwater.com/eng/b2c/showproduct.php?cboCategory=1&txtKeyWord=Centaur
This is capable of filtering out iron and hydrogen sulfide gas but it does require some dissolved oxygen in the water. That can be achieved by injection of air or, as mentioned above, hydrogen peroxide if the water doesn't naturally have enough oxygen, which it might. It would have to be combined with a standard softener to remove the other minerals that this filter doesn't take care of. This company also sells a standalone pyrolox filter. They have some nice info on various options:
http://www.excelwater.com/eng/b2c/h2s.php?WL_Session=f2644196d2ff56bc7548ac6d1eaacc5c
9. Copper Dosing:
http://www.macclean.com/products/filtration/sulx.shtml
I have very little information on this other than it supposed works very well and comes from a reputable company (CUNO).
10. Aeration:
There are several companies selling systems for this. Here is one:
http://www.air-pump.com/package.html
This works well for getting out the hydrogen sulfide gas and the iron but I worry about the fact that the injected air can actually promote bacteria growth and even introduce contaminants from the basement air into the water. However, it is extremely simple.
11. Crystal Clean:
http://www.crystalclean.us/?OVRAW=sulfur well&OVKEY=well water treatment system&OVMTC=advanced
This is some sort of magical chemical to be used during regeneration of a standard softener. They claim it takes care of the hydrogen sulfide gas but it appears that it's real claim to fame is that it does a very good job at getting rid of the iron that the bacteria would feed on in the softener bed.
12. Kinetico:
http://www.kinetico.com/Kinetico/EN/Residential/Products/Specialty+Products/
There isn't too much information on this but people claim that it does a good job at removing iron and hydrogen sulfide gas.
13. Manganese greensand with potassium permanganate for regeneration. There are lots of sources for this old approach. We are weary of going with the Manganese Greensand because the Potassium Permanganate is so toxic. We understand that it is unlikely that the regeneration cycle will fail and Potassium Permanganate will be released into the drinking water but it is possible and that makes us uneasy.
Here are some other interesting links I have found:
http://www.waternet.com/article.asp?IndexID=6632944
http://www.pentairwater.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=538
http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/groundwater/pdfs/MDH-HS&SB.pdf#search='sulfur%20well'
http://www.motherearthnews.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3294&whichpage=1
http://www.watertanks.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=427&whichpage=1
http://www.water.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/3A2BB9B9-E34E-4048-A847-AB62C6F0C848/0/GWBwell_maint_and_disinf.pdf#search='sulfur%20well'
https://terrylove.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11910
http://www.wqpmag.com/wqp/index.cfm/powergrid/rfah=|cfap=/CFID/79937/CFTOKEN/63225778/fuseaction/showArticle/articleID/3173
Any comments or suggestions? How about omissions?