How do you remove rust from well water? – Lorraine
Hi Lorraine,
High iron content in water can affect the taste, play havoc with your laundry, leave rings in toilets and tubs, and cause problems with washing machines and dishwashers.
Start by picking up an inexpensive water test kit at your local home center and test your well’s water for iron, pH, manganese, and hardness levels. You would then need to determine if you have soluble (clear water) iron or insoluble (red water) iron to determine how to treat it.
There are several different approaches to removing iron and other minerals from water, including:
- Filtration
- Softening
- Chlorination
- Ozonation
- Greensand
- Ion exchange
- Aeration
Depending on the type of iron, it can often be removed using a whole house water filter designed to remove iron or a water softener system. Water softeners use salt to help remove iron and other minerals from the water. For extreme iron problems, an additional rust remover can be added to the water softener system.
Good luck with your project,
Further Information
- Water Filters for Your Home (article)
- Hard Water in the Home (video)
- How to Remove Smells and Odors from Drinking Water (article)
- Iron in Drinking Water (Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources)
Pl suggest a suitable filter for removal of iron and rust from potable water used for the entire office building
The water in our town is undrinkable. It smells awful and feels greasy. The tubs, toilets, washers, cooking utensils and clothes are discolored. Dish and bath towels seems to be a sponge for the excessive iron and odors. We are told that there is too much iron in our water. We have been living with this soon will be a year. Is there anything i can do to help with my water problem. There are health issues involved in my household, plus the skin issues. Please help me.
As I stated earlier, there are health issues involved. I am taking care of my son who has a kidney transplant, heart and other conditions in addition to having brain injury. I need an inexpensive solution to this problem. Please help me, I am buying water but can get very expensive. We need safe water for drinking and personal hygiene.
Thank you!
Sorry, I forgot to mention, the water is not well water. It is supplied by the city.
Hi, Johnnie,
We’re sorry to hear about your water woes. Fortunately, there are products to help with these kinds of situations. You might try an iron reduction filter, such as this one available at The Home Depot: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Waterboss-Iron-Reduction-Filter-900IF/100196527
We recommend visiting your local home center, explaining the situation, with specific details about the home and plumbing, and seeing which filter they recommend.
Good luck with this matter!