When Water Quantity is Limited, Auto Sediment Backwash Filter Saves Water

When using a well water system it is important to install filters that can function efficiently on your well's water pressure and quantity.  In well water systems with high concentrations of sediment, users might find that the frequency of flushing and replacing filters tends to increase in certain months and decrease in others.

We recently got a letter from an individual concerned that the frequency of backwashing in the summer months might be too high to accommodate the amount of water in his well.

Simply put, backwash filters will need to backwash once there is noticeable pressure loss through the filter – typically once every 1-2 weeks.  A 1.5 cubic ft. model will use about 40-50 gallons of water per backwash, but this water can be re-used (e.g. gardening) given the right system set-up.

The backwash filter can be set to backwash based on days of the week, and/or gallons used by the system.  We recommend running the filter until you notice pressure loss, and then setting the filter to backwash at this interval.

Say you see pressure loss through your filter after one week – you should set your filter to backwash once a week.

You could also determine how many gallons were used in that week and set your filter to backwash after using that amount of water.  (For reference, 800 gallons/week is a good general estimate of water usage by a family of 2-4.)  Or, you could set your filter to backwash after a certain amount of water used and after a certain amount of time, and the filter will backwash after whichever occurs first.

The sediment backwash filter will remove sediment down to the 5-micron range, so you could also install a 25/1 micron cartridge filter after the sediment filter to remove even more particulate down to the 1-micron range.

For such applications, we recommend the 5900-BT Sediment Backwash Filter and a Big Blue Dual Grade 25/1 Micron Cartridge Filter.  Here's some more information on these systems:

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 CWS  Sediment Backwash Filter 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 throughput 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 makes this material an ideal water filtration media.

All models come complete with filter tank, auto backwash control valve, bypass valve, filter gravel, & Chemsorb media.  A standard feature included is a flow sensor which allows the Sediment Backwash Filter to backwash based on the number of gallons used and/or days between backwashes.

Big Blue Dual Grade Filter with 25/1 Micron Cartridge

This Dual-Grade 25/1 micron cartridge will filter superfine 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-inch 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.

Finally, here is a diagram of a standard installation of these systems:

For further questions or comments about your water or well water system, please e-mail us at [email protected].