Paint Filter Test

Paint Filter Test

Filter Iron Contamination From Your Water

If you formerly lived in an area where iron in the water is a problem, you were probably relieved that you could move away! It is one of the most overt problems with drinking, cooking, and cleaning water because of the flavor, stains and color.

Iron found in water is in two different forms. The first is ferrous iron, or iron(II) oxide, or FeO. Water containing ferrous oxide will be colorless and clear. However, FeO rapidly oxidizes when exposed to air and forms ferric oxide, or Fe(III) oxide, or Fe2O3. This iron ion compound has a reddish brown color used in red paint pigment. This is the compound of iron that makes the red and brown stain in the toilet, sink, or tub.

Ferric oxide's ability to stain also appears in the laundry. Whites are no longer white and this problem is not easily corrected. It only takes a little iron, .3 parts per million, to cause these problems. When we lived in the country on well water, my white shirts gradually lost their whiteness, especially on the sleeves. The water was not colored nor bad tasting, but the laundry showed we had an iron problem. It was finally solved when my wife added borax to the water when she washed whites.

As if the staining weren't bad enough, the iron also leaves an unpleasant metal taste in the water. Plus, you've probably noticed, the iron reacts with the tannin in tea, coffee, and alcohol, giving it an ugly gray to black appearance.

Try this simple test to determine what kind of iron you have in your water. First, fill a clear glass with your suspected water and let it stand for fifteen to twenty minutes. If the water becomes clear as the iron settles to the bottom, you have ferric iron in your water. This means that the particles are large enough to filter out, about five microns or smaller.

If this is the case, a cartridge filter such as an activated carbon or charcoal filter will remove the iron and clear up the water. The particles will lodge in the filter and can be backwashed or scrubbed out when the filter is cleaned.

On the other hand, if the particles did not fall to the bottom, then a cartridge filter will probably not be able to remove them. In this case either a water softener or an iron removal system will be needed. These are beyond the scope of this article.

When you filter drinking water with a cartridge charcoal filter, there is an added bonus. Whether or not iron is a problem with the water, many other contaminants, including some that are harmful, are also removed. These may include many hydrocarbons, pathogens and bacteria, chlorine and chlorine compounds, nitrates and nitrites, and heavy metals.

Iron is needed in our systems but not in the form present in water contamination. This is rather a potentially expensive nuisance that stains clothing and plumbing fixtures and ruins flavoring. Removing iron(III) from your drinking water by means of a cartridge filter is a relatively inexpensive fix.

About the Author

The water filters we use and highly recommend are called Berkey Water Filter and are the best we are aware of. Plus, their Black Berkeys handle iron water treatment as well as other heavy metals and can be re-cleaned to purify up to 6,000 gallons of drinking water!

I have a 50 Gallon Tank, I am getting so much algae, any suggestions?

I have a 50 gallon bowfront Tank, I have had an enormous infestation of hair, bubble, and slime algae. As well as numerous red and green algaes growing on my glass. I have a protein skimmer, 3 (350gph) powerheads, 300g filter, 35lbs of liverock, 30lbs of baserock, 2 small soft corals, 1 clownfish, 7 hermit crabs, 5 snails. I have tried everything to get rid of this algae. I am doing daily water changes of 1 gallon and adding distilled water, scraping the algae off the glass once a week with a paint scraper, and testing for phosphates and ammonia every other day. My water status is perfect, my lighting cycle is normal. I have 1 metal hydride bulb and a regular saltwater flourescent light. Any suggestions or help would be great as I am new to the whole fishtank thing! Thanks!

Test your tank water for nitrates and Phosphates. If you have Green Hair Algae in your tank, your phosphates should read well above .05 mg/L

Use a reverse osmosis, deionization, or a combination RO/DI water filter unit to purify tap water is going to probably be more or at least as effective ad distilled water. These types of filters remove nitrate, phosphate and other chemical elements found in tap water that can lead to algae blooms and other problems. Or try a nitrate filter/denitrator.

Purchase and use Mangrove Plants in your tank or sump.
Check to see if your commercial sea salts contain high levels of ammonia/nitrogen. Purchase and use a good "nitrate sponge". Do not overfeed your tank. Siphon uneaten food and other loose material (detritus) from the substrate

By reducing the nitrate and phosphate levels in your tank, you will soon be healthy and free of the Green Hair Algae. Many of your tank occupants (corals and other invertebrates) will also benefit from the reduced levels.

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