Whole House Water Filtration

[jparrucci]

I live in town in Forest Lake but have horrible smelling well water and I have had enough. I have a really nice water softener, but that does little to eliminate the smell. Can anyone make a recommendation on brand or style of a whole house filter? I would prefer something that doesn't require filters to be changed often. I would rather pay more up front to get a good unit that requires less maintenence. Most of the in line filters need to be changed often and it adds up in the long run, and it is an annoying thing to have to do every month or two.

[pureinsanity]

First what kind of smell is it? Rotten Eggs?

[3pronghook]

Does both the cold and hot water smell? if only hot, its related to your water heater and not the water itself. If both, look up a water right dealer and ask about a Maz filter. they work really well to remove hydrogen sulfide and managanese odors. Install after the water softener. Expect $500-$600 bucks for cartridge installed. Replacement cartridge about $200 bucks. Should get couple years use from one cartridge.

http://www.pentekfiltration.com/PentairF...le%20310086.pdf

[BobT]

If you have a problem with hydrogen-sulfide gas, before you spend a lot of money on a filtration system you could consider a simple fix provided you have the room. I posted a drawing a while back that explains how to install and maintain a bladderless tank. I'll repost the information when I get home later today.

[jparrucci]

It is a sulfur like smell. I have a pretty big utility room, I might have to do some fun plumbing, but that isn't too big of a deal. It is both the hot and the cold water, so I don't think it is the water heater (although it is 18 years old and is going to be replaced soon too). Getting into the shower in the morning makes me nearly gag from the smell of the water. I have a good water softener, but that doesn't really do much for the smell. I also have a decent amount of rust and sediment as well, so getting rid of that is another reason why I am doing this.

[LightningBG]

How do I determine the source?

Run water separately from both the cold and hot taps, preferably when you have been away from the house for a few hours so your sense of smell is more keen.

* If the smell is only from the hot water tap, the source is most likely your water heater.

* If the smell is from both hot and cold taps, but only from water treated by a water softener, you may have sulfur-reducing bacteria in your water softener.

* If the smell is from both taps and diminishes after the water runs, you may have sulfur-reducing bacteria in your well or piping.

* If the smell is from both taps and is persistent, you may have hydrogen sulfide gas in your groundwater.

How can I eliminate hydrogen sulfide gas?

* If the source is your water heater:

o Remove or replace the magnesium anode.

o Disinfect and flush the water heater with a bleach solution.

o Increase the water temperature to 160 degrees Fahrenheit for several hours to kill the bacteria, then flush the heater.

If you are not very familiar with water heater operation and maintenance, contact a plumber or water heater dealer to perform the service.

* If the source is sulfur-reducing bacteria in the well or plumbing:

o Disinfect the well. (See section on Well Disinfection)

* If the source is sulfur-reducing bacteria in a water softener or treatment unit:

o Contact the manufacturer for instructions on disinfecting the unit.

* If the source is hydrogen sulfide gas in the groundwater the water may be treated by:

o Activated carbon filters for hydrogen sulfide concentrations less than 1 mg/L.

o Manganese greensand filters for hydrogen sulfide concentrations up to 6 mg/L.

o Oxidation filtration systems for hydrogen sulfide concentrations up to and exceeding 6 mg/L.

[pureinsanity]

You could do a shock treatment to your well

[3pronghook]

how old is well? before your start dumping chlorine into it make sure you have a well that will accept chlorine. The type of pitless unit will determine this. Some pitless units are pipe size and will not allow much chlorine through them. the chlorine well instead just sit on top and corrode your pitless to your well casing and create a future problem. might be best to have a well person come out and pull pump and airlift and redevelop the well. Especially if it a screened well. then the chlorine can be added and will be much more effective. alot of the hyrogen sulfide problems do get worse over time and the only way to remedy is to remove sludge buildup from the well. temperature change of the groundwater, spring and fall, create more problems too because the gas can become more concentrated. i would only chlorinate once you have determined the construction and components installed in your well.

[MARINERMAGNUM]

Don't use an expensive filter system if you have rust/sediment,you'll go broke buying filters-carbon filters are ruined in short order by rusty water.

Use the system BobT illustrated,and run a cartridge filter in front of the softener.

[BobT]

Sorry, didn't get a chance to post the information yesterday. Will try again tonight.

[BobT]

Here's how I plumbed my water. I had a very strong hydrogen-sulfide gas odor. So bad it made you gag to take a shower or even enter our bath/laundry room while washing clothes. I installed the taller bladderless tank and the problem was solved instantly. The tank exposes the water to the air inside and allows the gas to evaporate out of the water before entering the rest of the house. I use an epoxy lined tank that resists rusting I picked up at F. Farm. The bladder tank is not necessary. I just left it in the circuit.

About twice a year I refresh the air in the tank. To do this I open the valve on top until water comes out to let all the old air out. Then I close the valve and turn off the water supply. At the bottom of the tank where the water comes out to supply the softener and house, I installed a drain valve that I connect a hose to and drain the water to the floor drain. After the pressure bleeds off I open the top valve again to allow the tank to drain completely, which draws fresh air into the tank. When it's done draining, I just close the valves and turn the water back on and let the system pressurize. The whole process takes about an hour.

[PurpleFloyd]

In this area some of the farmers have installed hydrogen Peroxide based treatment systems to deal with the same problem you are having.

The reason you are getting that smell is that bacteria are breaking down the naturally occurring sulphates in the water and the byproduct of that process is Hydrogen Sulfide which in turn forms Sulfuric acid which gives you the rotten egg smell. The bacteria that cause this to happen are Anaerobic, which means they live in the absence of oxygen.

That being said the best way to kill them is to introduce oxygen and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)is just water with an extra oxygen molecule. When the reaction occurs the byproduct is water plus an extra O2 molecule which will kill any of the anaerobic bacteria and prevent the process from re occurring.

[jparrucci]

Thanks for all the information everyone. What I think I am going to do, is talk to a well specialist in my area about first doing a shock treatment to the well as soon as it warms up enough to open the outside faucets. Next I will install a sediment filter (I have enough rust in the water to make it worth it) along with they simple system BobT has described.