water chlorination system

[wv1720]

Wondering if anyone is using a chlorination system for their well water. I would like to install a system to help disenfect bad water and help with iron. I am trying to think of a way to homebrew a system using a venturi injector to inject a chlorine solution into the water line, then into a holding tank. I have a 3/4" Mazzei venturi I can use, but my main water line is 1". If you have any experience or opinions, please share them.

 

[BrentD]

The easiest thing to do might be to install a pool chlorine feeder in-line with the water line going to the holding tank. You can turn the chlorine flow way down by closing the valve almost completely. You can get the in-line chlorine feeders for about $50.

 

[wv1720]

I looked at those. Might be able to make something work, but pools and spas use generally use sodium dichlor, whereas chlorine used for well water is calcium hypochlorite or sodium hypochlorite (liquid bleach). The plus to using a system using liquid bleach, is that it is cheap and readily available.

 

[Kays Supply]

The venturi will need a pretty good flow rate to work correctly. It might be hard to control your feed rate with small or low flow rates.

 

[nikb]

we have our own water coming off the hills around my place, due to the alternating layers of clay, the water comes off the hill soaks into the earth and then drains into perforated pipe, this fills a well (well is there to collect sediment) and then this overflows into a larger plastic tank in the earth, the water runs down a pipe (with a pump to gain some decent pressure with a one way valve) it runs through a 10 micron filter and then a 1 micron filter, then it goes through a ultra-violet lamp to kill off any bacteria in the water, and finally through a water softener, (salt i belive) job done nice clean water, you could use reverse osmosis to remove all contaminants, but they are pricey, hope this bit of information helps, and no need for chlorine (nasty stuff)

 

[KennyV]

The only safe method I am aware of is with a positive displacement injector pump...
do not inject dangerous chemicals into your drinking water with a system that could fail...

I have seen a lot of pellet drop systems that ended up not working. Now that I think about it I have not came across any of those for several years.

Liquid injection or gas injection is the only safe method I would trust...
Organic iron is a growing problem in a lot of areas... I am glad it is not around me... yet.

 

[Conservation]

I recently heard about the UV systems. Almost sound to good to be true.

 

[nikb]

they are great, we change the filters once a year, although during periods of heavy rain the water can have a slight tint, and the UV bulb is changed once a year, im sure it would last a lot longer but as the performance is reduced over its lifespan its best to change it, im still alive and kicking and been drinking/washing in it for over 3 years, and no taxes/otherbills to pay and i use as much as i like

 

[ByronBob]

Actually mine uses bleach. Chlorine is much stronger than bleach and I tried cutting the concentration down but it didn't work well. You need to filter the chlorine or bleach out of the system after it's been filtered or you'll never be able to drink the water or bathe with it or do laundry.

If I were you I'd consider looking at injection pumps which regulate the flow pretty good.

 

[BrentD]

Here's another thought.... What about ozone injection? My hot tub uses a corona discharge system to produce ozone for sanitation. I would think Ozone would be a little safer than chlorine and easier to manage.

 

[Sackett2]

When I was in the Air Force at a ICBM Site in North Dakota, our sites processed the well water and chlorinated it into the 7000 gallon tank for site use.
Chlorine Injection Systems
Ours were like this, a 10 gallon tank we would add bleach and water to a ratio for each site. some took 1/2 gallon, others took 2 gallons. the chlorine also removed iron from the water, a small pump that was adjusted in speed and volume to keep the chlorine level around 2ppm (i think)

 

[Scotty370]

While you guys are on this topic, what about sulfur? Not so much any taste, but the smell is not appetizing! ~Scotty

 

[nikb]

pinch your nose???

 

[KennyV]

what about sulfur?

Scotty is this mainly on the hot water side...?
If so you can simply change out the magnesium anode in the hot water tank.. switch it to an aluminum anode.. smell will be gone. KennyV

 

[intel]

here is a few tech briefs that may help:
http://www.nesc.wvu.edu/pdf/dw/publications/ontap/2009_tb/chlorination_DWFSOM68.pdf
http://www.nesc.wvu.edu/pdf/dw/publications/ontap/2009_tb/disinfection_DWFSOM50.pdf
http://www.nesc.wvu.edu/pdf/dw/publications/ontap/2009_tb/ultraviolet_DWFSOM53.pdf
http://www.nesc.wvu.edu/pdf/dw/publications/ontap/2009_tb/calibrating_pumps_DWFSOM105.pdf

 

[intel]

another one:
http://www.nesc.wvu.edu/pdf/dw/publications/ontap/2009_tb/taste_odor_control_DWFSOM88.pdf

 

[Scooby074]

Our well water can get pretty funky,. We got some concentrated chlorine pellets, and dump them in when necessary. Usually fixes us up for a few months. Not really a big deal. And theres no complicated system to break down.

 

[Scotty370]

KennyV- Nah, just pumped from the well. I wish they hadn't drilled it so deep! I have no HWT, just use point of use electric wall mount. ~S

 

[Oldmax]

Take some advice from someone that worked in comercial Chlornators for 30 years, was a trained Service Tech. Don't mess with Chlorline unless you know what you are doing. As for UV can get very expensive Bulbs don't last that long. In know more than one Sewer Plant that has droped UV and went back to Chlorine because of the cost of operation. The system you are talking about installed proplery would cost in the over a $1000 closer to $2000.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Wondering if anyone is using a chlorination system for their well water. I would like to install a system to help disenfect bad water and help with iron. I am trying to think of a way to homebrew a system using a venturi injector to inject a chlorine solution into the water line, then into a holding tank. I have a 3/4" Mazzei venturi I can use, but my main water line is 1". If you have any experience or opinions, please share them.

Do you have bad water? You should typically not have to treat water from a good well. I was a small water systems operator for a few years. I never had a bad sample, but any bad samples from surrounding areas were eventually traced back to poor sampling technique (i.e. taking a sample from a drinking fountain or a swivel type faucet).

On a small scale with sporadic water use, the metered chlorine injection pumps using hypochlorite as the chlorine source are the easiest. Chlortabs are good only if you have a steady flow.

You only need a few PPM of chlorine to get the desired affect. There's nothing I dislike in my water more than the taste of chlorine. Another technology out there that is pretty neat is Chlorine Dioxide. I believe that it's now approved as a treatment for drinking water. It's very effective. New technologies make it so it can be generated in situ from tablets, and the byproducts are harmless and not offensive.

Another one to look into is peroxyacetic acid. It's sometimes called paracetic acid. It's byproducts are water and vinegar, and it's extremely effective. In a previous life I used it as a final rinse for cut vegetables at a processing plant. It would be a great water treatment, but I'm not sure if the EPA has approved it for that application yet or not.