Improving my well water...

[Justin00Stang]

A quick search on the net just yielded some sites that talked about how bad chlorine is for you, then I found this one.

We recently moved to Deltona, FL 32738 and have well water. Most of the 80,000 people are on city water but we live on acreage.

I really only have two complaints.

When we wash the cars there are some residues left on them, these residues are not quite like the hard water spotting we would get at our old house (which was on city water in Debary, known for hard water).

The toilets seem to get a brownish buildup below the water line, I tend to think its not rust though. The tank has the buildup too, but its not slimy.

I don't think our water is "hard" but a test would be needed to really find out (posted about that in another thread).

I am re-plumbing some of the water lines that to go from the well to the house and shop, so now would be an excellent time to install any type of filtration or conditioning systems.

I would say that low maintenance and low cost are my primary goals, having *perfect* water is not a huge concern, as I am 98% happy with what we have now except the two issues mentioned above. It may just come down to using some type of filtered water just for the cars, I am not a fan of the mr clean autodry for car washes due to the low flow and high cost and low life of cartridges. The toilets in the house are probably something we could live with. I am concerned about flow rates and having decent water pressure, it is a large house with 3 bathrooms and a detached garage, the well pump is believed to be 2hp so it is not an issue, I have 1 1/4" pvc line from the pump feeding the sprinkler system and then it goes down to 3/4" pex to feed the shop AND house, I am going to install a 1 1/4" to 3/4" T so the house and shop are fed separately to prevent any pressure issues if they are both using water.

The house is only 10yrs old and is plumbed with pex, so the plumbing should be somewhat "clean".

Thoughts?

Thanks

[Andy CWS]

Not sure about ypur concerns with chlorine if you are on well water.

The conditions you mentioned sound like hardness and iron issues. Getting a complete water analysis for typical water problems is a good start. Never try to fix something without knowing what you are trying to fix.

A softener and perhaps a drinking water system are very common in your area.

There are numerous other benefits with treating your water than just cleaner toilets and spot-free cars. Consider carefully how external water is treated (or not treated) before tying in a system.

Andy Christensen, CWS-II

[Justin00Stang]

I did contact a local water professional, he came out and looked at some things and tested the water.

I believe he said I had around 10-11 grains of hardness, if that sounds right, so not too much.

He recommended I go with a softener with KDF resin if I did not want to drop a bunch of money on a clor/declor system. He said this would be a little harder on the resin but I should still get 3-5 yrs from it. He softener only system was priced around $1500 and his full system was around $4500.

I do seem to have some type of red staining inside the pipes and in the toilets, maybe iron bacteria or tannins.

Thoughts?

[Andy CWS]

I did contact a local water professional, he came out and looked at some things and tested the water.

I believe he said I had around 10-11 grains of hardness, if that sounds right, so not too much.

He recommended I go with a softener with KDF resin if I did not want to drop a bunch of money on a clor/declor system. He said this would be a little harder on the resin but I should still get 3-5 yrs from it. He softener only system was priced around $1500 and his full system was around $4500.

I do seem to have some type of red staining inside the pipes and in the toilets, maybe iron bacteria or tannins.

Thoughts?

Your wording is a little confusing: What should last 3-5 years and what would be a little hard on the resins? What is the reason for a chlor-dechlor?

What was his reason for suggesting KDF?

One of the key actors is identifying the problems before suggesting a solution. 10 grains hardness is exteremly hard according the WQA. Of course there is harder water out there but your is definitely hard water.

Andy Christensen, CWS-II

[Justin00Stang]

Your wording is a little confusing: What should last 3-5 years and what would be a little hard on the resins? What is the reason for a chlor-dechlor?

What was his reason for suggesting KDF?

One of the key actors is identifying the problems before suggesting a solution. 10 grains hardness is exteremly hard according the WQA. Of course there is harder water out there but your is definitely hard water.

Andy Christensen, CWS-II

Hi, to clarify, the KDF resin should last that long, but it would be harder on it (the resin) not having a clor/declor system.

[Andy CWS]

Thanks.

Again, I am not sure why KDF is suggested. KDF is not a resin. It is a a mix of copper and zink ground into course (KDF-85) and fine (KDF-55) granuals. This media has its place in water treatment but I have found that many dealers tend to add it to their line of equipment without considering it shortcomings.

It is an extremely heavy media so backwashing is very difficult.

At 10 gpg of hardness, a standard water softener should be fine. Without more dtetails onyour source water condition, it is hard to make clear recommendations.

Andy Christensen, CWS-II

[Justin00Stang]

Well, I went with a regular softener, 2.5cu foot so i don't get much pressure drop, and a ws-1 valve, working pretty good though i still get a little pinking stuff in the toilet after a month, i'm pretty happy with it, and that could just be residual from the tank.

[AceParkle]

This is really a big issue in their part because they didn't maintain the cleanliness of their water. Unfortunately, they didn't have a water filtration system to filter all the unnecessary element like chlorine and others. Water filtration is the only solution of their problem.