The earth’s crust features up to 5% iron. Although this may appear to be a small amount, it is quite high. This means that if you use well water, it is more likely to have some quantities of iron absorbed. And when you are on a budget, removing iron from water can appear to be expensive. For others, it may even be a nuisance. Well, the good news is that you can now remove iron from well water with cost effective and easy methods. You don’t have to spend obscene amounts of money to filter your water. Highlighted below for you are the top cheapest ways to remove iron from well water.
Water Sedimentation
Water sedimentation proves to be the easiest and cheapest way to remove iron from water. This technique requires you to fill up a tank with water from the well, either using a hose or pump. Then, let the water settle until all the impurities fall to the bottom of the tank.
Yet, water sedimentation also brings with it limitations. This is because when you pour the water out of the tank, this will disturb the bottom of the tank. Doing so prompts reabsorption of the sediments, including the iron. This means that with this method, you can only have access to small amounts of water at a given time.
Activated Charcoal
Activated charcoal is also an effective way to filter iron from water. Yet, this technique only works for small quantities of water. So if you want to filter water from cooking or drinking, activated charcoal is a viable filtration option.
Simply wrap activated charcoal in a clean piece of cloth and let water pass through it. The charcoal absorbs most of the impurities from the water. You can easily get activated charcoal from the nearest drugstore.
Silicone
You can also use silicone to filter iron from well water. Again this method works for smaller to medium quantities of water. Simply pour well water into a container with silicone and let it sit for up to 2 days. Over time, all the impurities will fall to the bottom of the container. After doing so, you can then use the water at the top half of the container.
Freezing
When you freeze water, the impurities are the last to freeze. Thus, you can use this method to filter water with iron. Freeze the water until most of it freezes and then, pour out the unfrozen part. This unfrozen part is most likely to contain most of the impurities including iron.
Although this method is easy, it’s not the most reliable one. This is because there’s a likelihood of freezing some of the impurities. So you don’t want to use this water for important tasks such as cooking or drinking water. This method also works best during the colder seasons. During the cold season, it is easier to freeze water without overcrowding the freezer.
Iron Filters
The use of iron filters still remains as the most effective one. This method employs ultrafiltration to the tinniest iron bits; allowing the water to be up to 98% pure. And yes, you can also find very good quality and affordable iron filters for well water.
Iron filters also work as a whole household solution. So you want to invest in one, especially if you depend on well water supply or have old plumbing. Iron filters use different types of mechanisms to provide effective filtration. These include ion exchange, aeration, and reverse osmosis.
Aeration
Aeration treatment works for minimal to highly concentrated water. With between 5 to 20 milligrams of iron per liter, aeration is quite effective. This method uses oxidation to treat the water. The oxidation pushes the iron particles to the bottom of the container. You can also complement the aeration process for better water purification. Use the ion exchange or reverse osmosis on your water after aeration.
Reverse Osmosis
Reverse osmosis is ideal if the well water iron concentration goes up to 15 milligrams/liter. In reverse osmosis, water passes through a special membrane under pressure. This membrane effectively traps up to 99% of contaminants in the water. But, this highly accurate method only works with small amounts of water.
If you live in an apartment or small home, then, reverse osmosis works. The maintenance and occasional replacement of the membrane are also quite cost effective. But, if you live in a large home, this method may not be quite cheap. You will need to spend more on a system that is workable enough for the whole home.
Ion Exchange
Ion exchange works for minimal iron concentrations. It is only effective for water with iron concentrations of no more than 3mg/l. Many iron filters use this method. Ion exchange filters use salt to execute the filtration process. It works by extracting the metal ions from the water and replacing them with sodium ions from the salt.
Yet, if your water is highly concentrated, this method may not be as effective on its own. This is because the ion exchange gets disturbed with a high contaminant concentration. Coupling it with the other methods such as the aeration process can help to a certain degree.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, you must understand certain elements of your household water supply. This helps you to make a better choice in regards to the best and cheapest way to remove iron from well water. Key elements to consider include iron concertation, other contaminants, water pressure, and quantity.
It’s also a good idea to complement filtration methods. For example, water sedimentation is effective for a large reserve water tank. However, you may also complement this technique to further purify water. For example, for smaller quantities from the tank, you can use activated charcoal.
Yet, even with the wide choice of options, using iron filters remain to be quite effective. Apart from the efficiency of up to 98%, iron filters are also designed to service the whole household. So you don’t need to couple iron filters with any other filtration methods.
See also: Top 7 Iron Filters For Well Water