Well Water Treatment Systems That Remove Sediment and Sand
Sand and sediment in well water is often a serious problem for a lot of householders on well water, and can result in rapid deterioration of fixtures and appliances. Sand and sediment can cause piping to plug with sludge as well as result in loss of pressure in the house. Fixtures as well as taps become worn out, and appliances such as washing machines break down prematurely. The good news is there are several types of low-cost well water filters which work well to eradicate sand and sediment... providing specific precautions are considered. This article looks at the best latest technology to remove sand and sediment by using well water filters specially engineered for this problem. Step 1: Identify the kind of Sand or Sediment Present The first step is to determine if the sand and sediment is originating directly from the well or from inside the house. If your home contains galvanized iron pipes, corrosion can cause the coating of the pipe to wear off and add what appears to be sediment in to the water. Another frequent source of sediment in domestic water is the deterioration of the water heater tank. The majority of tank type water heaters have glass lining which degrades with time and may appear as bits of fine sand or even hard glass-like deposits. The anode rod within the water heater tank can also wear away and brown sand-like particles may show up in the water taps and fixtures. In the event that the automatic washer is getting clogged up, however an inspection of the lavatory flush tank reveals no sediment, then the sediment may very well be from the water heater. Try to run the water direct from the well to see if you can identify any sediment in a white-colored bucket. Step 2: Get Your Water Analyzed The 2nd step would be to have the water tested for iron, manganese, hardness, tannin, sulfates and turbidity. In the event your water is high in iron, manganese, sulfates or tannin, or possess an odor of sulfur or 'rotten-eggs', then additional treatment becomes necessary. Well water filters intended for sediment and sand removal are not suitable for most water that contains iron and manganese because the iron and manganese are dissolved in the water and are not actual particles that can be filtered. In some cases, wells may contain both sand, sediment and iron. In this case, a pre-filter for sediment, ahead of the iron filter or no salt water softener works best. Step 3: Choose the Most effective Well Water Filters Well water filters intended to get rid of fine sand as well as sediment are mechanical filters. This means they are produced to mechanically strain out particles as small as a certain micron size. For large sand and sediment a 50 micron filter works fine, but for fine sediment a 5 micron filter is recommended. In some cases, a 1 micron filtering system, or an ultra-filter system that filters
down to less than 0.1 microns is required. Begin with the biggest dimensions that will work with your application to reduce expenses and lower servicing requirements. A self-cleaning, automatic backwashing filter often works best as there are no filter cartridges to change or clean. These kinds of filters use either a filter sand media, or a combination of sand and anthracite coal to filter the water right down to the ten micron range. Ceramic filtering media devices are offered also that filter the water down to five microns and are auto backwashing. A centrifugal sand separator works by spinning the water in a circular movement, causing heavy particles to fall towards the bottom of the separator, in which they are easily removed. A simple whole-house filter cartridge system functions well and is often the lowest cost. Well water filters employing filtering cartridges might need maintenance or even changing of the filter cartridge every few weeks, but tend to be rather effective. A combination of a back washing sediment filtration system, followed by a 1 micron cartridge filter is a popular and very effective approach. These sorts of well water filters offer super-fine filtration but demand low maintenance, because the sediment back wash filter removes almost all of the sediments prior to the 1 micron cartridge.
Gerry Bulfin Gerry Bulfin is a consultant specializing in water treatment systems. He is a Water Quality Association CWS IV licensed water specialist, a WQA licensed installer, and a licensed Grade II California state water treatment plant operator and also holds CA State Distribution License. Since 1989 his company has provided thousands of customized water treatment systems for contaminated well waters worldwide.
He may be contacted via the website "http://www.cleanwaterstore.com" or by calling 831-4628500 or emailing "mailto:gb@cleanwaterstore.com"