brown water

[edih]

Am Edih, an M&E services engineer in Lagos, Nigeria.

I ve a burning problem. just completed an hotel project and the domestic water is BROWN after treatment. am so confused.

the water source is a borehole, water contain some iron. so the borehole water is passed through an aeration tank where dosing with chlorine and soda ash takes place and there is a air compressor to provide air into the water.
the water from the aeration is pumped through the 2 filter tanks of activited carbon and sand.

the mystery is that the final treated water is clear in the treated water tank but at the draw-off points in the building its brown water that come out after awhile.

the pipe distribution is done with Upvc pipes from the tank to the transfer pumps and from the pumps to the stacks in the ducts, copper pipes are used and from the stacks its tee off to the toilet sanitary with mutlilayer pipes.

So can anyone HELP me solve this mystery.

Thanks in anticipation,

Akpo Edih.

 

[AWheating]

welcome to the forum.

 

[PlumbBobBob]

welcome along

 

[edih]

thanks steve, wats ur solution and wats the cost u re looking at...

 

[PlumbBobBob]

what is the reason for the air being introduced into the water? could be to do with that. try without the air to see

 

[TGor]

If its clear at the tank it's probably stripping off the pre- existing iron deposits in the pipework system .. need to control the pH level probably! . High velocity in the pipes with entrained air would maybe do the same thing. Trial and error perhaps the only solution.

good luck with that!

 

[edih]

air is introduce to aid oxidation of the iron in the water as the water mix with the other chemical(chlorine and soda ash).

 

[edih]

@Tgor, the pipes are copper pipes which do not corrode and multilayer pipe which do not corrode. anyway i will try ur suggestion on the ph to see wat happens. i do apprreciate.

 

[kay-jay]

can you not get an analysis of the 'brown' water done? knowing what is in it will surely help find out at what point it is introduced into the system

 

[TGor]

I was not speaking of corrosion but if the water is high in iron then it will inevitable deposit on the pipes whatever they are made of. .. now that you have changed the composition of the water it may be dissolving the existing deposits hence the brown water .. if this is the case then it should eventually clear.