Jan
23
Very Clever Customer
January 23, 2007 |
I received an email from a customer concerning his Microline reverse osmosis system and which filters he should buy. I called him at the phone number he left and we got the RO matter straightened out right away. But then we started talking about another purchase he made from us about a month ago that I was unaware of until the phone conversation.
He bought some activated carbon for his whole-house carbon filter system along with some washed gravel for a base. Anyway, he goes on to tell me that he was having trouble with one of the bathroom’s in his house. The iron concentration was terrible there. So what he did about it is something I’ve been studying and reading about in the Water Technology trade publication. He basically cleaned out his pipes, but it’s how did it that was clever. He used gravity to force an iron removal chemical down through his water pipes. The fact that he figured out what was wrong and what he had to do about it was the amazing part.
I get phone calls all of the time from people with the same problem. The trade publication describes a device that can be built to clean pipes with either bleach (for bacteria and iron) or some type of iron eating acid (for iron buildup). As it turns out this customer did both, but he did it without the need of a special device or re-plumbing as the trade publication recommended. He filled his bathroom sink basin with the mixture he was to flush the pipes out with, then he located the lowest point in his water pipe system. In this case it was his hot water heater. He then shut all of the faucets off to everything in his house. He opened the drain cock on his water heater until the water stopped. A vacuum built up enough to stop the flow of water. Then he closed the valve and went up to his bathroom sink, attached a hose to the faucet (with a tight seal) and opened the faucet. The other end of the hose was in his sink’s basin with the mixture. The mixture was sucked up into the faucet and down through the pipes into the water heater. He then closed the faucet and went down to the water heater again and opened the valve, drained until it quit, shut it off, went back upstairs… You get the picture.
So when the mixture was sucked out of the basin, he turned his pump back on, opened the bathroom faucet and let all of the junk run out of the pipes. It was loosened up by the chemicals and now was running down the drain. He says his water is perfect now, and I’m sure it is. New carbon in his filter, refreshed softener resin bed (another story for another time) and cleaned water pipes. But the main thing is, he figured out what he needed to do and devised a very effective method to do it.
Hiring a professional to clean water pipes in this manner would cost hundreds. I’ve known of this procedure for some time now and just recently read the industry recommendation for assembling a portable device to do it, but that method requires some plumbing too. This guy’s method requires a bucket to mix his chemicals in, a short hose to run from the water heater’s spigot and another short hose to attach to the bathroom sink’s faucet. That’s it. And now with his carbon filter and softener, his pipes will stay free from that iron buildup indefinitely.
Unfortunately, I can’t recommend this treatment to everyone. You’ll notice I did not list the chemicals he used. They are all easily obtainable products but at least one of them is not intended for this type of use. But he knew what he was doing and was able to ensure that the water pipes were chemical free before putting everything back into service. Now the filters and membrane he’s buying for his Microline will last to their full potential and he won’t have stains in that sink or toilet anymore.
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