To Learn about the different types water impurities and how Florida Pump Service can help you with them visit www.FloridaWaterService.com.
In North Florida, 95% of the time, there is iron or minerals in your water whether it be your private well or city water. When they are present this is called “hard” water. City water is from deep wells and the water is aerated to remove the sulfur gas (rotten egg smell). City water is also chlorinated to remove any and all bacteria from wells or transmission lines. Besides “hard” water, some private drinking water wells produce sulfur, iron stain (water that stains sink orange or brown) and iron bacteria (IB). Iron bacteria is a growth in the water which will not harm you to drink but can cause major problems with water conditioners or house plumbing.
The water treatments used to remove sulfur, minerals, iron, and bacteria vary widely. Having been in business since 1948, we have come up with treatment solutions that we recommend that are “simple, efficient and in most cases are a lot less expensive” than other water treatment companies. Most all the units below come in an automatic or manual version. An overview of the different units and systems is below.
The following are a couple of water issues and treatment options we can help you with.
Sulfur Water:
The sulfur gases in the water always have to be removed before any other treatment equipment can be installed. If not, they can damage that equipment. Sulfur can be removed in a variety of ways.
- Aerators spray water into the aerator tank and let the sulfur dissipate through the air. Aerators are a very effective way to remove the sulfur from your water. Their maintenance is simple and requires an easy yearly cleaning that takes very little time. Aerator systems will require another pump and tank to pull water from the aerator and push it into the house. Typically Florida Pump Service installs 250-gallon fiberglass aerators.
- Sulfur Filters & Tanks can also be used to remove the sulfur from the water. These units use a media to trap the sulfur gases and then backwash them out at night. Florida Pump Service is proud to install the Charger Ironbreaker III in these types of systems. Although the name says “Iron Breaker”, these systems can also remove up to 7 ppm (parts per million) of H2S. This system does not require an additional pump and tank.
Iron Bacteria:
This is a non-harmful organism found in 10% of old or new wells. Left untreated it will damage water conditioners, filters and plumbing pipes. If you want to know if you have Iron Bacteria take the lid off one of your toilet tanks. If the inside walls are slimy – you’ve got it. Iron Bacteria has to be removed before any other water treatment equipment is installed. The only way to remove Iron Bacteria is to install a CIRS. This is a chlorine injection removal system. It is composed of a pump, contact tank, chlorine tank and cartridge filters.
Water Softener:
This unit removes all the minerals from the water. It also takes out iron stain up to 2 ppm. These units are recommended for all water systems whether it be a private well or city water. By removing all the minerals it keeps plumbing fixtures, piping and water heaters free of destructive corrosion. These units will reduce cleaning costs and the cost of detergents. As an added value it removes “iron stain” in 85% of the cases. In most all cases, water softeners pay for themselves over a “2 to 3” year period. These systems do require monthly purchases of salt for the regeneration. The unit does not inject salt into the water but utilizes it in an “ion exchange” process that “re-magnetizes” the softener media bed after it has been flushed with collected minerals.
Iron Filter:
When “iron stain” levels reach above “2” parts per million an iron filter must be used. If a water softener is used, iron filters are installed immediately before. An iron filter can be installed without a water softener, however, it’s not recommended. The unit uses potassium permanganate as a recharging agent to recoat the media bed after it has been flushed with collected iron.
Chlorine Sanitizing System:
This is the same system as the CIRS above (used in the removal of Iron Bacteria). These systems are used in public facilities where the State government requires a private business to sanitize their well drinking water for public consumption.
Cartridge Filters:
These are small filters that use a 12” cartridge. There are two types of cartridges – one for sediment removal and one for taste and odor removal. The sediment cartridges are used in conjunction with a CIRS. They remove some small scale and debris caused by pipes flaking off the scale. They tend to clog up rapidly and reduce incoming water pressure. We only recommend the sediment cartridge filter when used with a CIRS.
Carbon Filters:
These units are used when all the chlorine tastes are desired to be removed from the water before entering the house. In CIRS systems they work to remove the leftover chlorine.
Clear View Sand Filters:
If you have a shallow well, these filters are excellent in removing fine sand that can be produced by the well. They also can be used temporarily on a drinking water well that is going bad and producing sand. We say temporarily because a new well is needed. These filters are easy to clean and maintain. They come in several sizes depending on the volume of water that is being used.
NOTE: This information, while possibly available in your area, is intended for our customers in the northeast Florida area.
