Water treatment improvements

Water in my home would occasionally turn brown, and caused brown staining on the toilet, sink, and bathtub. While not a health concern, the iron in the water should be removed. I've made some changes to the system and now the water is exceptionally good. Stains no longer form and occasional sulfur smell from the water has been greatly reduced. The house uses a 250 foot deep drilled well.

In addition to the basic water softener system originally installed in my home, I've added two particulate filters between the pressure tank and water softener. These are rated at 1 micron nominal filtering, and remove silt, sediment, and some rust particles from the water. They are installed in parallel for maximum surface area and minimum pressure reduction. A pair of filters lasts about two months. They get changed when water pressure from the tap or shower is noticably reduced. When removed, the filters are coated with a very fine almost silky feeling clay. Preventing this dirt from entering the water softener ensures the beads remain clean for best effectiveness at treating incoming water.

For maintenance, every second year I allow the salt level to reduce to almost empty. The brine tank gets disconnected and brought outside. Salt will harden into a clump at the bottom of the tank and must be dumped. Rinse the tank, ensure the float mechanism is clean and moves freely. Return the tank inside, connect, and refill with fresh salt. Add half a cup of vinegar to the bottom of the tank to help with the first regeneration cycle.

A standard water softener is capable of removing small amounts of iron from the water. It becomes saturated quickly however and must be regenerated more frequently. My softener is set to regenerate every third night. I add Iron Out as directed on the package instructions to the salt in the brine tank. This assists with removal of iron accumulation in the water softener tank. It can be purchased at most hardware stores or water specialty stores. Windsor Salt sells Rust Remover salt which can be used in place of normal salt. It costs about double the price. Alternately, add a quarter cup of vinegar to the brine tank every week or so. Pour it into the large tube in the brine tank, not over the salt. During regeneration, the acid will help remove iron buildup.

Click thumbnails to enlarge.

The filter housings were purchased at Canadian Tire. They are RainFresh FC005 with HP1 filter cartridges. I originally tried 5 micron filters, but there was little improvement to water quality. Changing to 1 micron cartridges showed an immediate and noticeable difference. Price is about double.

Finally, to ensure the very best water quality for cooking and drinking, I installed a small reverse osmosis filter system. It is sold by AquaSafeCanada. Total cost installed was about $220. It supplies a small tap on the side of the kitchen sink. Ice cubes are clear, form very few cracks, and seem to last considerably longer in drinks compared to those made from regular tap water. I check total dissolved solids of source and filtered water on a routine basis to ensure things are working properly.
Read more at AquaSafeCanada.

There are many publications available from Nova Scotia department of Environment and Labor.
Before You Construct an On-Site Sewage System and Before You Construct a Water Well are essential for those on well and septic systems.

You may want to read through SepticProtector.com for septic hints. I've added a lint trap to my washer to help protect the septic field. I see it as cheap insurance to keep the field from getting blocked.

More useful information.
Drinking water, Iron and Manganese
Water softener FAQ and info
Water treatment fundamentals
Water treatment guide

Email me - warrenstone@eastlink.ca with any questions or comments.