Iron in the water

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We used a sand filter for several years and were constantly having to scoop the red stuff off the top and add more sand. Then we went to a system that was supposed to take the iron out magneticly. Then to a system that adds chemicals to filter out the iron. Sand is now a problem. There is a lake close by that doesnt have any undesireable runoff (that I am aware of). Is there anyone who has a simple system to purify lake water for drinking? Better yet, a suggestion on fixing the well. Thanks for any help.

-- Mark Johnston (Mjohns90@hotmail.com), June 30, 2000

Answers

That red stuff could be iron-eating bacteria instead of rust, you could "shock" the well and all associated piping with a very large amount of chlorine bleach, let it sit for a few days and then clear it out.

Dave

-- Dave (Ak) (daveh@ecosse.net), July 01, 2000.


Just a thought, that iron and mineral content in the water could effect the livestock if you have any and feed minerals to them. We had to have ours tested as we found too much was causing our goats to turn color. bernice

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), July 01, 2000.

I can direct you to some resources if you are interested. Iron is a problem no matter how you slice it. The first message is correct. You could have an iron bacteria problem. The associated problem is that it is being caused by oxygen getting to the iron in your well or water.

Geensand filtration would be the simplest and least expensive way for you to deal with the problem. The first thing you need to do is to find out how much iron is actually present. Feel free to ask any questions.

Chris

-- Chris (wtp5@tcsn.net), December 22, 2000.


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