Friday, November 15, 2013

Iron Filters for the 21st Century !

Iron Filters for the 21st Century
 
 
I have been in this business since I was a kid.  Iron removal from the water has always been a challenge, but back in the 70's, 80's & 90's it was even more of a challenge !  Why ?  Two words...Potassium Permaganate !  Potassium Permaganate is  a chemical that is still used and sold today. It is a purple powder that is dissolved in water to make a purple liquid, and is used to regenerate the iron removal media called Manganese Greensand, which is inside the tank of a iron filter.  If you are familiar with this chemical you know where I'm headed.  It's a toxic, strong oxidizer, which stains a very ugly brown.  Thankfully, there is a better solution now.  It is called the AIO, which stands for Air, Injection, Oxidation.  Some companies may call it a "oxygen chamber" unit.  It is a single tank system that draws air instead of chemical.  The suction of air leaves a air pocket at the top of the tank.  When water passes through this super charged air pocket, it will then oxidize any iron, manganese and odor in the water, with no chemicals !  This unit just cleans itself every one or two days and recharges the air pocket.  I have seen a lot of success with this system in the water treatment industry, with very little maintenance or service.  There are a lot of variations out there, but they all work on the same principle that I just mentioned.  There are limitations / water parameters that need to be followed for optimum results.  Here they are:
 
 
Iron content needs to be less than 8 ppm (parts per million)
 
PH should be at or higher than 7.0
 
Sulpher should be less than 3 ppm
 
Manganese should be less than 2.5 ppm
 
For a single family home with less than 4 people in it, a 1.5 cubic foot unit should be adequate.  For four or more people in any household, I would go with a 2 or 3 cubic foot unit to ensure complete removal and proper flow rates.  I would highly recommend a professional dealer to come out to your house and test your water to tell you what is best for your water needs.  Hope this helps !
 
The Water Guy