Commercial Water Softeners / Valves

Chris Camp Proprietor of Aquamaster Water Treatment

PH Correction Filters

When rain falls, the water has a naturally aggressive, slightly acidic nature. This
water then dissolves chalk and/or metallic deposits present in the local rock strata
which leads to contamination of the water.This results in ground and borehole water
containing a number of elements that would not otherwise be present in mains
water. These contaminants (such as iron and manganese) then cause problems
when the water is put into use. Acidic water results in corrosion of pipework, heating cylinders and equipment. Any iron and manganese present will result in poor tasting water, in addition
to staining baths, basins and any appliance with which the water may come into contact.

A pH value below 7 is considered to be acidic, and corrosion accelerates at pH levels below 6.5, with levels below 6.0 considered to be extremely aggressive. It is usually difficult to remove iron and manganese from acidic water, so often the first step in the process is to raise the pH.

The simplest and safest way to raise the pH is to run the water through a pressure
vessel containing a bed of specially activated limestone. This is a mixture of calcium
and magnesium salts, which are the salts found in waters of pH greater than 7.0. This limestone gradually dissolves increasing the pH level of the water. As the limestone dissolves, it will need refilling periodically. Refilling is straightforward as the media is inert and easy to handle.

To treat waters that are otherwise clean and pure, a basic up-flow system is all that is required. For water with iron, manganese or turbidity problems, an automatic backwashing downflow system will be needed to remove accumulated debris.

Water with a pH below 5.0 is uncommon and is unsuitable for this type of treatment.
Specifying and Sizing
The contact time of the water with the pH correction media is important in achieving
consistent results. The recommended maximum service flows for each system
are shown in the Technical Details.
For every 10mg/L CO2 present in the water, the alkalinity and total hardness will be raised by approximately 18 mg/L as
CaCO3. For each 10 mg/L CO2 removed, there will be a consumption of approximately
12 mg/L of media.

ACTIVATED CARBON FILTER SYSTEMS

Activated Carbon is a specialized filter media used principally for removing chlorine or organic compounds from water. The benefit of this filtration is a significantly improved taste and the elimination of odours, sometimes associated with a “chemical taint” to the water. Activated carbon is also used as a final “polisher” treatment for many water filter systems.

Most of the Activated Carbon used for water treatment is made from baking crushed coconut shell until it produces a charcoal type material. This is then activated with high pressure steam, leaving the carbon with many thousands of minute active pores on it’s surface. The ability of
activated carbon to remove contaminates from raw water is dependent upon the length of time the water spends in contact with the media. Therefore, sizing the filters correctly is crucial for effective performance and should be undertaken by an acknowledged water treatment expert.
Chlorine removal with carbon is a “catalytic” process in which the media does not become blinded or exhausted, but instead it acts as a trigger to the dechlorination process. The active sites on the surface of the media do eventually become blinded by other contaminants in the raw water (such as iron or colouration), which means that the media will need to be changed
every 1 to 3 years (depending upon the local water quality).

With organic removal, the contaminant molecules are trapped and retained in the
activated sites on the carbon’s surface, and eventually all of the media will become
“blinded” and will need to be changed. The frequency of changing will again depend
upon the level of water contamination. The effectiveness of activated carbon at removing organic compounds such as pesticides and solvents varies according to the precise nature of the contaminant.

THE TRIPLEX FILTER AND AERATOR SYSTEM

When rain falls, the water has a naturally aggressive, slightly acidic nature. This water then dissolves chalk and/or metallic deposits present in the local rock strata which contaminates the water. This results in ground and borehole water containing a number of elements that would not normally be present in mains water. These contaminants (such as Iron and Manganese) then cause problems when the water is put to use.

Acidic water results in corrosion of pipework, heating cylinders, and equipment. Any Iron and Manganese present will result in poor tasting drinking water, in addition to staining baths, basins and any appliances with which the water may come into contact.

These problematic waters can be treated with a Triplex system to both raise the pH and remove the Iron and Manganese. Firstly the water is passed through an aerator contact assembly which entrains air into the water to encourage initial precipitation of the contaminants. This has the effect of reducing the overall load on the filter media, making the complete removal of the contaminants much more efficient. The Triplex vessel uses a unique blend containing a pH correction media, an Iron and Manganese removal media, and a physical filter media. This works in three ways and has the combined effect of raising the the pH of the water (eliminating the acidity), precipitating any dissolved Iron and Manganese in the water, and finally filtering out this precipitate. Clean treated water is then passed to service ready for use. Unlike other Iron and Manganese removal systems, the Triplex filter has an equal backwash and service flow. This means that the load on the borehole pump is minimised, with no requirement for backwash booster pumps. This makes Triplex ideally suited to domestic and light commercial applications with flow rates up to 4m3 per hour.

Both metallic and some non-metallic contaminants can be removed from water by passing the water through a bed of specialised media. These media act in two ways; triggering the precipitation of the contaminant to form an insoluble particle and then physically filtering out the contamination to leave clean water. By selecting the correct media, very specific water problems can be treated easily.

Iron and Manganese (plus Aluminium and HydrogenSulphide)

Iron and Manganese can be removed from water by using a media which encourages reaction
between the contaminant and oxygen present in water. This reaction forms an insoluble precipitate which can then be physically filtered out by the media bed. The media acts “catalytically”,which means that although it triggers the reaction it is not used up as part of the process, thus giving long life from a single filter.

A choice of media are available depending upon the exact chemical make-up of the water to be filtered. Each have their strengths and weaknesses and your local water treatment expert will be able to advise as to the best choice. The media most commonly used are:-BIRM, which gives good removal at a relatively low cost. Generally suited to waters that would be considered hard in nature, its performance is adversely affected by the presence of chlorine, organic contaminants and some chemical treatments

.
FILOX R, has a much higher level of activity than BIRM, and is more suitable across a greater range of waters. It is chlorine resistant and can be used to help in the removal of hydrogen sulphide (the bad egg smell that is sometimes encountered).
MANGANESE GREENSAND, generally only used in industry for iron and manganese removal, as it requires chemical regeneration (with Potassium Permanganate) to restore its activity.
Turbidity Removal
General turbidity removal at high flows can be achieved satisfactorily down to low micron levels
using a multi media filter with a layered bed of gravel, filter sand, garnet and anthracite or Filter AG media. Other specialist media may need to be added to the filter bed to improve polishing with certain types of water.
System Management &
Backwashing
In order to remove accumulated deposits from the filter bed, the water flow through the filter is
reversed (backwashed). Water is run to drain at a high flow rate to separate the deposits from the filter media. The control valve completes the backwash cycle automatically at the intervals and times set during installation. The backwash and rinse cycle takes approximately 20 minutes, although these can be altered to suit individual conditions.

CALL FOR PRICES AND INFORMATION

01354 740896
07534419276

Contact us below by email

aquamaster1st@yahoo.com

AREAS COVERED:- March, Cambridge, Peterborough, St.Ives, St.Neots,  Kings Lynn, Wisbech, Spalding, Market Deeping, Holbeach, Boston, Stamford, Bourn, Oundel, Ely, Newmarket, Grantham, Hunstanton, Heacham, Thetford, Bury St.Edmunds,  Huntindon, Oakham, Bishops Stortford, Hertford, Harlow, Epping, Haverhill, Ware, Hoddeston, Duxford, Sawbridgeworth, Bedford, Corby

OUTSIDE THESE AREAS PLEASE CALL.