Think you may have iron in your water supply? Iron is a common water contaminant that can cause rust stains and discoloration on your fixtures. There are two types of iron found in supply water. Read on below to learn more about these two types of iron.
Two types of Iron found in city/well water:
Ferrous (Clear Water) Iron - Water containing ferrous iron will come out of your tap clear but leave a rusty orange residue on your fixtures. This type of iron is dissolved in water, meaning you won't easily see it coming through your fixtures. It comes out of your faucet clear. If this iron has time to oxidize in the air, it reveals itself as an orangey brown color. You may have seen this in water glasses left out overnight, or staining on your bathroom fixtures. Our Water Softener's are designed to reduce this type of iron. This is because this iron is not yet oxidized when it travels through your plumbing, so the water softener has the ability to reduce it. To learn about programming your unit to account for Ferrous (clear water) Iron concentrations, visit our Iron Programming article.
Ferric (Red Water) Iron - Water containing ferric iron will come out of your faucets or taps an orange-red color. This means it has contacted oxygen in the plumbing and cannot be reduced by a softener. When ferric iron travels through a softening system it gravitates to the media. This makes it very hard to rinse off. Over time, this can lower your softener's ability to remove hardness minerals. If you have ferric iron, you may want to look into an additional iron filter.
How to Test for Iron:
With Ferric iron, you'll likely notice discoloration in your water. To determine the clear water iron concentration in your water, you'll need to get it professionally tested. Be sure to ask for Clear Water Iron testing specifically. Here are a few options:
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Reach out to a certified laboratory.
- Find a local lab by calling the Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 or visit https://www.epa.gov/waterlabnetwork.
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Find a local hardware store that provides testing.
- Depending on your location, Home Depot provides a number of Water Treatment Services in-store or off-site. Visit HomeDepot.com.
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Reach out to a certified laboratory.