Filter to remove Calcium from water?

[Lee4Life]

I live in a rural area of Isan and rely on a 30 meter well for water (we purchase drinking water). The problem I am having is that the water has a type of white substance in it that the locals call "poon". One that spoke English told me it is calcium. If there is a small seepage after a long period of time it creates a thin layer of white cement-like substance. It also coats the internal toilet apparatus' and plugs the shower nozzles over a period of time. I have been dealing with it by disassembling these things and cleaning the stuff out every so often, or replacing parts. I have tried a few different types of filters and none seemed to help, then one of the guys at one of the big hardware stores told me that nothing they sold would help  this problem.

      I am thinking this is probably not an uncommon problem, has anyone else had any luck in dealing with it?

                         

[Anythingleft?]

If it is calcium you need either a water softener or a reverse osmosis system
Maybe worth getting a sample tested to see exactly what you are dealing with before purchasing any type of water treatment setup

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[wayned]

I have the same problem and have not found any filters that will eliminate it.  It clogs water pipes, faucets, shower heads, butt washers,toilet fixtures and even the toilet flush rings.  It even forms a layer in the dogs water bowls.  The only thing that I find that attacks it is caustic soda.  The word "poon" (bpuun) in Thai means  lime; mortar; calcium oxide; quicklime;

[Anythingleft?]

https://www.filterwaterdirect.com/information/remove-calcium-from-water

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[Strange]

Reverse Osmosis gets everything pretty much but its a bit pricey for a whole house setup that can make about 1000L a day. Last I checked it was about 13,000 baht on lazada. 

 

The same system used in offshore vessels to make freshwater out of saltwater. 

 

Requires regular maintenance and cleaning, but the water is completely potable/drinkable/clean.

 

At home in the US we got so many filtration systems, its not a problem. They do actual tests on the water supply to see what exactly the contaminates are and at what ppm so they know precisely what filter & size install. There is no guessing game at all, here thats all it is - an expensive guessing game and usually the systems sold here are so undersized its unreal. 

 

I would give RO a look. 

[eyecatcher]

^^^

I find it hard to believe anyone let alone the OP out in the boonies is likely to be using 1000 litres a day.

be sensible, most houses struggle to use that much in a week.

 

Ok; I do appreciate you may be referring to systems capable of that capacity in general.

 

I thought the regular blue/chrome/plastic rocket style filters had a number of filtrates in them for different purposes, one of which is always carbon and managnaese which is the one for filtering calcium out..isnt it??? or not??

 

They of course are filtering during the house draw off often after the  water source or the storage tank.

 

Not saying they are cheap though.  the blue whole house filters are around 8k for a 14" diameter and the mazumas chrome ones are ridiculously expensive for half that capacity.

Even the small multi blue plastic ones are 4/5k each and you need 3 i think?

 

But in the long run, its a wise move to have one installed. two reasons i had one installed was i dont want my washing machine clenaing clothes in dirty brown water and I dont want to be showering in the same or with some local hazardous farm chemicals that have found their way into the water system.

If like me you were having to strip the wc cistern every 6 months because the pipes were clogged with crap or every week the hard water and soap made a nasty scum that blocked the basin outlets every week then go for it.

money wisely spend i.m.o

[Strange]

34 minutes ago, eyecatcher said:

^^^

I find it hard to believe anyone let alone the OP out in the boonies is likely to be using 1000 litres a day.

be sensible, most houses struggle to use that much in a week.

 

Ok; I do appreciate you may be referring to systems capable of that capacity in general.

 

Take it easy, you clearly missed it. An RO system capable of a MAXIMUM of 1000L per day, Maximum. Yeah sure most days just showering and taking a shit you won't use 1000L per day. Hell 1000L isn't even that much its only 1 m3. 

 

Im out in the "sticks" with a 1000L tank on city water and my last water bill was 19 cubic meters. Thats 19 tanks for 219 baht. Now I water a little patch of grass (pathetically small) with that, and spray off my porch and whatnot occasionally, but for the sake of argument a simple Farang spot uses 10 Cubes a month. That puts the RO system at about a 33% duty cycle, couple more cubes and ur at 40%. 

 

Its not about using 100% of the maximum output per day, otherwise you would be burning the thing up and doing maintenance twice a month instead of maybe once every 3 months (or longer). 

 

Now, I don't really care what you appreciate as I was trying to give genuine thought out advise to OP that will, infact, work. You are using 100% pure speculation. I been through this whole house filter deal so many times its unreal both here, and in the states. 

 

35 minutes ago, eyecatcher said:

I thought the regular blue/chrome/plastic rocket style filters had a number of filtrates in them for different purposes, one of which is always carbon and managnaese which is the one for filtering calcium out..isnt it??? or not??

 

Carbon does not remove calcium. It is an ineffective media to remove minerals from water. 

 

"manganese" is something you REMOVE from the water, as in its something, like iron, you want to remove. So no. 

 

43 minutes ago, eyecatcher said:

Not saying they are cheap though.  the blue whole house filters are around 8k for a 14" diameter and the mazumas chrome ones are ridiculously expensive for half that capacity.

Even the small multi blue plastic ones are 4/5k each and you need 3 i think?

 

So basically for the same price, or MORE, you are getting something that you are not 100% sure will work, is not 100% drinkable, and is 100% unknown. Seems legit. 

 

44 minutes ago, eyecatcher said:

But in the long run, its a wise move to have one installed. two reasons i had one installed was i dont want my washing machine clenaing clothes in dirty brown water and I dont want to be showering in the same or with some local hazardous farm chemicals that have found their way into the water system.

If like me you were having to strip the wc cistern every 6 months because the pipes were clogged with crap or every week the hard water and soap made a nasty scum that blocked the basin outlets every week then go for it.

money wisely spend i.m.o

 

What I'm recommending is nothing more than the 1 baht per liter water machines dotted all over Thailand filtering city, well, and klong water to drink. To drink. The same system, without the enclosure and coin counter for around 12-13K baht. 

 

Ill be installing a simple RO system soon at my house, along with your "blue filters" to remove sediment and the outlay isn't that much more than a filter/resin combo and the benefit? You KNOW it will be clean, and you KNOW it is drinkable. It will remove minerals, iron, etc.. 

 

All filtration systems require DIY knowledge & filter changing, there is not a way to filter water without paying for it in outlay and maintenance. Filter or RO. 

[Anythingleft?]

RO seems to be the surest way to get a clean water supply, the only drawback is the waste as it is byproducts about (up to) 40% of uncleaned water. This should be noted if water is limited in supply or the well is shallow and could dry periodically
Of course the untreated water could be held for the garden if you had the space and somewhere to install some extra tanks

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[impulse]

Seems that the big problem isn't the calcium in the water (harmless), but the fact that it precipitates out and plugs stuff up.  Be careful about putting too much stock in what the locals call it.  It may be calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate, barium sulfate, etc.  Some are easy to get rid of, some not so easy.  It may also contain things like arsenic, so I'd have it tested just for peace of mind.  Also rare -but possible-  the scale may have NORMs, normally occurring radioactive materials.  Doubtful in Thailand, but now's the best time to find out.

 

The Hard Water Bullet in the link on Post #4 looks promising, though I have to admit it's a little snake oily to me.  R/O will definitely work, but at a significant cost.

 

Normal filters probably won't work very well because the calcium is in solution until the pressure or temperature change or mixing causes it to precipitate out.  It's kind of like trying to filter the salt out of seawater.  Though a filter may be partially effective if you put it in the system downstream of where the solids precipitate.  You'll catch some of the calcium in the form of particles, while the calcium that's still in solution will blow right through.

 

Keep in mind that vinegar (acetic acid) will dissolve most calcium scales.  It may be easier and more cost effective to flush a couple of gallons of vinegar through your system once in a while than removing the calcium from the water (allowing the vinegar to soak for a while).

 

I don't claim any expertise in home water systems, but we do fight scale problems all the time in our oil production operations.

[Lee4Life]

Thanks for all of the good info. I guess the place to start is to have a water test done, the nearest town is NongKhai but it seems we are having to head to Udon fairly often to get things done that are not really "run of the mill". Any tips on where we should look as far as having a test done? As far as language goes my Isaan is o.k. but my Thai is not all that great and my wife is not Thai, that's why I am asking.

 

As far as water consumption, we have a 1,500 liter storage tank and a couple of weeks ago there was a problem between the well and the tank, it took only one day and a night for us to run the tank out.

[Strange]

4 minutes ago, Lee4Life said:

Any tips on where we should look as far as having a test done?

 

I would be very interested to know this same information because I have looked myself, and came up with nothing other than mailing a sample to a lab overseas, and thats a little bit extreme. 

 

The Thais I asked had no idea what I was talking about. 

 

In the states the well guys have an expensive kit with ph strips and everything that can tell exactly whats in the water, and how 'hard' it is, and what ppm, but they don't test for stuff like bacteria & poisons, and you don't know if its potable or not.  There are also companies that do comprehensive testing for everything for about $100 and its done by mailing a sample & getting the results by email so you clearly know what you have and the best way to filter it. 

 

Thats the problem with filters. Unless its simple iron or 'hard' water or sand, testing has to be done or its a complete crapshoot. Might nail it, might crash and burn. 

 

14 minutes ago, Lee4Life said:

As far as water consumption, we have a 1,500 liter storage tank and a couple of weeks ago there was a problem between the well and the tank, it took only one day and a night for us to run the tank out.

 

Sounds about right. Most people vastly underestimate their water consumption until they have a visual aid like a storage tank. 

[CGW]

What exactly are you looking to test water for? the only place I have found that does a fairly basic sampling is "swimmingpoolsthailand" dot com etc.

http://www.sgs.co.th/en/Agriculture-Food/Seed-and-Crop/Soil-Leaf-and-Water-Services/Water-Testing.aspx

Also as above.

 

[grollies]

On 13/12/2016 at 1:50 PM, Lee4Life said:

Thanks for all of the good info. I guess the place to start is to have a water test done, the nearest town is NongKhai but it seems we are having to head to Udon fairly often to get things done that are not really "run of the mill". Any tips on where we should look as far as having a test done? As far as language goes my Isaan is o.k. but my Thai is not all that great and my wife is not Thai, that's why I am asking.

 

As far as water consumption, we have a 1,500 liter storage tank and a couple of weeks ago there was a problem between the well and the tank, it took only one day and a night for us to run the tank out.

this was posted the other day on a different topic