All You Wanted to Know about Iron Water Filters

The ubiquitous nature of iron on our planet has led it to be present in fresh water as well. Experts have concluded that it’s not unsafe to have iron in drinking water, but it also causes your water to taste bad and who would want that honestly? Aside from ruining the taste of water, Iron’s presence also leaves unattractive residue on most things it touches from utensils to toilets bowls to appliances like water heaters and water softeners. Generally, water sourced from Municipal water supplies wouldn’t pose this problem as it has almost zero to very low iron content, but for the users of well water, the problem is very much real.

Since iron can leave a residue on almost anything that is touched by water in your house, from the plumbing to faucets to toilets, the best way to deal with it is by installing an iron water filter at the water main of your house so that the iron content is removed from the water before it even comes in contact with any part of your house. These iron filters which are installed at the water main are called whole house filters as they filter iron at the source rather than at individual points of use throughout the house.

There are a few different types of filters available in the market which can remove iron from water. Notable amongst them are sediment filters, carbon filters, and water softeners. These filters are effective at removing iron content from water but are high maintenance as iron tends to clog these filters pretty quickly. Manganese greensand filters, on the other hand, do the job of removing iron from water pretty well and they are also quite clog-resistant and hence, require less maintenance.

The impact of iron presence in water is far ranging and can even turn out to be expensive. The presence of iron in water can be categorized into two types: soluble and insoluble. The presence of soluble iron leaves behind rust-like reddish-brown stains on glasses and sinks. Insoluble iron, on the other hand, may impart a rusty red or yellow color to water which will make it unappetizing. Insoluble iron also imparts a metallic taste to water which will be noticeable in beverages and food prepared using such water. Iron presence in water also doesn’t go well with appliances and plumbing. Iron in water can cause staining on sinks, toilets, dishes, clothes etc. and also causes iron buildup in electrical appliances like water heaters and softeners which will reduce their efficiency as well as their lifespan.

Installing a quality iron water filter will give you relief from worrying about the unwanted effects of iron presence in the water on your house and equipment. These iron water filters remove not only iron but are also very effective at removing other unwanted minerals like manganese. The cost of installing a whole house iron water filter will definitely be smaller than the cost of periodically dealing with the consequences of iron containing water. Although iron water filters do not protect you against dangerous microbes present in drinking water, experts agree that the chances of contamination in water due to bacteria flourishing on iron will be highly reduced by decreasing the amount of iron in the water.