Deephaven Well Water Treatment: System of the Month

This is our “System of the Month” for November, 2013.

For this family, well water was a concern.  It almost kept them from buying the home.

This classic Deephaven estate was stained with Iron.  Rust-colored “waves” covered stonework, walkways, and landscaping.

But the water inside the home was even more troubling.  Like many private wells around Lake Minnetonka, the water here had too much Arsenic.  That made our client and his family very uncomfortable.

Premier Water was contracted to design a Well Water Treatment System.  This article will show you how we solved all of our client’s water problems: both inside AND outside the home.

Irrigation Iron Filter

The Iron Filter System is truly the foundation of this system.  It reduces Iron, Manganese, and even helps reduce Arsenic (more on that below).  It takes out the nasty stuff so other equipment can handle the finer details.

This home’s sprinkler system runs for 6 hours at 12gpm (gallons per minute).  That amounts to over 4,000 gallons of filtered water each time the lawn is watered.  That’s a lot of water, and a lot of Iron and Manganese to remove!

The Iron Filter Systems we build are really just small “city water treatment plants”.  Just like actual city water treatment plants, these Filters work in a 2 step process:

Step One: Oxidation
A remote control center monitors water use.  It counts gallons and injects chlorine into a mixing tank.  The chlorine is used to oxidize Iron and Manganese so they turn into larger “clumps”.  Chlorine is strong enough to oxidize Arsenic too.  Oxidized Arsenic, called Pentavalent Arsenic or AS5, will stick to clumps of oxidized Iron.

Step Two: Filtration
Next, the oxidized water flows through (4) parallel filters.  These filters can strain the “metallic clumps” out of the water.

We use a 5 layer multimedia filter design.  Each Filter Media varies in size and density.  This helps spread the water flow evenly through each tank for better filtration.

The core filter media is called a “pyrolusite”.  Pyrolusite media is a catalyst that will also oxidize metals.  This gives us some added support in case something didn’t oxidize with chlorine in the first step.

The Remote Control Center that operates the Chlorine Pump, and all 4 Iron Filter Valves use digital controls.  Each control monitors how many gallons have been treated, flow rates, and checks for system errors.  All that technology costs less than $10 a year in electricity to operate.

The water leaving our Iron Filter system is free of Iron, Manganese, Iron or Sufur Bacteria, and even Arsenic is reduced.

Whole House Membrane Purification

The Iron Filter system fixed the Iron and Manganese problems.  Now we needed to soften and purify the rest of the water contaminants.

Traditional Water Softeners use resin beads to soften water.  They soften by replacing hard water minerals with sodium.    But its not a 1:1 trade.  More sodium is added than the amount of hardness removed.  This increases the level of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) in water.

While Softeners stop hard water problems, there can still be residue left behind from sodium and other solids.

The Pureoflow system combines 2 stages of filtration with a unique GE membrane technology.  These membranes physically remove hard water molecules that would plug up a traditional Reverse Osmosis System.  No salt or chemicals are added to water.  Water is just “cleaned up”.

The Pureoflow has another advantage: it’s about 10x more water efficient than a standard residential RO system.

These special membranes remove virtually every other dissolved solid in the water.  Since any leftover Arsenic has been converted into Arsenic V (AS V), we get excellent Arsenic removal too.

Better Water – Everywhere

Our client loves their new Well Water Treatment System.  Now their “well water” is better than any “city water” they’ve had.  Here’s what they loved the most:

No More Rust Stains
The driveway, home’s exterior, stone walkways, and pool no longer turn orange.  The fear of washing white laundry is gone.  Tile in the master shower would quickly show rust bleed through.  The Iron Filter System worked like a charm.  Problems solved.

Spot-free Rinse in Master Shower
The large glass doors in the master shower would get covered in water spots (even though the water was soft).  The same was true with chrome faucets and granite counters.  Now everything stays totally clean.  That is only possible with low-TDS water that is soft AND purified.  The Pureoflow deserves credit here.

Confident Drinking Water
We have used this Iron Filter + Pureolow combination throughout Deephaven and surrounding communities.   This Well Water Treatment package consistently reduces 60-70ppb of Arsenic to low single digit or non-detectable levels.

An independent, state-certified lab was used to confirm our system’s performance.  Drinking water quality was improved across the board.  Now family members can drink from any faucet in the home.  Without worry.

Here’s what the complete system looks like:

Deephaven Well Water Treatment System

About Premier Water

There’s no such thing as “standard well water” in the Twin Cities.  That’s why we customize each “Well Water Treatment System”.  We build systems for your water.

Premier Water is based in Chanhassen, MN and serves both residential and commercial clients.  Our product range includes everything from simple Water Softeners and Drinking Water Systems to advanced multi-stage purification systems for laboratories.

We have worked hard to earn a reputation as the local expert for Arsenic and Iron removal.  If you need advice you can trust, call us at (952) 479-4553.  We’ll help you get the water quality you want.