1. All About Iron In Your Water and
Why You Should Remove It
Water Filters Express
By Water Filters Express.com
2. Water supplies
usually carry a small amount of
iron, and in small quantities,
it rarely presents a problem.
There are, however, times
when large amounts of iron
are present and this
can become problematic.
Although iron as such is not harmful to humans,
it can on occasion make water unusable for household
use.
In such cases, it is important to use
an iron water filter
to remove the excess iron.
4. The water used in:
Domestic
Domestic
Commercial
Commercial
Industrial
Industrial settings
is derived from either ground or surface water sources.
As a rule, surface water contains very little or no iron at all.
5. As it stands, however,
the majority of the water we use
comes from ground water wells,
ranging in depths between under 100 feet
up to thousands of feet.
Water continually circles through what is known as
the hydrologic cycle.
Essentially, it falls onto the ground,
seeps into the ground or enters rivers and oceans,
evaporates from there,
forms clouds,
then falls again in the shape of rain, hail or snow.
7. The water that seeps into the ground
travels through the various layers - or strata –
of the ground and eventually collects in
so-called saturation zones.
Ground water wells are drilled into these zones
to collect the water from there.
As the water travels through the ground's strata,
it dissolves and collects minerals
from within the soil. These minerals include
calcium, iron, magnesium and manganese,
to name but a few of them.
8. Because the soil varies from location to location,
so does the water found in wells.
One of the most troublesome,
unstable variables resulting from particular
regional geology is iron content.
As the water dissolves iron
from iron ore in the ground,
it creates what is known as ferrous bicarbonate.
Because this cannot be seen,
it is called clear water iron.
9. Iron will always try to get
back into its natural state
and will precipitate out of the
solution into a solid state.
These particles are known as
ferric hydroxide
and will turn the water red.
Consequently, this is known as red water iron.
How quickly this change will occur depends on the
temperature, pressure and the pH of the water.
The higher the pH factor, the quicker red water iron
will form.
11. Iron
can have numerous effects from
staining fixtures and
appliances like kettles
or water softeners and
surfaces, with stains
ranging in color from
yellow through red
into brown,
through creating foul
odors or an
unpalatable, metallic
taste.
It can also clog pipes
and heat exchangers.
12. None of these effects are actually hazardous
to humans or the environment,
but they can result in large amounts of money
being spent and the use of toxic cleaners
to remove them, which will ultimately affect the
environment.
13. It is therefore typically
more practical and
cost effective
to use an
iron water filter
and remove the iron
before using the water,
rather than trying
to deal with the effects
of clear or red water iron
in your home’s plumbing
system.
15. To successfully remove iron from water
with the help of an iron water filter,
it is first of all essential to determine
which type of iron is actually contained
within the water.
16. This can be done by testing water, and the tests
should include:
testing for pH
total hardness
alkalinity
total dissolved solids
manganese, tannins,
iron and also iron
bacteria
17. A misdiagnosis and use of the
wrong type of iron present in the water
will typically result in
any iron removal filter
working only for a short period of time,
after which it will simply become fouled
with the iron it is not actually removing.
18. The majority of
iron water filter processes
are designed to effectively reduce
clear or red water iron.
There are, however, other iron types,
which will cause the same kind of symptoms
typical for iron contamination.
20. • This can only be found in our municipal
water supplies. In order to keep a clear water
state, a sequestering
to the water supply.
Sequestered
Iron
agent is added
• The iron is encapsulated by this
agent, preventing it from becoming ferric and
creating the red water state.
• Unfortunately, this agent often breaks down
before the water enters homes, somewhat
defeating its purpose, and in addition, this
agent also reduces the effectiveness of
an iron water filter.
21. • This type has formed compounds with
other organics present in the
water.
• These compounds do not react to typical
Home
Iron
iron-reducing methods and usually
pass straight through an iron water filter.
• If this type is present, other technologies
have to be utilized to remove the organics in
order for an iron
effectively.
water filter to work
22. • One of the most frequently misdiagnosed
problems, iron-bacteria can actually be
increased by using some iron water filter
systems.
Iron
Bacteria
• This effectively makes matters worse for the
consumer. Consisting of life organisms,
the bacteria needs food (iron) and oxygen
to grow.
23. It is not harmful with regards to
human or animal consumption,
but can clog pipes, pumps and water treatment
systems. As such, it may produce symptoms like:
•loss of pressure,
•odors,
•foul tastes and
•staining
The best method of controlling these bacteria
is through chlorination, which should be applied
upstream from any iron removal equipment.
25. Once the iron type
contained within the water supply
has been identified
and the characteristics of the water
are understood,
reducing iron can be fairly simple.
Two basic technologies
are used to reduce iron, namely:
26. Small amounts of ferrous iron
can usually be successfully
removed with the ion exchange
process involved in the use of
water softeners.
Ion
Exchange
Due to the fact that water
supplies and applications
vary, which will have an effect on
how successful treatment with
ion exchange equipment is,
it is advisable to consult a local
water treatment professional in
order to determine whether this
approach will be suitable for your
particular situation.
27. This approach is typically employed
if quantities of iron exceed the
above stated levels, or if the pH
factor of the water is greater
than eight, when it may be
employed even if iron levels are
comparatively low.
In this process, oxygen is
introduced into the water to
convert the ferrous bicarbonate
(clear water iron) into ferric
Oxidation/
Iron Water
Filter
hydroxide (red water iron).
After the iron has thus been
converted into solid iron particles,
an iron water filter will serve to
remove the iron from the water.
28. It is typical today for an automatic
backwashing iron water filter
to be used to filter out the solid, or
precipitated, iron particles.
Regular back-washing is important
in order to prevent the iron filter bed
from becoming fouled.
29. Most manufacturers suggest that back-washing
should be performed every three days, although
very high iron content may make it necessary to
perform the process more frequently.
Essentially, back-wash intervals depend on the
water supply and the iron content within it, the
applications used and the amount of water usage.
Ultimately, it is always best to consult an expert
dealing with water treatment in order to
determine which type of technology will be most
suitable for iron reduction in any given area or
circumstances.
31. To sum up, iron is present in water supplies in most
cases. Although the presence of iron in water is not
harmful to humans, animals or the environment as
such, it can cause a list of unpleasant symptoms:
staining everything the water touches
clogging up and fouling water-using
equipment, pipes, etc
cause unpleasant odors and metallic
tastes
32. As well as being unpleasant, these symptoms
may also create unnecessary expenses in order
to clear up some of the more physical
symptoms, such as staining and clogging of
pipes and it may also result in the environment
being harmed through the use of toxic
detergents.
33. Iron therefore needs to be reduced in order to
prevent these symptoms from occurring.
Before it can be removed from the water supply,
however, it is necessary to determine which type of
iron and how much of it is actually present.
The type and quantity of iron present will then
assist in determining which type of technology
should be employed in order to successfully remove
it. The most commonly used technologies include
ion exchange through water softeners, which is
usually employed in cases of low contamination, and
oxidation combined with filtration in areas with high
contamination.
34. As a rule, it is considered to be of great advantage
to consult a professional water treatment expert
in order to determine the most efficient, most
effective method of iron reduction for a particular
area and specific situations.
Reverse
Osmosis
Undersink
Countertop
Whole House
35. All About Iron In Your Water and
Why You Should Remove It
Water Filters Express
By Water Filters Express.com
