Does Water Softener Remove Iron?

Updated July 08, 2021

Water softener makes the water suitable for drinking. In other words, it removes magnesium, calcium, and some other metals that make your water hard. As a result, you will also find it easier to clean and do other chores that require water. But most people wonder whether their water softener removes iron.

Well, it totally depends on your tap water and water softening mechanism. If you want to learn whether your drinking water has iron, you need to read this article.

Here we have mentioned the ways to identify iron in water and how you can remove it. Let’s take a look.

Why do You Need to Remove Iron?

You may already know that iron is not completely harmful to your health. Not to mention, a large number of Americans have iron deficiencies. That said, iron present in water can lead to numerous issues.

One problem can be that it can taste awful. Iron in water can spoil your beverages, food, and anything that you cook or make from saltwater.

Besides that, even a small amount of iron in water can change its appearance in a slightly brown color. Next, iron can help in the growth of bacteria that can cause a slimy gunk surface on things. You can even notice bacteria formation at the back of your toilet, which is a pretty common problem. Note that these bacteria will not lead to health problems but can change the odor of water. Of course, you don’t want to drink water with a stinky smell.

Lastly, iron can cause several other problems to the hardware and plumbing of your house. Anything that interacts with iron can get wear and tear over time. Iron in the water can stick to the plumbing and pipes, which leads to clogs and considerably expensive repairs.

Does Water Softener Remove Iron?

When it comes to iron removal strategy, water softeners are the right solution. But there are two questions you need to ask when choosing the water softener. First, ask whether your water softening tool can remove ferrous iron content?

This type of iron gets dissolved in water, but it also has positive ions that can interact chemically with sodium ions present in water softening devices. Hence, allowing you to get rid of salt. However, it only happens when the water has acidic properties. As acidic water tries to completely dissolve the iron in water to make it ferrous, it allows the sodium to interact with the sodium effectively.

Secondly, can your water softening equipment remove ferric iron? Unfortunately, typically water softeners are not able to interact with ferric iron that is present in the form of particles. This is because the only way to remove these particles is to use a water filtration process. In this case, you can purchase high-quality water softeners that can remove ferric water, such as Whirlpool Water Softener.

You can determine the amount of ferric iron in your house’s water so that you can choose the softening system according to it. Moreover, the water softener that comes with the filter allows you to remove iron that is less than 1.5 parts per million. But some best companies are producing water softeners with filters that can remove more than the standard amount of iron.

However, if you purchase the standard device with both filtering and softening properties, you will need to replace its filter more frequently. Therefore, it’s best to opt for a water softener that can help you remove both ferric and ferrous iron.

Ferric and Ferrous Iron

One of the most important things you need to know is that the two irons that can exist in water give totally different color to the water. This way, you can easily identify the type of iron in your water. Ferrous iron doesn’t change the color of your water. Hence, water will look transparent when you check it.

The other forms of iron usually give colors to the water. These colors can range from yellow to brown.

The following is the way to identify the iron-type in your water.

Pick a high flow tap or faucet such as a bathtub faucet that works accurately
Turn on the faucet completely
Allow water to flow for at least five minutes to clear out all the standing water in your faucet and plumbing
Then, fill the water in a large bucket
Place this bucket under a bright light
You can easily notice the color of the water. If you identify brown, orange, or yellow coloration, then you have ferric iron in your water
But if the water is clear, then you may have ferrous iron in the water

You also need to know that if you expose clear water to air for a longer time, the iron will convert into ferric iron.

What Can You Do to Remove Iron through Water Softener?

The traditional water softeners help to soften the water, not to remove iron. If you think that your water softeners can’t remove all the iron in the water, then you should not rely on it completely.

Here are some options that you can choose to solve this problem.

You can use iron out salt to remove iron from the water. By using this salt, you can boost your unit’s ability to remove iron from your house’s water. This salt doesn’t cut out iron completely from the water. But it can prevent corrosion and rust on your plumbing and other things.
You can also use a separate iron filter before allowing your water to reach the water softener. In this case, run your water through a filter with iron removing abilities before it reaches the water softener’s tank.

You can read about our other popular reviews on Culligan, Kinetico, Rayne Water, and waterboss.

Bottom Line

Knowing what type of iron is present in your water is important to find its solution. So, before making any decision, make sure to check the water quality. Additionally, it is important to choose high-quality water softeners like Kinetic Water Softener or others, even if you have less amount of iron in the water.