Sulfur and iron are common water problems that an automatic filter is designed to remove. The filters that I prefer to use for these problems are the air injected iron filter, and the manganese greensand filter. The air injected filter uses air to oxidize the iron/sulfur before it enters the filter. Within the filter is a special media that further oxidizes and traps the iron/sulfur. The control valve located on the head of the filter is easily set to backwash as required. A sufficient flow rate is needed for the air injector and filter to perform properly.

Manganese greensand filters are capable of handling higher quantities of iron and sulfur. As the water passes through the filter, it comes in contact with oxygen-charged manganese greensand. This causes the iron/sulfur to oxidize into particles that are then trapped in the filter bed. The manganese greensand periodically needs to be regenerated with potassium permanganate to recharge the media with oxygen. During this regeneration process the filter backwashes to flush the oxidized iron/sulfur to drain. Above is a photo of a manganese greensand filter with potassium permanganate feeder assembly.

Automatic filters are also used to remove objectionable taste and odors. This is achieved with the use of activated carbon. This type of media is most commonly used for chlorine removal and placed after a chlorine injection/retention system. Surface water that has a swampy smell can also be treated by an activated carbon filter. The carbon bed should be replaced about every 5 years.

Sediment and turbidity are also commonly removed through the use of automatic filters. This would take the place of a cartridge filter that may be plugging up too quickly. Periodically the filter will backwash to flush out the trapped particles. The filter bed will never need replacing under normal operating conditions.

Water that is discolored from tannins will appear yellow and cause staining. The tannins are a product of decayed animal and vegetable matter that come in contact with ground water. This problem can be solved with an organic color removal filter to restore your waters natural clarity.

• Ability to remove high levels of contaminants
• Maintains high water flow with low drop in pressure
• Automatic backwashing reduces the need for maintenance
• Filter media is available for almost any application
• Cleaner, longer lasting laundry
• Protected plumbing
• Cleaner dishes
• Better looking and tasting water

The top photo illustrates a typical example of a small inline housing that would carry a 2 1/2" wide cartridge. The physical size of this filter typically limits the flow rate to about 8GPM. The photo below illustrates both a 10" and 20" filter. The cartridges that fit these housings measure 4 1/2" wide. These filters are capable of much greater flow rates and capacity. All three of these filters have a variety of cartridges available to them.

The two most popular types of cartridges are activated carbon and sediment filters. Activated carbon filters are designed to remove objectionable tastes, odors and organic chemicals such as THM's and TCE. They provide inexpensive filtration for municipal water systems that rely on chlorine as a treatment method. The flow rate of the filter will depend on the model. Sediment filters are designed to remove sand, silt, sludge and rust particles. These filters are available in sizes from 1 to 50 microns.