Iron Removal Filters

The whole home iron removal filter is the most effective and economical way to remove high levels of iron from your home's water supply, keeping your family safe.

 

Mid Atlantic Water uses Katalox-Light® Media and air injection technology to safely and effectively remove iron, sulfur and manganese from your well with a single tank. As the water passes through the air pocket, iron, sulfur and manganese are oxidized and then removed by the Katalox-Light® filter media.

 

No annual maintenance is required for our iron removal systems and the filters are easy to install in your home. To learn how an iron filter works read our Complete Guide to Iron Filters

 

Call us at 800-460-5810 if you need help choosing the right iron filter for your well water.

10 products

 

 

FAQs

 

What size iron filter should I use?


Like acid neutralizers, sizing your iron filter is based on the number of people in the household. Here are the general rules to sizing an iron filter:

 

  • A 1.5 Cubic Foot iron filter can serve from up to 4 people in your household.
  • A 2.0 Cubic Foot iron filter can serve up to 6 people in your household.
  • A 2.5 Cubic Foot iron filter can serve up to 8 people in your household.



How much iron can your system remove?

 

Our iron filters (using Katalox-Light®) can remove up to 30 ppm of iron. Our iron filters can also remove:

 

  • Hydrogen Sulfide up to 10ppm
  • Manganese up to 15ppm
  • Reduces sediment down to 3 microns
  • Arsenic
  • Zinc
  • Copper
  • Lead
  • Radium
  • Uranium
  • Radionuclides
  • and other heavy metals



How does air injection work?


When water goes through the control valve, it passes through the pocket of air maintained by the Fleck 2510AIO valve. As the iron, sulfur, and manganese in the water comes into contact with the air and oxidizes. Oxidized metals pass through the iron filter and clings to the Katalox-Light® filter media.


 

Do I need a water softener after the iron filter?

 

Even though some iron filters add hardness to your water, a water softener is recommended with those types of filters. A water softener isn’t necessary with our filters that use Katalox-Light®.



What is the annual maintenance on the system with Katalox-Light®?


With Katalox-Light®, your iron filter won’t need annual maintenance visits from your plumber. In fact, the filter media has a 10 year life, requires no oxidizing chemicals, needs no potassium permanganate (KMnO4) or chlorine. Katalox-Light® systems are very easy to maintain because there's hardly any maintenance other than adding more filter media.



Does your system remove sulfur as well?


Yes, our iron filter system removes sulfur. Sulfur in your water gives off a rotten egg smell, and iron filters are perfect for removing them. It's removed in the filter media, the same way iron is removed.



What flow rate is required to backwash the Katalox-Light® system?


Katalox-Light® requires a minimum of 5 gallons per minute (gpm) flow rate to backwash. While some iron filters require up to 20 gpm, Katalox-Light® needs a quarter of the water (only 5 gpm) to backwash properly.


Unlike other iron filter media, Katalox-Light® only needs 10 minutes of backwashing time. Compared to other media, Katalox-Light® can use up to 80% less water during the backwash cycle.



Does your system require a backwash drain and electricity?


Systems are available with different models and customized for manual backwash without using electricity or it can be made fully-automatic. Yes, the 2510 SXT control valve requires electricity.


Our iron filters are going to require a 1/2" drain line connection on iron filter control valve.



What are the different types of iron filter media?


Burgess Iron Removal Method (BIRM), Greensand, GreensandPlus, and Filox are different types of iron filters. Most of them require a lot more maintenance than Katalox-Light® media. Katalox-Light® was designed to be a very effective set-and-forget filter media.

 

BIRM filter media is made by impregnating Manganese salts to a core made of Aluminum Silicate. BIRM media works great when your water conditions are ideal. But, BIRM can't take out Hydrogen Sulfide, which commonly comes along with iron and manganese. The Hydrogen Sulfide creates sulfuric acid in water, and rapidly strips the thin manganese coating off the BIRM - destroying the filter media.

 

GreensandPlus has replaced Greensand. GreensandPlus is a silica sand core coated with manganese dioxide that acts as a catalyst in the oxidation reduction reaction of iron and manganese. GreensandPlus will eventually lose its oxidizing power, reducing the amount of iron it can remove. Once the manganese dioxide in the Greensand is exhausted, you'll need to regenerate the media bed with a potassium permanganate (KMnO4).

 

Filox consists of 75% to 85% manganese dioxide and vastly outperforms BIRM & GreensandPlus. The drawback to Filox is it's extremely expensive as a filter media. It also requires very frequent backwashing, usually one backwash per daily. And it uses a LOT more water during it's backwashing cycle compared to other filter medias.

 

As far as Katalox-Light®, Katalox-Light® is essentially a lightweight version of Filox. Katalox-Light® is Clinoptilolite coated and impregnated with manganese dioxide. When comparing Katalox-Light® with other filter medias, it has more advantages and far less limitations.



What is the flow rate?


Katalox-Light® filters can be operated at the flow rate of 12 gpm.

 

Birm Greensand Filox Katalox-Light®
Treats Hydrogen Sulfide No Yes Yes Yes
Treats Iron and Manganese Yes Yes Yes Yes
Effective Service Flow Rate for a 10" X 54" Filter 2.75 GPM 2.75 GPM 8.5 GPM 12 GPM
Backwash requirement for a 10" X 54" Filter 5.0 GPM 6.6 GPM in cold water, more in warm water. 8.25 (cold water) to 12 GPM (warm water). 5.0 GPM
Density 47-50 lbs/ cu. ft. 85 lbs. /cu. ft. 114 lbs./cu. ft. 72 lbs./cu. ft.
pH Range of Operation 6.8 and up 6.2 and up 5.0 and up 5.6 and up
Chlorine Tolerant No Yes Yes Yes