January 4, 20251 yr Hello all We have a 44 gallon drum sand filter that we have been using for a while now. before we had a rather powerful water feature plastic pump to pump the water into our ceramic filter inside the kitchen. We now changed to an on-demand 0.375 Mac-Afric pump, but even after running the pump with water for hours, we still get a strong taste of metal in the water. What is the best way to fix this? Plastic impeller (if they are available)? Replace pump Put an inline filter system in the kitchen to remove the taste Which filter would do this best? Other ideas? We like the idea of the on-demand - just not drinkable as it is now. Your input would be greatly appreciated.
January 4, 20251 yr 3 hours ago, malcolmp said: Hello all We have a 44 gallon drum sand filter that we have been using for a while now. before we had a rather powerful water feature plastic pump to pump the water into our ceramic filter inside the kitchen. We now changed to an on-demand 0.375 Mac-Afric pump, but even after running the pump with water for hours, we still get a strong taste of metal in the water. What is the best way to fix this? Plastic impeller (if they are available)? Replace pump Put an inline filter system in the kitchen to remove the taste Which filter would do this best? Other ideas? We like the idea of the on-demand - just not drinkable as it is now. Your input would be greatly appreciated. Cheapest and fastest way is to add a carbon filter before the tap.
January 4, 20251 yr Good afternoon @malcolmp I noticed that it is an Mac Afric pump sold by Adendorff and I am assuming that it is one of these pumps as pictured below, have you raised the problem with the Adendorff branch where the pump was purchased? I doubt that the pump will add a metal taste to the water because the flow through the pump is high. What material is the 44 gallon drum? When was the last time the ceramic filter was cleaned or replaced? Are there any other filters beside the 2 filters mentioned? If Adendorff would not come to the party then I would suggest that a Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) filter and a KDF+GAC filter be added, the 20" big blue housings are the most common type used for the aforementioned filters. Kind Regards GerhardK83
January 5, 20251 yr Author 15 hours ago, GerhardK83 said: Good afternoon @malcolmp I noticed that it is an Mac Afric pump sold by Adendorff and I am assuming that it is one of these pumps as pictured below, have you raised the problem with the Adendorff branch where the pump was purchased? I doubt that the pump will add a metal taste to the water because the flow through the pump is high. What material is the 44 gallon drum? When was the last time the ceramic filter was cleaned or replaced? Are there any other filters beside the 2 filters mentioned? If Adendorff would not come to the party then I would suggest that a Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) filter and a KDF+GAC filter be added, the 20" big blue housings are the most common type used for the aforementioned filters. Kind Regards GerhardK83 Thanks all for the input. Drum is plastic. Been using it for ages. I have not raised it with Ardendorf - but will do this coming week. Filter is replaced once a year - but the taste is there before and after. If we take the water before the pump the water is perfect. The pipes are polycop and then copper when it gets into the kitchen wall. Tap at the drinking water sink is a cobra tap, cold only. Will keep you all updated.
January 5, 20251 yr Hi A question What is the SOURCE OF THE WATER? To filter the water taste it would help to know the source to see what minerals are in the water. eg: If it is from a well or borehole it might be disolved iron which needs a different filter.
January 5, 20251 yr 2 hours ago, malcolmp said: . If we take the water before the pump the water is perfect I would suggest RO 5 stage filter. Link below.Stage 5: Post Inline Carbon Filter - Gives water a great taste and neutralizes any odor https://www.bluespotwater.co.za/p/80993/5-stage-reverse-osmosis-purifier-without-pump-plastic-or-steel-tank?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA-Oi7BhA1EiwA2rIu2_QP9tZWNSO1B7a93ic9LUEXm-G1W74U4zD7qojLPbaPNSyqAqkGoRoCp1UQAvD_BwE
January 5, 20251 yr For drinking water you want a stainless steel pump. Cast iron pumps are mainly for irrigation, etc. See the link below for an example. 👍 https://www.takealot.com/trade-professional-water-pump-0-55-hp-ss-jet-motor/PLID94092201
January 6, 20251 yr Author 22 hours ago, Peter Topp said: Hi A question What is the SOURCE OF THE WATER? To filter the water taste it would help to know the source to see what minerals are in the water. eg: If it is from a well or borehole it might be disolved iron which needs a different filter. Hi Peter It is sourced from an awning off the kitchen, no trees or anything to drop kak on it, then through strainer, then inline microfilters, then into the sand filter, then to storage drum, then into the pump.
January 6, 20251 yr Author 9 minutes ago, dax021 said: Possibly a stupid question, but is your 44gal drum plastic or steel? Plastic
January 6, 20251 yr I know you say the water tastes fine before the pump but I'd still check the pH level of the water first, it's a very cheap test and it would be good to rule that out before looking at more involved and expensive remedies. You can use the swimming pool test kit or test strips that are available at supermarkets, agrishops or Takealot, they're cheap.. maybe 50 test strips for a hundred bucks. There's also aquarium 6 in 1 test strips that also indicate nitrate levels and hardness at around 160 bucks and there's 16 in 1 water quality test strips available that test for metals as well for around R350.00
January 6, 20251 yr I'm taking a bit of a flyer, buy maybe it's a bit of electrolysis. Try grounding the pump and all metal pipes
January 8, 20251 yr Author Called Ardendorf, they told me to get a plumber, as it must the the piping. I have also cleaned the impeller (brass btw), with Bicarbonate of Soda and let it soak for 4 hours - it might be my imagination, but it tastes a slight bit better, but the metalic taste is still there. Will keep you posted.
January 9, 20251 yr Author Remember, all was ok with the same piping using a plastic water fountain pump, I just changed that for a on-demand pump and added a tap in the kitchen.
January 9, 20251 yr 8 minutes ago, malcolmp said: Remember, all was ok with the same piping using a plastic water fountain pump, I just changed that for a on-demand pump and added a tap in the kitchen. Just check, maybe a piece of wire or iron nail got into your 44 gallon drum?
January 11, 20251 yr Author Yesterday I removed the new inside tap, and the flexi-hose, and put a temp used tap to test the water, we noticed that the water tasted much better. I then soaked those in Bicarbonate of Soda for a few hours and then put them back. It did seem much better. Then we thought we should run Bicarbonate of Soda diluted with 25l of water (750mg Bicarb) through the entire system, which we did about three times - so almost 75l ran through the entire system. Since we did this, the water no longer has the metal taste. My assumption is that it was either the tap or the flexi-hose. If things change I will update this post, but for now I have a good feeling our problem is solved. Remember the only things that changed was the pump, the flexi-hose and the tap. Thanks for all the input, it is always appreciated.
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