Iron Removal From Home Water

Remove iron from home water.

Iron in home water takes many different forms, including dissolved ferrous iron, which affects the taste and appearance of foods cooked in it and coffee and/or tea made with it. This low concentrate iron stains laundry with the classic reddish brown residue and iron bacteria. Iron bacteria is a bacterial form that survives by consuming iron and leaves behind a reddish or yellowish slime that clogs fixtures, smells bad and eventually turns to iron scale.

Things You'll Need

• Water
• Iron filter

Instructions

1. Collect samples of home water from several different fixtures and take it to a cooperative extension office, or obtain a water test kit from a laboratory and follow the collection and delivery instructions provided to have the water tested to determine which type of iron is present.

2. Discuss the results with the lab and ask the professionals there to recommend which water filtration method is best for addressing the specific type of iron present in the home water.

3. Install an aeration or manganese sand filtration system to address dissolved ferrous iron or observable iron particulate in home water.

4. Choose and install a chlorination filtration system to eradicate iron bacteria in home water.

References

• Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: Iron in Drinking Water
• Illinois Department of Public Health: Iron in Drinking Water