Removing Sediment From Well Water

One homeowner recently contacted us about a problem with sediment in his water.  He had recently installed a new well pump to increase his water pressure, but found after installation that his water was now heavily contaminated with silt.  If you have ever had similar problems, read on for the solution to silt and sediment in your water:

Firstly, consider a Sediment Backwash Filter.  A Chemsorb Sediment Backwash filter (see below) will remove all waterborne particles down to 5 microns — usually this means about 95% of the particles.  After the Sediment Backwash filter, you might want to install a 5 and/or 1 micron filter to catch any particles less than 5 microns.  With the Sediment Backwash Filter in place, these 1 or 5 micron filters will last many times longer and stay much cleaner.  The Sediment Backwash Filter can also be set to backwash at night for 5 – 10 minutes, totally restoring the pressure in your system, and increasing the lifespan of your filter.

Note that for the 1.5 CF size below (a good size for a home with 1 – 3 bathrooms) your well pump must be able to pump 7 gallons per minute; this shouldn't be a problem, though, as most wells can pump at at least that rate.

You can find more information and a diagram below:

Sediment Backwash Filter

Filter down to 5 microns without the need to change filter cartridges.  Great for removing fine particles, dirt, and rust.  Unlike filter cartridges, the Sediment Backwash Filter 7000-SXT will not restrict flow or pressure. Automatic backwash control assures media stays clean.  Filter media lasts for 4 – 6 years and is easy to change.
The special Chem-Sorb filter media will remove sediment and particles down to 5 to 10 microns in size.  The automatic backwash filter clarifies water, removing very fine particles, rust, and sediment.

Chemsorb is a high-purity, low-sodium, natural, zeolite mineral that has an ANSI/NSF Standard 61 Listing.  The material is mined, crushed, dried and double-screen sized to produce a high quality filter media that has a high through-put capacity at low differential pressure.

Compared to filter sand and some other filter media, the Chemsorb allows higher flow rates with less pressure loss.  The Chemsorb media has surface micro-mineral projections with 0.25 to 10 µm spacing that effectively trap suspended solids.  The surface micro-projections together with the high surface area make this material an ideal water filtration media.

All models come complete with filter tank, auto backwash control valve, bypass valve, filter gravel, and Chemsorb media.  Options include a flow sensor, which allows the Sediment Backwash Filter to backwash based on the amount of gallons used and/or days between backwashes.

Big Blue Dual Grade Filter with 25/1 Micron Cartridge

This Dual-Grade 5/1 micron cartridge will filter super-fine particles of 1 micron size and up, and is often used as a final stage after pre-filtration or as a post-filter to an automatic backwashing filter system.

The filter housing is made from NSF listed pure polypropylene and will hold one high-flow 4.5″ x 20″ filter cartridge.  This system comes complete with a wall mounting bracket kit, filter wrench, and one Dual Grade 25/1micron DGD-2501, 4.5″ x 20″ filter cartridge.

Softener 7000-SXT

Enjoy scale-free fixtures and appliances with soft water.  No more dry skin or dry hair caused by excess minerals in your water!  Save money by using less soap and laundry detergent and extend the life of your clothes, water heater, and appliances with soft conditioned water from the Fleck 7000-SXT on-demand softener.

Well designed and reliable, the Fleck 7000SXT Electronic Meter-Demand Valve provides larger 1-1/4″ internal ports for the best flow rates and least pressure drop, making this valve perfect for use in larger homes with 1″, 1-1/4″, or even 1-1/2″ plumbing.  No matter what size home you have, you'll see less pressure drop through this softener than other residential softeners.

The new 7000-SXT softener uses less salt by monitoring the amount of water used in the house and regenerating only when necessary.  If there is a power failure it can keep the correct time up to 48 hours, and the system keeps time electronically, so the drive motor only runs during regeneration, saving energy and lasting longer than other softeners with standard timer motors.

Here's a diagram of a standard installation of these systems:We hope this has been a useful overview of removing sediment from your water.  Remember, we're here to help with any other water or water system issues you may have.  Just send an e-mail to [email protected].