Can A Water Softener Remove Iron

Do Water Softeners Remove Iron

The question "Do water softeners remove iron" is often times asked for a couple of reasons the first being the cost of both a water softener and an Iron Filter.  Depending on whom or what company you buy your water softener from you can pay as little as $600.00 found HERE  up to over $5,000.00 and though the salesman may not agree with my statement they are work basically the same in that they do remove hardness from the water.  Here is a water softener review that you may like; https://youtu.be/QBn3Y2ykhHM

Iron filters can be expensive as well whereas you can buy one HERE for as little as $750.00 or up to around $3,000.00 or more depending on your water dynamics and what kind of system the sales person is trying to sell you in order for them to make the most money since many of them work off commission.

How to Remove Iron From Your Water

There are many ways of removing iron from your water and they can range from easy and relatively inexpensive to expensive.  We will cover just a few of ways of how to remove iron from your water; The method used most is an iron filter which will either use air, chlorine, ozone or hydrogen peroxide in order to oxidize the iron and precipitate it into a solid which is then caught in the filter media and then removed by back washing the filter.  Some people will just install an ozone generator and others more commonly will use chlorine which will not only remove iron but will remove odor and disinfect however in many cases a storage tank of some size is necessary for best results and making mention of a storage tank some people will just put a piece of PVC pipe into a storage tank and drill hole in the PVC to allow the water to spray into the tank (called a spray bar) thus mixing the water with air in order to oxidize it.

Using a Water Softener to Remove Iron

As most people know we use a water softener to remove calcium, manganese and other contaminants from the water however it's primary purpose is to soften water but there are also other benefits to a water softener.  It can remove barium, strontium, cadmium and other constituents in the water but more salt is needed to remove these constituents as well as calcium from the resin beads inside the tank.  So let's talk about using a water softener to remove iron from the water.

I have had a couple of occasions where my customers did not have enough money to purchase an iron filter and water softener so I used a water softener to do both, one case in particular I can remember is when the lady hard approx 17 gpg of hardness and 3ppm iron.  She however did not have the money for an iron filter and as you can see she really needed both.  What we did do was also figure how many ppm iron = gpg of hardness, so we multiplied 4x3ppm iron and got 12 then added 12 to 17 and got 29 so we estimated So she had 29 gpg of hardness.  Not many people would agree with doing this method but we did what we could for our customers and we never got a call back to fix the water softener.  However, what I did was install a water softener with a "Turbulator" distributor tube. The difference is that on a normal distributor tube the water is forced down to the bottom during regeneration and stirs the bed from the bottom up

Turbulator Distributor Tube

however with a turbulator you can see that there  is another screen towards the top which is there to ensure that the entire bed gets stirred up in order to allow the brine mix to be used at full advantage and that the bed is lifted completely.  If this doesn't happen then over time the weight of the iron since it has not been removed will foul the entire bed and either a super good cleaning is necessary or just replacing the media beads would be the other step.  Speaking of good cleaning you can do a couple of things in order to maintain the health of your water softener when using it to remove iron also, that is to adjust your salt setting a little higher according to your water softener size and hardness or you can purchase Resup which I highly recommend.  You can get a gallon of the cleaner HERE  keeping in mind you will also need a feeder which will help in cleaning the resin beads in your water softener and definitely extend its life.  Get a feeder HERE

Now we can see that a water softener can be used to remove iron though it is not recommended but can be done with the right equipment.
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What kind of water filter do I need

What kind of water filter do I need

This is one of the most asked questions there are in the water treatment world and that is What Kind of Water Filter Do I Need.  Many people in the United States have problem water and it really doesn't matter if they have ground water (from a water well) surface water (from a lake river or stream) city water or rural water which may come any of the above or a private water well.  In order to answer the question of what kind of water filter do I need we will first have to identify which contaminant is in the water.

Problem Water

Most people that have problem run into the challenge of determining which kind of contaminant is actually in the water though many guess or listen to the advice of a neighbor which is not always correct. For example a lady who lives near the Guadalupe River told me that her water well gets water from the river.  I explained to her that she was misinformed and yet she still insisted though I am a licensed water well expert and not only have a license but must have continuing education classes each year.  So then I had to show her by means of what is in her water and what is in the river water.  Her water well had iron in it and left red marks on her trees and out buildings but the river water was always green and never stained the dock or boats in the river.  After she saw the difference did she actually begin to believe me over that of her neighbor whom she thought knew what they were talking about. So I explained she needed an iron filter since we could tell that she had iron in her water but in addition to the iron she also had hard water.  Now the difference is in this case that you need an iron filter to remove iron and a water softener to remove calcium or hard water.  Find out the difference HERE

 What's in My Water

The next and most important step is to find out exactly what is in your water in order to know which kind of water filter you will need.  Here is a kit that you can use to determine what kind of contaminant is in your water;  https://amzn.to/2RmQjOP   Once you know what is in your water you can get the right kind of filter because to use the wrong filter for the wrong contaminant not only brings frustration but will also cost you time and money which is the most important thing we have in our busy world today.  Most of what we find in our water is Sediment, Iron, Sulfur, and Hardness which doesn't need a water filter but a water softener.  So let's get to what you came here for

Water Filters

Sediment Filter Needed for sand and sediment

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Iron Filter- Removes Iron

Click For Link

Sulfur/Chlorine Filter-Removes Odor Caused by H2S

Click For Link

Whole house

 back 

washing carbon filter

The Best Water Filters

The above water filters should take care of any of your needs for filtration however if you do not find what you are looking for then you may want to watch this video and then you can ask questions to narrow down your search for your water filter needs; https://youtu.be/Uq847l8Nho4

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Do I Need A New Water Softener

Do I Need A New Water Softener

Over the past few years I have been called out to homes and the home owner asked me "Do I need a New Water Softener" because the guy that was here from the other company said that I need a new water softener.  It usually agitates me when I hear this because usually you never need a new water softener.  If there is a reason you need a new water softener they are far and few between.

 The Reason You Need a New Water Softener

I was called out to  a home and the home owner had another company at her home to see if there was a problem with her water softener.  It was a plumbing company and so I thought she had a plumbing company there because she had a plumbing problem.  Well, when he left she called me into her home and asked me to check here water softener.  I went outside and and ran it through its systems and found nothing to be wrong.  I then went into the house and tested the water and found it to be soft so that indicated to me that the water softener was working.  The home owner showed me the report and suggestions to her water softener problem,  the plumber said he "Pressed the button and the water softener didn't work" well that is a true statement, if you press the button it will not go into regeneration unless you press and hold the button.  He said she needed a new water softener and  quoted one that costs around $4,200.00 

Water Softener

The Real Truth About Water Softeners

As you are able to tell it only takes a few things to determine if the water softener is working, and if it is not then you most likely need some replacement parts but you will almost never need to buy a new one.  The most difficult thing is to find someone who will tell you the truth about the findings and not try and rip you off.  There are some things you can do to help.  Like get a water hardness test kit, watch a couple of videos on how to tell if your water softener is working, ask friends who they use for their water softener service and ask questions on forums or ask this guy on these videos, he seems to be honest and trustworthy and answers questions that people ask on his videos

She also asked me to check her reverse osmosis system, so I took my TDS tester and checked her water and did the numbers and found it to be fine though we did change the filters and membrane since she requested it.  I hope this article helps you to find the answers you need.

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Why is my water softener using more salt

Why is my water softener using more salt

This is a question a lot of people ask after having their water softener for some time.  Why is my water softener using more salt?  Well that is a question that must be investigated depending on the type of water softener you have, sort of.  For one thing it is not the type of salt you are using and it is not how the hard water you have.

What's The Best Water Softener Salt

There are some people who are under the impression that the correct type of water softener salt makes a difference in how much salt is used.  In reality the type of salt that is used has nothing to do with how much salt is used.  There are two determining factors that make the, one being how much salt is used during regeneration and how often the water softener regenerates.  

How Much Salt Should I Use 

Essentially the amount of salt used depends on the size if the water softener, for instance if the water softener is a 1 cu ft then you will want to use 9 lbs of salt to regenerate and if it is a 1.5 cu ft then you will want to use 12 lbs of salt and a 2 cu ft then 15 lbs of salt or you can click here to see the recommendation. 

Am I using Too Much Water

The other reason a water softener uses salt is because of the amount of water that is being used.  Many people say they are not using any more water than what they have been using but there is a sneaky little critter that most don't catch and it may be what the culprit is.  The first thing you want to do is to ensure that all faucets are turned off and no water is running, then look at your water softener to see if any water is running, note you can only do this with some digital models, if you do not have a digital model then my next suggestion is to check all your toilets because 99% of the time the culprit is the toilet and no one notices it because they flush it and leave the room immediately.  If no toilets are running then you may have a leak somewhere and you'll need to find it and get it fixed as soon as possible.  I hope this helped, please subscribe for our other updates and information.

What's The Best Water Softener

What's The Best Water Softener 

In today's world that is the most common question "What's The Best Water Softener" because there are so many out there and the people who sell them say that theirs is the best water softener.  So what I wanted to do was give you some answers based on my experience as a water softener company owner to help you in your decision.

Types of Water Softeners

There are various types of water softeners and they all range differently in price and looks but the performance is basically the same.  So I thought I would start with the most popular and give the pro's and con's and then my recommendation

Rain Soft- Pro's works great, con's expensive, you need them to come fix it

GE/Whirlpool, Kenmore, Northstar- Pro's works great, inexpensive, inexpensive parts; con's can't find anyone to work on it
Kinetico- Pro's works great, needs no electricity; con's- expensive, only they can work on it
Culligan- Pro's works great; Con's- expensive, not everyone can work on them, parts expensive
Hague- Works great, lifetime warranty; con's- expensive, parts expensive, only they can work on it
Fleck-Pro's works great, inexpensive, parts inexpensive, easy to work on; Con's - none

Water Softener

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Which Kind of Salt Do I use for my Water Softener

Whats the Best Water Softener Salt

That is a commonly asked question because there are various types of water softener salt on the market.  Each on has its own price and different kind of bag not to mention potassium as well.  Many of us who have water softeners want the best water softener salt to put in our water softeners so we can have the cleanest and most effective water softener media possible.  Here is a video; https://youtu.be/ZkgGVCwHc2I

What Kind of Salt Should I Use in My Water Softener

I have had many customers as my that question over the years and in the beginning I used to tell them whatever the cheapest is but after gaining some experience over the years I've learned to ask some questions as to why they are inquiring about a certain brand or kind of water softener salt or why do they even want to know.  So I ask a couple of questions like; what size water softener do you have, how hard is your water.  The reason for this is that they may have a water softener that is too small for the hardness and will need to use more salt then I would say to buy the cheapest salt.  Another question is; do you have iron in your well water?

If so then they would need a larger dosage of salt or they can buy the salt in the green bag that is made for iron in the water, in either case they are going to spend more money on salt or they can just buy an iron filter and put up the money up front but then can use cheaper salt and save money in the long run.  Some people want to know which is better the salt crystals or the salt pellets and in either case they are both prone to making a salt bridge in the brine tank.  That is when the salt has bridged and the water never makes it up to the salt and the water softener is not cleansed with salt and you will have hard water in the house.  Really the best kind of salt is the one that works best in your softener or can be the cheapest brand.  The other thing is after about a year the water in your salt tank looks terrible because most salt is dirty with one exception.  It is Morton salt.  If you compare the salt pellets to one another you will find that the Morton brand pellets are the cleanest and leave the brine tank cleaner as well.

Now for the best answer for all cases is to use the cheapest salt and combined with this product you will safe money and time by shopping online.  The product is called Resup and it is a food grade phosphoric acid and is dripped inside the brine tank to help clean the media in the water softener.  This is the best alternative and the most inexpensive as an addition to your water softener salt.  A gallon of Resup should last up to about 6 months with the 1/2 oz per day dispenser, both can be seen below.  The 1/2 oz dispenser has the yellow tube.  https://youtu.be/ZkgGVCwHc2I

Whats the Best Water Softener Salt

Whats the Best Water Softener Salt

That is a commonly asked question because there are various types of water softener salt on the market.  Each on has its own price and different kind of bag not to mention potassium as well.  Many of us who have water softeners want the best water softener salt to put in our water softeners so we can have the cleanest and most effective water softener media possible.

What Kind of Salt Should I Use in My Water Softener

I have had many customers as my that question over the years and in the beginning I used to tell them whatever the cheapest is but after gaining some experience over the years I've learned to ask some questions as to why they are inquiring about a certain brand or kind of water softener salt or why do they even want to know.  So I ask a couple of questions like; what size water softener do you have, how hard is your water.  The reason for this is that they may have a water softener that is too small for the hardness and will need to use more salt then I would say to buy the cheapest salt.  Another question is; do you have iron in your well water?

If so then they would need a larger dosage of salt or they can buy the salt in the green bag that is made for iron in the water, in either case they are going to spend more money on salt or they can just buy an iron filter and put up the money up front but then can use cheaper salt and save money in the long run.  Some people want to know which is better the salt crystals or the salt pellets and in either case they are both prone to making a salt bridge in the brine tank.  That is when the salt has bridged and the water never makes it up to the salt and the water softener is not cleansed with salt and you will have hard water in the house.  Really the best kind of salt is the one that works best in your softener or can be the cheapest brand.  The other thing is after about a year the water in your salt tank looks terrible because most salt is dirty with one exception.  It is Morton salt.  If you compare the salt pellets to one another you will find that the Morton brand pellets are the cleanest and leave the brine tank cleaner as well.

Now for the best answer for all cases is to use the cheapest salt and combined with this product you will safe money and time by shopping online.  The product is called Resup and it is a food grade phosphoric acid and is dripped inside the brine tank to help clean the media in the water softener.  This is the best alternative and the most inexpensive as an addition to your water softener salt.  A gallon of Resup should last up to about 6 months with the 1/2 oz per day dispenser, both can be seen below.  The 1/2 oz dispenser has the yellow tube.