The 7+ Cheapest Ways To Remove Iron From Well Water

Iron is a naturally occurring element. If you have a well, you are drawing from groundwater, and naturally, the water will contain the natural elements from the ground. In small concentrations, iron will not harm you, but it can cause your water to taste bad, and it can leave stains on your tubs and sinks, and it can clog pipes and appliances.

To prevent the buildup of damage from iron in your well water, you need to understand the type of iron present in your water and then use the proper filtration system for the water.

The cheapest way to remove iron from well water is to use a sediment filtration system for ferric iron. You can find one at a home improvement store for about $200. If your well water has both ferric and ferrous iron, then a system that includes both water softening and sediment filtration is the cheapest option. These systems begin at about $500 at home improvement stores and increase based on filters and the flow rate you require.

Be sure to test your well and make sure that it is in good condition, test your water for the type and amount of iron present, and then choose the right type of filter for your needs. The following sections explain the kinds of iron, the quantities that may be in your water, and how to determine the correct system for removing iron from your well water.

When iron combines with water and oxygen, it turns red-orange. We call this new material rust. If your water has iron in it, even if the water looks clear, it may stain your sink, tub, and toilet with an orange or brown mark that can be impossible to clean up.

Furthermore, as rust builds up inside pipes, it can clog them leading to plumbing disasters. Your dishwasher and washing machine may become stained from the iron in the water. And, if you continue using them, your clothing and dishes are also likely to be damaged from the iron.

Iron in your water may cause the water to have a sharp metallic taste. It will affect the way tea, coffee, and food tastes when you cook with it.

If you are showering in water with high iron content, it may stain your hair and skin. It may also make your skin and hair feel dry or brittle and cause eczema or other skin problems to worsen.

However, iron is essential for your body to function properly. In fact, we need to consume foods that are rich in iron, like spinach and eggs. Therefore, if your water contains a small amount of iron, it will not pose a threat to your health.

Three kinds of iron can be in your well water. Each kind can be filtered differently, so you need to test your water. You can purchase water test strips that will help you understand the contents of your water. A strip test like this one generally shows if your water is safe or not. Other testing products will include hardness tests or tests showering how many parts per million of iron your water contains.

The United States Department of Natural Resources recommends that the content of iron in drinking water be under .3 mg/l (parts per million).

The iron in your water is a natural element. The desire or need to remove the iron is generally due to preference or because it is a nuisance to keep it from staining or damaging your appliances. If the iron in the water is ferric iron, the kind that is visible and has precipitated out, it can be removed without chemicals, through a simple fine filter.

On the other hand, if the iron is dissolved into the solution, the ferrous iron, you will have to oxidize the iron either through charged resins or chemical components to convert it into ferric iron. Then you will be able to filter it out.

If you have both ferric and ferrous iron, you will need a filtration system that can filter both sediments and dissolved solids. A water softening system with an attached sedimentation filter will take care of both kinds of iron.

A water softener contains resin beads that are negatively charged. As the water passes over the beads, they exchange ions, and the ferrous iron, along with other positively charged ions, will stick to the resin beads letting the softened water pass through the system. The resin needs to be cleaned out periodically to remove the accumulated rust.

Whole-house sediment and water softening system that you install yourself may cost $500 and up.

Another way to remove ferrous iron from water is to convert it to ferric iron, then filter it out. This is an oxidizing filtration process. Manganese greensand is one kind of media that can oxidize and trap ferrous iron. When water flows through the system, the ferrous iron is oxidized and becomes a solid particulate ferric oxide. It is then filtered out, and the water is clean.

Manganese greensand systems can remove iron up to 15 ppm. This system needs to be back washed periodically by potassium permanganate to flush out the iron flecks and refresh the greensand. A whole-house system may cost $700 and up. This type of system also requires higher water pressure to work properly.

Birm will remove ferrous iron from well water without any additional chemical agents. However, it will only work in water with higher pH levels. Many systems must have added calcite to reach the desired pH levels.

A Birm filtration system is only going to work within certain limitations, like water without tannins. Check with a professional water specialist if you have concerns about the use of a Birm filter. A Birm filtration system for an entire house begins at $600 and increases based on the number of gallons per minute needed.

KDF is made from granular zinc and is very good at reducing high levels of chlorine and heavy metals. It converts ferrous iron into ferric iron and then filters it out. The KDF filters work best with low flow rates and low volume. The water needs to be in contact with the granulated zinc in the KDF system for a longer time to complete the oxidation process.

You can choose a filtration system with multiple filters, one of them being KDF. These Multiple filter systems begin at about $500 and increase based on the number of filters, type, and gallons per minute.

If you find that you have bacterial iron in the well after testing your water, you will need to take tougher steps to remove it. Bacterial iron can ruin plumbing and filtration systems by clogging them up with slime and residue that is hard to clear out.

Shock chlorination increases the chlorine level of the water in the well to about 200 parts per million. This is necessary to kill the bacteria in the water and whatever is stuck to the well itself. To completely clear the bacterial iron, you need to ensure that the chlorine moves through the whole system: the depth of the well, all piping, hoses, and valves.

Then, you would follow up on purifying the water with one of the systems mentioned above.

The overall concepts of removing iron from well water for irrigation are the same as those for removing iron for home use. The scale of the system is what changes in irrigation use. For particulate iron, a filtration system at 5 microns or below is needed to filter out the iron particles.

If the iron is dissolved as is ferrous iron, then it needs to be oxidized to make it ferric iron, so it can be filtered out. For a well that has a lower iron content, a water softening system is the simplest method for removing iron from an irrigation system.

If there is a higher iron content, an oxidation and filtration system is appropriate. A basin aeration pump adds air and vibration to the water causing the iron to oxidize and precipitate.

If the well water is high in organic iron or tannins, you may need a system that uses chlorine or other chemical oxidation methods to trigger the oxidation process. Then the water can be filtered through a sediment filter and the iron will be removed.

Even tap water can have a small amount of iron that is perfectly safe for people. However, even that small amount can be harmful to fish in an aquarium. The best way to guarantee that your aquarium water is free from iron is to use water that has already been purified of iron before it goes into the tank.

If you do not already have an iron filtration system for your home, you can purchase a water conditioner for the aquarium which removes chlorine and other heavy metals from the water. As an alternative, you might choose to add resins to your aquarium filter inside a filter bag. These resins are similar to the resin beads in a whole house purification system.

Before purchasing any kind of filtration system for your well water, you should have it tested by an expert. Be sure about what kinds of iron and other contaminants are in the water so that you can purchase the correct system for your home.

The least expensive options are sediment filters, though they will only collect ferric iron, the kind that has oxidized and you can see. If your water has ferrous iron, you need to use a water softener with resin beads or an oxidizing agent to convert the iron to ferric iron. You can design the system you need at your local home improvement store beginning at $500 and up.