Take This Quiz to Find Your Perfect Iron Filter Type in Under 2 Minutes

Written by Craig "The Water Guy" Phillips

Introduction to Iron Filters

Nabbing the right iron filter for your home could be just the fix you need. Families like the Robertsons know the struggle with iron-packed water.

It's time to see what these filters are all about and why they matter.

Understanding Iron Removal

Iron filters are champs at upgrading water quality. They pull a magic trick with oxidation and filtration, turning dissolved iron and manganese into particles that can't stay dissolved.

From there, they get snatched up by Birm, sand, or activated carbon (LinkedIn). It’s the secret behind saying goodbye to those annoying orange stains on toilets and kitchen sinks.

Here's the lowdown on some of the oxidants:

• Air Injection: Fan-favorite! Free and leaves the water chemical-free.
• Chlorine: Works well, but, yeah, chemicals.
• Potassium Permanganate: Quite effective, just a little messy and pricey.
• Hydrogen Peroxide: Rarely picked due to mixed results.
  
  

A couple of minutes is all it takes for oxidation to do its thing. For iron, just 2 minutes is enough, letting a 20-gallon tank tidy up 10 gallons per minute.

Add manganese and hydrogen sulfide to the mix, and you’re looking at 3 minutes and a slower 6.7 gallons per minute.

Importance of Water Filtration

Clean water is a must for a comfy home. For folks using well water like the Robertsons, iron turns into quite the headache:

• Nasty stains that'll never make a good impression.
• That metallic zing does not a drink make.
• Slime galore courtesy of iron bacteria.
  
  

Teaming up iron filters with water softeners shakes out iron and manganese first before softening happens, giving you the total package.

Here's a cheat sheet on how different methods stack up:

Getting the 4-1-1 on these systems helps us pick the right one, making sure our home gets top-notch iron-free water – because nothing beats cracking open a tap to find crystal-clear water.

Types of Iron Filters

Picking the right iron filter can be a game-changer for scrubbing your water clean of pesky iron. Let's chat about three go-to iron filters: BIRM filtration, greensand filtration, and air injection oxidation (AIO) filtration.

BIRM Filtration

BIRM, or the Burgess Iron Removal Method, is a solid pick for dealing with iron and manganese in your water. Imagine this filter as a fancy sponge made from granular media that turbocharges the reaction between air and iron bits.

As water flows through, the BIRM media zaps iron into a chunky state that gets stuck and doesn't flow through. Pretty neat, huh?

Greensand Filtration

Greensand filtration uses, you guessed it, greensand! Coated with manganese oxide, it's like a superhero for iron and manganese.

This coating cleverly flips iron and manganese into solid form, ready to get filtered out. But to keep this superhero on top form, a bit of potassium permanganate love is needed now and then.

Air Injection Oxidation (AIO) Filtration

Air Injection Oxidation (AIO) is like the Rolex of iron filters, swank and highly efficient. This bad boy can handle a whopping 30 PPM of iron, plus sulfur and manganese.

It pumps air into the water, turning iron into bits you can catch and dispose of. Say goodbye to funky tastes and smells!

By giving these different types of iron filters a whirl, we're setting ourselves up to beat the iron gremlins in our water.

Whether we roll with BIRM, greensand, or AIO, each has a special knack for knocking iron out cold.