Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Water chemistry High Iron Low pH

Brown Lab (am I right?):

I don't remember ever hearing what our well water pH is, but we have (sometimes) visible bacterial iron (plus intermittent visible sediment), with more dissolved iron than a regular salt-recharging water softener can handle.

We have a three-stage system on the water for the house (the livestock are on their own - what are now herefords started out as charolais ). First is mechanical filtration, using two double-length filter cartridge holders. I used to try and change these when they had clogged, but sometimes (or with some brands of filters) sediment was sucked through filters that should have been clogged (which can be real bad on stage 2 and stage 3; I have the repair bills to prove it). Now I change them at the first of every month (unless they actually clog sooner, which is rare since they stopped drilling new wells in the subdivision next door).

The second stage is an "iron filter", which is somewhat analogous to a regular water softener except that it uses Potassium Permanganate (KMNO4) as it's recharge chemical. More KMNO4 only has to be added once every year or so (we just went 18 months and hadn't quite run out yet). You can't used just an iron filter, because it's trace leak-through KMNO4 would stain fixtures purplish-brown.

The third stage is a conventional, salt-recharging water softener.

I'm guessing in todays' dollars, total system cost would be in the range of $3k - $5k.