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I'm looking for some feedback on my planned well water filtration system. I tried to be as detailed as possible without writing a wall of text. Any feedback is highly appreciated!

House:

  • 4 bedroom / 2 bathroom / 1 2 person whirlpool/jacuzzi/jetted tub
  • Used as a short term rental (AirBnB) so will occasionally have 10+ people for 2-5 days in a row.
  • Well ran dry July of last year (2020), was fracked and has been performing well since.

My current setup: enter image description here

  • Culligan 10" x 2.5" filter housing
  • Currently use Culligan standard duty 10 micron string wound sediment filters enter image description here

Problems:

  • Water has a lot of dissolved iron, it comes out clear but after sitting for a while it stains toilet bowl and tub.
  • The string wound filter has no rubber seals on top or bottom so it let's through sediment from time to time.enter image description here
  • The big one: during excessive water use (filling jacuzzi & multiple showers within a short period of time) the water level in the well drops - a lot of sediment and brown water comes up, the filter let's through a bunch of the sediment and no longer filters out the brown color. The water will eventually clear up, however, the damage is already done (clogged faucet aerators, shower heads, stained toilets, etc).

Solution:

  • I'm essentially looking to upgrade my filtration system to what this guy did on youtube: https://youtu.be/0_F_xUKHwBQ, however, I'm trying to figure out the specific micron sizes for each stage for normal filtration and to handle the occasional high sediment events as described above (without clogging up the whole system). The first 2 filters would be spin downs - to collect any of the really big stuff and then dual stage filters to filter out what remains.

This is what the sediment currently looks like, with a sharpie for scale: enter image description here enter image description here

Which of these is a better filter stack for this size sediment (keeping in mind, there's not a ton of it - unless people overuse the water which can happen once a month or less). Or would you suggest a better filter stack?

  • 200 micron spin down > 100 micron spin down > 50 micron polypropylene > 5 micron polypropylene

  • 200 micron spin down > 100 micron spin down > 50 micron polypropylene > 25-1 micron gradient polypropylene

  • 100 micron spin down > 50 micron spin down > 25 micron polypropylene > 5 micron gradient polypropylene

A few additional questions:

  • Does it make sense to install a shut off ball valve, spigot and pressure gauge between each filter?

  • My water lines are 3/4" - does it make sense to use 1" pipe to plumb the filtration system so I'm not losing pressure due to inside diameter of pex?

Thank you in advance!

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    If you don't put in a step to oxidize the clear water iron, it won't filter out. There are several approaches to solving that, depending on budget and space available. I would use the "sediment trap" version spin-down with extra space to store sediment below the filter screen since you have heavy sediment when you have it. I would suggest (and use myself) the stainless steel mesh screen unless you need a screen size only the plastic ones offer. Remember to keep clear filter housings in the dark so they don't grow algae.
    – Ecnerwal
    Commented Jul 22, 2021 at 17:40
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    @Ecnerwal So I'm not that concerned with the clear water iron as it's purely aesthetic - but I may add something for that at a later stage. My main concern is the sediment/dirty water that comes up in excess water use events. I was planning on getting the iSpring WSP-50/100/200/etc spin down filters (same ones the guy used in the video I linked) - they use stainless steel mesh screens - I'm just trying to figure out how many microns I need for each stage.
    – Yev
    Commented Jul 22, 2021 at 18:04
  • Look at the Rusco sediment trappers, or any other brands that may have that feature. (Just a customer...) If using two of those in series, the coarsest and finest they have probably makes sense. I use a single 200 mesh (74 micron) which is the finest stainless screen offered for the Rusco, since that's what I got. It does not appear to impede water flow much at all. With adequate space, (and a second pump) a sand filter would address both concerns (spray from well into sand filter - oxygenates and traps crud, but with complete pressure loss. Pump from sand filter out to pressure tank.)
    – Ecnerwal
    Commented Jul 22, 2021 at 18:32
  • You can also use an aerator, or oxidizer injection (chlorine or permanganate) and a pressurized holding tank for contact time before a filter stage without complete pressure loss. Typically finished (after particulates) by carbon block to remove any trace oxidizer, if not just using an aerator. For small amounts of iron, a water softener will do it.
    – Ecnerwal
    Commented Jul 22, 2021 at 18:36
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    To me you have your string filter in backwards you want the larger area or outside with the greater surface area to be exposed to the “dirty” water running it backwards it will plug up much faster as the area is not link reduced because it is the ID but the plastic blocks the area. Your system will work better with the unit replumbed for proper flow.
    – Ed Beal
    Commented Jul 22, 2021 at 19:05

1 Answer 1

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From your writing, it is clear that you have a limited capacity well. In addition to installing any necessary water filters, or filter system, I would recommend that you also install a large storage tank, say 500 to 1000 gallons, somewhere in the house. By doing this, you would insure that the house has an almost unlimited supply of clean water even when the demand is high. The existing well pump could be controlled by a timer so you never run the well low enough to bring up the muddy water that happens when excess water is pumped. A second pump would be necessary to supply the water from the tank to the house. This is not a cheap fix but would allow you and the guests to never have to deal with muddy/dirty water that can stain clothing and/or fixtures.

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  • While I understand that this is the proper approach long term, it is quite cost prohibitive at this point. At this point I'm just trying to mitigate the issues that occasionally arise from over use of water.
    – Yev
    Commented Jul 23, 2021 at 15:15

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