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FE/x

Iron Removing Filter

Installation and Maintenance

Blue Future Filters Inc.
6/05

The FE/x is designed to remove iron, manganese, hydrogen sulfide, sand, and silt from ground water sources without the use of toxic chemicals. The FE/x uses natural processes such as aeration, precipitation, and mechanical filtration through gravel and sand media to accomplish these removals. Performance is dependent on incoming water quality, filtration rate, frequency of backwashing and cleaning media.

System Requirements

pH should be neutral. If pH is low (<7.1), correction with calcium carbonate should be used to enhance iron removal. Blue Future Filters can supply a calcite tray for your filter to accomplish this.

The FE/x uses low filtration rates and long retention times in the filter for best results. This results in water outputs of .25 to 1 gal./minute. This low rate requires a storage tank in order to meet daily demand. Storage should equal at least 1 day's supply. Normally this is 300 gallons for the average household, however, the more storage the better. 1000 gallons is recommended.

If your filter and storage tank are on the same level as your home or end use, you will need to repressurize your water to get adequate pressure for your home. A number of pressure pump/tank options in varying price ranges are available from one piece systems to individual components. Contact Blue Future Filters for details.

Installation

Site preparation

The site for the filter should be level and smooth. A concrete slab, wooden deck, compacted soil, or pea gravel is suitable foundation for the filter. The drawing above illustrates placement of the FE/x in relation to tanks and house sites.


Making plumbing connections.

From well pump or pressure tank.
Inlet. The inlet is the 1/2 inch brass fitting located in the middle of the taller aeration tank. This fitting comes apart in the middle and has a filter washer in it to protect the flow control device in the filter. The filter should be installed so that the outlet is slightly higher than the inlet of the storage tank. The outlet is the 1 inch PVC fitting near the top of the filter tank. Connect 1 inch PVC between this fitting and your storage tank. When installing the connecting pipe, try to avoid dips or rises in the pipe that can trap air and impair water flowing freely into the storage tank. If the storage tank is lower than the filter by more than a few inches, a float valve may be attached to the pipe leading into the storage inside the storage tank. When the tank is full, this will automatically shut off the FE/x.
Carefully lift the lid of the aeration tank and detach the flexible connector. Remove the lid. Attach the float and float rod to the black plastic float valve and adjust so that the float will shut off the inlet water before it overflows the tank. Replace the flex connector and lid.
A ball valve should be placed in the pipeline within a couple of feet of the filter. This will act as a shutoff and also as a control for optimal performance of the filter. When connecting pipe to the filter be careful to remove as much plastic particles as possible that may clog the screens. mentioned above.

From a gravity fed non pressurized source such as adjacent well or tank. First remove screws and gently lift lid of aeration tank enough to disconnect the flex line inside. Remove the flex line from the float valve and fittings. remove the float valve. Remove the chrome flow control device and pipe nipple, if present in tank connection fitting. Reinstall float valve directly into tank fitting. Attach the float and float rod to the black plastic float valve and adjust so that the float will shut off the inlet water before it overflows the tank. Reconnect flex line at float valve fittings and at aeration lid assembly. Replace lid.

The large 1.5 inch valve at the bottom of the filter vessel is for downwashing and should be connected to 1.5 inch PVC and drained to a gravel sump or other suitable drain location.

Loading media.
Remove the screws and cover from the filter tank (the lower of the two) . You will see a white plastic perforated platform inside. This is where the gravel and sand go. Add two sacks or 2 cubic feet of clean pea gravel. Add 1 bag or 1 cubic foot of course sand on top of the pea gravel. Replace the lid of the filter tank.

Start-up
With the FE/x installed and other components in place start-up may be initiated. It's a good idea to undo the brass screen connection at the inlet to flush debris from the pipelines coming from your pump prior to placing the filter on-line. Debris from installation can clog the screened washer or the flow control in the filter. Slowly open the ball valve until the desire flow rate is achieved. You can measure this by opening the valve and measuring the amount of water coming out per minute. If It should be less than 1 gal./minute. Remember, the slower the flow the better the performance of your FE/x will be. Be patient. Even at 1/4 gal per minute, the filter will produce 120 gals in eight hours. Running the filter too fast with high levels of iron will result in some iron breaking through. Make sure the float level in the aeration/sediment tank is set so as not to overflow the tank. If no flow is going into the filter after turning your pump on, turn everything off, bleed of pressure, and check the screened washer in the brass fitting at the filter inlet. This screen can be clogged with debris from installation.

Periodic maintenance
To work properly, your FE/x needs to be maintained. The main task is regular backwashing of the media. This is, fortunately, an easy task. Open the filter downwash valve and watch the accumulated iron and suspended solids that your filter has removed emerge to waste. When flow drops off to trickle( a few minute) close the valve and resume operation.
At some point, typically 8 to 14 months into operation, the filter will not backwash easily or will need backwashing frequently. It is time to remove and replace the media. Remove the lower domed lid and dig out the media with a clean scoop or small shovel. Replace with 2 sacks clean pea gravel and one sack of course sand (1.2mm) See your dealer for details or supplies.
Examine the aeration tray in the tower. If it has become saturated with accumulated deposits, remove them and clean by spraying with a hose nozzle until clean. Then reposition the tray in the aeration tank.

Troubleshooting

If you have very low or non-existent flow into the filter, check the screened washer at the inlet to the filter, and/or the chromed metal flow control inside the aeration tank for debris from you pipelines.
Most problems with the FE/x are caused by incorrect adjustment of the incoming water rate or filter media that is not sufficiently clean . If you are experiencing unacceptable levels of turbidity or iron levels in your filtered water and you have thoroughly clean gravel filter media, you need to slow the flow through the filter and/or backwash more frequently.
If you have low pH (acid water < 7.1) you need to add calcium carbonate to the aeration tray in the filter tower. Low pH inhibits iron and manganese precipitation and will result in lower than optimum performance of the filter.

Media Specifications

FE/x

Pea Gravel-2 cubic feet, 0.056 cubic meters

Course Sand-1 cubic foot, 0.0283 cubic meters

note: These values are a guide for local media selection. Finer gravel or sand may be used, but may affect performance and maintenance.

Technical support:

Blue Future Filters Inc.
Northern California -- (707) 237-2750
Pacific Northwest -- (360) 756-0071
www.bluefuturefilters.com

HOME | Community Slow Sand Filters | Municipal Slow Sand Filters | Large Iron Filters | Home Slow Sand Filters | Home Iron Removing Filters | Roughing Filters | FAQs | About Us | Articles | Blackburn & Associates | Contact Us | Email Us