Water treatment advice

[FredWurlitzer]

Looking for advice or opinions on whether or not our water treatment system is up to par. I'm sure you'd need to know what our raw well water composition is, which I currently do not know. Where is the best place to get a water quality/composition test? I was told not to have it done by a company that sells water treatment systems. Why is this? Do they skew the results? When we purchased the house last year, a Culligan rep briefly explained the system to me and how it works. He also had water results from 1998, which showed hardness and iron but he didn't mention the exact levels. I assume water can change over the course of 20 years? I have no idea how deep our well is. How do you go about measuring?

My current system is the following : de-gassing/aeration tank --> pressure pump --> 120 gallon galvanized steel retention tank --> chlorine injection into the retention tank (wired to turn on when the pressure pump turns on) --> carbon filter --> water softener (currently no salt in the brine tank, not sure which kind to buy)

It has worked fine for a while, but just recently noticed that the chlorine tank (30 gallon) level has not gone down in the last couple weeks. My chlorine pool test is not detecting any chlorine after the 120 gallon retention tank and before the carbon filters, whereas it has before. I would guess that the chemical feeder pump (Culligan unit, 110V, a little dated) is not working properly. Thinking it could be air locked, I unscrewed the distal tubing off the pump quick to hopefully purge some air (not the first time I've done this, as I accidentally let the chlorine tank run dry). I did notice that the velocity of the water coming out of the pump was severely diminished compared to the first time I re-primed with it.

The whole system seems quite dated, but functional. The Culligan rep suggested replacing the galvanized tank with a fiberglass unit.

What is everyone's thought on whole house RO systems? I've heard that RO water can be corrosive to copper piping. Is this true if there's a re-mineralization stage at the end of the RO system? This water is causing our dishware, knives, etc.. to corrode. There's always residue stains on our dishes after a cycle. And all of this is after the water treatment system. I can't imagine what it's doing to the internal components of our clothes and dish washing machines. Appreciate any and all advice, as we plan to stay in this house for a long time.

 

[Valveman]

Moving to softener forum where you should get more help.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reach4]

Looking for advice or opinions on whether or not our water treatment system is up to par. I'm sure you'd need to know what our raw well water composition is, which I currently do not know. Where is the best place to get a water quality/composition test?

https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?threads/recommended-water-testing-lab.75253/ has some good sources.

For chlorine, for the low range testing, I would consider LAMOTTE 2963LR-G .25 ppm to 10 ppm low range chlorine test strips.

Clearly your pump or injector has failed. I am not familiar with your pump.

 

[Bannerman]

Using a proprietary brand such as the one you mentioned, typically means you will be reliant on their dealer network for service and parts, no matter what they decide to charge. Fleck, Clack or Autotrol equipment is usually offered and serviced by most generic water treatment dealers in most areas.

A comprehensive lab test is required to identify water conditions so as to determine the appropriate treatment methods necessary. The lab most commonly recommended on this forum is National Labs WaterCheck: http://watercheck.myshopify.com/?aff=5

 

[ditttohead]

Gotta agree, get a real water test as linked, and I would guess it is time to replace/update your equipment. Water treatment technologies, medias and designs have come a long way in te past 20 years.

 

[FredWurlitzer]

I will work on getting a sample and sending it to an independent lab. How does one go about obtaining an absolute raw water sample? It seems with my system, the only way to obtain one before the degasser would be the well. There is no valve I can open before the degasser to take a sample.

So do companies really skew water testing results? There are a bunch around me that offer free testing.

And is it true that one would have to switch their entire residential plumbing to PEX tubing with an RO system?

 

[Reach4]

I will work on getting a sample and sending it to an independent lab. How does one go about obtaining an absolute raw water sample? It seems with my system, the only way to obtain one before the degasser would be the well. There is no valve I can open before the degasser to take a sample.

After the degasser should be valid, as long as you flow the water for a good while and rate before taking the sample. For any bacteria test to be meaningful, you have to follow proper sampling techniques including sterilizing the faucet. If you care about the coliform test results, care needs to be taken in sampling. http://www.ugra.org/images/pdf/sampling_handout.pdf is one description of a method to avoid contaminating the sample.

And is it true that one would have to switch their entire residential plumbing to PEX tubing with an RO system?

CPVC would work too.

It is also possible to add back in some selected minerals if you are going to need to use to use metallic pipe. I am not a pro.

 

[ditttohead]

Free water test ='s a high pressure salesman showing up to your door.

Since you are o your own private well and you want to DIY, you must get a real water test. Do not go cheap here. Just get it done right. http://watercheck.myshopify.com/?aff=5

Whole house RO is rarely needed but when it is we usually run a projection to see what the water would be coming out of the membrane and to see how long the membranes will theoretically last. These software programs are not perfect but usually fairly good at giving us a reasonable estimation. If your TDS and pH are in the acceptable range then copper pip can be fine. Absolute statements in water should be avoided since water simply has far too many variables.

Here is a recent projection I did, the Permeate (RO water) will end up at about 250 ppm with a pH of 7. I would still recommend monitoring the copper levels in the water after the RO, but it is probably not going to be a problem.

 

[FredWurlitzer]

So I got around to installing a hose bib just before the water treatment system so I can get a raw water sample. I just ordered a NTL test kit. I did have the Culligan guy out just to see what he would say and offer. He also performed a raw water test with his own kit. He claims that his tests are accurate, yet is using color coded scales to determine values. He also claims that the iron results will change (due to oxidation over time) if I use a test kit and send it out.

According to his tests:
pH = 7.2
Sulfur = trace
Iron = 5.0 (his color coded scale only went up to 5.0)
Hardness = 27
Nitrates = Negative
TDS = >1,500ppm

I was looking at 120 gallon fiberglass retention tanks online and most of them seem too tall for installation in my basement. My current galvanized tank is about 64" high, and that's cutting it close.

 

[ditttohead]

Lets wait to get the full real test results but in general you will likely be needing a baffled contact tank, H202 or sodium hypochlorite injection, Katalox light and a softener. It really depends on what else is in the water, how much money you want to spend and what quality of water you want afterwards.