General ionics brown water


  #1  
Old 11-08-06, 02:18 PM
S
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General ionics brown water

we moved into our house and the previous owners said they haven't used it for ten years , so I hooked it up and it runs fine. Water runs out when it generates and refills when it's complete. But now are water is brown. I put about a cup of clorox in the float tube and have run about five or six cycles but the water is still brown. Can you tell me what the problem could be and how to fix it. Thank You....
 
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Old 11-08-06, 03:16 PM
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Questions ...
Did you clean out the brine tank and add salt BEFORE you regenerated the softener?
On a water system or a well?
Have you had the water tested?
Is the softener plumbed to treat the whole house or just the water heater?
Is there any other treatment hardware installed?
How many people in the house?

Ten years is a long time for stagnant water to sit in resin. "Brown" color could be plain old dirt and sediment in the resin or it could be iron.

Once you've had a complete water test you'll know what needs to be treated and what your resin has been soaking in for 10 years.

If a softener is all you need to treat the water and that softener is correctly sized I'd replace the resin. Quality resin can cost $100-$180 per cubic foot. The amount of resin needed is based on the physical size of the resin tank. Height and diameter determine the volume of resin required.

You answer the questions and we can offer some advice.
 
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Old 11-08-06, 03:32 PM
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yes to cleaning the brine tank
were on a water system
and it's for the whole house
and there's no other treatment hardware installed
no iron in the water and grain hardness is 7
 
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Old 11-08-06, 03:47 PM
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All the right answers ... EXCEPT, how many people in the house?

Measure the height and diameter of the resin tank and I can tell you how much resin you'll need.

Here's what you're gonna do if you decide to tackle this yourself ...

http://ohiopurewaterco.com/shop/customer/pages.php?pageid=13

You might want to call a couple local water treatment pros and see what they'd charge to replace the media (resin or resin/gravel). You might be surprised at the price and can save yourself making a BIG mess and having to dispose of the old resin.

If you're a DIYer, an alternative could be a new, more efficent softener. You can get an industry standard 32,000 gr capacity 1 cu ft softener (right size figuring 4 people in the house) using top quaility components delivered to your house for $461. You'd need to assemble it yourself and get it plumbed in, but if you're gonna spend $200 for resin and then put in your labor on a 10 year old softener that's been sitting out of service this would be worth considering.

http://ohiopurewaterco.com/shop/customer/home.php?cat=179
 

Last edited by justalurker; 11-09-06 at 07:36 AM.
  #5  
Old 05-02-07, 01:49 PM
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Hi Scott293

The Geneal Ionics water treatment system has a high grade silver impregnated carbon filter inside the stainless steel tank. This carbon filter needs to be replaces periodical based on your family size.

I'm confident that once this filter is replaced the brown water will end.

You can call 1-800-543-7012 and they will get you to the local service location.

Good luck
 
  #6  
Old 07-23-08, 05:58 PM
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Help with 0820B

I moved in to a house with an existing unit - no paperwork on it. I am having odor/iron problems.

Is there some kind of maintenance - media change/filter, that I need to do?

My Hardness is 45,000 - Iron is 3 (units?? - ppm??)

I looked on line for instruction manual and only found this forum. any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
 
  #7  
Old 12-07-09, 08:41 AM
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I know this is a little late.

The "brown water" problem on the General Ionics units is not a stagnant water problem.

There is a bed of silver impregnated activated carbon in the main resinr tank. (I guess the weight difference keeps it from mixing with the resin). The brown happens when this carbon starts to breakdown. At first it appears for a little while after a regeneration. After a while, it is there all of the time.

I had to have mine changed out about every 12-18 months. The replacement carbon was reasonably expensive and even after watching the serviceman do it twice, I couldn't figure out how to do it. (+ he had to come from 80 mi away)

I finally, bought a cartridge carbon filter installed in front of the softner and had the carbon bed removed all together.

I can at le
 
 

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