The Clear Water Iron Test

Iron is a destructive water contaminant that is tough to treat because it's found in the natural environment in several different forms. Each of these forms is treated a different way, so understanding the form of the iron in your water is absolutely critical to knowing how to treat it.

Iron is mainly found in the Ferrous & Ferric forms. Ferrous iron is dissolved and water containing it is usually clear. So Ferrous iron is often called "clear water iron". When ferric iron is present the water isn't clear. This difference can be used to quickly identify what type of iron you've got.

How To Do The Clear Water Iron Test

1. Go to a faucet in your home where you're experiencing iron issues. Look for a faucet with a porcelain sink where you're getting iron staining.
2. Run the cold water from this faucet until your well pump kicks on. If this is taking a while, open another faucet too. But it's very important that your well pump is running before moving on to the next step.
3. After the pump has turned on, let the water run for another 60 seconds
4. Fill a clear glass of water
5. Immediately hold up this glass of water to a clear white background in a well-light area of your home
6. If the water is clear and colourless, you have Clear Water Iron (aka Ferrous Iron). If the water has colour you have Ferric Iron (aka Oxidized Iron).

Removing Iron from Water

How you remove iron from the water in your home depends on what the test described above reveals.

If you have "clear water iron" then your options are quite diverse. You can solve your issue using water softeners, a dedicated iron water filter, or even an iron cartridge filter.

If you have "oxidized iron" then you're looking at a backwashing iron filter.