Water softening vs filtration.
January 21, 2018 6:02 AM Subscribe
I recently moved into a house with well water. The water quality report during the sale of the house shows no arsenic or coliforms. However, I did know pretty much all of the well water out here has iron and sulfur in it. But I think we have a silt issue as well, and I'm trying to figure out what type of system to add or replace to my current water softener setup.
The house has a relatively new water softening system, and I keep the salt filled.
But I've noticed when my son takes baths, the little pools and droplets of water at the bottom of the tub after it drains have very fine sediment in it. (He's not that dirty.) Same with his humidifier water container. (I clean out his humidifier daily, so it's not the pink slime you get when water sits for a long time.) The whole house humidifier line has black sediment in it, and my jet tub has black sediment at the bottom of it after someone takes a bath. (The button for the jets doesn't work for some reason.) I think the black sediment comes from water having settled in the jet system and comes out if you have a bath where the water is higher than the jets.
My tap water smells strongly of sulfur and the water leaves iron stains as expected. And the filtered water from the fridge tastes fine.
I did call the company who installed the current system in the house, and the technician said we have iron and sulfur in our water (which I already knew) and said that he couldn't see the sediment because he didn't bring his glasses, so I should wait a few months and call them back in the Spring if I still had concerns, but he wasn't sure if they carried anything that would solve this issue. (Yes, it was a frustrating experience. I was almost having a Pretty Woman moment... SELL ME SOMETHING, I HAVE MONEY.)
Anyone have experience with something similar to this, and if so, how did you solve it? Or, what should I be asking a water filtration person for?
The house has a relatively new water softening system, and I keep the salt filled.
But I've noticed when my son takes baths, the little pools and droplets of water at the bottom of the tub after it drains have very fine sediment in it. (He's not that dirty.) Same with his humidifier water container. (I clean out his humidifier daily, so it's not the pink slime you get when water sits for a long time.) The whole house humidifier line has black sediment in it, and my jet tub has black sediment at the bottom of it after someone takes a bath. (The button for the jets doesn't work for some reason.) I think the black sediment comes from water having settled in the jet system and comes out if you have a bath where the water is higher than the jets.
My tap water smells strongly of sulfur and the water leaves iron stains as expected. And the filtered water from the fridge tastes fine.
I did call the company who installed the current system in the house, and the technician said we have iron and sulfur in our water (which I already knew) and said that he couldn't see the sediment because he didn't bring his glasses, so I should wait a few months and call them back in the Spring if I still had concerns, but he wasn't sure if they carried anything that would solve this issue. (Yes, it was a frustrating experience. I was almost having a Pretty Woman moment... SELL ME SOMETHING, I HAVE MONEY.)
Anyone have experience with something similar to this, and if so, how did you solve it? Or, what should I be asking a water filtration person for?
Former well owner here...At best, a softener will be able to take out some of the iron content. There's special softener salt that helps clean the resin bed of iron residue during the recharge cycle. However, it won't completely eliminate iron, and it won't do a thing about sulphur. And, sediment will eventually kill your softener.
As NoraCharles says, if you are sure you're getting sediment, you'll need a filter placed inline before the softener (and before the water heater, too!). They also make inline iron filters. They both will have replaceable elements that, depending on how heavy the concentrations are, could need replaced every month. There are also complete water treatment systems that integrate everything (filters, softener, etc.)
That said, if you're getting sediment, you could possibly have something going wrong at the well head, or with the well itself. Where I was living, it wasn't unusual to see a couple neighbors having new wells dug because of sediment/silt problems every year.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:52 AM on January 21, 2018
As NoraCharles says, if you are sure you're getting sediment, you'll need a filter placed inline before the softener (and before the water heater, too!). They also make inline iron filters. They both will have replaceable elements that, depending on how heavy the concentrations are, could need replaced every month. There are also complete water treatment systems that integrate everything (filters, softener, etc.)
That said, if you're getting sediment, you could possibly have something going wrong at the well head, or with the well itself. Where I was living, it wasn't unusual to see a couple neighbors having new wells dug because of sediment/silt problems every year.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:52 AM on January 21, 2018
We use this 3M whole house filter.
It is simple to install and super-easy to replace the filters. The filter is replaced yearly and costs around $100.
posted by slipthought at 7:11 AM on January 21, 2018
It is simple to install and super-easy to replace the filters. The filter is replaced yearly and costs around $100.
posted by slipthought at 7:11 AM on January 21, 2018
The whole house humidifier line has black sediment in it, and my jet tub has black sediment at the bottom of it after someone takes a bath. (The button for the jets doesn't work for some reason.) I think the black sediment comes from water having settled in the jet system and comes out if you have a bath where the water is higher than the jets.
Um...are you sure that's sediment? I ask because my daughter and her husband were having similar issues with black "sediment" plugging lines and the like. It turned out that the "sediment" was actually the microscopic resin beads from their water softener. The resin tank had failed and the beads were getting into the water supply.
...................
...and said that he couldn't see the sediment because he didn't bring his glasses, so I should wait a few months and call them back in the Spring if I still had concerns, but he wasn't sure if they carried anything that would solve this issue.
This guy is a walking red flag. Find another water treatment pro, preferably one with experience with well water.
posted by Thorzdad at 7:12 AM on January 21, 2018 [2 favorites]
Um...are you sure that's sediment? I ask because my daughter and her husband were having similar issues with black "sediment" plugging lines and the like. It turned out that the "sediment" was actually the microscopic resin beads from their water softener. The resin tank had failed and the beads were getting into the water supply.
...................
...and said that he couldn't see the sediment because he didn't bring his glasses, so I should wait a few months and call them back in the Spring if I still had concerns, but he wasn't sure if they carried anything that would solve this issue.
This guy is a walking red flag. Find another water treatment pro, preferably one with experience with well water.
posted by Thorzdad at 7:12 AM on January 21, 2018 [2 favorites]
I agree on a new well water expert. This has useful info; using filter material at pump plus secondary filtration here. You may want to call the pump installer for advice.
posted by OneSmartMonkey at 7:23 AM on January 21, 2018
posted by OneSmartMonkey at 7:23 AM on January 21, 2018
Yes, get a new expert. You could test the sediment issue by filling a clean clear glass jar with water and seeing what settles out. Repeat a number of times. If it's silt, it is easy to fix with a filter as suggested, which should go in the line in before the softener.
My house has a mild iron and sulfur issue, and it is taken care of with a Provectr system like this one. This is not like your water softener, doesn't need constant refills of salt or anything. After 20 years mine needed a refill of the filter medium and a cleaning of the smaller tank.
posted by beagle at 8:13 AM on January 21, 2018
My house has a mild iron and sulfur issue, and it is taken care of with a Provectr system like this one. This is not like your water softener, doesn't need constant refills of salt or anything. After 20 years mine needed a refill of the filter medium and a cleaning of the smaller tank.
posted by beagle at 8:13 AM on January 21, 2018
call a Kentico (spelling) dealer. it has no timers or electronics to go bad.
posted by patnok at 9:21 AM on January 21, 2018
posted by patnok at 9:21 AM on January 21, 2018
For a softener I use these: https://www.hydroflow-usa.com/
No filter, no salt, no timer, just turn it on and forget about it. 5 year manufacturers warranty.
You likely also need a filter though. I hear good things about APEC water systems and we are about to install one of their whole house filters in our new place.
posted by zdravo at 11:30 AM on January 21, 2018
No filter, no salt, no timer, just turn it on and forget about it. 5 year manufacturers warranty.
You likely also need a filter though. I hear good things about APEC water systems and we are about to install one of their whole house filters in our new place.
posted by zdravo at 11:30 AM on January 21, 2018
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by NoraCharles at 6:09 AM on January 21, 2018 [1 favorite]