Hello,
We
live in a remote part of Alaska. Our rainwater in our cistern has a natural ph
of about 5.1. This is causing copper to leach into our water. Testing shows it
to have 1.7 mg/L in the cold water, and 5.5 mg/L in the hot water. We are a family of 4 and use little
water. We have a composting toilet, that doesn't use water and we live
off grid, with solar power and a generator. We need a system to raise the ph to neutral.
Thanks,
Sean N.
Sean,
A calcite blend neutralizer will fix your problem. We have helped many customers on rainwater with the same problem, and this always fixes it. For your application we recommend a manual backwash calcite blend neutralizer, which will allow you to avoid running unnecessary backwash cycles, saving energy, water, and money.
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| Calcite Blend Neutralizer 2510 |
A neutralizer 2510 system with calcite blend media would work very well for your needs. This system uses an Enpress tank with Vortech distributor which allows it to backwash using about 30% less water than other backwashing neutralizers, and since you'll be using it for rainwater, you should only need to backwash the system once or twice a month to keep your calcite blend media functioning properly.
Because your water's pH is lower than 6.0, we recommend a blend of 90% calcite (calcium) and 10% Corosex (magnesium). The neutralizer filter comes with everything you need, including the calcite and Corosex media and simple instructions, and can be installed easily by any plumber or person familiar with plumbing.
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| GN-15 Wonderlight UV Sterilizer |
You might also consider installing a UV sterilizer to treat your rainwater. UV sterilizers are very popular treatment systems for rainwater users on cisterns, as they will kill any bacteria that might come from your catchment device (presumably your roof). Our Wonderlight sterilizers are great for users in remote areas, as they come with an external power supply and lamps rated for 9000 hours of life.
If you decide to use a UV sterilizer system, it should be installed before the neutralizer to prevent calcium minerals from the neutralizer collecting on the UV quartz sleeve. We also recommend installing a 1 micron ceramic filter before the UV sterilizer to remove parasites and other contaminants prior to sterilization.
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| Doulton Rio 20001 Micron Filter |
Our recommended ceramic filter would be a Doulton Rio 2000. Every Doulton and British Berkefeld ceramic filter uses a Sterasyl silver-impregnated ceramic microfilter, which inhibits the growth of bacteria, gives the ceramics self-sterilizing properties, and removes the need for boiling of the filter to remove or kill the impurities within the ceramic pores. Furthermore, Doulton ceramics do not remove the beneficial minerals from water, ensuring the filtered water is safe from harmful impurities, yet healthy and enjoyable to drink.
We hope this information helps you purify your rainwater to healthy, deliciously drinkable standards and prevent further copper leaching from your cistern . If you have any further questions about well or rainwater treatment methods, e-mail us at support@cleanwaterstore.com or leave us a comment on Facebook. Thanks for the letter!
