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Best Water Treatment for High Presence of Copper in Water

14 years ago

Hi,

I just had a full water analysis done on my private well water, and the results came back high for copper: 129 mg/l. I know the EPA maximum is 130 mg/L.

My water is extremely metallic tasting, and we get the blue-green stains in our tub and sink.

I was wondering (with the exception of removing all the copper piping in my home) what the best copper removal water system is recommended. Some say reverse osmosis, but I'd like to hear from other's experiences with this.

Any manufacturer you recommend?

Thanks in advance.

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Comments (5)

biermech
14 years ago
My book tells me that a water softener will remove 20-90% of the copper. RO's will remove it as well but will not do anything for the shower water or the bathroom sink when you brush your teeth. If you could pass a sample of your water through a miniture softener, then test the water to see what the rejection is. Salesmen carry them.
clover8
Original Author
14 years ago
Thank you so much for your advice. I will look into water softener systems. Any that you would recommend?

Again, thank you so much in advance.
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The place where I am living dates back to the late 1600s. There were two previous houses on this field stone fondation, that had burnt to the ground. The records date back to when this house was homestead to the surrounding 100 acres (I have 5.1), where is was all farmland. I don't think there was any mining operations or smelting going on, but I don't know for sure. My well is directly next to several huge pine trees (if that helps). I know pine trees are said to make the soil around them acidic, but would that be enough to be causing the large copper deposits I'm experiencing? I was also told by my state well inspector, that the new copper piping does not have that protective layer that the old pipes have. Therefore, I may be seeing an increase in copper deposits due to that. So, what do I do? Do I rip out all the new copper pipes, and replace them with PVC? I can't wait 2 or 3 years for this microbial protective layer to grow within the pipes. My thoughts are that I have to get an acid neutralizer (to treat the incoming well water which is naturally acidic), and then slowly replace the copper pipes with PVC (to prevent future degeneration of the pipes, pinhole leaks, etc.). Now, I'm thinking I may need a water softener on top of the acid neutralizer. Man, I never knew all the problems with well water and I wish I did, because it would have factored into the purchase and sales agreement. What would you all do? Thanks in advance for your response and the insightful responses I've already received.
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We've always just had the company test it that's providing the softener - last one we bought was from a local plumber. Not cheap but we're not do-it-yourselfers and I want someone reputable to call if I have any problems. I have occasionally had an independent well water analysis to check for water safety - not hardness. There's never been any issue other than iron, hardness, etc. In my experience if you have a lot of iron you need a better softener - not a cheap one from the local big box store. ETA: we have always used our softened water for cooking and drinking though I understand it does have some residual sodium from softening - my understanding the harder the water, the more sodium. That is of course unless you use potassium salt instead of regular salt. Our softener at home doesn't soften the cold water in the kitchen - the one at our lake place does. In our previous homes we had high iron content and all the water was softened. In all cases water quality for drinking has been great.
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biermech
14 years ago
I have sold the Fleck 5600 for years. IMO it is the best system made.
bob_cville
14 years ago
A better question might be why there is copper in your water. If replacing the pipes would help, as you jokingly suggested, that indicates the copper is not in the water in the ground, but it is added to the water as the water passes through the pipes. This would mean that the water is acidic, and is slowly dissolving your pipes from the inside.

If this is the case, you should get a neutralizer system to make the water non-acidic. The water would then not disolve your pipes, and therefore not have copper in it.

Also if this is the case, unless you get a neutralizer, before long you will need to replace all of your copper pipes because the water will eventually disolve holes all over the place in your pipes.
sniff
14 years ago
bob cville is correct. My water comes out of the tap at a low pH, but becomes neutral if left in a glass for a day. Your tested sample might have done the same thing. Get a cheap pH test to check it at home. The neutralizer raises pH so the copper will no longer leach from the pipes. It will add hardness to your water, so you might need a softener as well. Ugh. $$$, but if you have acidic water it will ruin the pipes.

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