All About Iron In Your Water and

Why You Should Remove ItWater Filters Express

By Water Filters Express.com

Although iron as such is not harmful to humans, it can on occasion make water unusable for household use.

In such cases, it is important to use

an iron water filter to remove the excess iron.

Water supplies usually carry a small amount of

iron, and in small quantities,

it rarely presents a problem.

There are, however, times

when large amounts of iron

are present and this

can become problematic.

How does Iron get into Water Supplies?

The water used in:

Domestic

Commercial

Industrial settings

is derived from either ground or surface water sources.

As a rule, surface water contains very little or no iron at all.

Domestic

Commercial

Industrial

As it stands, however,

the majority of the water we use

comes from ground water wells,

ranging in depths between under 100 feet

up to thousands of feet.

Water continually circles through what is known as

the hydrologic cycle.

Essentially, it falls onto the ground,

seeps into the ground or enters rivers and oceans,

evaporates from there,

forms clouds,

then falls again in the shape of rain, hail or snow.

The Hydrologic Cycle

The water that seeps into the ground

travels through the various layers - or strata –

of the ground and eventually collects in

so-called saturation zones.

Ground water wells are drilled into these zones

to collect the water from there.

As the water travels through the ground's strata,

it dissolves and collects mineralsfrom within the soil. These minerals include

calcium, iron, magnesium and manganese,

to name but a few of them.

Because the soil varies from location to location,

so does the water found in wells.

One of the most troublesome,

unstable variables resulting from particular

regional geology is iron content.

As the water dissolves iron

from iron ore in the ground,

it creates what is known as ferrous bicarbonate.

Because this cannot be seen,

it is called clear water iron.

Iron will always try to get

back into its natural state

and will precipitate out of the

solution into a solid state.

These particles are known as

ferric hydroxide and will turn the water red.

Consequently, this is known as red water iron. How quickly this change will occur depends on the

temperature, pressure and the pH of the water.

The higher the pH factor, the quicker red water iron will form.

EFFECTS OF IRON IN WATER

The

Ironcan have numerous effects from

staining fixtures and appliances like kettles or water softeners and surfaces, with stains ranging in color from yellow through red into brown,

through creating foul odors or an unpalatable, metallic taste.

It can also clog pipes and heat exchangers.

None of these effects are actually hazardous

to humans or the environment,

but they can result in large amounts of money

being spent and the use of toxic cleaners to remove them, which will ultimately affect the

environment.

It is therefore typically

more practical and

cost effective

to use an

iron water filter and remove the iron

before using the water,

rather than trying

to deal with the effects

of clear or red water iron in your home’s plumbing

system.

TYPES OF IRON

What are the

To successfully remove iron from water

with the help of an iron water filter,

it is first of all essential to determine

which type of iron is actually contained

within the water.

This can be done by testing water, and the tests should include:

testing for pH total hardness

alkalinity total dissolved solids

manganese, tannins,

iron and also iron

bacteria

A misdiagnosis and use of the

wrong type of iron present in the water

will typically result in

any iron removal filterworking only for a short period of time,

after which it will simply become fouled

with the iron it is not actually removing.

The majority of

iron water filter processes are designed to effectively reduce

clear or red water iron.

There are, however, other iron types,

which will cause the same kind of symptoms

typical for iron contamination.

IRON TYPES

Other

Sequestered

Iron

• This can only be found in our municipal

water supplies. In order to keep a clear water

state, a sequestering agent is added

to the water supply.

• The iron is encapsulated by this

agent, preventing it from becoming ferric and

creating the red water state.

• Unfortunately, this agent often breaks down

before the water enters homes, somewhat

defeating its purpose, and in addition, this

agent also reduces the effectiveness of

an iron water filter.

Home

Iron

• This type has formed compounds with

other organics present in the

water.

• These compounds do not react to typical

iron-reducing methods and usually

pass straight through an iron water filter.

• If this type is present, other technologies

have to be utilized to remove the organics in

order for an iron water filter to work

effectively.

Iron

Bacteria

• One of the most frequently misdiagnosed

problems, iron-bacteria can actually be

increased by using some iron water filter

systems.

• This effectively makes matters worse for the

consumer. Consisting of life organisms,

the bacteria needs food (iron) and oxygen

to grow.

It is not harmful with regards to

human or animal consumption,

but can clog pipes, pumps and water treatment

systems. As such, it may produce symptoms like:

•loss of pressure,

•odors,

•foul tastes and

•staining

The best method of controlling these bacteria

is through chlorination, which should be applied

upstream from any iron removal equipment.

REDUCE IRON

How to

Once the iron type

contained within the water supplyhas been identified

and the characteristics of the water

are understood,

reducing iron can be fairly simple.

Two basic technologies are used to reduce iron, namely:

Ion

Exchange

Small amounts of ferrous iron can usually be successfully removed with the ion exchange process involved in the use of water softeners.

Due to the fact that water

supplies and applicationsvary, which will have an effect on

how successful treatment with

ion exchange equipment is,

it is advisable to consult a local

water treatment professional in

order to determine whether this

approach will be suitable for your

particular situation.

Oxidation/

Iron Water

Filter

This approach is typically employedif quantities of iron exceed the

above stated levels, or if the pH factor of the water is greater than eight, when it may be employed even if iron levels are comparatively low.

In this process, oxygen is introduced into the water to convert the ferrous bicarbonate (clear water iron) into ferric hydroxide (red water iron).

After the iron has thus been converted into solid iron particles, an iron water filter will serve to remove the iron from the water.

It is typical today for an automatic

backwashing iron water filterto be used to filter out the solid, or

precipitated, iron particles.

Regular back-washing is important

in order to prevent the iron filter bed from becoming fouled.

Most manufacturers suggest that back-washingshould be performed every three days, although

very high iron content may make it necessary to

perform the process more frequently.

Essentially, back-wash intervals depend on the

water supply and the iron content within it, the

applications used and the amount of water usage.

Ultimately, it is always best to consult an expert

dealing with water treatment in order to

determine which type of technology will be most

suitable for iron reduction in any given area or

circumstances.

SUMMARY

The

To sum up, iron is present in water supplies in most

cases. Although the presence of iron in water is not

harmful to humans, animals or the environment as

such, it can cause a list of unpleasant symptoms:

staining everything the water touches

clogging up and fouling water-using

equipment, pipes, etc

cause unpleasant odors and metallic

tastes

As well as being unpleasant, these symptomsmay also create unnecessary expenses in order

to clear up some of the more physical

symptoms, such as staining and clogging of

pipes and it may also result in the environment

being harmed through the use of toxic

detergents.

Iron therefore needs to be reduced in order to

prevent these symptoms from occurring.

Before it can be removed from the water supply,

however, it is necessary to determine which type of

iron and how much of it is actually present.

The type and quantity of iron present will then

assist in determining which type of technology should be employed in order to successfully remove

it. The most commonly used technologies include

ion exchange through water softeners, which is

usually employed in cases of low contamination, and

oxidation combined with filtration in areas with high

contamination.

As a rule, it is considered to be of great advantage

to consult a professional water treatment expert

in order to determine the most efficient, most

effective method of iron reduction for a particular

area and specific situations.

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Osmosis

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All About Iron In Your Water and

Why You Should Remove ItWater Filters Express

By Water Filters Express.com