Range After Before
ph 2-12 7.5-8.5 7.5-8.5
Total alkalinity 0-240 240 240
Total chlorine 0-10 1 1
Total hardness 0-425 0 425 (25 grains)
Iron 0-5 0-0.1 0.1
Copper 0-5 0 0-1.3
Nitrate 0-50 0 0
Nitrite 0-5 0 0
Total hardness greatly reduced
Noticed slightly higher iron and copper before softener
Problem Likely Cause rusty red or brown staining of fixtures or laundry excess iron and/or your water has a metallic taste black staining of fixtures or laundry excess manganese rotten egg smell from water Hydrogen sulfide (H2S)
Cannot be removed by water softener. Leads to redish stains
Ferrous (dissolved state)
Can be removed by water softener
When exposed to air, ferrous iron (dissolved state) oxidizes to ferric iron (precipitated state), which can form an insoluble stain-causing rust. Excess ferric iron creates havoc in plumbing systems, water softeners, and other water-related devices.
Water softeners can remove iron in its soluble ferrous state if no bacteria are present. Some high-end water softener systems can remove ferrous iron at concentrations up to 25 mg/L.
Iron bacteria create additional problems. Some iron bacteria utilize dissolved iron during respiration. This may cause a rusty color in water supplies or create a slime that clogs valves, plumbing fixtures, and water-using appliances.
If ferric iron is present the resin will be fouled and rendered ineffective for iron or hardness removal. It is important to ensure that the well water not come into contact with any oxidants (air, chlorine) prior to softening.
Birm For reduction of iron and manganese
Manganese Greensand For reduction of iron, manganese,
and hydrogen sulfide.
Pyrolox For reduction of iron, manganese,
and hydrogen sulfide.
Iron H2S
KDF 6 2
Birm
Greensand 15 5
Pyrolox 10 3
Birm is an efficient and economical method of removing dissolved iron and manganese compounds from raw water supplies.
Produces ferric hydroxide which precipitates and my be easily filtered.
No chemicals to purchase for maintenance. Regeneration not required.
9 X 48" Structural Mineral tank, 20 pounds of gravel, $400.00 1 cubic foot of birm media, 1.0 cubic foot (5-7 gpm)
Manganese Greensand filters remove ferrous and ferric iron, manganese and hydrogen sulfide from water through oxidation and filtration. Backwashing and regeneration with potassium permanganate solution restores the media bed.
It can remove up to 15 ppm of iron, and 5 ppm hydrogen sulfide. It can operate in a pH range of 6.2 to 8.8, and does not have a TDS requirement. Must also have at least 50 psi and 10 gallons per minute flow available for proper backwash. The solution tank is 10" in diameter by 13" tall.
Manganese green sand filters pull iron and sulfur from water.
Green sand media requires a chemical called potassium permanganate.
Green sand needs to be replaced
9 x 48 Tank, 5 Gallon Pot Feeder 1.0 cubic foot (5-7 gpm) $545.00
Pyrolox is a mineral form of manganese oxide that removes iron (up to 10 ppm), manganese (up to 5 ppm) and hydrogen sulfide (up to 3 ppm) by oxidation/reduction. No chemical regeneration is needed - only regular backwashing. Must also have at least 50 psi and 10 gallons per minute flow available for proper backwash.
Capacity:
People = 4 Gallons per person = 80 Gallons used per day = 4 x 80 = 320 Grains of hardness = 10 Total grains used per day = 3200 It takes 17.1 PPM to equal 1 GPG. 171 PPM calcium in it, divide 171 by 17.1 to get the answer in grains. This example would be 10 grains, or GPG.
Meter Regenerated Fleck Valves / Fleck Controls / Fleck Valve Chart / Fleck 5600 SE
PUROLITE HIGH CAPACITY FINE MESH RESIN, .25 CUBIC FEET GRAVEL BED, KDF 85 MEDIA GUARD
Hardness up to 50 gpg Iron up to 6 ppm or mg/l Hydrogen Sulfide up to 2 ppm Manganese up to 4 ppm or mg/l General filtering of all chemicals, odors, sediment. KDF Process Media are effective in controlling the buildup of bacteria, algae, fungi and scaleTerminator
20 PPM OF IRON AND MANGANESE 5 PPM OF DISSOLVED HYDROGEN SULFIDE
As little as 0.5 ppm hydrogen sulfide can be tasted in your drinking water.
Potassium permanganate is extremely "messy", and will leave stains that are very difficult to remove.
Trace amounts of hydrogen sulfide (up to a few tenths mg/1)
At this level, activated carbon filtration will reduce the unpleasant taste associated with hydrogen sulfide but has a very limited capacity for odor absorption. Hydrogen sulfide gas is adsorbed onto the carbon surface. In this method, the filter, when exhausted, must be replaced, and cannot be recharged.
Less than 2 mg/l hydrogen sulfide
Aeration (adding air to the water) is an appropriate treatment method. In any aeration system, the water must be protected from bacterial contamination and freezing, and there are large space requirements. Another limitation of this method is that the aeration process produces a strong hydrogen sulfide odor near the aerator which may be unpleasant if near the household living area. Furthermore, this process, by itself, may not always reduce the hydrogen sulfide to unnoticable levels. However, the addition of a carbon filter may remove some of the remaining trace amounts of hydrogen sulfide.
1-10 mg/l hydrogen sulfide
The use of an iron-removal filter containing manganese greensand is suggested. Manganese dioxide oxidizes hydrogen sulfide and the oxidized particles are then filtered out in the lower part of the bed. Manganese greensand filters must be recharged with a solution of potassium permanganate when the manganese greensand is depleted. This process is similar to regenerating a water softener and usually must be implemented at intervals from one to four weeks depending on the condition of the water, size of the unit, and amount of water consumption. Water with a pH below 6.7 may need to be treated with an acid water neutralizer before this process will be effective.
More than 6 mg/l hydrogen sulfide
Constant chlorination using an automatic chemical feed pump is the most common treatment method. The recommended dosage is 2 mg/l chlorine for each mg/l hydrogen sulfide. The chlorine should be added ahead of the mixing tank and sufficient storage must be provided to maintain 20 minutes of contact time between the water and the chemical. This process may produce objectionable taste in the water. Depending upon the amount of chlorine added, an activated carbon filter may be used to obtain chlorine-free water for cooking and drinking. The same carbon filter can also reduce any remaining hydrogen sulfide. Maintenance and replacement of filter systems should be considered since sulfur, iron, manganese and other suspended materials in the water can quickly clog the filter.
Sizing your softener - Water hardness can be reported in "grains per gallon" (gpg), "parts per million" (ppm) or "milligrams per liter" (mg/l). Most of the industry calculates softener size using gpg. You can divide ppm and mg/l by 17.1 to obtain your hardness value in grains per gallon.
You will also need to account for the iron and manganese in your water, and a quick way to get this value is to multiply your iron and manganese concentration (in ppm or mg/l) by a factor of 4. Add this number to the hardness value you determined above. The resulting total value is similar to a "compensated" hardness value, and will better serve to size your softener.
In the example below we will use 4 people in the home and a hardness value of 10 grains per gallon, and iron concentration of 2 ppm.
Multiply 4 people in the home x 75 gallons water usage per person per day x (10 grains hardness + (2 ppm iron x 4)) = 5,400 grains of hardness to be removed per day. So with a 32,000 grain system, set capacity would be about 26,000 grains (20% lower than actual - reserve capacity), and a metered unit would regenerate approximately every 5 days (26,000 divided by 5,400), which is acceptable.
Use the formula above to adjust for the number of people actually living in your home, and your specific water hardness.
With normal to low levels of iron in your water, you can size your softener to regenerate between every 5 to 10 days. With higher levels of iron (5 mg/l and higher) and manganese (1 mg/l and higher), it's better to size a system to regenerate more frequently, in order to keep the resin bed free of accumulated deposits. In this case, a regeneration every three to five days may be required. If you have very high iron levels in your water, please contact us by email or telephone for a sizing recommendation.
Pro-Rust Out chemically removes iron and rust build-up that coats the resin beds and fouls the softener. This iron build-up is not totally removed during normal regeneration of a water softener. Using Pro-Rust Out in a water softener will eliminate rust and foreign matter from the resin bed. This increases the life of the softener and reduces rust staining on household fixtures and other surfaces. Use regularly as preventative maintenance to ensure the softening and recharging efficiency of the softener's resin bed. Salt with rust remover