How To Remove Iron from Well Water

Iron is one of the most common contaminants faced by well owners. From muddy-colored glasses of drinking water to bright orange streaks in toilets and bathtubs, iron leaves a trail of stains, discoloration, and foul tastes in its wake. Iron exists in wells in three forms: ferric, ferrous, and bacterial. Each of the three types of iron requires a different iron filter or treatment process: most commonly, a sediment filter for ferric iron, a water softener for ferrous iron, and shock chlorination for bacterial iron.

In this article, we explain how iron contaminates well water, the distinct forms it takes, and how to effectively remove each one from your well water.

How does iron get into well water? 

Iron enters your water supply in two ways: natural seepage and corroded plumbing.

• Natural seepage: Iron primarily enters your well water by seeping in from the earth’s crust. Heavy rainfall and melting snow seep through the soil, dissolving iron and carrying it into well water sources.
• Corroded plumbing: Aged iron pipes and corroded iron fixtures will leave brown-colored flecks in your water and orange stains on your drains. In this case, replacing the pipes running from your well may be necessary.

Making up over 5% of the earth’s crust, iron is one of the earth’s most common and widespread natural resources. Its presence in well water is unavoidable, no matter how diligently a homeowner maintains their well.

Signs of iron in well water

Even small amounts of iron in your well water will clog pipes, reduce household water pressure, ruin the taste of tea and coffee, and leave bright-colored stains on your appliances. Though iron is rarely seen in quantities larger than 10ppm (parts-per-million), its ability to cause such severe and visible damage even at concentrations as low as 0.3 ppm makes it a distinctly frustrating contaminant to remove. 

Learn More: 5 Benefits to Removing Iron from Water

Clogged pipes and reduced pressure

As iron residue flows through your pipes, it can accumulate inside your plumbing and begin to restrict water flow throughout the house. This will make your sinks and toilets clog, cause unsatisfying water pressure in your shower, and lower the effectiveness of your appliances. From your dishwasher to your lawn sprinkler, any appliance that uses water will fall victim to iron build-up that leads to premature and costly replacements. 

Metallic and discolored water

Even in low concentrations, iron makes water carry a bitter metallic aftertaste, gives it an unpleasant, sharp odor, and turns it unappetizing colors.  An iron-laden well means the refreshing glass of water you pour from your kitchen sink may come out brown, orange, red, or yellow. From boiling pasta to steaming vegetables, any foods cooked in iron-contaminated water will darken and be left with a residual dirty, earthy flavor. Furthermore, any beverage made with water (like tea, espresso, and coffee) will also bear that harsh, metallic aftertaste.

Stained appliances

Iron is notorious for the harsh color stains it leaves in its path. Any appliance that is plumbed to your well will become discolored from exposure to water rich in iron:

• Your toilet bowl will show vivid orange streaks.
• The rims of your sinks and drains will collect bright red and yellow trails.
• Bathtubs and showers will show bright discoloration.
• Even your dishes and laundry aren’t safe from unsightly brown and red staining after being washed in water with iron. 

Learn more about common well water problems like hard water and acidic water. 

Is iron in water bad for you?

No, drinking low levels of iron in your water will not negatively impact your health. Iron is regulated as a secondary contaminant by the EPA, meaning it has aesthetic and cosmetic consequences, like foul tastes and stains, but is not considered to be dangerous to consume under normal circumstances. Consuming high concentrations of iron will only negatively affect individuals with health conditions like hemochromatosis, which prevents the intestines from properly processing iron. 

Iron itself is essential to a healthy, balanced diet and contributes to red blood cell production and oxygen distribution throughout the body. However, because iron is naturally present in foods like spinach, eggs, lentils, and shrimp, it is also not harmful to remove the iron content from your water.

Effects of high iron content in water on hair and skin

Showering in water with high concentrations of iron can damage your hair by turning it orange, brittle, and lifeless. The heavy mineral content absorbs all natural moisture on both your hair and skin, drying out pores and leaving behind a dry residue. High dosages of iron exacerbate skin conditions like eczema and acne, and can even give your skin a reddish tint just like the stains on your sinks and dishware.

How to remove iron from well water

To remove iron from well water, you need to first identify the type of iron and then select a corresponding treatment option.

1. Identify the type of iron in your water

Iron content in water is not all the same—it can range from an invisible soluble element to a nasty red sludge, and the type you have in your well water may not respond to just any treatment method. To treat your well water effectively, you have to first determine how much and which type(s) of iron your well is carrying. 

• Perform a water test, which will reveal exactly what water conditions you are working with and present you with the clearest path forward. A water report gives an accurate measure of total iron content, while visual inspection only reveals visible ferric iron.
• Use an iron test strip to gain a more general idea of the parts-per-million of iron present in your well.
• Contact a water expert for a professional opinion of your well water.
• Perform a visual inspection of your well.

Once you have accurately identified the type(s) of iron in your well, you can determine the appropriate treatment to remove it.

2. Select a treatment option

Each of the three types of iron has at least one proven method of treatment. Removing iron from your well water can be as simple as installing a filter, or it may require professional treatment.  

Cheapest way to remove iron from well water

Cost is not the most important factor when choosing a method of removing iron, because cheap doesn’t always mean effective. There is no single “magic” method that removes all types of iron, so the cheapest and most effective method to remove iron from your well water depends on the type of iron in your well. The cheapest overall method to remove iron from well water is to install an ion exchange water softener, which is only effective when removing ferrous iron.

Types of iron in well water

Three types of iron can lurk in your well water: ferrous iron, bacterial iron, and ferric iron (sometimes called colloidal iron). Well depth and pH level significantly affect the form of iron that is present. Iron presents unique challenges and different solutions based on its form. To successfully remove iron from a well, you must have a firm understanding of what form the iron is in. 

1. Ferric iron

Ferric iron is iron in its oxidized state, often appearing as a reddish-brown precipitate like rust when it is no longer dissolved. Since ferric iron is a solid, it is the simplest form of iron to remove from the water.

What it looks like: Ferric iron discolors water and stains surfaces it touches. If your water is a bright orange or red coloration, this is a great indication that you have a great deal of ferric iron present in your well. 

How to remove ferric iron from well water ⌄

2. Ferrous iron

Ferrous iron, referred to as clear water iron, is dissolved and invisible until it oxidizes and turns into ferric iron. Ferrous iron is often found in deep wells, where the water has had less exposure to sunlight. 

What it looks like: A glass of ferrous iron will appear crystal clear at first. Once ferrous iron is exposed to the air and oxidizes, it will start to emerge as a precipitate (becoming ferric iron). This means if you were to leave that glass of clear water out on a shelf overnight, you would awake to find a reddish-brown tint or an accumulation of particulate at the bottom of the glass. 

How to remove ferrous iron from well water ⌄

3. Bacterial iron

Bacterial iron occurs when bacteria bind with iron, becoming the trickiest and nastiest configuration iron can take in your well. Bacterial iron most commonly emerges in wells because of poor maintenance or improper well servicing. For example, if you had your well pump serviced, and the pump was not properly sanitized before being returned to the well, the bacteria left behind can flourish and bond with existing iron.

Bacterial iron causes particularly nasty effects in your well, including:

• Clogged pipes
• Ruined water softeners, sediment prefilters, and water booster pumps
• Erratic water pressure
• Perfect conditions for pathogenic bacteria

What it looks like: Bacterial iron is a bright red sludge, resembling tomato soup. It sticks to the inside of pipes as a thick brown slime, clogs your well pump, congests your plumbing fixtures, and leaves swampy, slimy red residue in your toilet bowl and tank.

How to remove bacterial iron from well water ⌄

How to remove ferric iron from well water

Ferric iron is the simplest type of iron to remove from well water and only requires a sediment filter.

Install a sediment filter

Sediment filters prevent solid particulate matter from entering household plumbing, making a sub-micron-rated sediment filter very effective at removing ferric iron. Water flows freely through the filter, leaving behind the trapped iron precipitate.

Note: Make sure your sediment filter has a small enough micron rating to adequately capture the iron. Many well-owners prefer natural cotton string-wound sediment filters to capture and remove the ferric iron in their well water supply. 

Learn more about how sediment filters work →

Pros of using a sediment filter to remove iron

• Sediment filters are ideal treatments for low levels of ferric iron and will immediately resolve the issue. 
• Sediment filters provide added benefits, including preventing dirt, debris, and cloudiness from polluting your home’s water and serving as a pre-filter to protect your ion exchange water softener, UV disinfection system, and all of your water-using appliances.

Cons of using a sediment filter to remove iron

• Sediment filters are not effective for other types of iron that may also be present in your well. If your well also has ferrous iron, a sediment filter will not remove it or its effects.

How to remove ferrous iron from well water

Ferrous iron can be removed using several methods, including a water softener, manganese greensand, Birm, air induction systems, or KDF85. 

Install a water softener

Ion-exchange water softeners are very effective at removing low levels of ferrous iron from the water. A water softener operates using an ion exchange process, where the positively-charged calcium and magnesium ions that cause hard water are replaced with sodium ions. While water softeners are primarily used to treat hard water, the same ion exchange process works on ferrous iron. Since iron is a positively-charged cation, it will be attracted to the spherical cation resin beads and exchanged for a sodium ion, just like the calcium and magnesium ions. 

Note: Water softeners are most efficient at removing iron from hard water. There needs to be an adequate ratio of water hardness and iron for the ion exchange to sufficiently remove iron from the water. If you have soft water, an oxidizing filter like manganese greensand, Birm, air induction, or KDF85 will be more effective at reducing the iron content of your water.

Pros of using a water softener to remove iron

• Ion-exchange water softeners are the cheapest option for removing ferrous iron from well water.
• Ion-exchange water softeners are one of the most effective methods for removing ferrous iron under the appropriate conditions.

Cons of using a water softener to remove iron

• To function well, water softeners need water where the iron content is the same or higher than the hardness level. Using a water softener to remove iron from soft water will not be effective. An oxidizing filter is a better bet.
• A sediment pre-filter may be necessary if there is also ferric iron present in your water. A sediment filter prevents your water softener from becoming clogged with iron slugs.
• The ion exchange resin will require more maintenance, like using salt with iron cleaner in it. It also may require periodic doses of a resin cleaner to help the resin beads release the captured iron.
  

Learn more about how water softeners work →

Convert and remove it with an oxidizing filter 

One of the most popular and effective ways to eliminate ferrous iron is to convert it to ferric iron and then remove it from the water. Water treatment systems that use this tactic are called oxidizing filters. Three of the most popular oxidizing filters are media filters with chemical regeneration, media filters without chemicals, and air induction filters.

1. Media filters with chemical regeneration

Greensand Plus, DMI 65, and Filox are media that convert iron and manganese into filterable solids.  They all require some level of periodic regeneration with oxidizers such as potassium permanganate, hydrogen peroxide or chlorine.

Pros of using media filters with chemical regeneration

• These filters can convert and remove significant levels of iron, manganese and hydrogen sulfide from water.
• Maintenance is minimal for these filters.
• These media are durable and last a long time.

Cons of using media filters with chemical regeneration

• To varying levels, depending on the media, they require some level of a chemical oxidizer to maintain their ability to convert iron and manganese into solids.
• These media are very heavy and require significant flow rates from well pumps to properly backwash. While durable and efficient, other types of oxidizing media may be better for lower levels of contaminants or when backwash requirements can’t be met.

2. Chemical-free media filters

Birm and KDF are two media filters that remove iron from well water without the use of chemicals.

Birm

Birm is an old school method of treating ferrous iron that is still commonly recommended in household applications, but may not be the most effective method for your home.

Pros of using Birm to remove iron

• Birm does not require a chemical oxidizing agent to remove the iron, unlike greensand plus.

Cons of using Birm to remove iron

• Birm only works in water with elevated pH levels and needs to be combined with a media like calcite. Calcite is a medium that elevates the water’s pH, and, in this application, enables the Birm media to effectively oxidize the ferrous iron and remove it from the water.
• Birm needs adequate levels of dissolved oxygen to be effective.
• Birm is not 100% effective, meaning trace amounts of iron may come into your water supply.

KDF 85

Many inline iron filter cartridges use KDF 85 media to convert ferrous iron into insoluble ferric iron oxide and remove it from the water. KDF 85 is a bacteriostatic medium made of high-purity granular zinc. Since extended contact time is essential to the KDF 85 oxidation process, these filters work best when housed in a Big Blue filter housing and positioned at the water's point of entry into your home. 

Pros of using KDF 85 to remove iron

• KDF filters also reduce heavy metal content in water.
• KDF filters are very effective at reducing chlorine, according to product claims.

Cons of using KDF to remove iron

• KDF filters are less effective in high water volumes and high flow rates because they require extended contact time.

3. Air induction filters

Air induction filters (AIO) use oxygen instead of media to oxidize and convert ferrous iron. These systems do not require chemical oxidizers, so they are often referred to as chemical-free oxidizing filters.

Pros of using AIO to remove iron

• AIO is chemical-free and requires no regenerant.
• AIO is effective for moderate iron levels.
• AIO filters are very low maintenance.

Cons of using AIO to remove iron

• There is potential for cloudy water due to highly oxygenated water from the air added to convert iron and manganese.
• Treating high levels of iron creates additional maintenance to clean iron build up from the valve.

How to remove bacterial iron from well water

Removing bacterial iron from your well is a labor-intensive process, but one that is well worth it to remove the slimy, invasive contaminant. The only effective method for eliminating bacterial iron in your well is thorough shock chlorination.

Shock chlorination

Shock chlorination introduces an intense concentration of chlorine (around 200ppm) to a well to thoroughly disinfect both the water and the physical well itself. Shocking the well eradicates the bacteria binding the iron, allowing you to catch the remaining iron with a softener, oxidizer, or sediment filter. In order to achieve satisfactory results, the entire depth of the well needs to be exposed to the shock chlorination. This includes the entire depth of the well, the walls, the well pump, and the pressure and distribution systems. Shock chlorination should only be performed by a professional. 

Pros of using shock chlorination to remove iron

• Shock chlorination is a proven method of solving the harmful effects of bacterial iron.

Cons of using shock chlorination to remove iron

• Shock chlorination does not remove the iron itself; it just kills the bacteria that are binding to the iron. You will need to use a separate method to remove the ferric or ferrous iron left behind.
• Shock chlorination may not be a one-and-done method. If shocking your well does not adequately eliminate the bacterially bound iron, then a constant chlorination system may need to be installed after your retention tank. 
• Shock chlorination works best if pH is low. High pH makes chlorine a powerful oxidizer, which can minimize disinfection.

We’ll help you find a lasting solution to iron in your well water

Ready for water that doesn’t stain everything in your house? Our team of water experts will help you identify the type of iron in your well, find the treatment that’s right for your system, and help you choose the products for the job. 

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