Controlling water quality is important to your irrigation system. While the health of what you’re watering is one of the top things that come to mind, it’s also very important to think about the longevity of your system as the particles that appear in your water can do some serious damage to the system if the water is left untreated. The presence of rust in your water is one of the things that can cause damage if not addressed.
Rust is formed when iron comes into contact with oxygen in either the air or water. According to a piece on discovercabrillo.com, iron, which is a naturally occurring element that is found in rocks and soil, may lead to rust in your water if it’s present in high levels. Certainly if your irrigation system is fed with a well, it’s very possible that there’s iron in the water as iron is found in the ground.
It’s also very important to note that if your system is older, rust particles can chip off of your pipes and get into the water. Systems that are fed by a city water source may also have rust present if their water infrastructure has been in place for a decades without any updates. If you’re concerned that there’s rust in your irrigation system, one of the more obvious ways to tell would be the color of your water. While an orange color to water is most commonly recognized as a sign of rust, discovercabrillo.com points out that yellow, red or brown water can also be an effect of rusty water. If you’re noticing that the water coming out of your irrigation system is one of these colors, you’ll want to act sooner rather than later.
In an article found on This Old House, there is mention of how the presence of rust can lead to staining. If you have had rust in your home’s water system that’s gone untreated, you have more than likely found that over time a rust color appears in toilets and sinks. If rust in your home water leads to stains that are very annoying to make disappear on different plumbing fixtures, it certainly can’t be good for the plants that your irrigation system is responsible for watering.
Another problem with having rust in your irrigation system is the inconvenience that it can cause for you. It’s possible that if you have enough iron sediment it can get stuck along different points in the system and cause clogging. This can obviously become a burden as you need to take time to unclog your system. This could end up leading to unexpected maintenance costs if you have to schedule a service visit or even just obtain the right tools to do the job yourself. If damage is done to your system, you could also have to pay for replacement parts.
Vu-Flow offers several different filter options designed for sediment removal. A spin-down filter or sediment trapper, for example, offers flow capacity for your entire system. It’s very simple to use and easy to add as a component to your irrigation system. The unit starts with a body, that comes in different sizes, in which an element sits that filters the water. This element comes in reusable polyester and stainless-steel options and the mesh of the element comes in many sizes as well depending on the size of the sediment that you’re filtering. The entire unit is surrounded by a cover, and there’s a clear cover option that will allow you to see the sediment buildup, which is important for knowing when it’s time to clean the filter. The end of the filter also has a ball valve that allows for easy flushing of the sediment or minerals that get trapped. The cover is easy to remove, which allows for a complete clean of the filter. A benefit of getting a filter from Vu-Flow is that you don’t need any special tools to install as everything you need comes right in the box.
If you’re in the market for an irrigation rust filter and would like to learn more about what Vu-Flow has to offer, visit our website at www.vuflow.com. You can also call 1-800-833-5171 for a live customer service representative.
Source Notes: All information in this article related to rust in water came from discovercabrillo.com and This Old House.
