IRON BACTERIA REMOVAL

Learn about the problems caused by Iron Bacteria and how Florida Pump Service can help you with this problem.

Iron Bacteria is one of three types of iron that can be produced from well water. The other two are (1) Iron stain and (2) Iron Clumps. In North Florida we rarely if ever have iron clumps. Iron Bacteria is a growing organism produced in approximately 10% of old or new wells. The real cause is not known. IT WILL NOT HARM YOU TO DRINK THE WATER, however its presence in the water can cause damage to expensive water conditioners, clog plumbing pipes and add cleanup time to bathrooms. The only man-made way to eliminate Iron Bacteria is to install a chlorine injection removal system (CIRS).

A CIRS system includes a chlorinator feed pump, a 10 gallon plastic chlorine mixing tank, an 80 to 120 gallon galvanized contact tank (a good used one will work) and a cartridge sediment filter. A CIRS system is installed before water reaches the house – between your present pump & tank and any water conditioner you might have. The CIRS system needs a minimum of a 12 SF area for proper installation. The chlorinator is piped to pull chlorine from the mixing tank and inject chlorine into the water line to the contact tank. The chlorinator is wired into the well pump. It runs only when the well pump runs. The chlorine mixes with the water in the contact tank and kills the Iron Bacteria. The Iron Bacteria sediment settles to the bottom of the tank. The water leaves the contact tank at the top and runs thru an installed cartridge filter. This filter removes any small dead Iron Bacteria residue still in the water. From there the water goes to your house or thru your water conditioner before the house. If you don’t have a water conditioner we highly recommend them. We also sell them.

The CIRS requires routine maintenance. Once a week the chlorine tank needs refilling. Once a year the contact tank needs to be drained and the cartridge filter replaced. Periodically the chlorinator injector and valves need to be cleaned (a 20 minute job). The average installation cost of a CIRS is $1,600, plus tax. The average annual costs for chlorine and cartridge filter are $15 to $20 a month.

NOTE: This information, while possibly available in your area, is intended for our customers in the northeast Florida area.