Ringo
Active member
I assume the guy I spoke to buys bulk media material and repacks the cylinders himself. He said he keeps a few refurbished units on hand to swap out when required.
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Please be sure to read the rules and adhere to them. Some banned members have complained that they are not spammers. But they spammed us. Some even tried to redirect our members to other forums. Duh. Be smart. Read the rules and adhere to them and we will all get along just fine. Cheers. :beer: Link to the rules: https://www.forumsforums.com/threads/forum-rules-info.2974/
PART 1 - Heavy Iron in our Well problems + How to Sanitize a Well
- Thread starter Melensdad
- Start date
NorthernRedneck
Well-known member
Well she knew I was buying it. So instead of coming home to find iron water, and a new freshly installed softener, that will have to run through the set up regeneration cycles and flushing of all the water lines in the house, she will come home to find fully clear water
Oh she will also find a brand new Reverse Osmosis faucet installed at the kitchen sink that matches (pretty closely) our kitchen sink faucet to replace the cheap and fugly chromed plastic RO faucet
She gave me orders to "wait" until my friend shows up to help me install. She is worried about my heart giving out (doctors found a small aneurysm in an artery leading into my heart, so taking lots of tests and waiting to hear what the next step will be). But an EMPTY water softener, and an EMPTY salt tub are easy to manage. Lifting a 40# bag of salt is a non-issue for me too.
So I installed the new stuff next to the existing old stuff. Figured if I need to add an iron filter in the future, it would go right where the old system is located and I won't have to move the softener to make room for the iron filter.
The OLD softener, which is too tall for me to reach the bottom of the salt tank, is 1/3 full of water, has probably 50#+ of salt in it, and the resin tank probably has water in it too? It's also in a closet so awkward to get to. I have a friend who is going to help me tip it onto the hand truck and get it out the back door (walk out basement) to the patio where we can tip in to get the remaining salt & water out of it, then take it up and around the house to the driveway.
Heck I might even do a load or two of laundry today!
We also have a reverse osmosis water tap. I also replaced the cheap chrome faucet with a nicer brushed nickel one to match our kitchen faucet. Our well has 2 filters in line. Where do you keep your pressure tank for your reverse osmosis? They're designed to fit underneath the sink but I have ours downstairs in the utility room. I actually have two pressure tanks tee-d together downstairs. I also upgraded the smaller line using john-guess couplers then snaked the line through the basement ceiling to the kitchen sink.
I have a furnace room that is under the dinette, which is adjacent to the kitchen. 2 pressure tanks, T connector also for our RO System. Our RO system is a 4 stage system. So the water travels up about 8' in elevation and about 16' under the dinette/kitchen floor to reach the kitchen countertop. Stage 4 is remineralization, so not so much a 'filter' as a taste enhancer???
SIDE NOTE ABOUT the newer 5+ stage RO Systems:FWIW, I looked at the 5-6-7 stage RO systems and it seemed like they all had things like particle filters, chlorine filters, etc for people who have gross city water and no other filtration.
The 4 stage + whole house filters, water softeners, etc do everything that the 5+ stage RO systems do except filter out chlorine . . . which is not an issue for people with their own water well. And the 5+ stage RO systems would choke on iron or other metals pretty fast if you fed them straight well water.
Didn't even know that there was such a thing as 5, 6, even 7 stage RO systems because I didn't shop for them until recently. I think nasty "city" water has driven the popularity of RO systems in areas with municipal water supplies.
FWIW . . . here is a great video, very simple, that does step by step instructions on how to disinfect a well. Honestly the best one I have seen. It does explain the formula to determine how much bleach to dump down the well, which includes knowing the total depth of the well, the pipe diameter, and the water level where the pump is located.
SANITIZING A WELL:
The well guy who came out to my house told me the water level is 45' but he did not know the depth of the well so he assumed the well was 100' deep because that is fairly common in the county. This company replaced my pump several years ago, so his records shows the depth of the pump, but it is not the same company that drilled the well 32 years ago, which is why he 'assumed' the well's total depth.
FIRST, after being assured NO WATER was running in the house, he dumped into the well, a healthy scoop of, granulated bleach chemical. He said some of it will fall past the pump and go all the way to the bottom of the well and dissolve from the bottom up. Said it was the easiest way to make sure the whole water cavity got sanitized.
THIRD, we went back out and he poured all 5 gallons of the chlorine liquid into the well. He let the solution sit in the well for about 10 minutes before turning on the outside hose. Apparently some people immediately turn on the hose, and just pump out the chlorine solution. Waiting 5 to 10 minutes allows some of the chlorine to sink down the water column and into the water pocket/aquifer. Then he ran the hose until he got a chlorine smell. At which point he did a chlorine test, using the test kit to confirm chlorine was coming out of the hose.
We then went inside and did the same thing at every sink. Using COLD water, ran the water while COUNTING just until the chlorine smell was obvious. As some faucets are closer and some faucets are farther away, the reason to "count" while running the COLD water is so that you know how much HOT water run. So at a close faucet it might be a count to 5, but at a distant upstairs faucet, the count could be 10, 15 or even 30 depending on your pipes, layout, etc. He said you are trying to draw enough chlorine into your hot water tank to make sure it is chlorinated. FWIW, by the time I got to the upstairs sinks, showers, I could actually smell some chlorine coming out of the hot water, but it was clearly a milder smell due to the fact that it was diluted with water in my hot water heater's tank.
FOURTH. Today, 24 hours since he departed, I get to flush out the whole system.
He suggested that 1 check my whole house filter to make sure it is clean. Mine is literally a few days old so it is clean. He said the water during the FLUSH period may be dark, may be dirty, the chemical often knocks iron, minerals, etc off of the various parts well column, pump, etc. So I should flush the system, STARTING with the outside hose until there is no smell. Then as I flush the HOUSE pipes, but this is when it is important to double check the whole house filter. It may, or may not have to be changed during the flushing process.
At this point re-open the flow to the water softener, this will allow some of the chlorine water to run through the softener BUT he said you don't want to leave chlorinated water in the softener which is why you keep it in BYPASS when you start the process of putting chlorinated water into the pipes. The softer resin does not like long term contact with chlorine. But you need to pass chlorine thru the system so when you do the whole house flush you open the system, which allows the softener to also be sanitized.
Finish flushing out the entire system. He said it's usually about 2+ hours for larger size home, especially with a large water heater tank (mine is 80 gallons) and more than 3 bathrooms. Looking to get rid of all the visibly dark/black water from the entire system.
FIFTH. Change the whole house filter and start with a fresh filter. So to do it correctly you start with a clean filter, you may clog that filter, you may/may not have to replace that filter mid-flush. Maybe more than 1 time? But it all depends on your well. Then, no matter what, he said start again with a new filter. Simply put, you are going to use a minimum of 2 filters. One at the start, one at the end. Possibly 1 or more in the middle.
Theoretically the water is now safe to drink.
What’s The Safest Way To Disinfect A Contaminated Well? - Water Well Owners
Safe, step-by-step guide to shock-chlorinate a contaminated well: dosage calculations, PPE, flushing, testing, troubleshooting, and when to call a professional.
waterwellowners.com
SANITIZING A WELL:
The well guy who came out to my house told me the water level is 45' but he did not know the depth of the well so he assumed the well was 100' deep because that is fairly common in the county. This company replaced my pump several years ago, so his records shows the depth of the pump, but it is not the same company that drilled the well 32 years ago, which is why he 'assumed' the well's total depth.
FWIW, he came with a test kit, some granulated chemical, which he said is "basically granulated bleach". He also came with a premixed jug, 5 gallons, that smelled like like chlorine bleach and I have a stuffed up nose. He said the jug was the same chemical as the granulated product, just mixed.
Given the amount of 'chlorine smell' and given the fact that I have a bad sense of smell, I would say that the concentration of that jug was probably the equivalent of 2 or maybe 3 gallons of bleach. It was strong smelling!
Given the amount of 'chlorine smell' and given the fact that I have a bad sense of smell, I would say that the concentration of that jug was probably the equivalent of 2 or maybe 3 gallons of bleach. It was strong smelling!
FIRST, after being assured NO WATER was running in the house, he dumped into the well, a healthy scoop of, granulated bleach chemical. He said some of it will fall past the pump and go all the way to the bottom of the well and dissolve from the bottom up. Said it was the easiest way to make sure the whole water cavity got sanitized.
* There are several brands of this granulated product. Well Safe, Chlor Safe Nuwell, Well Pro, and other brands can be found via a simple Google search. It appears to be more expensive than using a couple gallons of clorox, but if you were doing a lot of wells, it would likely be cheaper to buy BULK granulated product. For consumer use of disinfecting 1 well, it's roughly $30 for a kit of these products which all claim to do basically what the guy told me.
SECOND, we went inside and bypassed the water softener. This could have been done first, but I met him outside when he pulled into the driveway. It needs to be done BEFORE any internal water is used.THIRD, we went back out and he poured all 5 gallons of the chlorine liquid into the well. He let the solution sit in the well for about 10 minutes before turning on the outside hose. Apparently some people immediately turn on the hose, and just pump out the chlorine solution. Waiting 5 to 10 minutes allows some of the chlorine to sink down the water column and into the water pocket/aquifer. Then he ran the hose until he got a chlorine smell. At which point he did a chlorine test, using the test kit to confirm chlorine was coming out of the hose.
We then went inside and did the same thing at every sink. Using COLD water, ran the water while COUNTING just until the chlorine smell was obvious. As some faucets are closer and some faucets are farther away, the reason to "count" while running the COLD water is so that you know how much HOT water run. So at a close faucet it might be a count to 5, but at a distant upstairs faucet, the count could be 10, 15 or even 30 depending on your pipes, layout, etc. He said you are trying to draw enough chlorine into your hot water tank to make sure it is chlorinated. FWIW, by the time I got to the upstairs sinks, showers, I could actually smell some chlorine coming out of the hot water, but it was clearly a milder smell due to the fact that it was diluted with water in my hot water heater's tank.
FOURTH. Today, 24 hours since he departed, I get to flush out the whole system.
He suggested that 1 check my whole house filter to make sure it is clean. Mine is literally a few days old so it is clean. He said the water during the FLUSH period may be dark, may be dirty, the chemical often knocks iron, minerals, etc off of the various parts well column, pump, etc. So I should flush the system, STARTING with the outside hose until there is no smell. Then as I flush the HOUSE pipes, but this is when it is important to double check the whole house filter. It may, or may not have to be changed during the flushing process.
At this point re-open the flow to the water softener, this will allow some of the chlorine water to run through the softener BUT he said you don't want to leave chlorinated water in the softener which is why you keep it in BYPASS when you start the process of putting chlorinated water into the pipes. The softer resin does not like long term contact with chlorine. But you need to pass chlorine thru the system so when you do the whole house flush you open the system, which allows the softener to also be sanitized.
* There are also softer sanitizing products you can buy separately, which you dump into your brine tube in your salt tank. Then run your system.
Finish flushing out the entire system. He said it's usually about 2+ hours for larger size home, especially with a large water heater tank (mine is 80 gallons) and more than 3 bathrooms. Looking to get rid of all the visibly dark/black water from the entire system.
FIFTH. Change the whole house filter and start with a fresh filter. So to do it correctly you start with a clean filter, you may clog that filter, you may/may not have to replace that filter mid-flush. Maybe more than 1 time? But it all depends on your well. Then, no matter what, he said start again with a new filter. Simply put, you are going to use a minimum of 2 filters. One at the start, one at the end. Possibly 1 or more in the middle.
Theoretically the water is now safe to drink.
Last edited:
I do similar steps with a few adjustments.
I don't let the chlorinated water go through any filters. Being as it's going to generate crud as you mentioned, I prefer to just let it run out of the pipes and not go through filters.
I don't let the chlorinated water in the hot water tank. "If" I did, I'd A) shut off the electric to the tank. No use in heating the water that you're going to flush and B) drain the hot water tank out of the bottom of the tank valve. Might as well purge any crud in the bottom of the tank. NOTE: If you are draining out the bottom of the tank and not re-filling at the same time, you MUST shut off the electric heating elements. They'll fry if they're heating but there's no water surrounding the heating element.
I remove any screens or aerators in the faucets. That crud coming out of the pipes may clog them.
You didn't mention toilets but I try not to get chlorinated water to come into those. Newer toilets are crap and HIGHLY recommend you don't use any bleach products.
I don't let the chlorinated water go through any filters. Being as it's going to generate crud as you mentioned, I prefer to just let it run out of the pipes and not go through filters.
I don't let the chlorinated water in the hot water tank. "If" I did, I'd A) shut off the electric to the tank. No use in heating the water that you're going to flush and B) drain the hot water tank out of the bottom of the tank valve. Might as well purge any crud in the bottom of the tank. NOTE: If you are draining out the bottom of the tank and not re-filling at the same time, you MUST shut off the electric heating elements. They'll fry if they're heating but there's no water surrounding the heating element.
I remove any screens or aerators in the faucets. That crud coming out of the pipes may clog them.
You didn't mention toilets but I try not to get chlorinated water to come into those. Newer toilets are crap and HIGHLY recommend you don't use any bleach products.
YES, he said toilets (but mine are 32 years old), tub & shower heads, dishwasher and washing machine and anything else you may have hooked up. And ALL of the outdoor spigots. So while there is one near my pump, there are more on the other sides of the house; ALL of them need flushing. Start with the farthest run first, not the closest outdoor spigot first, and all can be run at the same time before you go inside to flush the inside pipes.
YES, the service guy said he wanted chlorine in the HOT WATER TANK to make sure that was also sanitized. He specifically mentioned it.
Yes, I could drain it out of the bottom, but as my tank is 32 years old and I don't care to replace that TODAY too, I'm leaving that valve closed. I've seen those drain valves fail too many times to risk it today. If I recall, the last time (several years ago) that I drained the crud out the bottom of my water tank I had a heck of a time getting it fully closed again. Side note mine is Natural Gas, not electric, so I wouldn't have to worry about frying the elements, but in any case I'd drain it part way and then reopen the supply feed.
YES, he said you can pull the filter and flush everything through, OR as I described if you don't mind "wasting" at least the first filter. He said its cleaner to do as I described because it won't leave any sediment in the pipes that may look like they are running clear, and may smell like they are running clear, but may have small particles in them. Again, he said either way works, but to be really really sure to flush a lot more water without a filter.
Pretty much everyone told me, and most of the videos I watched, said the water would likely have a brown tint to it for several days. Black fines would likely be prevalent too. Kobe is up in Chicago with Melen & the lovely Mrs_Bob today so I figured I'd run as much water as possible today to try to get rid of all/most of expected 'gunk' in the first 24 hours of flushing the system after the sanitation.
I flushed a couple hundred gallons of water through the outdoor spigots. All the chlorine smell was gone.
I have a gallon meter on my softener and flushed about 400 gallons through the interior pipes, the water softener running a regeneration cycle now.
The cold water has been running clear, I noticed that at under 200 gallons. I was running both cold and hot water up to about 200 gallons. All the chlorine smell was gone. But the hot water was light-rust colored. So from 200 to 400 gallons the hot water was running almost exclusively (yes, I did turn down the water heater setting).
I also swapped the water filter at roughly the 300 gallon mark, using 5 micron filters. The filter came out a little muddy looking, I've pulled filters that were a lot worse, but I wanted to keep the water flow rate up so I didn't want to let the filter get too clogged up.
There hot water was running clear, but are small black 'fines' still floating around in the hot water when I decided to stop flushing (after 400 gallons through the interior pipes) and regenerate the water softener.
The softener regeneration should be done shortly. I'll start up the dishwasher after the softener is done. I'll also run the cold and hot water, look for discoloration and look to see if the small black fines are sill coming out, they have been decreasing.
I flushed a couple hundred gallons of water through the outdoor spigots. All the chlorine smell was gone.
I have a gallon meter on my softener and flushed about 400 gallons through the interior pipes, the water softener running a regeneration cycle now.
The cold water has been running clear, I noticed that at under 200 gallons. I was running both cold and hot water up to about 200 gallons. All the chlorine smell was gone. But the hot water was light-rust colored. So from 200 to 400 gallons the hot water was running almost exclusively (yes, I did turn down the water heater setting).
I also swapped the water filter at roughly the 300 gallon mark, using 5 micron filters. The filter came out a little muddy looking, I've pulled filters that were a lot worse, but I wanted to keep the water flow rate up so I didn't want to let the filter get too clogged up.
There hot water was running clear, but are small black 'fines' still floating around in the hot water when I decided to stop flushing (after 400 gallons through the interior pipes) and regenerate the water softener.
The softener regeneration should be done shortly. I'll start up the dishwasher after the softener is done. I'll also run the cold and hot water, look for discoloration and look to see if the small black fines are sill coming out, they have been decreasing.
And the black fines are now gone. I don't 'smell' the water. The taste is dramatically improved. Dishwasher is running. I'm calling it quits. Water is clean, clear and as iron free as the water softener can make it. The water filter that I installed a couple hundred gallons ago should be good for another month.
The delivery for the big iron filter is scheduled for Friday. With Kobe on spring break this week I may delay the install until after he is back with grandma? Or maybe he can be my 'helper' to help me install it? We will see how that all goes. I'll check the pre-filter when I install the iron filter, but I expect that is probably fine.
I also have a couple of water cut off valves that I want to install pre-and-post the Reverse Osmosis system. So the day the iron filter is installed I'll do that too.
The delivery for the big iron filter is scheduled for Friday. With Kobe on spring break this week I may delay the install until after he is back with grandma? Or maybe he can be my 'helper' to help me install it? We will see how that all goes. I'll check the pre-filter when I install the iron filter, but I expect that is probably fine.
I also have a couple of water cut off valves that I want to install pre-and-post the Reverse Osmosis system. So the day the iron filter is installed I'll do that too.
Yes, I'll do that, but as it was after 'normal business hours' and as I've seen those valves fail, I didn't want to open it and then make an emergency call to the plumber.
Perhaps after Kobe's spring break ends I'll drain from the bottom. But not while he is with us. I just don't need the headache if the old valve fails, and this is a 32 year old valve. Last time I did it, several years ago, I struggled to get to to close.
Replace standard plastic drain valve that came on the water heater with a brass nipple and good ball valve while you have system down you'll thank me later!
PS don't forget to turn off the electric or gas before you drain it.
Uh too late for that.
The iron removal unit is due to be delivered tomorrow. I'll probably install that on Sunday afternoon or Monday. I have a CT scan of my heart tomorrow and we still have Kobe here on his school spring break. But installing that will not require me to drain the system or too much other than disconnection a couple hoses, putting the system in place, then connecting a couple hoses to place it between the whole house filter and the water softener. So it should be quick.
Due to a delay in the shipping the main box for the iron filter didn't arrive until Monday. I was busy Tuesday and Wednesday, so today is the day.
I had pre-ordered a set of 36" long 1" in to 1" stainless hoses. The unit arrives with 2 stainless hoses, but they are short. Because of the way I was installing them I was very happy to have the longer hose. I knew I only needed 1, but they came as a pair. So water comes from the well thru the whole house filter, then thru the iron/metals/etc filter, then thru the softener and then feeds into the house. Just because it was easier to use the longer hoses I ended up using both of the 36" hoses, so it was fortunate that I got the pair.
Put it all together and set up the program, did the system flush, etc etc etc
Found a leak.
Had to take off one of the hoses and the fitting and re-applied teflon plumbers tape. Tightened it all up again and looked like I'm good to go.
One thing I don't like is that they use PLASTIC threaded fitting to connect up to the steel hoses. One of the plastic threaded fittings is where I had the leak. That leak seems fixed. I noticed ANOTHER leak, at the other end of that same fitting, but tightening it seems to have corrected that one, it may have come loose while I was working on the other side of the fitting?
As I had to remove a the hoses, I will check all of them a little later today. Retighten or reapply teflon tape as needed.
I also put in 3/8" plastic shut off valves at my Reverse Osmosis system. I need 1 more valve, but it is for a 1/4" hose. 3 pack on sale at Amazon for under $5 will arrive on Saturday. Local True Value sells them for $12.99 each, but they are not in stock. I have all new R.O. filters coming from Amazon on Saturday. So all that stuff, assuming it arrives early enough, should be done on Saturday.
If you care, the SILVER braided water line comes out of the whole house water pre-filter and feeds into the new iron/whatever filter. You can see a red line in the back, that comes out of the iron filter and goes into the water softener. Then the blue line comes out of the water softener and goes back to feed the house's internal plumbing.
The 2 black lines that loop upward are the drain lines for back flushing the system, one from each of the tanks. On the far right, hidden by the closet doorway, is the salt tank, which is accessible by another sliding door on the other side of the doorway.
I had pre-ordered a set of 36" long 1" in to 1" stainless hoses. The unit arrives with 2 stainless hoses, but they are short. Because of the way I was installing them I was very happy to have the longer hose. I knew I only needed 1, but they came as a pair. So water comes from the well thru the whole house filter, then thru the iron/metals/etc filter, then thru the softener and then feeds into the house. Just because it was easier to use the longer hoses I ended up using both of the 36" hoses, so it was fortunate that I got the pair.
Put it all together and set up the program, did the system flush, etc etc etc
Found a leak.
Had to take off one of the hoses and the fitting and re-applied teflon plumbers tape. Tightened it all up again and looked like I'm good to go.
One thing I don't like is that they use PLASTIC threaded fitting to connect up to the steel hoses. One of the plastic threaded fittings is where I had the leak. That leak seems fixed. I noticed ANOTHER leak, at the other end of that same fitting, but tightening it seems to have corrected that one, it may have come loose while I was working on the other side of the fitting?
As I had to remove a the hoses, I will check all of them a little later today. Retighten or reapply teflon tape as needed.
I also put in 3/8" plastic shut off valves at my Reverse Osmosis system. I need 1 more valve, but it is for a 1/4" hose. 3 pack on sale at Amazon for under $5 will arrive on Saturday. Local True Value sells them for $12.99 each, but they are not in stock. I have all new R.O. filters coming from Amazon on Saturday. So all that stuff, assuming it arrives early enough, should be done on Saturday.
If you care, the SILVER braided water line comes out of the whole house water pre-filter and feeds into the new iron/whatever filter. You can see a red line in the back, that comes out of the iron filter and goes into the water softener. Then the blue line comes out of the water softener and goes back to feed the house's internal plumbing.
The 2 black lines that loop upward are the drain lines for back flushing the system, one from each of the tanks. On the far right, hidden by the closet doorway, is the salt tank, which is accessible by another sliding door on the other side of the doorway.
So I have a small issue at 1 joint. Metal to plastic threaded joint. It is NOT dripping, but joint is wet.
So I'm a little frustrated.
You can see a small amount of water, like half a drop. I dried the joints last night before going to bed. This morning there is a 1/2 drop of water at one of the joints. The floor is dry. So it is not enough to drip. I'm inclined to just let it be. Check it when I change the whole house filters, etc. But if it's not enough to actually drip onto the floor then my guess is that the iron filled water feeding into that joint will likely eventually seal it. It is the in-feed stainless braided line from the whole house pre-filter that goes into the new iron/metals/everything filter, at the joint where the line connects to the filter unit.
So I'm a little frustrated.
You can see a small amount of water, like half a drop. I dried the joints last night before going to bed. This morning there is a 1/2 drop of water at one of the joints. The floor is dry. So it is not enough to drip. I'm inclined to just let it be. Check it when I change the whole house filters, etc. But if it's not enough to actually drip onto the floor then my guess is that the iron filled water feeding into that joint will likely eventually seal it. It is the in-feed stainless braided line from the whole house pre-filter that goes into the new iron/metals/everything filter, at the joint where the line connects to the filter unit.
Dax949
Active member
I'm abundantly cautious about any plumbing leaks. My neighbor had a leak in his upstairs bathroom last fall where the line connects to the toilet. By the time he discovered it, water had ran down through the floor and through the ground-level floor and was flooding the finished basement! Mucho bux to repair all that - especially anyplace drywall and chip-board gets wet! Beware water leaks!
I to am NOT a fan of plumbing leaks. In fact I hate doing any plumbing. The most I will do is work on a leaky faucet or mess around with filtration systems. But beyond that I call in a friend who has the right tools and, more importantly, the knowledge.
This leak is not (yet) even a drip. It's just wet. The plastic threaded part is in brand new condition, because it is brand new. Correct answer is to take it apart and use more plumbers teflon tape, or replace it and still use more teflon tape. Either way its a small PITA as its in a space where you can get a 1/4 turn on the fitting and need to do 8 to 10 full turns so lot of effort because its in a very tight spot.
Just frustrated. But at this point not worried.
I'm more inclined, now, to watch it. If water actually drips and hits the floor, I'll redo it. If water never drips off that joint then I'd bet the impurities in the water will clog and stop it.
After encountering leaks or overflows, I now install water alarms.
These are the ones I use.
Audible alarm & sends a message to your cell phone.
I have them under sinks, in the basement near exterior doors, hot water tank...
These are the ones I use.
Audible alarm & sends a message to your cell phone.
I have them under sinks, in the basement near exterior doors, hot water tank...
UPDATE:
I saw a drip. So I removed the hose and fittings, installed new teflon plumbers tape all around and reinstalled. All went smoothing until I turned the water back on. Water was SQUIRTING out of the back of the fitting from the brand new hose. WTF? Grab my wrench and tighten the hose fitting and now strip the threads on the plastic fitting coming out of the filter. I shut the water off. Look down. There is the silicone washer laying on the floor
Fortunately I have extra plastic fittings for the iron filter. Remove the original. Pull out the spare, wind it with lots of teflon plumbers tape and install it into the iron filter. Go back to my hose, pick the silicone washer up from the floor, reinstall the washer into the hose, then screw the hose onto the iron filter's newly installed threaded plastic fitting.
It all appears to be good now. Finally. Except for cleaning up the water that sprayed all over the inside of the close.
Fun times
I saw a drip. So I removed the hose and fittings, installed new teflon plumbers tape all around and reinstalled. All went smoothing until I turned the water back on. Water was SQUIRTING out of the back of the fitting from the brand new hose. WTF? Grab my wrench and tighten the hose fitting and now strip the threads on the plastic fitting coming out of the filter. I shut the water off. Look down. There is the silicone washer laying on the floor
Fortunately I have extra plastic fittings for the iron filter. Remove the original. Pull out the spare, wind it with lots of teflon plumbers tape and install it into the iron filter. Go back to my hose, pick the silicone washer up from the floor, reinstall the washer into the hose, then screw the hose onto the iron filter's newly installed threaded plastic fitting.
It all appears to be good now. Finally. Except for cleaning up the water that sprayed all over the inside of the close.
Fun times
NorthernRedneck
Well-known member
We've actually been looking into those water alarms just for peace of mind. I hate plumbing as well I have a love hate relationship with those sharkbite fittings. They beat a torch and copper pipes but make the mistake of not fully inserting one and turn the water on. The leak identified itstelf quickly. I just just the water off and reseated it.
Ringo
Active member
The advantage of the push fit connectors is they don't restrict water flow as much as the crimp on PEX fittings. Having said that, I still don't always feel comfortable placing push fit connectors inside the wall. Even though most are now rated for that application. I have used a fair number of the Evo connectors for drop ears in shower plumbing, because they have an indicator to let you know you've pushed it all the way in. Full disclosure, I'm not a professional plumber, and I've been trying to get away from doing plumbing, but still manage to get suckered in.
With the leaks at the Iron/etc filter resolved I took a break and that is when the UPS truck showed up with my genuine factory filters for my AO Smith reverse osmosis system.
Honestly figured it would be about a 5 minute job. I'm not using knock off generic parts, I have the OEM direct replacement stuff. Filters 1 & 3 arrived in 1 box, they get changed out every 6-ish months. Filters 2 & 4 arrive in another box, they get swapped 1 time per year.
Changed filter #4 after shutting off the water, it gets replaced by pulling the push lock hoses, one on each end. Easy enough. Filter #2 is the membrane, it has a drain tube that has a push lock, so that was removed first, then a quarter turn on the filter and it pops off, insert new one and quarter turn locks it in place. #2 is a self contained unit it does not fit into any sort of housing.
All is going well. Filters 1 & 3 go into filter housings, and the housings have the same quarter turn and lock into place mounting system as filter #2, but the housing needs to be take apart and the filter goes into the housing. There is a special plastic 'wrench' to take the top of the housing off, and filter 1 is replaced and back in place moments after it is removed.
Filter 3 goes into a housing that is identical to the housing for filter #1.
Except that when I turned the water back on it started spewing out of the filter housing all around the seal
WTF?
Remove it, clean around the seal, make sure the gasket is in place.
Reinstall, turn water back on.
Water spewing out everywhere
Again, WTF?
Remove it, clean it, add some silicone gasket grease to the gasket, reinstall, turn the water back on.
Water is spewing out every-f'''ing-where
OK, so pull it again, get some teflon tape apply to the threads, try again.
Once again we have water spewing out
I gave up. It was after 6pm, the lovely Mrs_Bob asked if I could go to the grocery and pick up some things from the store that she needs for Easter dinner. So I took a break. The big grocery store is roughly 15 miles north, but on the same road as Home Depot. So off to the store I go . . . fresh pitted dates and pomegranate pips are on the grocery list. Store has neither of those. I walk out.
On to Home Depot since it is only another mile up the road. Get some Blue Monster thread sealing tape and a tube of Rector Seal, which is a disgusting smelling thread sealing goo. The Blue Monster is thicker than the normal white thread sealing tape. The Rector Seal is the thread sealer of last resort, I rarely use it because it is messy and stinks.
Back home and dry off the threads on the cap and the body of the cartridge housing for filter #3 and I apply the Blue Monster tape, then at the top thread just under the gasket I run a bead of the Rector Seal. Close it up, install the housing. NO LEAKS
The 5 minute filter changing project turned into a frustrating mini nightmare
BUT now it's done. No leaks anywhere.
Honestly figured it would be about a 5 minute job. I'm not using knock off generic parts, I have the OEM direct replacement stuff. Filters 1 & 3 arrived in 1 box, they get changed out every 6-ish months. Filters 2 & 4 arrive in another box, they get swapped 1 time per year.
Changed filter #4 after shutting off the water, it gets replaced by pulling the push lock hoses, one on each end. Easy enough. Filter #2 is the membrane, it has a drain tube that has a push lock, so that was removed first, then a quarter turn on the filter and it pops off, insert new one and quarter turn locks it in place. #2 is a self contained unit it does not fit into any sort of housing.
All is going well. Filters 1 & 3 go into filter housings, and the housings have the same quarter turn and lock into place mounting system as filter #2, but the housing needs to be take apart and the filter goes into the housing. There is a special plastic 'wrench' to take the top of the housing off, and filter 1 is replaced and back in place moments after it is removed.
Filter 3 goes into a housing that is identical to the housing for filter #1.
Except that when I turned the water back on it started spewing out of the filter housing all around the seal
WTF?Remove it, clean around the seal, make sure the gasket is in place.
Reinstall, turn water back on.
Water spewing out everywhere
Again, WTF?
Remove it, clean it, add some silicone gasket grease to the gasket, reinstall, turn the water back on.
Water is spewing out every-f'''ing-where
OK, so pull it again, get some teflon tape apply to the threads, try again.
Once again we have water spewing out
I gave up. It was after 6pm, the lovely Mrs_Bob asked if I could go to the grocery and pick up some things from the store that she needs for Easter dinner. So I took a break. The big grocery store is roughly 15 miles north, but on the same road as Home Depot. So off to the store I go . . . fresh pitted dates and pomegranate pips are on the grocery list. Store has neither of those. I walk out.
On to Home Depot since it is only another mile up the road. Get some Blue Monster thread sealing tape and a tube of Rector Seal, which is a disgusting smelling thread sealing goo. The Blue Monster is thicker than the normal white thread sealing tape. The Rector Seal is the thread sealer of last resort, I rarely use it because it is messy and stinks.
Back home and dry off the threads on the cap and the body of the cartridge housing for filter #3 and I apply the Blue Monster tape, then at the top thread just under the gasket I run a bead of the Rector Seal. Close it up, install the housing. NO LEAKS
The 5 minute filter changing project turned into a frustrating mini nightmare
BUT now it's done. No leaks anywhere.
What the actual f''' is going on in my life?
1- I went downstairs to check the RO system.
2- I found a NEW leak in the RO system, because the gasket is pinched.
3- I found ANOTHER new leak, similar gasket issue as #2, but looks instead of being stretched, these look like they rotted
4- I temporarily fixed both of those leaks, but need to buy some cheap rubber “o” rings
5- I decided to change the disposable whole house filter cartridge because I have been running THOUSANDS of water through the system as part of installing the new equipment.
6- I find the big “o” ring in that housing is stretched. I try to replace it but I don’t have the correct size
7- I create a temporary seal on the threads, without an O-ring, that will hold until I have to change the filter and reinstall the housing using the Blue Monster double thick thread sealing tape and the smelly messy goop in a tube.
8- There was NO LEAK, but I forgot to put the disposable filter into the cartridge housing.
9- Go back to STEP 7, redo the temporary fix, AND install the filter cartridge into the housing.
Check inventory at Home Depot, no replacement O ring for the Culligan brand whole house filter. No O-rings for the AO Smith reverse osmosis cartridge housings. Of course both were purchased at Home Depot. Go to Amazon, find replacements. They will be delivered tomorrow.
No doubt I will replace them and there will be another chapter to this story. FAAAACK this has been a 10 day ordeal dealing with petty little crap.
However, I did learn something. If I ever decided to take up a career as a handyman, I need to charge by the HOUR, because if I was charging for this job, I could retire based on the number of hours this is taking.
1- I went downstairs to check the RO system.
2- I found a NEW leak in the RO system, because the gasket is pinched.
3- I found ANOTHER new leak, similar gasket issue as #2, but looks instead of being stretched, these look like they rotted
4- I temporarily fixed both of those leaks, but need to buy some cheap rubber “o” rings
5- I decided to change the disposable whole house filter cartridge because I have been running THOUSANDS of water through the system as part of installing the new equipment.
6- I find the big “o” ring in that housing is stretched. I try to replace it but I don’t have the correct size
7- I create a temporary seal on the threads, without an O-ring, that will hold until I have to change the filter and reinstall the housing using the Blue Monster double thick thread sealing tape and the smelly messy goop in a tube.
8- There was NO LEAK, but I forgot to put the disposable filter into the cartridge housing.
9- Go back to STEP 7, redo the temporary fix, AND install the filter cartridge into the housing.
Check inventory at Home Depot, no replacement O ring for the Culligan brand whole house filter. No O-rings for the AO Smith reverse osmosis cartridge housings. Of course both were purchased at Home Depot. Go to Amazon, find replacements. They will be delivered tomorrow.
No doubt I will replace them and there will be another chapter to this story. FAAAACK this has been a 10 day ordeal dealing with petty little crap.
However, I did learn something. If I ever decided to take up a career as a handyman, I need to charge by the HOUR, because if I was charging for this job, I could retire based on the number of hours this is taking.
At this point I think “not so plumber Bob” is the most accurate. I’m in Chicago for the afternoon, hoping to get home and find the house standing.
One thing that I can bet on is if the dogs play with matches and set the house ablaze, the leaking pipes will put out the flames!
One thing that I can bet on is if the dogs play with matches and set the house ablaze, the leaking pipes will put out the flames!
Final productive contribution to this thread . . . which ended up being 2 threads because of a bacteria issue.
The new water softener is working great, both softening the water and for iron. The 'fine mesh' seems to get rid of a lot of iron all by itself. The added iron filter, which also gets rid of all sorts of other metals and garbage is also working great so the combination of the two leaves us with odor free, clear water.
And yes, all the leaking connectors were fixed.
As for SANITIZING the well, it is an easy proposition but clearly requires more than dumping a gallon of bleach down a well. Honestly just follow some of the University or Health Dept videos on YouTube. The dept and volume of the well determine how much bleach you need. That is the complicated part. The better videos teach you how to calculate it for your own well. There are also different concentrations of bleach you can buy, so 1 gallon of laundry bleach does not equal 1 gallon of outdoor bleach.
Final system for my house ended up being:
The new water softener is working great, both softening the water and for iron. The 'fine mesh' seems to get rid of a lot of iron all by itself. The added iron filter, which also gets rid of all sorts of other metals and garbage is also working great so the combination of the two leaves us with odor free, clear water.
And yes, all the leaking connectors were fixed.
As for SANITIZING the well, it is an easy proposition but clearly requires more than dumping a gallon of bleach down a well. Honestly just follow some of the University or Health Dept videos on YouTube. The dept and volume of the well determine how much bleach you need. That is the complicated part. The better videos teach you how to calculate it for your own well. There are also different concentrations of bleach you can buy, so 1 gallon of laundry bleach does not equal 1 gallon of outdoor bleach.
Final system for my house ended up being:
- Culligan Pre-Filter, which is a basic cartridge type sediment filter. I am now using a 10 micron filter, cost if you buy the generic cartidges by the case is between $2 and $3 per filter.
- Pro+Aqua brand iron/metals filter. Supposed to be good for about 5 years. Media inside is user replaceable but like a nasty job to do.
- Aquasure brand 65,000 grain FINE MESH water softener.
- Aquasure brand 12gmp UV sanitizing filter.
Ringo
Active member
Thank you for sharing your experience, and this final comprehensive post. I will put your efforts to good use.