Chemists: What prevents rust in a sprinkler system?

[chocolatelab]

Originally Posted by Noney

I'll run that by my wife.

Probably go over like a fart in a space suit.....

There was a thread running for awhile with saying like this in red, anybody remember its name.

Sorry about the hijack.

I would recommend though looking into xeroscape. Change planter sprinklers to drips. No over spray on the house.

[Aurel]

Hydroxide ions will do that. What happens is ferrous iron is clear in your water, and becomes ferric (rust) when it dries on the ground in presence of oxygen. If you oxidize it in the water, it forms ferric hydroxide which precipitates. Oxidizing agent can be hydrogen peroxide, chlorine, ozone..

[Evans, Marv]

If it were me I'd also try thinking outside the box. I'd think about installing something like a drip system or bury drip system like tubes with small radius sprinklers that don't spray high enough to get spray everywhere. I'd try to resolve it that way - or some other way - rather than chemical treatment.

[A930Rocket]

This. ^^^

Our wells were usually 200-250 feet deep to prevent iron deposits.

Originally Posted by Baz

You must have a "shallow well". Iron content in well water is variable depending on depth of well. Not everybody who has a well has iron. I bet you could re-jet a new well at a different depth - and get away from the iron issue. Or achieve less iron in your well water.

Now you can't just use the same spot the existing well is in. It would have to be at least a few feet away - preferably at least 5' or more away.

Have you talked to any well drillers in your area? I've jetted wells myself in neighborhoods which have iron issues and my wells worked great and did not have iron (to any great extent anyway).

I usually go down about 20' but you should measure your well depth and try to go more shallow.

[Joeaksa]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

This. ^^^

Our wells were usually 200-250 feet deep to prevent iron deposits.

You guys are so lucky.

Ours hit water at 520 feet. To get and keep a good head pressure they continued drilling and stopped at 940 feet. Almost ever well in our are is at least 900 foot.

[A930Rocket]

Well, since are at sea level, we don't have far to go.

[tharbert]

When I was in Shreveport, our house had an iron removal system. It was a simple in-line filter with manganese-coated aluminum silicate above a manganese-treated green sand bed. It back-flushed with a solution of potasium permanganate.

[Noney]

The house was built in 1966 and the well was installed at the same time, so I have no idea how deep it is. Baz, from what you are saying I might be able to cure the problem by digging another well but I'm guessing that's going to be some big $$$, probably more than I want to spend on this rust problem.

Everybody in my neighborhood that has a well has one of the tank systems that you pour this into:




It is colorless and odorless and if you use enough of it, it works fairly well, but again it's $10 a gallon and I can use up to 8 gallons a month during the dry season. I guess I was thinking I could make my own concoction, but from what I'm hearing I might be better off getting some kind of filtration system or re-thinking the water delivery method.

I appreciate the input, gentlemen. I'm off to do more research and re-think this thing....

[tharbert]

You could just dump some potasium permanganate down the well too...even if you drink it occasionally. It's used in potable water treatment. It oxidizes iron, manganese, and hydrogen sulfide into inert particles.

[72doug2,2S]

Do you have pictures of the rust. A nice mellow yellow might look very nice, you'd just need an even application to pull it off.

[Noney]

Originally Posted by tharbert

You could just dump some potasium permanganate down the well too...even if you drink it occasionally. It's used in potable water treatment. It oxidizes iron, manganese, and hydrogen sulfide into inert particles.

The well is only used for irrigation, so that might work. Once I get the water tested, how do I determine how much PP to use?