Wednesday, October 30, 2013

What is a Reliable but Low Cost Chlorination System?

Gerry,


I have hard, smelly water.  I do not have much iron, but the water is hard and has a very bad sulfur smell.  I think I want a chlorinator system, whole house filtration (active carbon with backwash), water softener, and an under sink RO system. I am on a budget and plan to install it myself.  I noticed when I add chlorine bleach to my well, the sulfur odor is gone for a week, but then it comes back.
Rod S.
St Helena, CA

Rod,
45MHP10 Stenner w/ 15 gal tank 220V
45MHP10 Stenner 
w/ 15 gal tank 220V
We recommend a Stenner metering pump and 40 gallon contact tank for your chlorinator system.  These are very reliable, easy to install, and easy to adjust.  The contact tank will ensure that the chlorine and water are thoroughly and evenly mixed, and create sufficient contact time for the chlorine to kill not only the odors in your water, but the bacteria causing them as well.  
This is probably why you've noticed that sulfur odor reappear after a week or so - you might have removed the methane and hydrogen sulfide gas in your water, but not the iron and sulfur bacteria that made it.  A chlorinator and contact tank will effectively remove these bacteria and their odors.  (You can read more about odors, their causes, and how to remove them, on our website.)
Coconut Shell Carbon Filter Plus 2.0CF
Coconut Shell 
Carbon Filter Plus 2.0CF
The carbon backwash filter is a good idea, as you'll want to remove any lingering chlorine tastes or odors after chlorination.  For this and the water softener, we recommend a 2.0 cubic foot size (for softeners, this is the same as "60K grain capacity") for households with 1-3 bathrooms.  Together, our CWS-Plus metered softener and CWS-Plus carbon backwash filter ought to completely eliminate any odors, iron, manganese, and hardness in your water.
As for the under-sink RO system, we recommend the high-flow Pro Grade 75.  It's effective, compact, and easy to maintain - simply remove the disposable filter and replace with a new one about once a year.  
See this diagram for an idea of how the system you've described might look once installed:
Click to enlarge
We hope this information is helpful to you in designing your whole house treatment and filtration system.  Should you need installation help after selecting your systems, consult the installation guides on our website or write us back at support@cleanwaterstore.com.
You can also contact us on Facebook or via our online contact form for any questions about water problems or water treatment systems.  Thanks, Rod!