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If anyone has any questions about water quality improvement - I can help.

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussion' started by Rex Kramer, Jan 12, 2020.

  1. Jun 29, 2020 at 1:47 PM
    #91
    Breathing Borla

    Breathing Borla I'd rather be fishing

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    for what its worth, I have a spring well system and it seems really good to me. changing pre-filter is easy, flow is great and water is good.

    I have the mid size model

    https://www.springwellwater.com/product/water-filters/whole-house-water-filters/
     
    Rex Kramer[OP] likes this.
  2. Jun 29, 2020 at 1:52 PM
    #92
    Rex Kramer

    Rex Kramer [OP] Vinyl Spinner

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    What is in the large tank, and how often do the recommend changing it?
     
  3. Jun 29, 2020 at 5:19 PM
    #93
    Crizzlej5

    Crizzlej5 New Member

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    @Breathing Borla , awesome I just did their water test kit waiting on results, did you have similar issues with your well?
     
  4. Jun 30, 2020 at 6:55 AM
    #94
    Breathing Borla

    Breathing Borla I'd rather be fishing

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    Stage 1
    5 micon sediment pre-filtration: Filters sand, silt, clay, and any other sediment.
    Stage 2
    KDF Bed: A copper/zinc alloy media used to remove chlorine & heavy metals.
    Stage 3
    Coconut Shell Carbon Bed: Designed & processed to remove organic contaminants
    Stage 4
    Flex Bed: Innovative design to eliminate channeling while producing more contact time.

    They say 6-9 months for the pre-filter, which seems about right for what I have seen when I change it, they gave me 4 for free with new gaskets and lube when I bought so that was nice.

    larger tank is good for a million gallons is what they have listed. Its only 300 bucks for a new media I think which isn't bad and all the parts you can buy to fix it yourself.


    please note, I have city water and this is that system, they have a different model for well water.
     
  5. Jun 30, 2020 at 6:58 AM
    #95
    Breathing Borla

    Breathing Borla I'd rather be fishing

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  6. Jun 30, 2020 at 7:25 AM
    #96
    showtime240

    showtime240 New Member

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    @Rex Kramer

    We just finished the build of our home. I asked the builder to include Water softener plumbing and it is set up in our garage.
    We live in Houston, TX in the city.

    I have not had any softener systems before in any of our previous residences.

    What would you suggest?
     
  7. Jun 30, 2020 at 9:16 AM
    #97
    Rex Kramer

    Rex Kramer [OP] Vinyl Spinner

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    How do they know... how do you know?
    Dr.-Evil.jpg
     
  8. Jun 30, 2020 at 9:20 AM
    #98
    Rex Kramer

    Rex Kramer [OP] Vinyl Spinner

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    I suggest finding a local independent dealer that sell, installs and services equipment that uses Fleck valves and Vortech tanks. Houston city water probably has hardness and chlorine, so a softener and a carbon filter that back-washes is what you are looking for.
     
  9. Jun 30, 2020 at 9:20 AM
    #99
    csuviper

    csuviper Moderator Staff Member

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    Some Mods :) See build thread for details
    All of your water from major manufacturers like Aquafina and Dasani use Reverse Osmosis systems. Looks like they sell cheap versions that use a similar RO process at home. Any good?
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jun 30, 2020
  10. Jun 30, 2020 at 9:24 AM
    #100
    Rex Kramer

    Rex Kramer [OP] Vinyl Spinner

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    R.O. systems waste gallons of water to produce one gallon of pure water, the water pressure and temperature have a big effect on performance and they require a lot of maintenance for life. I don't sell them, my go to point of use filter is a solid carbon block filter made by Multi-Pure and large distillers.
     
  11. Jun 30, 2020 at 10:20 AM
    #101
    Rex Kramer

    Rex Kramer [OP] Vinyl Spinner

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    Reasons why you want a filter that can be back-washed manually, or with an electronic control valve.

    Water follows the path of least resistance... if a filter is not back-washed water will follow the same path through the filter media... this is called channeling. Impurities in your water can build up inside the filter and reduce your water pressure and the filters effectiveness.

    Back-washing a filter eliminates channeling, it ejects debris & impurities to the train and it provides maximum fresh surface area allowing the media to do it's intended job.

    Non back-washing filter cylinders are known as exchange tanks. These are designed for commercial applications where they are not in service for very long before being exchanged for a fresh tank, the old media is dumped and replaced with fresh media so the tank can be exchanged with one that is about to expire.
     
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  12. Jun 30, 2020 at 10:29 AM
    #102
    Breathing Borla

    Breathing Borla I'd rather be fishing

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    lol, love dr. evil

    I will know by looking at the meter, simple. not sure about them, even if its less, 300 bucks to add a new media isn't that big of a deal even if its 500K
     
  13. Jun 30, 2020 at 10:43 AM
    #103
    Rex Kramer

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    GAC in a back-washing filter should be replaced every 24 to 36 months, you can sometimes go 48 months. GAC in a filter that does not backwash should be replaced every 24 months or when water pressure drops, whichever comes first.
     
  14. Jun 30, 2020 at 11:17 AM
    #104
    Breathing Borla

    Breathing Borla I'd rather be fishing

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    Im guessing they can meet this, but we'll find out lol.


    SpringWell Guarantee of Performance

    SpringWell Water assures its Customers that the Carbon exclusive to SpringWell can reduce chlorine and chloramine levels below minimum detection levels (MDL) forthwith. This guaranteed performance is for 6 years or 1 million gallons.
     
  15. Jun 30, 2020 at 11:45 AM
    #105
    Rex Kramer

    Rex Kramer [OP] Vinyl Spinner

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    Catalytic Carbon is great and I use a lot of it, but it is not resistant to channeling.
     
  16. Jun 30, 2020 at 4:22 PM
    #106
    SOB

    SOB Big Member

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    Well, I got the first test done in my well and here are the numbers:

    Hardness: 100gpg
    Iron:0.5ppm
    Sulfur: 5ppm (if not a little more)
    TDS: 1000+ppm

    Not good numbers (except for iron IMO). The person testing was from a local plumbing distributor and I watched/confirmed the numbers. He’s going to put together some options but was talking about a hydrogen peroxide injector (for sulfur), followed by a carbon filter (for excess peroxide and some solids), double resin tank softener and then RO (due to the amount of TDS). Maybe not exactly in that order. I’m not shooting for perfect water but want decent water that doesn’t smell. We’re not planning to drink the water but use it for everything else (bathe, wash clothes, etc.). Any thoughts? I’m getting another test/opinion later this week. Thanks!
     
  17. Jun 30, 2020 at 5:12 PM
    #107
    Rex Kramer

    Rex Kramer [OP] Vinyl Spinner

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    That is a mess.

    I suggest a Air Injection Oxidation system followed by a large metered softener and a distiller with solid carbon block post filtration for drinking water.

    Your only regular maintenance is feeding the softener salt, cleaning the boiling chamber in the distiller periodically and changing the solid carbon block filter one a year.

    The smell will be gone without the use of any chemicals, the water will be softer without using a huge amount of salt, and the drinking water will be pure without wasting water.
     
  18. Jul 1, 2020 at 2:50 AM
    #108
    SOB

    SOB Big Member

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    During the test I mentioned the Air Injection system and was told that my sulfur level is too high, or at best borderline, for that type of system to remove the sulfur smell. Especially because the level could go up even more based on environmental conditional (barometric pressure, etc).
     
  19. Jul 1, 2020 at 3:53 AM
    #109
    Rex Kramer

    Rex Kramer [OP] Vinyl Spinner

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    Then you run two AIO filters back to back... anything to avoid using a chemical injection system, adding chemicals is a last resort method.
     
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  20. Jul 1, 2020 at 6:02 AM
    #110
    Kung

    Kung Dead sexy

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    Rex - is there a decent home or self-test that can be done, or do we have to take it to a certain place to get it tested?
     
  21. Jul 1, 2020 at 6:08 AM
    #111
    Rex Kramer

    Rex Kramer [OP] Vinyl Spinner

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    Most of your brand name distributorships offer free in home testing for hardness, ph, iron and chlorine in exchange for you listening to their sales pitch. These are basic test, and usually are all you need. You can also contact your county extension service, they usually have a service where you can drop off a sample of your water for testing. There are also companies that offer a wide variety of testing for a substantial fee, I recommend a local lab.
     
  22. Jul 1, 2020 at 6:28 AM
    #112
    Backslider

    Backslider Thirsty...

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    I live in the desert. We have extremely hard water with a lot of TDS. It's healthy and safe, but leaves hard water deposits everywhere.

    I have an RO system under my kitchen sink that we use for all cooking. Because of this I don't want to use a whole house salt softener as introducing more particulate to my system will mean that I end up going through RO filters/membranes more frequently.

    I've been looking at these systems and considering an electric water descaler. My goal is to lessen or eliminate water deposits, otherwise I'm happy with our water supply. Do these electronic descalers work?


    Thanks for providing your expertise - this is interesting timing as I've been looking in to this a lot lately.
     
  23. Jul 1, 2020 at 6:33 AM
    #113
    Rex Kramer

    Rex Kramer [OP] Vinyl Spinner

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    You are welcome.

    The only application that I have seen the electronic devices work is in commercial applications where a high volume of water is used quickly, before the electrical charge dissipates. I do not recommend them for residential use.
     
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  24. Jul 1, 2020 at 6:37 AM
    #114
    Backslider

    Backslider Thirsty...

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    Thanks - I thought they might be too good to be true. There do seem to be a lot of reviews from customers claiming that they have improved their water.

    That said, based on my situation do you have a recommendation?
     
  25. Jul 1, 2020 at 6:41 AM
    #115
    Rex Kramer

    Rex Kramer [OP] Vinyl Spinner

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    The softener is the proven method, however if the electronic device is inexpensive and returnable then it may be worth trying as long as the installation is easily reversible.
     
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  26. Jul 1, 2020 at 6:43 AM
    #116
    Backslider

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    It seems it literally just wraps around the main water feed for the house. I might give it a try. I hate the idea of adding ionizing salts or whatever.

    I've been eyeballing this system as well:

    https://www.aquasana.com/whole-hous...GTNRlrG12fZPbACwu_40ccSLjRKOqT1AaAgF-EALw_wcB
     
  27. Jul 1, 2020 at 6:51 AM
    #117
    Rex Kramer

    Rex Kramer [OP] Vinyl Spinner

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    SCM salt-free technology is proven to reduce scale on internal pipes and plumbing... but once you expose the water to the air the calcium leaves hard water spots as it always has.
     
  28. Jul 1, 2020 at 7:20 AM
    #118
    Kung

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    Yeah, I think I'll contact a local lab....I'd rather not subject myself to a sales pitch. LOL
     
  29. Jul 1, 2020 at 8:17 AM
    #119
    Rex Kramer

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    I hear you... they can sometimes be educational - and they are always entertaining especially if the salesman attempts to close the sale on the spot.
     
  30. Jul 1, 2020 at 8:19 AM
    #120
    Geezer

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    First, thank you for all of the help you are providing to the Tundra community. I have read through the previous posts and learned a lot.

    I have well water. It has a sulfur smell and metalic taste. The sulfur smell is usually not very strong, but sometimes gets stronger.

    It also has a black slippery substance that comes out of the pipe on occasion when running at high volume. I use a sediment filter and the black stuff is always present in the filter when I change it. I use a cartridge that looks like it is a winding of cord.

    I have copper pipes which are now about 30 years old.

    I have about 8 gpm flow at the hose bib nearest to the expansion tank.

    I tested my water with an inexpensive home test kit.
    Hardness = 0
    Alkalinity ppm = 80
    ph = 5
    copper - 1.0
    iron = 0.1

    I don't remember where I learned this, but for some reason I think the black stuff is manganese. Can that be right?

    I am thinking about an AIO system.
    Does the size of the AIO system make a lot of difference? If I oversize it to deal with the times when the sulfur smell is strongest will it affect every day performance?

    Thank you for your comments.
     
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