Einwechter Plumbing & Heating

548-255-2662

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Well Water

Orange stains?Rotten-egg smell?

Iron, manganese and sulphur are common in rural wells around Waterloo Region. We test your well water, then size an air injection (AIO) iron filter to what your water actually contains.

Air injection (AIO) iron filter with Katalox, 1.0 cu ft, replacing your existing filter From $1,595 Installed, plus HST. Sized from your water test.

Well water tested at your tap
One air injection filter for iron, manganese and the smell
A softener alone is not enough

Book a Well Water Test Call 548-255-2662Call 548-255-2662

New Dundee, Wilmot Township, Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, Milton, Halton Hills, Acton, Rockwood and Georgetown

Illustration of orange iron staining in a white toilet bowl caused by iron in well water. Illustration by Einwechter Plumbing & Heating, Kitchener-Waterloo

What you’re seeing

Each stain and smellpoints to something.

Well water picks up minerals from the ground. Iron leaves orange-brown stains, manganese leaves black or grey, and sulphur gives that rotten-egg smell, often strongest on hot water.

Health Canada’s guideline for iron is 0.3 mg/L. It’s set for staining and taste, not safety, and many Ontario wells test well above it.

In Plattsville and Bright we have tested as high as 2-5 mg/L of iron.

Orange or rust stains→Iron
Black or grey stains→Manganese
Rotten-egg smell→Sulphur
Slimy orange buildup in the toilet tank→Iron bacteria: needs disinfection, not just a filter. Your Municipal public health does free testing for this.
Smell only on hot water→Often the water heater’s anode rod reacting
White scale→Hardness, handled by a softener

Smell it or see it?

Have your well water tested by your municipality, or call us for a free well water test. We will tell you what is causing it and what fixes it.

Book a Well Water Test Call 548-255-2662Call 548-255-2662

How an air injection filter works

Air in.Iron and smell out.

You can’t filter something that’s dissolved, the same way a strainer can’t catch sugar in tea. Air injection changes it into something a filter can catch.

1Test the waterIron, manganese, hardness, pH and smell. We suggest a regular bacteria test at your municipal public health office.
2Size it to your wellYour pump’s flow rate and your test results set the tank size and filter media.
3Oxygen does the workA pocket of air at the top of the tank turns dissolved iron, manganese and sulphide into tiny solid particles.
4The filter bed catches themClean water with no smell goes on to the rest of the house.No chemicals added
5Backwash cleans itOn a timer, the filter flushes the particles to the drain and refills its air pocket.

Dissolved iron and sulphur pass through a strainer, but once oxygen turns them into solid particles they are easy to filter. Illustration by Einwechter Plumbing & Heating, Kitchener-Waterloo — **Why air comes first.** Dissolved iron slips through any filter. Oxygen turns it into particles a filter can catch.

Cutaway of an air injection iron filter: well water passes through an air pocket, iron and sulphur turn into particles, and the filter bed traps them. Illustration by Einwechter Plumbing & Heating, Kitchener-Waterloo — **Inside the tank.** Well water passes through a pocket of air, particles form, and the filter bed traps them.

During backwash, the air injection tank flushes trapped particles to the drain and draws in fresh air. Illustration by Einwechter Plumbing & Heating, Kitchener-Waterloo — **Backwash.** On a timer, the flow reverses, flushes the particles to the drain and refills the air pocket.

Why not just a softener?

A softener can handle a little iron, but not much.

Water softeners are built for hardness. Iron-rated softeners can take a very small amount of clear-water iron, but they are not designed for this.

Higher iron, manganese or any rotten-egg smell will foul the resin and come back. The right order is the air injection iron filter first, then the softener.

Equipment order for well water: the air injection iron filter first, then the softener, then UV if bacteria are present. Illustration by Einwechter Plumbing & Heating, Kitchener-Waterloo — **Order matters.** Iron filter first, then the softener, then UV if your well needs it. Each step protects the next.

Tested first
Iron, manganese, hardness, pH and sulphur measured.
No chemicals
Air does the work, then a filter bed catches what it changes.
Whole-house
Every tap, not just the kitchen.
Serviced locally
We maintain what we install.

Also worth knowing

Well ownerbasics.

✓Get your well tested for bacteria regularly at your municipal public health office
✓Iron bacteria needs disinfection, not just filtering
✓UV disinfection is a separate system
✓Acidic (low pH) water can eat copper pipes; a neutralizing filter fixes it
✓Your well pump and pressure tank affect how treatment performs

Locally owned since 2018

Why homeownerschoose Einwechter

The price comes firstYou approve the price before the work begins. No surprises at invoice time.
Brands we stand behindWe guarantee our work for a year when we supply the equipment. We pick brands we trust, and that’s what lets us stand behind them.
Licensed and insuredA licensed plumbing contractor, fully insured: $5 million liability, plus WSIB (workplace insurance), so you’re never on the hook if someone gets hurt.

Air injection iron filter and water softener installed together on a well system by Einwechter Plumbing & Heating, Kitchener-Waterloo

Questions we get asked

Well water FAQ

Why does my well water smell like rotten eggs?

Hydrogen sulphide gas, common in wells in our area. If it’s only on hot water, the water heater’s anode rod may be why.

What causes orange stains from well water?

Iron. Health Canada’s guideline is 0.3 mg/L, and above that you get staining and a metallic taste.

What is an air injection (AIO) iron filter?

A filter tank that keeps a pocket of air at the top. Oxygen turns dissolved iron, manganese and sulphide into particles, and the filter bed traps them. It cleans itself by backwashing, with no chemicals.

Will a water softener remove iron?

Small amounts of clear-water iron, sometimes. Higher iron or any sulphur smell needs the air injection filter first.

How much does iron and sulphur treatment cost?

Replacing an existing iron filter with a 1.0 cu ft air injection (AIO) filter with Katalox media starts at $1,595 installed, plus HST. Larger systems and first-time installs are sized from your water test.

Do you test for bacteria?

We test for iron, manganese, hardness, pH and smell. For bacteria, we suggest testing your well regularly at your municipal public health office. If bacteria show up, that needs disinfection, such as UV, not just a filter.

Well Water

Fix the stains and the smell.

Book a well water test and get a written recommendation.

Book a Well Water Test Call 548-255-2662Call 548-255-2662

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