I currently have a regular ion exchange water softener that is simply no longer doing the job. I would like to replace this with a new system. Everything turns orange and I’m constantly ruining clothes. My plan is to add a high flow sediment filter, followed by some type of iron filtration system. I will also be replacing my water tank and my hot water heater since they’ve accumulated a large amount of iron.
I have a few questions:
1) How effective and reliable are the air injection oxidation based systems such as the OXY-MAX?
2) If I go with a more traditional system, Manganese Greensand or Birm?
3) Do I also need a regular, ion exchange water softener to deal with hardness?
4) What type of sediment filter should I use to pre-filter my water? I worry about flow rate and cost of replacement filters.
5) With the above systems, what type of maintenance is required? Will I need to “backwash” with special chemicals? Do I need to replace media and/or filters, and if so, how often?
Any help would be appreciated..
Answer:
1) How effective and reliable are the air injection oxidation based systems such as the OXY-MAX? Very effective – the Oxy-Max system will resolve very high iron level problem. While specific iron removal efficiency depends on your water quality, it is not unusual for the Oxy-Max system to handle in the 10 ppm range – sometimes higher. The iron in the water being treated is oxidized during normal operation, becoming ferric (particulate) iron, and then filtered out in the Birm media bed. The Birm media requires the 15% dissolved oxygen/iron content – but there is always plenty of excess oxygen available with these designs – so the Birm functions properly, not only to remove any residual ferrous (dissolved) iron, but also acting as a particulate filter media.
2) If I go with a more traditional system, Manganese Greensand or Birm? Although we offer both of these systems, you would probably be better off with an air injection system like the Oxy-Max (as discussed above) or an Iron-Pro system. Both of these system incorporate birm media in their design anyway. When using any system containing birm, it is important to be sure that the raw water pH is above 6.8 units, or the birm will lose activity over time. In addition, the manganese greensand filter requires the use of potassium permanganate (a regenerate that re-oxidizes the filter bed), and this adds an on-going expense that you would not have using the chemical free iron filters mentioned above.
3) Do I also need a regular, ion exchange water softener to deal with hardness? Yes. Only a standard water softener will resolve your hardness problem – the iron filter discussed above will only remove iron, manganese, and some levels of sulfur.
4) What type of sediment filter should I use to pre-filter my water? I worry about flow rate and cost of replacement filters. If you decide to use on the iron filter as discussed, these filter are also self cleaning particulate filter, that will remove sediment down to 20 microns in diameter. You should not require an additional pre-filter, unless there is a specific sediment issue where small sediment is present.
5) With the above systems, what type of maintenance is required? Will I need to “backwash” with special chemicals? Do I need to replace media and/or filters, and if so, how often? The brim in the iron filter system discussed requires replacement every 4 to 5 years at a cost of $110.00 (delivered). No chemical backwashing is required – the system automatically backwash (two times per week) with water.
Hope this helps!