Summary:
When it comes to the quality of your water, iron content is a significant factor that can affect not just the taste and appearance of the water but also your health and home appliances. Here's a comprehensive look at the types of iron in water, their potential impacts, and solutions for managing iron levels in well water.
Types of Iron in Well Water
1. Ferric Iron (Visible Iron)
Characteristics: This type of iron is visible to the naked eye. It often causes water to have a reddish or brownish tint.
Common Issues: Ferric iron leads to staining of sinks, toilets, and laundry. The iron deposits can build up in plumbing, reducing water flow and efficiency.
2. Ferrous Iron (Invisible Iron)
Characteristics: Ferrous iron is dissolved in water, making it invisible. It doesn't initially cause discoloration but can oxidize and turn into ferric iron over time.
Common Issues: Even though it’s not immediately noticeable, ferrous iron can still result in staining and other problems as it oxidizes, turning into ferric iron once exposed to air.
Potential Health Implications
Health Risks of High Iron Levels
Variable Impact: The health effects of consuming water with high iron levels vary from person to person. While iron is essential for bodily functions, excessive iron in water can contribute to health issues.
Water Testing: Regular water testing is crucial to determine iron levels in your well water. Identifying the type and concentration of iron is the first step in managing its impact.
Iron vs. Copper in the Body
Copper's Role: Copper is essential for synthesizing non-heme iron (found in plants) into a usable form for the body. Without sufficient copper, the body may struggle to utilize iron effectively.
Iron, Anemia, and Parasites: The conversation also touches on the relationship between iron levels, anemia, and the potential presence of parasites, underscoring the importance of proper testing and assessment.
Hard Water: An Additional Concern
The Impact of Hard Water in Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Area
Dry Skin and Brittle Hair: Hard water, which contains high levels of calcium and magnesium, is a common issue in the Spokane/Coeur d'Alene area. It can lead to dry skin and brittle hair, exacerbating dermatological problems.
Damage to Appliances: The minerals in hard water can build up in appliances, such as dishwashers and water heaters, reducing their lifespan and efficiency.
Solutions for Cleaner, Softer Water
Water Softeners and Iron Removal Systems
Iron Removal: Removing iron from your water supply through filtration systems is crucial for preventing staining and potential health risks.
Water Softeners: Installing a water softener can help address both iron and hardness in water, improving both the quality of your water and the longevity of your appliances.
Supplementing Iron Intake
Dietary Supplements: Instead of relying on iron-rich water, consider managing your iron intake through dietary supplements. This approach allows for better control over the amount of iron your body receives, reducing the risk of overconsumption.
Conclusion
Ensuring clean, soft water in your home is not just about improving taste and preventing stains—it's about protecting your health and the integrity of your home’s plumbing and appliances. Regular water testing, coupled with effective iron removal and water softening systems, can make a significant difference in your overall well-being and home maintenance.
Transcript:
Hey guys, Josh here with Ekho Health. I'm excited to talk all about water today—something incredibly important yet often overlooked. Joining me is Shane from Clearwater Springs Water Treatment. Shane, could you introduce yourself?
Hi there, I'm Shayne, the owner of Clearwater Springs Water Treatment. I specialize in private wells, residential, and some light commercial work. Most of what I do involves iron removal from private wells. In the summertime, we handle a lot of lake water treatments for homes drawing from lakes, rivers, creeks, or even natural springs. My goal is to ensure homes and families have the safest, cleanest water possible—for their kids, their pets, and everyone in the home.
This has been my passion and career; it's the only thing I've ever done. My dad started the company about 24 years ago in 2001, and I've been involved since high school, helping with jobs and managing orders. After high school, I joined him full-time. Within four or five years, my dad decided to retire and handed over the water treatment department to me, and I've been running it ever since.
That’s awesome! So you've been in the area for over 20 years and you're locally owned and operated?
Correct, we’re a locally owned family business, not a franchise. I appreciate the freedom it gives me to choose the products I work with. Unlike larger franchise companies that are limited to specific products, I've spent a lot of time in my career testing different products and keeping up with the latest technology. Being a small operation, I handle everything from sales to service and installation. If I put in a lesser product, I’m the one who has to return to fix it. So, I've quickly learned which products are the longest-lasting, require the least maintenance, and offer the highest performance. That’s the mindset I’ve built my business around—quality over everything.
Quality is key. Homeowners definitely appreciate that, especially when they don't have to deal with constant maintenance.
Exactly, homeowners want a system they can rely on without constant hassle. That’s why quality is so important to me.
So, today we'll be discussing water quality issues common in our area. Most of what I do involves iron removal from private wells, which is very common here, especially for people moving to the area who are new to well water. They often have no idea what it's like to be on a well and don’t realize that well water quality can change seasonally.
I didn’t know that—seasonal changes can really affect well water?
Absolutely. For example, heavy rain or snowmelt can change your water quality. It's not uncommon for someone to have water test results from spring that are different when I test it again in summer or fall. This fluctuation is due to the changes in the environment, like rain or drought. People don’t always realize that they are essentially the operators of their own water district when they’re on a well. They're responsible for ensuring the water is safe and clean year-round.
So what’s a common difference you see between testing water in different seasons?
A common scenario is that someone might have no iron in their water during one season, but six months later, they see yellow or orange staining because of the iron content. This change can cause confusion and concern, but it's a natural occurrence that happens with seasonal shifts. It’s crucial to understand that well water can fluctuate throughout the year.
How can homeowners prevent these seasonal fluctuations in iron levels?
You can't change what your well provides, but you can prepare for it. By testing the water at different times of the year and comparing results, I can design a system that’s ready for the worst times of the year. This custom system will filter the water consistently, regardless of seasonal changes. Even if the system is over-prepared during the better seasons, it ensures you’re never caught off guard when the quality decreases.
That makes a lot of sense. And from a health perspective, having a filter is vital. Iron can affect your health in different ways, like anemia or hemocromatosis. Plus, filtering out heavy metals is always beneficial.
Absolutely. Iron can cause issues like staining, but it’s not just about aesthetics. It can affect your health too, so having a reliable filtration system is crucial.
It’s interesting how some people notice iron more than others, and how different perspectives can influence when someone decides to address their water quality.
Yeah, it’s funny. Some people don’t care at all about a bit of iron, while others can’t stand the taste or the stains. Often, it’s when someone new moves in that it becomes a priority to fix. Sure! Here’s the transcript without the timestamps:
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That's always like it's like I've got copper pennies in my water, something like that. There are different types of iron too. The two different common types I deal with are called ferric iron and ferrous iron. Ferrous iron is highly dissolved, very small particles, similar to if you took a spoonful of sugar, dumped it into the water, and stirred it up. It dissolves and never settles out, so it looks perfectly clear. If you had that type of iron in your well water, you might never think you have a problem. You'll still get a bit of yellow and orange staining on surfaces, especially in toilet bowls and stuff like that, but you might not taste it or see it. Then somebody else comes into the home, and they can immediately tell.
I don't know what the effects are from a health perspective of, say, a guy who's lived in a house for 10 years and has been drinking all that iron. Maybe he develops too much iron in his system or something. That might affect one guy, whereas the next guy, it might not affect him. But in my opinion, it's always good to do what you can with what you have and what's available. It's like the saying, "control the controllable," and don't worry about the rest. With our water, fortunately, we can control it. Especially with a guy like Shane, we can get a filter in there.
To go back to the two different types of iron, ferric and ferrous, in the food world, there's also two different kinds of iron: heme and non-heme. With the water, it tends to be more on the side of non-heme iron, which is not as bioavailable as heme iron, which is what you find in animal meats, such as steak. You probably associate steak with iron, right? It's important that if you're intaking iron that's not as bioavailable, your body's going to get an excess of iron, and that's where people start to see the hemochromatosis. Maybe this doesn't happen all the time, but it's just something to be aware of.
Great topic, because I get the question a lot, jokingly, a customer might tell me, "Oh yeah, I don't have any problem with iron deficiency or whatever." But I didn't even quite realize until this conversation with you about the heme and non-heme iron. So really, if somebody says they're iron deficient and they have iron in the water, they just start pounding down tons of iron water—that's not really the correct type of iron their body needs. It might not solve their problem. This is why it's good to assess and not guess. Shane is an excellent part of the assessment; your doctor is an excellent part of the assessment. Go get your levels checked.
The interesting thing about iron, and Dr. Paul Saladino has an excellent podcast on this, I forget what it's called, I think it's like "Iron and Copper Relationships," if you do not have copper in your body or a sufficient amount, copper is actually what is able to synthesize the non-heme iron into usable forms of iron in your body. So if you have hemochromatosis, for example, and it's an excess of iron, maybe it's actually that you don't have enough copper and your body is not able to reuse, recycle. Another thing I see with people who have anemia, for example, is—and this is a disclaimer, you might not have this, always go back to the test—but one thing that feeds on iron is parasites. If somebody's anemic, it would be good for them to get tested for parasites.
It's very interesting, and both iron and parasites—a lot of illness and disease—have similar symptoms. You're probably going to experience hair loss, fragile nails, skin problems, digestive issues, back pain, joint pain in general. Brain fog is a super common one. But this all comes back to the water, right? We can just control at least...well, I shouldn't say it all comes back to the water, but the water is one factor that we can help. My job and my goal every day is to go out and get each home the cleanest, safest water possible.
The question comes up, "Well, maybe I don't want to take the iron out and I want to drink it." Well, no, it would be better in our perfect world if our clients and customers would have the cleanest water possible, and then they would use supplements to controllably increase iron levels or something. I wouldn't want to tell somebody, "Yeah, go drink dirty iron water and try to get your level up." That's the goal: eliminating all iron from the water, any other contaminants that could be in it, which all starts with water testing. That's such an important ground to start with.
Another important thing I wanted to mention from earlier about testing water and stuff: your neighbor's well might not have anything to do with the water quality of what your well is. It is so common that a customer will call me and say, "Hey, I bought a piece of land, I want you to come out and test my neighbor's water so I know what my well will be like when I have one drilled." It is not the same at all. You're going to have different depths, different water qualities, different gallons per minute that it produces.
If you are a homeowner that has a well, it's important and inexpensive just to have it tested, maybe do that a couple of times a year and compare those results. All water is not the same, and all bodies are not the same. This is why we talked a little bit too before we started doing this. I have some customers that have had eczema, kind of red rashing and skin on their hands and stuff. I have gotten feedback from customers, once we have removed iron and hardness particles and any impurities from the water and now we have clean water in the house, that has decreased significantly. That could have been the entire cause of their eczema. A more common thing really is dry skin, dry hair. That comes up a lot. Customers that have real scaly arms, they constantly put lotion on, and as soon as we get rid of all the minerals and metals in their water, all of a sudden their hair and their skin love it.
Some other common ones besides iron? Chlorine is a big one. You can kind of separate it into categories. We started with well water, so other common things with well water are hardness. In the area, we have extremely hard water in the Spokane/Coeur d'Alene area, we're kind of known for it. Hardness is measured in grains per gallon. The scale is 0 to 10. Anything over 10 grains per gallon is considered heavy, extreme hardness. Downtown Coeur d'Alene is 13 grains per gallon, Rathdrum City water is 11 grains per gallon, there's even a water district in Hayden called the North Kootenai Water District, they're at 25 grains per gallon. We are beyond off the chart in this area for hardness.
Everyone gets used to showering and being around hard water. A lot of people get used to that feeling of hard water on their skin after they shower and stuff. Water softeners are a great tool to remove that hardness completely. Once a customer has a water softener, the feedback I get, or you might be thinking now, "Oh, I don't want to have that soft water feeling on my skin," those are just the lack of those minerals on your skin. That's what that sensation is. It's not that the water softener is adding any kind of slimy substance back to the water and causing that. The different feeling is all of a sudden you don't have all these hardness particles left behind on your skin.
That's why I try to—and it's usually those customers that have really dry skin, dry brittle hair, they're the ones that love the feeling of their water once it's softened. As soon as I install a softener, it's a dramatic difference, and they usually complain about it. I'm like, "Well, just give it a month or two, let me know what your skin and your hair feels like," and a lot of times it clears that up, and they're like, "Okay, you were right. I've had it for six months now, I'm used to it, and now I feel a lot better."
Now I feel better, and these other issues have gone away. I don't look like a dry elephant when I get out of the shower. And not even to mention that my dishwasher's lasted more than a year now, my water heater elements, I haven't had to replace those in a year. It's stuff like that that shouldn't be failing that often, and so that's a whole other topic outside of health, but that's another reason—it's important too, man. Your home life affects your health, your stress levels go down when you don't have to maintain your house as much.
Exactly, like, "Damn, I gotta spend $1,000 on a freaking dishwasher now." Right, I could have just got a water filter, yeah, a water softener from the beginning of having the home and protecting all your appliances. That's such a good one because I feel like from a health perspective, I always look at water, right, that has to do with the body, but not necessarily with the home. You mentioned like we talked about orange staining. I would think no one wants an orange-stained bathtub or sink, but I don't know.
It's amazing how many people say that they just deal with it, but generally nobody wants that. You don't want that, and it's very damaging, it's not easy to clean off. It truly is a stain. If you had a white countertop like this here, it gets into it, it looks yellow over time. Is it hard on water heaters too? Yeah, water heaters, especially the elements, the electric elements that heat the water, especially in electric water
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