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Posts: 183
| We have a small cabin with a well of course. The water has a fair amount of iron content, have a filter on the system and it helps some. It gets used on the weekends only, looking at installing a water softener.
Anyone else with a similar situation and installed a softener? Recommendations ?
It is kept above freezing all winter. |
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Posts: 1901
Location: MN | Hey Kirt, I'm no expert but my water has a fair amount of iron as well and the softener didn't take care of it. Had to add an iron filter as well (Kinetico Iron Curtain) and even then after 14 years I had to replace the iron filter it was so packed. |
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Posts: 286
Location: Eagan, MN | Kirt, I have the same situation going on at our cabin in the Iron Range of N. Minnesota. After just seven years, I had to replace the existing water heater and water softener; that's how gummed-up they were with iron and all the debris from rust flakes that accompany the iron. Coming from the twin cities, that seemed like a very short life for the water system. Water and iron filters help - and I have one in which filters are replaced frequently, as in every trip up - but the plumbers, contractors, and hardware store owners that I talk in the area all say the same thing...expect to replace the components of your system about every five to seven years. Not trying to be 'Debbie Downer' here, but having those expectations seems to help a little.
Brian |
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Posts: 4269
Location: Ashland WI | I have a journeyman plumbers license. I now work in project managing/estimating.
I would say you should contact a local plumber. They can/should be able to provide you with a water test at a fairly low cost. Our suppliers do not charge for the test, so we only have to charge for our time. In many situations the homeowner can take care of the test themselves. This way you are ensured of purchasing equipment that works for "your" water. |
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Posts: 58
Location: South Elgin | I have a lake house with a drilled well that also had a heavy iron smell and content. I had a water softener company (Gibson's) come out and take a water sample and then install the unit I needed. That was 20 years ago and I've had iron free, scent free water ever since |
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Posts: 1460
Location: Kronenwetter, WI | Do you have iron bacteria?
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/wells/waterquality/ironbacter...
The color is actually caused by dead bacteria cells. We struggled for years with this then bleach bombed our well... Dump some bleach in the well head then run a hose into it for a few hours being sure to rinse off the side of the well pipe..that fixed it right up...thanks, Pitchen' for the tip |
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Posts: 1120
Location: West Chester, OH | Installed a whole-house filter, which eliminated the most visible rust, & then added a PUR faucet filter on the kitchen sink for cooking/drinking.
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Posts: 3
| I don't have much knowledge about whether you can use a water softener to eliminate the iron content in the cabin water. The area I am lying has really hard water and my water softener does a great job in removing mineral deposits. |
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Location: Athens, Ohio | I recommend you contact your local health dept and ask for a water test. Test for Iron, Manganese, Hardness, and total coliform bacteria. Your test results should indicate what kind of treatment system you install. If heavy on the FE/MG, perhaps a potassium permanganate system is more appropriate than a simple softener.
Find a Culligan or similar dealer and share the results with them, get several recommendations.
I worked with small non-community public water systems on this issue for abt ten yrs. Your situation is not unique. What I told folks is, "If you think the days of snake oil salesmen of patent medicine are over, you haven't seen the water treatment business." m
ps - that iron filter will also harbor iron and colifom bacteria if the water is not pre-treated.
Edited by mikie 10/29/2019 12:12 PM
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Posts: 43
| We have a cabin in the Three Lakes area with a 88 ft. drilled well. It had a water softener system in it when we bought it 14 years ago. after a year or so of not being there for weeks at a time we started to have problems with it. they need to be maintained, backwashed etc. when you don't live there full time, you cannot stay on top of it. We always turn the water off when we leave the cabin, thus the auto back flushing did not take place. The advice to get a good local plumber is great advice. Good luck and please let us know if you find a solution. |
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