From: REMOVE_THISdwilkins@means.net (Don Wilkins)
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.metalworking
Subject: Re: Water problem - need suggestions
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 1999 10:50:56 GMT

On 12 Jun 1999 20:53:02 GMT, rx7drivr@aol.com (RX7drivr) wrote:

>Got a little brain teaser for y'all.
>Our water system is a sandpoint well - depth of about 25', with a pump sitting
>at ground level.  (The ground water varies in depth from 3' to 10' depending on
>the time of year.)  Plenty of water, good flow.
>The rest of the system consists of a pressure tank and a salt-based water
>softener.  The water is very rusty in spite of the rust-remover attachment to
>the water softener, and an in-line sediment filter.  (I'm told that we have a
>different kind of rust - iron bacteria - than the filters and softener are
>designed to remove.)

Chlorox will kill this bacteria. I set up a system for a friend but
that was on a deep well. The return line on the pump sent the chlorox
to the bottom where the bacteria were doing their thing.

This was sort of a temporary fix as it had to be repeated every few
years.

IF all else fails you might consider running a pipe down to the point
and pouring in some full strength Chlorox. Let it set for a few hours
and then rinse until the chlorine taste is gone.

This worked fine on the deep well but I am a bit concerned about those
screens on a sand point. You might get an old sand point and soak it
in Chlorox to evaluate the life span of the screens.

>I got a look at our neighbor's very expensive system.  He has a similar
>sandpoint well, but then there is a chlorinator which injects a measured amount
>of something-or-other (probably a weak mixture of pool chlorine or bleach) into
>a holding tank.  The chemical grabs onto the rust, and it drops out of
>solution.  I assume it goes to the bottom of the tank and is flushed away at
>regular intervals.
>So, I'd like to pick the group's collective brain.  Anyone have experience with
>this kind of system or know how to build one?  URLs or addresses, phone
>numbers?  I'm ultimately looking to design and build my own system, if it's not
>too complicated.  (PS I've seen the chlorinator metering pumps in the Grainger
>catalog, could I use one of these to inject, say, a cup of bleach per day into
>the pressure tank?)  Thanks for your comments.
>James