Iron Filters for Well Water in Northern Minnesota

Iron. When iron is exposed to air and oxidizes, it turns into rust-colored particles that settle on sinks, toilets, tubs, and laundry. Staining can start at 0.3 ppm of iron, and MDH calls iron above 0.3 mg/L usually objectionable.

Usually manganese, which travels with iron and stains brownish-black at very low levels. Test for it on its own, because MDH's guidance is health based: 100 micrograms per liter where an infant drinks the water, well under what either filter is rated to take in. Those ratings are not a promise about what leaves the tap.

Through oxidation followed by filtration. The system converts the dissolved minerals into solid particles, traps them in a media bed, and flushes them away during an automatic backwash. Manganese oxidizes more slowly than iron. Hellenbrand's manuals say manganese reduction works best above pH 8.5, so we check your pH before sizing a filter for manganese.

Iron staining is orange to reddish-brown, while manganese staining is black to dark brown. Both come from dissolved minerals that oxidize and leave deposits on fixtures and laundry, and one filter is normally sized for both. Manganese is harder on the filter: above the model's rating, Hellenbrand says it may gradually prevent iron removal.

Groundwater picks up iron moving through soil and rock, and MDH notes some Minnesota soil and rock contain minerals very high in iron. Your own number is what counts: the iron content of two nearby wells may be quite different.

Only if the iron is low and still dissolved. Hellenbrand rates its own softeners at up to 2 ppm of dissolved iron, and only if air is kept off the water first. MDH puts the common limit at 2 to 5 mg/L. When iron fouls the resin, Hellenbrand's own softener manual lists installing an Iron Curtain ahead of the softener as the fix.

Maybe not. MDH's first step is to find the source: after you have been away from home for a few hours, smell the hot and cold taps and note which ones carry the odor. If only the hot tap smells, MDH points at the water heater, which can produce hydrogen sulfide gas itself, and lists fixes done at the heater. If the cold taps smell too, MDH lists home water treatment among the options.

Not on its own. Hellenbrand's manuals say organic matter such as tannins prevents the oxidation step that turns dissolved iron into a filterable solid, and that tannins above 0.5 ppm void any claims for either Iron Curtain to perform as stated. Even below 0.5 ppm they can hinder it. MDH says the same of organic iron and tannins: they can slow or prevent iron oxidation, so softeners, aeration systems and iron filters may not work well.

Only if the space stays above freezing and out of the weather. Both Hellenbrand manuals say the filter cannot be subject to freezing conditions, and the Iron Curtain 2.0 manual adds that its controls and air compressors are not designed to be installed outdoors with direct exposure to the elements, so Hellenbrand recommends indoors or under a protective shelter. It also warns that high humidity or a corrosive environment causes premature compressor failure. Both units also need a continuous 110 volt supply that cannot be switched off elsewhere.

Not during the cycle itself. Hellenbrand's Iron Curtain Junior manual says that if there is a demand for water while the system is regenerating, untreated water will be supplied, which is why a system is typically set to regenerate at a time of low water use, such as when the household is asleep. The control works through the backwash steps on its own, shows the step and the time remaining, then resets itself to treated water when the cycle finishes.

Yes, the backwash has to go somewhere. Hellenbrand's Iron Curtain Junior manual says the filter should be located close to a drain and that overhead drain lines are best avoided because they create back pressure, and it caps an overhead drain at 8 feet above the floor and 20 feet in length. The Iron Curtain 2.0 manual sets a minimum drain line size of 3/4 inch. Both manuals also call for a bypass valve on the system.

Only if your test shows both. An Iron Curtain does not soften and a softener handles only limited iron. MDH says you might need a softener once hardness passes 7 grains per gallon. The iron filter goes first and the water softener after it.

Look in the back of the toilet tank. Iron bacteria leave a sticky rusty, yellow, brown or grey slime, and MDH's other signs are stained water, a rainbow colored oil-like sheen, and swampy or musty smells. A filter alone is not the fix. MDH starts at the well, where a licensed well contractor cleans the pumping equipment and scrubs the casing, then shock chlorinates the well and system.

Less than a chemical system, but not none. It backwashes on a schedule set by your iron level. Hellenbrand's yearly dealer checkup on the Iron Curtain Jr retests the raw water, confirms the settings, checks the air system and backwash flow, and looks for iron bacteria slime. Call our service and repair team if stains or odor come back.