Sunday, August 27, 2017

How Do I Treat a Cistern That Has Two Wells Feeding Into It?

Gerry,

I have a cistern that is fed by two wells.  One is our own well, and one is a community well.  I have a ballcock type manual float in the cistern, that lets in water when the level in the cistern drops by 6 inches or so.  Both the wells have their own pressure tanks, but each well feeds the tank at different speeds. That is, our well has a low flow, and flows at about 4 gallons per minute.  When I  am able to get access to the community system, it flows in much faster.

I want to chlorinate the smelly, dark well water as it flows into the cistern (see attached pics), and I am wondering what type of flow switch or water meter I can get that controls the chlorinator pump, by flow.  I want to inject an even amount of chlorine as I don’t want too much or too little.   Also looking for a filter, after the cistern to take out the rust and sediment.   Any ideas?

Mick in Michigan





Hey Mick,

Thanks for emailing and sending in some pictures.  You nailed it when you mentioned ‘water meter’ as what you need is a proportional feed controlled chlorinator with flow meter.

With this type of chlorinator, the chlorine bleach is precisely injected whenever the water flows through the flow meter.  The flow meter, which looks like a water meter with a cable attached to the metering pump, will then energize the metering pump and begin injecting solution based upon the rate of flow. 

After the cistern, your booster pump will pump the water through a Pro-OX iron filter, which will remove the dark color, rust and sediment.  There would be little or no chlorine residual left in the water at this point, although you could use an optional carbon filter, after the iron filter if you wanted to.

Pro-OX Manganese Dioxide media is an NSF Certified natural high purity mineral that is used for removing iron, hydrogen sulfide, and manganese from water supplies.  This media utilizes an oxidation-reduction reaction and filtration process similar to greensand, but at a much higher level of performance. 




Pro-OX has a much higher surface area, is much more porous than Greensand, and also lasts much longer (usually 10+ years) compared to around 5 years  typically for other filter media. 

The result is very clean, odor-free, disinfected water free of sediment and iron with no chlorine taste or odor in the house.

The following will show images, product links for additional information:



 Precision 24 Proportional Chlorinator Package w/ 15 Gal. Tank                     

Easy Installation!  No-Wiring Needed! Plug into any 220 Volt wall outlet, and when there is flow, the Precision Metering Pump will instantly and accurately inject the precise amount of chlorine (or other chemicals) based on the flow rate of the water!

Output rating:  0.1 – 22 Gallons per Day (GPD).  Pressure rating:  Will inject into lines with up to 110 PSI.  System comes with a 2 year warranty on the Pump and Meter.

Each System Includes:
PRECISION 24 Home Well Water Pump with 15 gallon heavy-duty polyethylene solution tank, CWS Lead-Free 3/4" NPT heavy-duty nylon engineered plastic flow meter and cable, Tubing and fittings to connect pump to injection check valve, 1 Injection Check valve 1/2" NPT, and install manual.





 Pro-Ox Iron Filter 5900-E Series, 1.0 cu. Ft, 115 Volt                


System includes 5900e Series Valve, 1” MPT pipe connectors; by-pass valve; 1.0 cubic feet of Pro-OX Manganese Dioxide NSF Certified filter media; Filter Tank & automatic backwash control valve with digital display.  Controls and adjustments are a big plus with this control valve.  Not to mention the media will be good for 10+ years depending on water quality and usage.

Dimensions:  9” Diameter x 48” tank, with valve attached is approximately 55” tall.  All installation instructions and support is provided for you as well.   The installation manual can be found at the following link for review: