Iron problems - ozone generator?

11 years ago

We have very high iron in our well water. Around 12 ppm in the latest test! We have had this problem for years and we are currently using a softener to treat it. I know the softener is not the right tool for the job... it does manage to remove 90% or so of the iron, but that still leaves enough that it stains all the fixtures. Plus, we use a lot of salt and have to buy the more expensive salt in the green bags.

It's time for a change, so we're considering 2 options:

1) Throw out the entire current system. Haven't decided what to replace it with yet, but leaning toward pyrolox.

2) As an alternative, we are considering augmenting our current system with an ozone generator. Our current system is a sand filter followed by the softener. I would put the ozone generator before the sand filter, letting the filter grab all the precipitated iron. Does this sound like a good idea? Or will it just foul the sand filter? Any advice is appreciated!

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Comments (8)

User
11 years ago
Does everyone in your area have the same severe iron problem? If so, what are they doing? If not, it will likely be cheaper and more effective in the long run to drill your well deeper.

If you wish to augment your current system, ozone will work. However, you existing sand filter won't handle the particulates unless it was way oversized. Redundant sand filters would be best to ensure water flow when you need it.

Your best best with iron problems is to find a local water treatment professional that you trust because iron removal systems generally need some babysitting and expertise. Have you contacted locals?

This post was edited by aliceinwonderland_id on Tue, Nov 25, 14 at 16:37
diggity_ma
Original Author
11 years ago
Hi, thanks for the reply. Everyone in our area has horribly rusty water, so drilling deeper is a gamble at best. Fortunately we do have 2 sand filters, so they are indeed redundant. I have thought about calling a pro, but our only experience with pros has been with Kinetico, who sold us our current system. My experience with Kinetico has been that the equipment is high quality and well built, but extremely expensive and the salesmen are pushy.
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User
11 years ago
Since you already have a relationship with your Kinetico dealer it will cost you nothing for them to come and quote you the cost to achieve your goal... a cheap place to start.
User
11 years ago
If Kinetico sold you your existing system claiming that it would be adequate for the iron removal, then it is reasonable to be hesitant about working with them. It could be that you simply had an inexperienced rep. Kinetico, as a company, has access to a lot of water treatment expertise, so it is likely still worthwhile to get an iron removal recommendation from them. Are they the only local pros?
diggity_ma
Original Author
11 years ago
OK, I guess you've convinced me to call Kinetico again - If we end up keeping the softener we'll probably have to have it rebedded anyway, so I should probably have the conversation with them. Thanks for the advice!
james ford
6 years ago
I think this is due to the fact that it's very old
jamie cook
6 years ago
I think your plan should work
PRO
Safeway Water
6 years ago
I would stay away from Pyrolox, extremely heavy to backwash, and has been very "dirty" in my experience. I've used ozone with Katalox Lite and Filter Ox with decent results. But ozone is finicky and expensive, maybe a chemical injection system followed by a mang ox type filter would work best. Followed by a good, if a bit oversized softener should do the trick.