Water Technology - Jan 2012

PROFESSOR POU POE Professor POU POE This months topics Poor Fe removal working pressure vs burst pressure dealkalizers 32 Water Technology January 2012 to 20 40 microns Multimedia filters filter down to about 15 20 microns The ceramic that has been proposed to you advertises that it filters down to 5 microns It also can filter at higher flow rates and backwash at lesser flow rates This is probably why it can be placed in a small tank above a softener tank the softener valve is suitable for the lower backwash rates of both the ceramic and the softening resin This medium is also capable of greater sediment loading before requiring backwashing I dont however know why two double tanks like this are being proposed unless it is to regenerate with treated water If you filter turbidity or sediment in a separate tank it should precede the softener This will require two control valves The proposed double tank uses only one valve unless you have two doubles two valves I see the words working pressure and burst pressure on the specifications sheets of fiberglass tanks I dont understand what these two designations mean In most cases working pressure refers to the pressure that randomly selected production components are subjected to in order to assure proper quality control On a less frequent basis tanks are placed in a room built to withstand the explosion or bursting of a tank due to increasingly higher internal pressure burst pressure There is a specific test procedure that must be met by WQA standards in order for a tank to receive certification So every tank should be able to with I have a 20 year old softener on a shallow 50 foot well It has worked good over this period but the iron removal has never been good The latest raw water chemical analysis shows a pH of 69 hardness of 60 and iron of 2 ppm I keep the prefilter screen in the head cleaned and have changed the timer head several times over the 20 years I have iron buildup in the toilet tanks and have to clean with Iron Out and purge the water heater and the pressure tanks every six months The water tastes very good although we go through seasonal turbidity problems triggered by the weather We do have spotting of the shower stall toilet bowls the Jacuzzi and dishwasher but they clean with Iron Out This takes out the iron bacteria but not the ring stains in the toilet bowls A sales rep recommended two double tanks one active and one regenerating The top tank has 02 cu ft of ceramic Macrolite and the bottom tank has 07 cu ft of standard resin This costs 4000 which is way over my budget Why cant I add a stand alone ceramic backwashing unit ahead of the softener I prefer to add another regenerating filter instead of a cartridge for the turbidity Do you have any advice on how I can improve this system to remove iron Enumclaw Washington From your description Im thinking that you have a water softener which is intended to remove the iron and the hardness The pH is neutral so that is no issue So far it would be expected that a single softener would easily solve your problem This is clearly not happening However from your other comments I think its possible that you may have some combined tannin and iron because you are unable to clean all the stains with Iron Out and because you have a shallow well which would be more subject to tannin intrusion A standard softening resin cannot remove iron bacteria or a tannin iron combination You believe you also have iron bacteria but you dont discuss this much I recommend that you determine if you have tannins and or iron bacteria Iron bacteria are frequently identified by the presence of slime in the toilet tank Tannins can be tested by a field test kit If you have tannins or iron bacteria you will need different treatment Find a reputable dealer for advice on this The bacteria often require chlorination and the tannins require a different ion exchange resin Your other comments regarding excessive cleaning are not consistent with a softener that is in good operating condition The iron and hardness levels are not that high Im disappointed to hear that you have had to change the control valve several times in 20 years Barring the presence of tannins or iron bacteria you seem to need a filter for the occasional turbidity followed by a softener There are several media that can filter turbidity most single media like Filter Ag can filter down By David M Bauman For more information on this topic go to www watertechonline com and enter keyword s Iron burst pressure dealkalizers Q Q A A