Water Purification <> Iron Removal

[bmwpower]

I have a three part question:

- I'm looking into getting a water purification system (I have well water in my new home). As such, I'd like to get the water tested prior to installing the system. Some testing places I've called want $100 to do a thorough testing of the water. Is this necessary? What specs should I look for in a test?

- What type of water purification system do you recommend?

- Our water leaves iron stains throughout the house - the washer, dishwasher, toilet, etc. How do I get rid of this problem entirely? Will a water purification system take care of this?

[Wgoodrich]

Water purity tests most often will be done for you by your local governmental Board of Health. Charge will be quite affordable normally. They will check for biological quality. [germs, bacteria, chemicals etc.]

To test for hardness and iron you may take a water sample to your local Sears store water softner division and have it tested right in front of your eyes for free. This will tell you what hardness, iron etc. is in your water and what type water softner capacity you need. Then you may go anywhere to buy a water softner to do your job. I have used sears water softners for 30 years and they have worked quite well and economical. Sears water softners are actually several brand softners with their name on it.

I am not trying to sell Sears. I am trying to warn you against all the high pressure high dollar salesmen trying to stick a vacuum cleaner into your billfold sucking you dry of money. Many fear tactics and wild claims are made when trying to sell water softners.

It is much safe and simpler to go to your hardware store you trust such as Sears as only an example that handles water softners and have a strong reputation for being around a long while. Don't sucker into the big sales. Just trust you normal store you have dealt with for years.

If your water is very high on iron then many water softners can not handle that much iron properly. If your water is tested by a reputable softner store they will tell you the softner need supplemented with an iron filter due to high iron content.

Hope this helps

Wg

[mdshunk]

High amounts of dissolved iron and iron bacteria (two different things- both leave orange stains) will quickly coat and foul the resin in a water softener, rendering it useless. You need a softener, but you must have some sort of iron filter BEFORE the water softener. Even the simplest cartrige type iron filter will normally do the trick in saving the resin from the quite damaging iron, as long as you remember to change it on a regular basis. My well water has a very, very high iron content. I actually have to inject a chemical to the water stream to change the PH of the water to get it to the "optimium point of flocculation" so that the iron precipitates out of the water in a holding tank (the iron literally falls out of the water at a certain Ph). The tank has to be drained out of the bottom on a quite regular basis, and the "iron muck" runs out thick as mud. Then, the water is finally good enough to run through a traditional water softener. Hopefully your iron problem is not as bad as mine.

[bmwpower]

Just got around to testing my water at Sears...

hardness: 7 grains
pH: 7
Iron: 0.5

Sears guy said 0.5 iron should be fine with a water softner only.