Jun
25
Iron Bacteria
June 25, 2008 |
We have a great deal of information on the web site pertaining to iron. The vast majority of private wells contain iron in one form or another. Our FAQ section deals with the different kinds and the various treatment methods, but here we will address bacterial iron.
Iron bacteria are living organisms which naturally occur in water and feed off of dissolved iron and oxygen. Symptoms of iron bacteria are slimy water, foul odor and discoloration of the water. It can be difficult to discern between hydrogen sulfide in iron water and this bacterial odor. Iron bacteria can form a film on the surface of standing water kept in toilet bowels and such.
Removal methods for iron bacteria include “shocking” the well with bleach or chlorine, removing the iron that the bacteria feeds off of or filtering it. We have dry pellet chlorinators for disinfecting the well which attach to the well head and release pellets automatically when the pump runs, which fall down into the well and quickly kill the bacteria. Another popular method is a Greensand filter which filters the iron and uses potassium permanganate to regenerate the filter media bed.
When using chlorine to treat iron or iron bacteria, it is strongly advisable to use an activated carbon filter system to remove the chlorine once it has done its job.
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