Hey gurus,

We get build-up of iron rich bacteria in our well. Eventually, this leads to an unpleasant odor in our water (especially when the water has not been run for a while) as well as slime in the toilet tank, etc. The odor is much more noticeable in the hot water. I'm not sure if that's because the bacteria like the hot water better or because the warmer water releases the odors better. Anyway, I try and shock the well about once or twice a year to stay on top of this problem.

My question is what to do about the water heater. Since the problem is more noticeable in the hot water, I want to make sure that the hot water pipes and water tank get addressed as well (the water heater tank is 80 gallons), but I also know that a high concentration of chlorine can corrode rubber seals, etc. In the past I only flushed the system through the cold water pipes but then Idrained the hot water tank to get rid of any bacteria in that water. However, I felt that the smell returned pretty fast because I wasn't killing the bacteria sitting in the hot water pipes or the walls of the tank. Also draining and refilling our hot water tank is a pain because our well has a low refill rate and if I let it fill our 80 gal tank as fast as it can, I will run the well dry and kick up a lot of sediment - not to mention being bad for the pump. Of course, I can't see exactly how fast it is filling inside the tank, so I would end up filling it extremely slowly..

A few years back we had an outdoor hot water spigot installed for an outdoor shower. So these days, I flush the system through the hot water tank then run all faucets (hot and cold) until I smell the chlorine. Now I've got chlorine water in all the pipes. After letting it sit for a day, I flush through the hot water tank again until it's chlorine free again. This can take a long time, since I don't want to exceed 1.75 GPM and the 80 gallon tank will only slowly return to a no (low) chlorine state since there will be mixing in the tank.

So, I feel like either way is a poor choice. If I don't run through the hot water system, I feel I'm not addressing half of the problem, if I do run through the hot water system, I feel the chlorine may be doing damage somewhere in the system. So what's the best way to address the whole system, without causing unnecessary damage? Is what I'm doing OK, or should I be doing something else? I think when this water heater goes, we'll probably go to a tankless water heater, but until then...

Thanks.

-J

On Jun 21, 4:13*pm, J wrote:
Hey gurus,

We get build-up of iron rich bacteria in our well. *Eventually, this leads to an unpleasant odor in our water (especially when the water has not been run for a while) as well as slime in the toilet tank, etc. The odor is much more noticeable in the hot water. *I'm not sure if that's because the bacteria like the hot water better or because the warmer water releases the odors better. *Anyway, I try and shock the well about once or twice a year to stay on top of this problem.

My question is what to do about the water heater. *Since the problem is more noticeable in the hot water, *I want to make sure that the hot water pipes and water tank get addressed as well (the water heater tank is 80 gallons), but I also know that a high concentration of chlorine can corrode rubber seals, etc. *In the past I only flushed the system through the cold water pipes but then Idrained the hot water tank to get rid of any bacteria in that water. *However, I felt that the smell returned pretty fast because I wasn't killing the bacteria sitting in the hot water pipes or the walls of the tank. *Also draining and refilling our hot water tank is a *pain because our well has a low refill rate and if I let it fill our 80 gal tank as fast as it can, I will run the well dry and kick up a lot of sediment - not to mention being bad for the pump. * Of course, I can't see exactly how fast it is filling inside the tank, so I would end up filling it extremely slowly.

A few years back we had an outdoor hot water spigot installed for an outdoor shower. *So these days, I flush the system through the hot water tank then run all faucets (hot and cold) until I smell the chlorine. *Now I've got chlorine water in all the pipes. *After letting it sit for a day, I flush through the hot water tank again until it's chlorine free again. *This can take a long time, since I don't want to exceed 1.75 GPM *and the 80 gallon tank will only slowly return to a no (low) chlorine state since there will be mixing in the tank.

So, I feel like either way is a poor choice. *If I don't run through the hot water system, I feel I'm not addressing half of the problem, if I do run through the hot water system, I feel the chlorine may be doing damage somewhere in the system. *So what's the best way to address the whole system, without causing unnecessary damage? *Is what I'm doing OK, or should I be doing something else? *I think when this water heater goes, we'll probably go to a tankless water heater, but until then...

Thanks.

-J

You need to get in touch with a water treatment company and see what
solutions they have .
Example here.
http://www.proquipdirect.com/Well-Re...FSghtAod3lPFvA

I expect you can find a local company.

One other thing... When I cycle the water down the well casing, it always turns brown. I assume this is because the water flowing down the casing is picking up rust from the walls of the well casing. Is this normal? It eventually runs clear again after I flush the system.

I just noticed that I posted a very similar question about 4 years ago - which I searched for but failed to find before I posted this one.

Thanks for any new info.

-J

J wrote:
Hey gurus,

We get build-up of iron rich bacteria in our well. Eventually, this
leads to an unpleasant odor in our water (especially when the water
has not been run for a while) as well as slime in the toilet tank,
etc. The odor is much more noticeable in the hot water. I'm not sure
if that's because the bacteria like the hot water better or because
the warmer water releases the odors better. Anyway, I try and shock
the well about once or twice a year to stay on top of this problem.

My question is what to do about the water heater. Since the problem
is more noticeable in the hot water, I want to make sure that the
hot water pipes and water tank get addressed as well (the water
heater tank is 80 gallons), but I also know that a high concentration
of chlorine can corrode rubber seals, etc. In the past I only
flushed the system through the cold water pipes but then Idrained the
hot water tank to get rid of any bacteria in that water. However, I
felt that the smell returned pretty fast because I wasn't killing the
bacteria sitting in the hot water pipes or the walls of the tank.
Also draining and refilling our hot water tank is a pain because our
well has a low refill rate and if I let it fill our 80 gal tank as
fast as it can, I will run the well dry and kick up a lot of sediment
- not to mention being bad for the pump. Of course, I can't see
exactly how fast it is filling inside the tank, so I would end up
filling it extremely slowly.

A few years back we had an outdoor hot water spigot installed for an
outdoor shower. So these days, I flush the system through the hot
water tank then run all faucets (hot and cold) until I smell the
chlorine. Now I've got chlorine water in all the pipes. After
letting it sit for a day, I flush through the hot water tank again
until it's chlorine free again. This can take a long time, since I
don't want to exceed 1.75 GPM and the 80 gallon tank will only
slowly return to a no (low) chlorine state since there will be mixing
in the tank.

So, I feel like either way is a poor choice. If I don't run through
the hot water system, I feel I'm not addressing half of the problem,
if I do run through the hot water system, I feel the chlorine may be
doing damage somewhere in the system. So what's the best way to
address the whole system, without causing unnecessary damage? Is
what I'm doing OK, or should I be doing something else? I think when
this water heater goes, we'll probably go to a tankless water heater,
but until then...


Would just cranking up the water temp kill the bacteria in the heater and pipes
after it?

Thanks for that link Harry. I looked at it, and the solution seems even more involved than shocking the well (which does work). I was hoping it might be a solution that involved the installation of a dosing system somewhere in the line, like a water softener. That would be handy, but instead it appears to be a very similar process to shock chlorination, but more involved and using different chemicals - and probably not resolving the problem for any longer than shock chlorination does. From their web page: "Recurrence of Contamination : I-GON is not a ‘Miracle Cure’ and the contamination will reappear in the borehole as it is an entirely natural process. Experience will dictate the frequency of treatment necessary to keep the problem in check with a minimum of down-time." I think this solution is geared toward more serious contamination.

-J

-J

You might get a swimming pool test kit and test for free chlorine.
Keep dosing the well until free chlorine starts showing up at all parts
of your water system.

On Thu, 21 Jun 2012 08:13:17 -0700 (PDT), J wrote:

Hey gurus,

We get build-up of iron rich bacteria in our well. Eventually, this leads to an unpleasant odor in our water (especially when the water has not been run for a while) as well as slime in the toilet tank, etc. The odor is much more noticeable in the hot water. I'm not sure if that's because the bacteria like the hot water better or because the warmer water releases the odors better. Anyway, I try and shock the well about once or twice a year to stay on top of this problem.

My question is what to do about the water heater. Since the problem is more noticeable in the hot water, I want to make sure that the hot water pipes and water tank get addressed as well (the water heater tank is 80 gallons), but I also know that a high concentration of chlorine can corrode rubber seals, etc. In the past I only flushed the system through the cold water pipes but then Idrained the hot water tank to get rid of any bacteria in that water. However, I felt that the smell returned pretty fast because I wasn't killing the bacteria sitting in the hot water pipes or the walls of the tank. Also draining and refilling our hot water tank is a pain because our well has a low refill rate and if I let it fill our 80 gal tank as fast as it can, I will run the well dry and kick up a lot of sediment - not to mention being bad for the pump. Of course, I can't see exactly how fast it is filling inside the tank, so I would end up filling it extremely slowly.

A few years back we had an outdoor hot water spigot installed for an outdoor shower. So these days, I flush the system through the hot water tank then run all faucets (hot and cold) until I smell the chlorine. Now I've got chlorine water in all the pipes. After letting it sit for a day, I flush through the hot water tank again until it's chlorine free again. This can take a long time, since I don't want to exceed 1.75 GPM and the 80 gallon tank will only slowly return to a no (low) chlorine state since there will be mixing in the tank.

So, I feel like either way is a poor choice. If I don't run through the hot water system, I feel I'm not addressing half of the problem, if I do run through the hot water system, I feel the chlorine may be doing damage somewhere in the system. So what's the best way to address the whole system, without causing unnecessary damage? Is what I'm doing OK, or should I be doing something else? I think when this water heater goes, we'll probably go to a tankless water heater, but until then...

Thanks.

-J
Do it the way you have been doing it. The hot water side is more
important than the cold for the sulpher smell. What is the chlorine
going to hurt? Tap washers???

wrote:
Do it the way you have been doing it. The hot water side is more
important than the cold for the sulpher smell. What is the chlorine
going to hurt? Tap washers???

Copper coated water heater elements, maybe.

On Thu, 21 Jun 2012 16:19:06 -0700, "Bob F"
wrote:

wrote:
Do it the way you have been doing it. The hot water side is more
important than the cold for the sulpher smell. What is the chlorine
going to hurt? Tap washers???

Copper coated water heater elements, maybe.

An acid might hurt the copper, but not a 40:1 mixture of household
bleach and water. And 40:1 is WAY more than the normal shock load.

On 6/21/2012 8:13 AM, J wrote:
Hey gurus,

We get build-up of iron rich bacteria in our well. Eventually, this leads to an unpleasant odor in our water (especially when the water has not been run for a while) as well as slime in the toilet tank, etc. The odor is much more noticeable in the hot water. I'm not sure if that's because the bacteria like the hot water better or because the warmer water releases the odors better. Anyway, I try and shock the well about once or twice a year to stay on top of this problem.

My question is what to do about the water heater. Since the problem is more noticeable in the hot water, I want to make sure that the hot water pipes and water tank get addressed as well (the water heater tank is 80 gallons), but I also know that a high concentration of chlorine can corrode rubber seals, etc. In the past I only flushed the system through the cold water pipes but then Idrained the hot water tank to get rid of any bacteria in that water. However, I felt that the smell returned pretty fast because I wasn't killing the bacteria sitting in the hot water pipes or the walls of the tank. Also draining and refilling our hot water tank is a pain because our well has a low refill rate and if I let it fill our 80 gal tank as fast as it can, I will run the well dry and kick up a lot of sediment - not to mention being bad for the pump. Of course, I can't see exactly how fast it is filling inside the tank, so I would end up filling it extremely slowly.

A few years back we had an outdoor hot water spigot installed for an outdoor shower. So these days, I flush the system through the hot water tank then run all faucets (hot and cold) until I smell the chlorine. Now I've got chlorine water in all the pipes. After letting it sit for a day, I flush through the hot water tank again until it's chlorine free again. This can take a long time, since I don't want to exceed 1.75 GPM and the 80 gallon tank will only slowly return to a no (low) chlorine state since there will be mixing in the tank.

So, I feel like either way is a poor choice. If I don't run through the hot water system, I feel I'm not addressing half of the problem, if I do run through the hot water system, I feel the chlorine may be doing damage somewhere in the system. So what's the best way to address the whole system, without causing unnecessary damage? Is what I'm doing OK, or should I be doing something else? I think when this water heater goes, we'll probably go to a tankless water heater, but until then...

Thanks.

-J

If I understand correctly, you clean the system and the bacteria starts
building
until you can't stand the smell and you repeat.
That sounds nasty.
Is there no way you can prevent the bacteria from entering the house?
Filters, external chlorination/sedimentation/maybe spray it in the
air...? Maybe a two stage process that takes the PH out of the viable
range, then restores it?

I don't know what iron rich means, but it brings to mind a BIG magnet.

wrote:
On Thu, 21 Jun 2012 16:19:06 -0700, "Bob F"
wrote:

wrote:
Do it the way you have been doing it. The hot water side is more
important than the cold for the sulpher smell. What is the chlorine
going to hurt? Tap washers???

Copper coated water heater elements, maybe.

An acid might hurt the copper, but not a 40:1 mixture of household
bleach and water. And 40:1 is WAY more than the normal shock load.

I've had chlorine eat through the copper heat exchanger in my SPA, but it did
take a few years. But the OP is probably using higher concentration.

On Jun 21, 5:53*pm, J wrote:
Thanks for that link Harry. *I looked at it, and the solution seems even more involved than shocking the well (which does work). *I was hoping it might be a solution that involved the installation of a dosing *system somewhere in the line, like a water softener. *That would be handy, but instead it appears to be a very similar process to shock chlorination, but more involved and using different chemicals - and probably not resolving the problem for any longer than shock chlorination does. *From their web page: "Recurrence of Contamination : I-GON is not a ‘Miracle Cure’ and the contamination will reappear in the borehole as it is an entirely natural process. Experience will dictate the frequency of treatment necessary to keep the problem in check with a minimum of down-time." *I think this solution is geared toward more serious contamination.

-J

I had a very similar sitution in a new industrial bore hole here in
the UK. The problem in this case arose from mining. (This was years
ago)

Back then there was no permanent and economical solution, eventually
we had to abandon this borehole.
I just thought technology may have improved.

The problem is not the bugs, it is the iron.
Trying to deal with it is like trying to push water uphill.

Thanks everyone!

Sounds like I'm doing the right thing - more or less. So I guess I'll keep doing that for now. RE copper heating elements in the water heater: yes, that's what I remember hearing might be affected by the chlorine. I think I won't worry about it too much though - even if chlorine in a spa could eat through copper after a while and even if my concentration during the shock is higher, it's only for a short period of time (a day or two) and after that the water is clear again.

As for preventing the problem from recurring... I get the impression that the bacteria get up to a noticeable concentration in two ways. 1) They get in through the groundwater - nothing you can do about that - though perhaps one could filter or treat the water between the well and the plumbing system 2) shocking the well gets rid of most of them living in the system, but the few that remain start reproducing and spreading after that. I don't know which avenue is the primary one via which the concentration of bacteria gets up to a noticeable level.

The good news is that this kind of bacteria, while annoying, produces no known deleterious health affects (that I've ever heard of). Its just a nuisance.

On Thu, 21 Jun 2012 20:36:55 -0700, mike wrote:

On 6/21/2012 8:13 AM, J wrote:
Hey gurus,

We get build-up of iron rich bacteria in our well. Eventually, this leads to an unpleasant odor in our water (especially when the water has not been run for a while) as well as slime in the toilet tank, etc. The odor is much more noticeable in the hot water. I'm not sure if that's because the bacteria like the hot water better or because the warmer water releases the odors better. Anyway, I try and shock the well about once or twice a year to stay on top of this problem.

My question is what to do about the water heater. Since the problem is more noticeable in the hot water, I want to make sure that the hot water pipes and water tank get addressed as well (the water heater tank is 80 gallons), but I also know that a high concentration of chlorine can corrode rubber seals, etc. In the past I only flushed the system through the cold water pipes but then Idrained the hot water tank to get rid of any bacteria in that water. However, I felt that the smell returned pretty fast because I wasn't killing the bacteria sitting in the hot water pipes or the walls of the tank. Also draining and refilling our hot water tank is a pain because our well has a low refill rate and if I let it fill our 80 gal tank as fast as it can, I will run the well dry and kick up a lot of sediment - not to mention being bad for the pump. Of course, I can't see exactly how fast it is filling inside the tank, so I would end up filling it extremely slowly.

A few years back we had an outdoor hot water spigot installed for an outdoor shower. So these days, I flush the system through the hot water tank then run all faucets (hot and cold) until I smell the chlorine. Now I've got chlorine water in all the pipes. After letting it sit for a day, I flush through the hot water tank again until it's chlorine free again. This can take a long time, since I don't want to exceed 1.75 GPM and the 80 gallon tank will only slowly return to a no (low) chlorine state since there will be mixing in the tank.

So, I feel like either way is a poor choice. If I don't run through the hot water system, I feel I'm not addressing half of the problem, if I do run through the hot water system, I feel the chlorine may be doing damage somewhere in the system. So what's the best way to address the whole system, without causing unnecessary damage? Is what I'm doing OK, or should I be doing something else? I think when this water heater goes, we'll probably go to a tankless water heater, but until then...

Thanks.

-J

If I understand correctly, you clean the system and the bacteria starts
building
until you can't stand the smell and you repeat.
That sounds nasty.
Is there no way you can prevent the bacteria from entering the house?
Filters, external chlorination/sedimentation/maybe spray it in the
air...? Maybe a two stage process that takes the PH out of the viable
range, then restores it?

I don't know what iron rich means, but it brings to mind a BIG magnet.

Iron Sulphide and many other iron-containing compounds are totally
non-magnetic, although very high in iron.

wrote in message
...
On Thu, 21 Jun 2012 20:36:55 -0700, mike wrote:

On 6/21/2012 8:13 AM, J wrote:
Hey gurus,

We get build-up of iron rich bacteria in our well. Eventually, this
leads to an unpleasant odor in our water (especially when the water has
not been run for a while) as well as slime in the toilet tank, etc. The
odor is much more noticeable in the hot water. I'm not sure if that's
because the bacteria like the hot water better or because the warmer
water releases the odors better. Anyway, I try and shock the well about
once or twice a year to stay on top of this problem.

My question is what to do about the water heater. Since the problem is
more noticeable in the hot water, I want to make sure that the hot
water pipes and water tank get addressed as well (the water heater tank
is 80 gallons), but I also know that a high concentration of chlorine
can corrode rubber seals, etc. In the past I only flushed the system
through the cold water pipes but then Idrained the hot water tank to get
rid of any bacteria in that water. However, I felt that the smell
returned pretty fast because I wasn't killing the bacteria sitting in
the hot water pipes or the walls of the tank. Also draining and
refilling our hot water tank is a pain because our well has a low
refill rate and if I let it fill our 80 gal tank as fast as it can, I
will run the well dry and kick up a lot of sediment - not to mention
being bad for the pump. Of course, I can't see exactly how fast it is
filling inside the tank, so I would end up filling it extremely slowly.

A few years back we had an outdoor hot water spigot installed for an
outdoor shower. So these days, I flush the system through the hot water
tank then run all faucets (hot and cold) until I smell the chlorine.
Now I've got chlorine water in all the pipes. After letting it sit for
a day, I flush through the hot water tank again until it's chlorine free
again. This can take a long time, since I don't want to exceed 1.75 GPM
and the 80 gallon tank will only slowly return to a no (low) chlorine
state since there will be mixing in the tank.

So, I feel like either way is a poor choice. If I don't run through the
hot water system, I feel I'm not addressing half of the problem, if I do
run through the hot water system, I feel the chlorine may be doing
damage somewhere in the system. So what's the best way to address the
whole system, without causing unnecessary damage? Is what I'm doing OK,
or should I be doing something else? I think when this water heater
goes, we'll probably go to a tankless water heater, but until then...

Thanks.

-J

If I understand correctly, you clean the system and the bacteria starts
building
until you can't stand the smell and you repeat.
That sounds nasty.
Is there no way you can prevent the bacteria from entering the house?
Filters, external chlorination/sedimentation/maybe spray it in the
air...? Maybe a two stage process that takes the PH out of the viable
range, then restores it?

I don't know what iron rich means, but it brings to mind a BIG magnet.

Iron Sulphide and many other iron-containing compounds are totally
non-magnetic, although very high in iron.

Talk to some water treatment people. Making hard water soft is not the
only service that they offer. They'll treat acid, iron rich and other
chemical or mineral problems.

A vinegar solution works for treating mineral build-up in water-using
appliances, faucet filters, shower heads, humidifiers, etc. Wonder if
circulating such a solution in your pipes would help. Vinegar is easily
rised out of pipes and less hazardous than chlorine when well diluted in
water.

Tomsic

There are a wide range of different ways to warm pool water, most of which include using some sort of solar heating system.I am also looking forward to install water heater for my home swimming pool.I read out interesting and informative ideas.This will be helpful for me...thanks everyone.

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