It Can't be Filtered or Nothing Seems to Work!!!!

This article was written by Jeff Twitchell on April 17,1999
Jeff is the V.P. Air & Water Quality Inc.

Introduction-

You have had a water treatment company come to take care of your cloudy water. They install your new hope for clear colorless water. After the system is installed, the water doesn't look any better. They tell you to wait a while(usually a few days to a week) and see if it clears up. IT DOESN"T!!! What now?

They come back and check the operation of the system and everything seems fine. You are asked to wait a couple of more days. After 2 days, the water does not look any better. You call them back.....

...They suggest changing the media. They do and the results are no better. You call them back....

...They suggest a different media ....no better...

...They suggest a multimedia ...no better

...They suggest adding a cartridge filter... no better... You ask for you money back...

If you are lucky, you will get your money back but this is not what you really want. What you really want is a solution to your problem.

You ask yourself - what is this stuff? Can this be fixed? Is the equipment complicated? What will it cost?

What is this stuff?

What you have in you water are particles that are too small to filter yet large enough to make the water appear cloudy. Generally we call these materials colloids. If there is iron in the water, the water will have an orange or brown color. This is called colloidal iron. Colloidal iron is usually the result of the iron in the water combining will organic material in the water. These colloids could also be clay. If it is only clay, it will appear gray in color. One way to tell if you have either of these (colloidal iron or clay), is to draw a glass of water and let it set for a few hours and check to see if the water at least begins to clear. If you have colloidal iron, you will not see any settlement of the iron on the bottom. If you have clay, you will see some sediment but the water will remain cloudy.

Can it be fixed?

Yes. It most certainly can be fixed. What will be required is a system we call a flocculation system. The system introduces a chemical (coagulant) into the water that will cause floc to grow in the water. While this floc grows it surrounds the colloidal particles and traps them. This process is similar to what happens when we see hail or snow. The water droplets freeze onto tiny suspended dust particles in the air that eventually grow large enough to fall out of the sky. In the case of your water the particles grow large enough to be trapped in a filter.

Is the equipment complicated?

The system uses standard water treatment equipment available to all water treatment professionals. The system will consist of two solution feed pumps, two static mixers, and usually two filters. The first solution feed pump introduces the iron based coagulant into the water as it comes into the house. This water is then thoroughly mixed with the iron coagulant in a static mixer. The second solution feed pump introduces potash (a chemical like baking soda that will cause the iron to floc). The water with the iron and potash is then mixed in the second static mixer where the floc begins to grow. Finally, the water with the floc is sent to the filter(s) where the floc with the colloid trapped inside is removed from the water.

What will it cost?

The cost will depend on the flow (gpm) you require. The greater the flow the more the filters will cost. You can expect systems to start at a minimum of $3500. If you require higher flows or have other materials in the water that need to be removed, you can expect this price to be higher.