Water is my project this coming year. I have a 6 inch well that’s 90 feet deep. Recharge rate is low but it’s OK. We don’t use much water so there’s plenty of time to recharge between pump cycles. No, my problem is that there is an abundance of iron in the water. I mean a LOT of iron. Given time it will settle out but we’re talking days. I have a few options. Namely
- Dig a new well; expensive and no guarantee it would solve the problem
- Drink rusty water; not even a real option
- Figure out how to get rid of the rust in the water
My project to rid water of iron oxide.
But first a little history. This year I pulled the pump; it’s a submersible configuration. The intent was to mechanically scour any rust from the well casing, kill any rust bacteria growing, and replace everything in the bore hole. I did that. Can’t say that it helped much but at least now I know exactly what’s down the hole and how deep.
The really bad water is when I first start the pump in the Spring. I have discovered that if I pump the well dry several times and let it refill that if I don’t over pump it will clear. But I can’t do that without getting some nasty water in my lines and into the house. That’s bad. Showers turn orange; white clothes turn orange; everything turns orange. Drives the wife crazy! But if I pump it, let it settle, don’t over pump it it will turn clear and be very good water. But when it’s bad it’s really bad.
I think I have a problem!
So here’s the general plan but I’m really open to suggestions from others who might have addressed similar problems so please contact me. Plan outline:
- Test if a sand filter can remove enough of the visible rust. I know there’s probably dissolved iron that I can’t see but it doesn’t seem to be a problem. If it works I’m done.
- Test a biological filter. I know it will work but they’re hard, if not impossible, to backwash which will be a necessity because of the rust.
- Put it all together so it’s able to operate at below freezing temperatures but still be easy to maintain.
- Also, I have a natural spring at a higher elevation that I want to divert into my water supply. Whatever solution I end up with needs to be able to process the spring water as well.
I’ve done a lot of homework already but won’t clutter this post with it. I’ll create future posts to share the successes and failures.
Good luck on your project! If only I could have a bucket or two of that iron water for one of my fiber arts natural dye-pots!!
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I've got plenty to share. Bring your jugs!
Also, I couldn't get to your web site. Get error message from Firefox"
Chrome also fails with an "unsupported protocol" msg.
You might want to contact your site administrator.
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Okay! Thank you! That is not good :(
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Great resolution - too much iron in water is a pain! I look forward to seeing your future posts on the progress! You've been entered into the challenge, thank you!
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Thank you
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Thank you for participating in the most recent #homesteadingchallenge! This comment is to inform you that the winner and a few honorable mentions have just been announced! I hope to see you in future contests!
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If you have that much iron in your water it will not be easy to get it out. I am in the sand capital of the world I think as I have two sand pits about 2 miles or so from my land. I have a well and it is 175 ft deep and I have some iron in it also. I can say sand does help some but will not get it out with as much as you have in your water. They make iron filters but they are expensive and you would have to change them every day if not everytime you pump water with that much iron in the water. I do not know your location but is the whole area like that or just in your neck of the woods. I would find a better location and have a deep well drilled.
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I agree. I doubt a single sand filter will do it completely. I'll probably end up with a two stage solution. The photo is of course the worst case (ya know drama ;-) I'm in western NC. The wells on my side of the creek tend to have rust; the wells on the other side don't. The commercial iron filter are cost prohibitive and use a lot of nasty chemicals. The good news is that it will mostly settle out which means it's a larger particle size and easier to filter. Right now it's too cold to do anything so I have to wait until Spring. The well pumps good water as long as you don't stir it up by over pumping.
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Yeah, I agree on the commercial filters. It is amazing a well next to you is just perfect. It is a pain. Good luck!
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Thanks
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What a challenge you face! We had lots of iron in the water at our last place but nowhere near what you've pictured here. I look forward to following your progress on this.
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The good news is that if we let the well settle and don't perturb it we can use the water antil I find a more permanent solution.
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