Jeremy Harris
Senior Member
Thanks for the kind words about the camera, it was the only thing I could do to prove, beyond any doubt, that the bottom of the well was capped at 53m. It was a bit of work to put together, but I've since built a very much smaller one that I am keeping in case I ever want to look down there again (it's smaller so that it can go down past the pump with plenty of room to spare).Wow, that's quite saga! I've had good experience except when a new replacement pump failed after 2 hours and they had to pull all 80 meters twice in the same day. Yes, 10% or more of US households have a well, it's probably closer to 50% where I live.
Since we've already strayed more than an little, may I ask what you are using for iron filtering? I have BIRM followed by a potassium salt softener to tame mine.
Nice job on the camera
I started off with a filter similar to your BIRM filter, but using a mix of Aquamandix and sand, with a renewable air pocket at the top, to make sure the oxidation was effective. The air pocket is replenished every time the Clack valve goes through a backwash cycle. The water still had a slight smell and taste, which a carbon block filter would remove, but this meant changing filters. So, after some analysis I decided to add a home made oxidation tank ahead of the system (i.e. between the pump and the pressure tanks). I made an ozone injector, and a small injection venturi (very similar to the Clack aerator) with the Dole valve on the bypass. When the pump comes on it turns on the Ozone generator, and the pressure drop across the Dole valve ensures that the injector venturi always works OK. This sucks in enough ozone to both oxidise out pretty much everything in the water and kill all the bugs. The aeration tank has a float valve to keep an air/ozone pocket at the top, but discharge excess air/ozone outside. In practice the ozone is all dissolved in the incoming water, so all I get out of the air outlet is air, with not significant ozone smell. I have a solenoid valve on the aeration tank bottom outlet, that opens for about 20 seconds every time the pump cycles, and blows any crud in the bottom of the tank to the waste drain.
It all seems to work very well. Adding ozone right at the front of the system means that the water is always very well oxygenated and so the Aquamandix/sand filter doesn't have much to do. Knowing what I know no I'd never have bought the big Aquamandix/sand filter, but would have fitted a much smaller backwashing Filter Ag filter, just to catch any particles of ferric oxide. Aquamandix is very similar to BIRM, essentially it's manganese dioxide, but it's more tolerant of a bit of hydrogen sulphide, I was told.
I too have a softener, as the water is a bit hard, and I suspect that the softener helps remove anything left in the water.
I've been impressed by the effect of adding ozone, not just for getting rid of the iron, but also because it makes the water taste so much better. We have really nice water now, good enough for making a really good cup of tea.............