When it comes to managing a home water quality problem, several treatment options may be available. But knowing how to evaluate the water chemistry and select the most efficient, convenient, and cost-effective method is what separates Secondwind Water Systems from others in our industry. This is part of what we call “The Secondwind Difference,” which is best exemplified by the following real-life example of our work.
A Well with Excessive Iron
Two years ago, the Secondwind team was asked to evaluate a well with exceptionally high iron levels, ranging from 20 ppm to 50 ppm. Most of this was dissolved iron, but some was precipitated or ferric iron as well. The homeowner’s existing water treatment company used a common method for iron removal—oxidizing it into solid particles and filtering them out. They had installed a rather complicated system comprised of a venturi to introduce air and mix it with the iron-laden water, a tank to trap the iron in a catalytic media and backwash it out, and a softener to reduce hardness and any residual iron.
The problem with this method is that oxidizing such high iron levels caused their system to clog with the sticky iron “mud” it created. To make matters worse, the iron build-up needed to be removed twice a year—at a cost of $600 per service. The customer used this system for 15 years, spending thousands of dollars just to keep it going! “To make matters worse, their water quality was never great—even with all that in place,” says Nate Clark, certified water specialist at Secondwind. “Iron bleed-through was a constant problem,” he adds.
Secondwind Steps In
Once Secondwind stepped in as the homeowner’s new water treatment company, we removed the old system and the venturi that was “strangling” the well pump. We replaced it with a backwashing Kinetico ceramic media filter to manage the normal ferric iron sediment, and a large Kinetico softener to handle the dissolved iron and hardness. “By keeping the high iron in its liquid state, the softener removed it beautifully without having it convert to pesky ferric iron,” Clark notes.
Low Maintenance
A low-maintenance water treatment system was essential to the homeowner, who is a busy surgeon. “We’ve gone from (using) four to five 50-pound bags of salt per month to about one bag every three to four months,” he says.
Reduced Operating Costs
The home owner is thrilled with the money he’s saving in reduced operating costs.”…no longer do we need our prior company to ‘ream out’ our iron-clogged softener pipes twice a year at $600 per visit,” he points out.
Improved Water Quality
He also says that switching to the Secondwind’s Kinetico water system was the best investment of his 25 years in his home. “We have not seen or tasted a hint of rust in the two years of our system,” he notes. “We’ve been able to hook up our fridge water for the first time ever and the water is so pure and clear that we cancelled Poland Springs,” he adds.
Residential Water Treatment in NH
Since we’ve been treating water throughout New Hampshire for over 30 years, chances are, we’ve installed a system near you. This gives us valuable insight into your region’s water landscape. If you’re looking for a high-quality, low-maintenance home water treatment system that’s built to last, contact the water quality experts at Secondwind Water Systems. We’re happy to come out to your home and provide a free water analysis.
