Low Priced and Reliable Disinfection
Chlorinators have been used as the primary way to sanitize potable water supplies ever since the early years of the 20th century and are the most common method of disinfecting water. Despite advancements in alternative technology such as ozone and ultra-violet light, chlorination is still the most popular system for disinfection of residential home well water systems.
Home well water chlorinators are favored because they’re lower in price than other technologies and easy for home owners to setup and operate. Chlorine is easy to filter out after the water has been treated with basic carbon filter systems.
To be effective at eliminating bacteria, eradicating smells and treating iron, there needs to be sufficient amount of time immediately after it comes in contact with the water to be effective properly. Ten minutes of contact time is recommended for disinfection; however this varies depending upon the water chemistry, water temperature and the amount of chlorine being injected.
Chlorine Metering Pumps
Quick to put in as well as low in expense, metering pumps are the most favored way of chlorinating well water. The metering pump is wired so it turns on and off as soon as the well pump switches on and off. This is done by wiring the chlorine metering pump to the existing well pump pressure switch. In some cases a flow switch is used, so that when the water flows, the metering pump switches on and off according to flow.
These systems use readily available household chlorine bleach as well as liquid pool bleach. A compact plastic material tank holds the bleach solution and the metering pump sucks the liquid solution from the solution tank and pumps the chlorine at a managed accurate volume in to the water line. The injection point is positioned ahead of the pressure tank in order to be effective.
In-line Pellet Systems
Chlorine is additionally available as calcium hypochlorite which can be purchased in solid pellet form. This type used an erosion feeder, where by some of the pellet dissolves in the water as the water passes thru pellet feeder. Pellet feeders don’t require electrical power to function and are the lowest price of the 3 kinds of chlorinators. They are simple to manage and will frequently run for a few months before any more pellets are required.
They do have a critical disadvantage, as the chlorine residual is difficult to regulate. There are some residential well water applications where these kinds of systems work excellent though, particularly if water usage is minimal for example at a holiday cottage or vacation home.
Pellet Drop Feeders
This type of chlorinator uses a pellet dropper which runs whenever the well pump is working and slowly but surely drops solid chlorine pellets down into the well at pre-set time intervals. The rate at which the pellets are dropped is easily regulated by the home-owner. Pellet feeders are useful for controlling iron bacteria as well as hydrogen sulfide in well waters, but are not usually used as a primary method of disinfecting well water.
Gerry Bulfin, who has been supplying systems for problem well water for over 25 years, is a WQA Certified water technician and a state of California licensed water treatment and distribution system operator. His comprehensive free guide on Well Water Chlorinators is available for a limited period from the online Clean Water Store.






