Put a Stop to Stains by Removing Tannin from Your Water

Hello,

We have recently moved into a home with a water well. The property is surrounded by a river but the smell and taste of the water is not good. The water is leaving yellow stains on our appliances. We have the results of water tests for the past several years but it doesn't seem to contain most of the data you are requesting.

Jim G.


Hello Jim,

Thanks for contacting us.  The yellow stains on your appliances might be caused by
tannin.  Tannins are organic substances found in water (usually from leaves, grass, trees, etc.) often in areas where the water table is high.

This can be corrected with a tannin filter and/or a chlorination and carbon filter system.  However, it's best to test the water for hardness, iron, manganese, and of course tannin, before selecting a tannin filter.  For that, we recommend our well water test kit that includes a test for tannin and general minerals.

Since you are experiencing odors and bad tastes, we also recommend chlorination followed by an automatically backwashing carbon filter.  The chlorine will disinfect your water of bacteria and odors, and the carbon filter will remove lingering chlorine tastes.  This should solve your problem, though in some cases an additional tannin filter is needed after the chlorinator and carbon filter.

Here is some more info about the treatment systems we recommend for your application:

Chlorination and the Stenner Pump Chlorinator

Stenner 45MHP-10 Metering Pump & Tank

Chlorine is one of the most popular methods of eliminating odors and bacteria because it is low cost, safe, and very effective.  It will also oxidize iron, manganese, and other contaminants in your water so that they can be easily filtered out with a carbon or iron filter.

For easy and accurate chlorine injection we recommend a Stenner Pump and solution tank system.  The Stenner pump uses liquid chlorine bleach, and can be adjusted to get just the right amount of chlorine needed for your application.  What's more, the Stenner pump is easy to install, easy to use, and very reliable.  

Contact Tank

Contact mixing 
pressure tank 40 gallon

After you've injected your water with chlorine, you'll want to allow for the proper contact time between the chlorine and your water.  This will ensure your water is totally disinfected and rid of tastes and odors.  Using a contact tank also means you will need to inject less solution, and that the solution injected will be thoroughly mixed and dissolved in your water, increasing its effectiveness.

We recommend WellMate Contact Tanks for such purposes.  The WellMates are NSF/ANSI 61-certified for drinking water, and feature a seamless inner shell of molded polyethylene for impact and corrosion resistance.  Inlet and outlet connections on the WellMate Contact Tanks are 1-1/4" but can be reduced to 1" or 3/4" if needed.

Carbon Backwash Filter Systems

Carbon 7000-SXT 1.5CF

Our carbon backwash filter systems will remove chlorine, tastes, and odors at exceptionally high flow rates with little or no pressure drop.  Unlike expensive carbon filter cartridges, the carbon backwash filter systems use a bed of high-grade activated carbon to filter chlorine, chemicals, and sediment from your water.  There are no filters to change with these systems; the carbon inside is backwashed and rinsed clean automatically.  This means you won't have to deal with pressure drop from clogged filters, nor spend a lot of money on replacing short-lived filter cartridges and maintenance.  Instead, you will only need to dump and replace the carbon media in the filter once every 3-5 years, during which time you will enjoy great flow rates and great-tasting, odor-free water.

Thanks for the e-mail, JimBob.  We hope this helps solve your problem.  Keep us updated on those stains!

And don't forget, readers, if you have any questions about your water or water treatment systems, we are here to help.  You can send an e-mail to support@cleanwaterstore.com, leave us a comment on Facebook, or just fill out our contact form, and we'll be sure to get back to you as quickly as we can.