IRON - THE PROBLEM...

There is little doubt when water contains iron. "Iron water" readily stains plumbing fixtures, porcelain and cooking utensils. When used in the laundry, iron bearing water soon stains washables with reddish-brown discolorations. It also leaves its tell tale marks on walls and floors if used doing home cleaning chores. Iron imparts a disagreeable metallic taste to water. Even in small concentrations, a somewhat astringent quality is apparent. In detectable amounts, iron can ruin the flavor of many beverages and give them an unappetizing, inky black appearance. The EPA Secondary Drinking Water Regulations recommend a maximum of .3 of one part per million of iron due to the staining that higher concentrations can cause.

In it's insoluble forms, iron can form deposits in pressure tanks, pipe lines, water heaters, commodes and and other equipment where water is used. Iron problems are frequent due to the fact that five percent of the earth's crust is made up of iron.

Water collects iron in several ways. Even as it falls through the air, water acquires small amounts of the oxides of iron found in the atmosphere dust. Water, rich in carbon dioxide, readily dissolves iron from the earth's plentiful deposits as it leaches through the ground.

Iron exists in various concentrations and various forms. Ferrous iron usually is found in water drawn from wells. In this form, the iron is colorless and soluble. It remains in this state as long as the water remains underground, where oxygen is scarce. As iron oxidizes upon exposure to air, it usually settles out and develops a reddish-brown color. In this way the soluble ferrous iron converts into the insoluble ferric state.

IRON - THE SOLUTION...

Due to the various concentrations and types of iron, a water test will be needed to determine what size and type of water conditioner will be needed. A Superior Water Conditioning representative can test your water to determine what types of treatment will be necessary.

The use of a Superior Water Softener is a satisfactory way of removing small amounts of ferrous iron from water supplies. Ion exchange materials, such as the resin used in Superior Water Softeners, remove ferrous ions just as they do calcium and magnesium ions. If the iron present in a water supply remained in the soluble, ferrous state prior to its passage through the softener, treatment would be satisfactory.

As it is, most iron bearing waters contain amounts of insoluble ferric iron along with the soluble ferrous iron. The oxidation of the iron to its ferric state may be caused by contact of the water with air during the pumping process or while it is stored in pressure tanks with air cushions.

In order to adequately remove small amounts of iron from a water supply with a water softener, good filtration is necessary. The better the filtration of a softener, the more effectively it removes precipitated iron. Good filtration depends on the particle size (grading the resin), the resin bed depth, resin bed volume and the operating rate of the flow through the bed. The smaller the crevices between the beads of resin and the deeper the bed (within limits), the better the softener will filter precipitated iron. Depending on the concentration of iron, Superior Water Conditioning can build a softener with special fine mesh resin that will better handle iron.

For medium concentrations of iron, Superior Water Conditioning offers a chemical free iron filter that is fully automatic and maintenance free. This type of iron removal system features a hydro charger and a backwashable filter containing special media. The hydro charger injects a controlled amount of air to the water supply just before it enters the pressure tank. The air then causes the iron to precipitate. Periodic back washing of the filter bed flushes the precipitated iron to the drain and readies the filter for use again.

For high concentrations of iron, or water contaminated with sulfur or manganese, a special type of iron filter is recommended. Superior Water Conditioning manufactures these filters with three major components: a backwashable filter containing manganese greensand, a chemical feeder which delivers an accurately measured amount of potassium permanganate solution for each regeneration and a control valve with a timer to govern the operation of the system. As water passes through the filter bed, it comes in contact with the oxygen charged manganese greensand. This causes iron, manganese and sulfur to oxidize. These undesirable compounds then become trapped in the filter bed. Eventually, the oxygen in the filter becomes depleted and regeneration is necessary. In the regeneration process, back washing first cleans the filter bed, then a concentrated solution of potassium permanganate is passed through it, recharging the bed with oxygen. The excess potassium is rinsed away and a controlled amount of water is returned to the chemical feeder to dissolve enough potassium permanganate for the next regeneration. All if these functions are performed automatically.