Well Water Has Lots Of Iron

[sagetoil]

My well water has a PH between 6.5 and 7, although it has lots of iron in it. It will turn white rocks red if you water near them. It stains the leaves when I mist them and does not look good so I will have to get some distilled water for misting.

 

My question is about all that iron and whatever else is in my water. What effect will it have, if any?

[wingnut]

A water filter will help, mine is 10 in hardness and a filter brings it down to 5. Yes I think hard water has a effect on plants. Maybe some one here can tell you more on how .

[Grow Thread]

yeah your water sounds too toxic to even try growing in my opinion. no sense in spending all the time and effort getting running just to have your nutes all locked out and your grow looking like crap just before they hit the flower room.

 

spend the extra money and do it right............ and it would more than likely be 150% healthier for you and your family to be drinking filtered water as well...... from the sounds of the stuff you have there

 

by the time you have spent the time and money to run to the store a few times you could have paid for a in-home filter.

 

here's a basic link, there are cheaper ones out there, and ones that will produce more or less water per day.....but this brand is a favorite of mine.........

http://www.4hydroponics.com/growroom/waterPurifiers2.asp?ItemNo=stealthRO100

[AmberTrichomes]

I use the Hydrologic Smallboy DeChlorinator with 2 carbon filters. the first filter is the coco carbon, then the KDF85 carbon filter goes 2nd. it is the same as the one in the stealth R.O.100 You can have faster flow with it, no waste and 1/2 the cost. If you have real bad bacteria your well should be chlorinated with bleach...as far as R.O., in my opinion it is unnessacary unless you need to combat bacteria, or are filtering mud puddle water. The dual carbon works AWESOME!! Had a problem with calcium and Iron till I put this system together. The small boy comes with a sediment filter and the coco carbon, I pitched the sediment filter and went with the ultimate KDF85. After purchasing unit I compared filters to the whole house filters at menards and the good filters fit the GENERIC OMNI filter housings, which if I had to do over with that knowledge I'd put 2 or 3 of those filterhousing units together in a daisychain and have 3/4" in/out lines VS. 3/8 for the same price. Lots of options out there just make the best choice for your situation, for me the stealth R.O.100 or even the 200 is WAY too slow for me and what I do. If you have any questions just ask!!

[Grow Thread]

the stealth R.O.100 or even the 200 is WAY too slow for me and what I do.

 

not knocking you, degrading you, or trying to get you to change your ways.............

 

just simply trying to get a new grower (the OP) off the ground affordable-like.

 

100-200 gallons per day should be enough for anyone really.....

 

and just because you need a gallon "right now" doesnt mean you need to spend tons of money for a 500gal/day filter and get your gallon in 2 minutes.

 

i have a couple 55 gallon barrels that i cleaned up real well, linked them together, and attached one of these to them: http://www.4hydropon...ssureFloatValve

 

the r.o. filter automatically stops filling after i get around 90 gallons total and then i can mix in nutrients and pump the water to wherever i need it.

 

 

it's actually a very cheap and easy set-up.

 

the float works just like the one in a toilet. once the water level gets so high, it automatically shuts off. you could mount the float valve in a 10gal tote (or anything) if you wanted...... but i need more water for the bigger rooms so i linked 2-55gal drums together at the top via the same 1/2" connectors and tubes that i use for the DWC setups. once the first drum gets almost full enough to trip the float valve and make the r.o. filter shut off.......... it starts to trickle into the other 55 gallon drum. after they are both full, the float valve trips and the whole setup stops running.

if/when needed, i can attach a 3rd or 4th drum.

 

 

my little (less expensive) filter runs just about 24hrs/day ............. but i never run out of water.... i can scoop a gallon or 20 out of those drums whenever i need it...... and i have a large plant count like yourself.

 

it's a VERY easy way to have water at the ready 24 hours a day..... and it costs 10 bucks for the float instead of the extra 2-300 for a larger water filter.

[affordablemimeds]

Our well water like most is full of iron. I run my through the softener and a charcol filter, ph from 7.2 to 6 and let it go. I never have lock out issues. try it first and keep it simple.

[AmberTrichomes]

Wow, what a opionated one you are BG, Also I was just trying to keep it simple...I dont have a spare room to put all that plumbing and barrels, I'm disabled and thought advice should be simple. Sorry if I was out of place. Everyone here aint a ENGINEER like you

[Grow Thread]

Wow, what a opionated one you are BG, Also I was just trying to keep it simple...I dont have a spare room to put all that plumbing and barrels, I'm disabled and thought advice should be simple. Sorry if I was out of place. Everyone here aint a ENGINEER like you

 

if you notice, i quoted this:

 

for me the stealth R.O.100 or even the 200 is WAY too slow for me and what I do.

 

 

really, do i need to say more??

 

or should i get opinionated?

 

WTF you doing with over 200 gallons per day?? i need that much maybe once every month on a big flush day, and i am legally within my plant count...

 

i take it you must not be......... or you must not be educated in ways to have the water right there and ready for you rather than waiting 14-16 minutes for the stealth 100 to fill a gallon...... or to spend big bucks for a huge filter that will give you a gallon quicker. hook the system up to a 30 gallon tote on your kitchen floor... go to bed... wake up and there ya go... never need an industrial facility.

 

either way i think i was pretty cool about helping to NOT confuse the OP and even maybe hide your butt a little bit there..... because dang.... 200 gallons is a lot of water......

[Broken]

a lot of times that rust stuff isn't actually iron it's a type of organic mater, a bacteria I think (not harmful). It's been a while since I researched it. I have a big water softener 2 in house filters then I run through a R/O filter... Those whole house filters won't help you much except for big particles like sand and such.

Problem is if you had real hard water like I did, without a water softener you will clog your RO filter up pretty quick and have to change out filters often.

[Timmahh]

the Hardness in water is made of of Magnesium,Potasium, Iron, Mercury, Sodium ect.. Basically Desolved solids.

 

Some of these like Potasium and some amount of sodium may be beneficial. but im not sure by any means, just saying all the disolved solids may not be all that bad.

[affordablemimeds]

the Hardness in water is made of of Magnesium,Potasium, Iron, Mercury, Sodium ect.. Basically Desolved solids.

 

Some of these like Potasium and some amount of sodium may be beneficial. but im not sure by any means, just saying all the disolved solids may not be all that bad.

Absolutly correct

[Guest 1TokeOverLine]

From http://www.pwgazette.com/aermax.htm

 

Aeration is normally used for well water iron problems. Aeration and more expensive filtration are discussed in full, here is an excerpt:

 

"Iron and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) are common well problems that frequently occur together and often lend themselves to similar treatment. The standard methods used to treat both are variations on the same three-step principle of oxidation, precipitation, and filtration. An oxidizer is added to the water, which induces precipitation of the iron and hydrogen sulfide, and the precipitated contaminant is then filtered out of the water."

 

"Iron & Sulfide in Wells

You don’t need to be an expert in water chemistry to recognize either iron or hydrogen sulfide.

 

Hydrogen sulfide gas is easily detected with your nose. Most people describe the odor as a “rotten egg” smell. You can smell it in amounts so small that standard tests won’t find it. It is most often evident in hot water, but you can usually smell it in cold water as well. Since it is a gas and it goes away quickly, it has be tested on site. This means you can’t send a sample to a lab for testing. Often an amount of hydrogen sulfide so small that a test will not detect it can present a really serious aesthetic problem with your water.

 

Iron is more complex. It exists as clear water iron (the water is clear when it comes from your well, but it drops out rust if you leave it standing in a container overnight), or red water iron (which looks rusty when it comes from the well). There is also a condition called “iron bacteria,” which takes the form of a dark, stringy slime in appliances and toilet tanks. You should look for an alternative treatment, like chlorination and filtration, if your water has large amounts of iron bacteria. Likewise, manganese, which often accompanies iron and is evidenced by dark brown and black staining of fixtures, can be difficult to remove with aeration unless there is considerably more iron than manganese."

 

1T

[sagetoil]

Wow! Thanks for the replies. The more I learn, the more I realize I have just begun.

My water is actually very good. I may have made it sound worse then it is. I have a contaminant filter on it and have been drinking it for two years.

 

For now I will get some distilled water for misting and keep a close eye on things while I start looking for a fliter system. Who knows, my water may work well.

[mibrains]

it sounds to me because it turns the rocks in your garden a color its probably tanic acid.

tannins are the leftover materials from plant and animal decomposition and can almost always be removed with a basic filter.

i went R/O because my city water has chloromide and it must be removed with a filter. it doesn't bubble away..

stop by your local water board and get a water test kit then mail the water samples in. it's typically a $35 test and tells you if you have chloroform, or any other common well bacteria, and it tells the amount of tannins, and dissolved minerals.

i also assume you would have the brown trails if a faucet drips for a while.

also if cost is an barrier, i have heard lots of folks using a Britta style filter while budgeting for a complete system, with great results.

just my 2 cents

[AmberTrichomes]

Why must you turn other peoples thoughs to a negative thread?? I've seen many people have problems with opinions on here. I guess I should not share my experiences with others, was not looking for a whos right or wrong, just stating I had a similar problem and how I solved it for about $$125. without a bunch of not needed stuff.Sorry I said anything. :jipo:

if you notice, i quoted this:

 

 

 

 

really, do i need to say more??

 

or should i get opinionated?

 

WTF you doing with over 200 gallons per day?? i need that much maybe once every month on a big flush day, and i am legally within my plant count...

 

i take it you must not be......... or you must not be educated in ways to have the water right there and ready for you rather than waiting 14-16 minutes for the stealth 100 to fill a gallon...... or to spend big bucks for a huge filter that will give you a gallon quicker. hook the system up to a 30 gallon tote on your kitchen floor... go to bed... wake up and there ya go... never need an industrial facility.

 

either way i think i was pretty cool about helping to NOT confuse the OP and even maybe hide your butt a little bit there..... because dang.... 200 gallons is a lot of water......

[AmberTrichomes]

No I'm NOT limited on water supply. On Demand. But if you can add it up, just 12- 20 gal containers, to flush with 2 X the volume 40 gal each,480 gallons total.I guess your speaking from your world, not mine. I was just throwing my stuff on the board, not debating on how much YOU know! But really It's Nothing for me to flush 500 gal in a morning. And thats just one room. Try being open to others advice. And yes I am completely LEGAL and trying to help others. Educated heh, I like how you try to evoke people with words like if your educated, what the??? Do you really feel that special?? I guess a bunch of wannabes might look to you like yer someone son but your not, obviously you got a lot to learn about being EDUCATED, seems like you are just being rude. :jipo: :jipo:

if you notice, i quoted this:

 

 

 

 

really, do i need to say more??

 

or should i get opinionated?

 

WTF you doing with over 200 gallons per day?? i need that much maybe once every month on a big flush day, and i am legally within my plant count...

 

i take it you must not be......... or you must not be educated in ways to have the water right there and ready for you rather than waiting 14-16 minutes for the stealth 100 to fill a gallon...... or to spend big bucks for a huge filter that will give you a gallon quicker. hook the system up to a 30 gallon tote on your kitchen floor... go to bed... wake up and there ya go... never need an industrial facility.

 

either way i think i was pretty cool about helping to NOT confuse the OP and even maybe hide your butt a little bit there..... because dang.... 200 gallons is a lot of water......

[tricloud]

If your water is that hard a reverse osmosis unit isn't going to handle it very well. You will need to change your pre filters every few days. It's a good idea to use a ro unit but place an iron filter in front of the ro. It will probably cause a loss in water pressure but will help the iron prob big time. You will still need to change the iron filter fairly often... but your membrane filter will last much longer and that the expensive one.

 

If you get a 5 stage ro unit that has like 3 containers on it you could change the pre filter into an iron filter and change that one out often. I have well water thats not considered real hard but I have to change my pre filter once a week or so. If it was any worse I would be forced to use an iron filter.

[tricloud]

I use the Hydrologic Smallboy DeChlorinator with 2 carbon filters. the first filter is the coco carbon, then the KDF85 carbon filter goes 2nd. it is the same as the one in the stealth R.O.100 You can have faster flow with it, no waste and 1/2 the cost. If you have real bad bacteria your well should be chlorinated with bleach...as far as R.O., in my opinion it is unnessacary unless you need to combat bacteria, or are filtering mud puddle water. The dual carbon works AWESOME!! Had a problem with calcium and Iron till I put this system together. The small boy comes with a sediment filter and the coco carbon, I pitched the sediment filter and went with the ultimate KDF85. After purchasing unit I compared filters to the whole house filters at menards and the good filters fit the GENERIC OMNI filter housings, which if I had to do over with that knowledge I'd put 2 or 3 of those filterhousing units together in a daisychain and have 3/4" in/out lines VS. 3/8 for the same price. Lots of options out there just make the best choice for your situation, for me the stealth R.O.100 or even the 200 is WAY too slow for me and what I do. If you have any questions just ask!!

 

I just started using the whole house filters from menards in my ro unit a couple weeks ago. Working good so far. Still contemplating adding a pre filter or 2 to help out more with the iron.

 

Anyway if you have lots of iron or other minerals you will definitely be needing more than a 3 stage ro unit. I think daisy chaining the Omni filters together is a great idea. You could also create a pre filter set up like that and then run that into a 3 stage ro unit. The filters at Menards are quite inexpensive and available too.

 

Lots of options .......

[Inepsa]

Does anyone here have experience with culligan mans RO systems? They quoted me $15 a month for a whole house RO system, I dont know anything about it though.

[Hempcheff]

Keep in mind that any magnetic pumps you use will attract the iron as well, decreasing their lifespan and effectiveness. Just a $$$ thought to keep in mind when weighing the pros and cons of a filtration system

[JimD]

I am working on my first grow. I do have a significant amount of experience with plants and gardening however. We have very hard water as well, run thru a softener. It will still turn the tub orange enough that I have to use CLR once a month! What I have done is use water that I remove from my fish tank during water changes. I pull about 10gallons a week out, and I change my reservoir water out with that. Does it work? Well, I'll let you guys know in 60 days or so. LOL