207-594-4947 or 800-244-4947

info@haskellwater.com

46 Farwell Dr, Rockland, ME 04841

Water Contaminants

Iron

Over 25% of the Earth’s crust is iron; therefore, it is one of the most common minerals to find. Iron will present itself in two different forms: ferric iron is a solid which will make the water colored, ranging from light yellow to bright orange in color or ferrous iron is a dissolved solid and colorless, but if allowed exposure to air, it may oxidize and appear colored.

An extreme example of ferric iron buildup in a pipe.

Strong chemicals can be required to remove the orange or rust colored iron stains from fixtures. Clothes washed in water with iron issues will often turn brown or orange. It can cause the water to have an unpleasant taste. Iron will build up in plumbing, sometimes to the point of completely blocking the pipes.

Iron is generally measured in parts per million (ppm) or milligrams per liter (mg/l). The acceptable limit in Maine is less than 0.3 mg/L. Even small amounts of iron in well water can cause the issues listed above.

After our Tech has done the onsite water test to find out whether it is mostly ferric or ferrous iron, in your water we can recommend treatment options. An iron filter is typically needed, but at times a water softener or greensand filter is recommended instead. There are situations where two or more systems may be needed.

An extreme example of ferric iron in household drinking water.

Iron Filter System

An Iron Filter consists of a mineral tank filled with gravel and media (often referred to as a bed) and a control head. At times, a micronizer (injects air) may need to be installed with the iron filter.

As your water passes through the bed of the filter, iron in your water is attracted to media in the filter tank. Iron particles will attach to the media inside your filter tank, removing them from the water before it exits into the house drinking water.

The timer on the head of the system is set to automatically backwash the filter every few days to clean out the media inside the tank. The amount of iron in the water and daily usage of water will determine how often a system should backwash or clean itself. If there is a power outage, or after time change, you will need to reset the timer on the control head. This is important to reset because you don’t want to unknowingly use water during a backwash cycle. Please click here for timer resetting instructions.

Iron filters require very little maintenance but the media bed inside the tank does eventually becomes saturated with iron. The media will need to be replaced every 1–5 years, but this is depending on the level of iron and amount of water used daily.

Call Haskell’s Water Treatment Inc. today at (207) 594-4947 or 1 (800) 244-4947 for more information.