The tank holds 2 cubic feet of arsenic-selective hybrid ion exchange resin: a polymer bead with hydrated iron oxide dispersed throughout its structure. As water passes through, arsenic binds permanently inside the bead. Nothing is flushed to a drain and nothing regenerates; the resin simply holds the arsenic until the media is replaced at end of life, typically 1 to 5 years.

New anion exchange resin can give treated water a fishy smell and taste for a while after install. ResinTech, the resin's maker, explains in its anion resin odor data sheet that new anion resins can release trace organic compounds (trimethylamine gives a strong fishy, ammonia-like odor), that neither compound is hazardous at the concentrations normally found, and that the odor normally goes away by itself once the system has been in service. Not every home notices it, and how long it lasts varies.

Aidan's fix is a 1.5 cubic foot Centaur catalytic carbon tank right after the arsenic tank, so the smell and taste are taken out before the water reaches your taps. Every arsenic system we ship now includes it. The carbon lasts about 4 to 5 years and is replaced in the same tank; it is not a sulfur filter, so a rotten egg smell from the well still needs its own treatment.

Arsenic-selective resin is not a softener resin: it cannot be meaningfully regenerated with salt, and it captures dissolved arsenic inside the bead rather than trapping particles that need flushing. So there is no brine tank, no drain line, no backwash cycle, and no valve to power or program. The carbon tank after it is non-backwashing too. Some older arsenic systems (including our own earlier version) shipped with a metering valve, but that valve only counted gallons as a service reminder; it never backwashed the media. An annual lab test does that job better.

Yes, when it is matched to your water, and we verify that match before you buy: send your lab results to Aidan and he confirms the fit at no charge. The resin is the same WQA Gold Seal certified arsenic-selective media that professionals install, rated by the manufacturer at roughly 500,000 gallons per cubic foot reducing 50 ppb arsenic to under 10 ppb. After install, an annual lab test of your treated water proves it is holding arsenic below the EPA limit in your home. If a test ever shows otherwise, call us and we will make it right. The resin removes arsenic V (arsenate). ResinTech, the resin's maker, says it removes only modest amounts of arsenic III, so when arsenic III is more than a quarter of your total, or 5 ppb or more, ResinTech calls for chlorinating the water ahead of the resin and removing the chlorine before it reaches the resin; the arsenic speciation test tells you which you have.

One size covers most homes. The arsenic tank and the carbon tank after it each pass up to about 10 GPM, and the 2 cubic feet of resin holds roughly 1,000,000 gallons of capacity at typical arsenic levels. A larger household simply reaches the rebed point sooner; the annual lab test tells you when. If you have an unusually large home or very high water use, call us and we will check the numbers together.

No. That failure mode belongs to exhausted disposable adsorptive media (iron oxide alumina, titanium dioxide), which can release accumulated arsenic at concentrations above the source water. Arsenic-selective hybrid ion exchange resin never lets effluent arsenic exceed influent arsenic, even when operated past its capacity. That no-dumping property is the single biggest reason we use this resin, and it is what makes an annual test schedule safe.

Iron above 0.3 ppm will foul the resin and shorten its life. Install an iron filter upstream first; our Katalox Light iron filters are the standard recommendation. The correct order is sediment filter, iron filter, softener if needed, then the arsenic tank, with its carbon tank right after it. Send us your water test and we will confirm the right treatment train.

Typically 1 to 5 years, driven by your raw arsenic level, total water use, and competing anions (sulfate, phosphate, and silica all shorten run length). The annual treated-water lab test is how you track it: when arsenic starts creeping up in the treated water, it is rebed time. The rebed is two 1 cubic foot boxes of ResinTech ASM-10-HP arsenic-selective resin, and the tank, head, and bypass all stay in service. The carbon in the second tank lasts about 4 to 5 years and is replaced with 1.5 cubic feet of Centaur catalytic carbon at $295 per cubic foot. If your lab report shows high sulfate, call us with the numbers before ordering and we will estimate media life for your water honestly.

Yes, always. We will not knowingly sell an arsenic system to someone who has not tested. Arsenic treatment is chosen from lab numbers, not guesses: arsenic concentration, pH, iron, manganese, and sulfate all shape the setup. A certified lab arsenic panel is the right starting point, and Aidan reads the results with you at no charge.

We recommend one; Aidan supports your plumber by phone at 800-460-5810. Both tanks ship empty and the resin and carbon are loaded at install. There is no drain line, no brine line, and no electrical connection: the plumber cuts the pre-installed 1 inch Clack stainless bypass into the main cold line after your pressure tank (and after any iron filter or softener), plumbs the carbon tank right after the arsenic tank, and flushes both beds, then you test the water. That is about an hour or two per tank, roughly 2 to 4 hours for both. If you'd rather do it yourself, you can; text Aidan at 443-277-2204 with any questions.