The Geneva Church of Latter Day Saints in Geneva Illinois had a water problem. They had a water softener. But they suffered from Iron stains, and a strange smell similar to “metallic rotten eggs”. Yum.
A Poor Solution to Well Water Problems
The Church previously had a 90,000 grain Water Softener with a Fleck 2850 12 day time clock controller. The system regenerated on a fixed schedule. It used salt – regardless of actual water use.
This caused problems.
The Church would occasionally run out of soft water when on weekends when water usage spiked. The system would also regenerate during periods of low use when it didn’t need to. That was just plain wasteful.
The Softener used 80 lbs of salt every week.
All those regenerations added up to 4,160 pounds of salt, and 10,000’s gallons of water every year.
The time clock water softener just wasn’t a good fit for the Church’s needs.
The Underlying Cause of their Problems
The Geneva Church of Latter Day Saints uses a private well for their water supply. Most private wells have a different set of challenges than “treated” city water.
This well has a fairly challenging chemistry profile:
18gpg (grains per gallon) Water Hardness
4.0ppm (parts per million) of Iron
7.2pH
Positive for Iron Bacteria
The customer complained of Iron staining and a slight rotten egg/metallic odor. It’s no surprise. The Iron level is 13x over the staining limit.
The Iron Bacteria was not being addressed either. Over time, Iron Bacteria will grow through a Softener and leave a smelly, slimy residue in a water system.
A Solution Designed for Well Water Problems
There were two problems that needed to be addressed:
- Iron
- Iron Bacteria
Garrelts Water installed a light commercial Iron Curtain Filter System that fixed both problems.
The system uses an H125 controller that operates the 16” Filter System, 16” Aeration System, and Chlorine Injection System. It’s a really slick, simple approach to problem water.
The Iron Curtain uses air to oxidize Iron and any Hydrogen Sulfide gas. Once oxidized, these problem contaminants separate out of the water, and are later removed with the Filter System.
Keeping the Iron Bacteria at bay was critical to making the whole system work. We have found chlorine to be the most effective disinfect for Iron Bacteria. Its cheap, available everywhere, and it works.
Implementing the Iron Filter System
How did it work?
No more rust stains. No more odor.
Once the Iron Filter was installed, our customer decided to forgo a Water Softener. The water is only used for bathrooms and drinking fountains. They have hard water, but in this application, they could live with it.
Your Next Step
Is your water rusty or smelly? Most well water in Illinois is. We have earned a great reputation for fixing it.
You may need and Iron Filter. Or maybe a Water Softener. Maybe both.
Give us a call at (815) 344-8186 or email us for a FREE consultation. We’ll test your water, determine your best installation options, and explain your options. Ready to start?