Iron Reduction With a Water Softener

Water Softeners and Iron Reduction

               A lot of dealers will explain to you that their water softener can also remove iron, thus eliminating the need for a second water filter or iron filter. In most cases, this is only partially true. A good water softener will reduce ferrous iron (clear water iron) up to 3.0 parts per million with standard water softener resin or up to 10ppm with fine mesh water softener resin or macroprous water softener resin. The water should also have a lower pH, usually less than 7.0, for a water softener to be able to remove ferrous iron/soluble iron. The answer is yes, a water softener can remove certain types of iron under some water conditions, but there are several disadvantages to relying on a softener to treat iron.

Iron Fouling

                One of the biggest disadvantages of using a water softener to treat iron is iron fouling of the softener resin. The ion exchange water softener resin can wear down significantly faster when it is removing iron as well as hardness the resin will clog up with iron. We have seen water softeners need rebeds as early as 2 years after installation due to iron fouling. Iron fouling may be temporarily fixed by adding Res Care to the brine tank. Res Care is a liquid resin cleaner which helps to clean the softener resin of iron and other impurities like manganese and metals. This is usually only a temporary fix with some units even needing automatic res care feeders with a drip system.

Inefficient

                Another disadvantage of using a water softener to treat iron is that impacts the efficiency of the softener. A softener will have to regenerate more frequently and even require a longer cycle in order keep with treating iron and hard water. This means that you will use more salt, more water and ultimately spend more money on maintenance and upkeep of the softener.

Limited Reduction

                As mentioned earlier, a water softener will only remove ferrous iron (clear water iron, soluble iron). The majority of the time, both ferrous and ferric iron will be present when their is iron in your water, one is just present in a greater concentration. The softener may reduce a significant amount of the ferrous iron, but some of the oxidized ferric iron may still pass through the softener and cause the water to have a metalic taste, iron odour, orange-yellow tint, and stain your fixtures.

                Additionally, when iron is present in your water, other contaminants such as manganese and Hydrogen Sulfides may also be present. A water softener with standard water softening ion exchange resin, fine mesh resin, or macroporous resin will do next to nothing to treat these contaminants. All these contaminants will do is help to foul the water softening resin and degrade it’s performance and lifespan.

Conclusion: Invest in a proper Iron Filter!

                As mentioned earlier, a water softener can remove ferrous iron, but with several costs. The softener will sacrifice efficiency and longetivity with possibility of only reducing the iron to an extent. We strongly suggest that you invest in a properly sized iron filter in order to protect your water softener and provide you with clean, clear water for the next 10-15 years. A system like our Purifiner Ain Injector Iron filter  is the perfect iron filter for treating your iron problems and protecting your water softener from iron fouling and a short life span. The water softener should only be filtering the 1% of the ferrous iron that gets passed the iron filter. Let the water softener do it’s job and focus on treating hard water.