Solving the Challenges of Using Well for As farmers and landscape professionals, we’re sure For these reasons and more, a well-designed water you’ll agree that using unfiltered well water can system is crucial to a thriving business when create issues in your irrigation system and can lead to using well water for irrigation. Such a filtration system costly repairs. will remove contaminants from groundwater before they get a chance to enter your irrigation system Before we discuss how to plan your filtration system to where they can cause damage. And, the best well solve the challenges of using well water for irrigation, water filters are cost-effective, low maintenance, and let’s first summarize what the challenges are: easy to install. • Clogging caused by poor water quality: , However, choosing new compatible water filters for Sand, Chemicals and nutrients, Salinity, your current technology can be challenging. Not High/low pH, Hard water every filter that suits well water filtration is effective • Pump failure for every system. And, even if a new well water filter • Reduced pressure prevents clogging, it may be expensive to maintain. • Stuck, sub-optimized valves Let’s take a look at some of the things you should be • High maintenance cleaning aware of as you explore your filtration options.

1/7 The cause of clogging: inadequate Even if your water system isn’t clogged, you risk water quality crop damage and failure by using unfiltered well water. Correcting water quality is therefore essential An irrigation system based on well water must deal to implementing and maintaining a cost-effective with considerably more impurities than water from irrigation system. surface sources. For this reason, it’s essential to test the quality of your well water before selecting But, we realize it may be tempting to forget well water a filtration solution. Well water extracted from sub- filters altogether. After all, aren’t there alternatives to surface water sources such as aquifers contain more installing filters? mineral substances and a high level of minerals can clog your irrigation system. Alternative solutions to well water filters For example, clumped sand from well water can There are two additional steps you can take to prevent physically clog your system, and chemical interactions water clogging: among minerals such as magnesium, hard water, and chemical treatments and periodic flushing. fertilizers can increase the chances of clogging. To Chemical treatment of irrigation water make matters worse, some of these substances can also damage your crops. Chemical treatment involves using chlorination But it’s not just the chemicals and sand that can have and other disinfectants to control clogging in your an adverse effect on your system. There are a few irrigation system. And if the pH level is too high, other variables that also affect well water quality, this is accompanied by an acid or chlorine injection. including: This approach works, but it is not preventative. As a result, you will have to regularly invest in such treatments in order to keep your irrigation system Salinity working efficiently. Unfortunately, you will also need to test your fertilizers with the chemicals if you are This refers to how much salt concentrate is in the performing fertigation. Some mixes can actually cause water. A high level of salinity can actually dehydrate clogging! Between testing and regular injections, the soil and damage your crops. chemical treatments can become expensive.

Periodic flushing High pH The second option, periodic flushing of your irrigation A high acidity level corrodes laterals , resulting in high system, is recommended. This action helps prevent maintenance costs. The last thing you want to do is to mineral build-up, and thus minimizes clogging. And continuously replace laterals because of acidic water. even with well water filters, it’s important to have a Abnormally high or low pH can also negatively affect flush function in order to keep the system optimized. your crops. The pH in your well water needs to be Both of these options are viable well water treatment balanced. solutions for irrigation applications, and can be effective when properly integrated into your irrigation Water hardness system. However, they do not replace the need for water filters. Bypassing the use of quality well water Water hardness occurs when well water contains a filters can become a very costly mistake. significant amount of dissolved calcium. This not only damages your irrigation system, but it can negatively affect your fertilizers.

2/7 Why you need water filtration What to look for in a water when using well water filtration system Unfiltered well water can wreak havoc on agricultural There are many factors to consider when comparing profitability and yield, and/or compromise the well water filtration units for irrigation applications. appearance of the landscape. Some of the problems To make the process easier, we have devised the nine that can result from using unfiltered water in your most important features to look for. Use this checklist irrigation system include: when choosing a well water filter:

• Clogged emitters, resulting in uneven irrigation Filter cleaning and monitoring – the manual cleaning and reduced yield and/or plant damage or loss of water filters can be time consuming and increase

• Stuck or poorly functioning valves labor costs. That’s why the first option on your list is to look at reliable automatic self-cleaning models • Pump failure like the Mini Sigma. With mobile-monitored units, • Reduced pressure in the system, which can cause either you or the filter can trigger the self-cleaning myriad issues including damage to the system mechanism. Amiad’s app not only lets you trigger and/or inadequate water distribution cleaning cycles, but also provides thorough reports and performance data on your filter. This lets you As you can see, while clogging is the most common automate the process so you can focus on other tasks. problem, it is not the only one. Furthermore, clogging can often lead to other issues such as pump failure and stuck valves.

There is more than one way to protect your irrigation system from these problems, but the best way to fix them is to prevent them with a well-designed well water filtration system. Chemical treatments only salvage your laterals , and flushing isn’t strong enough to prevent clogging altogether. While these solutions can be effective, they are best used as supplements to strong well water filters. A good water filtration system will save you time and money. Similarly, the Sigma Pro's hydraulic controller uses a 3-way ball valve, so you can decide between automatic and manual operations.

3/7 Filter durability – what is the filter housed in? Does and 0° angles. Likewise, the Mini Sigma it use screen filters? The best screen filters have a drain pipe can make a 360° rotation so that it can fit corrosion-free polymeric housing and internal parts. into any configuration. Both models have modular Combined with self-cleaning technology, polymeric inlets and outlets, and the Mini Sigma can be installed filters offer long-term durability. In addition, using horizontally or vertically. multiple screens ensures a better filtration system. Can it handle low pressure? The last thing you want is Amiad’s Mini Sigma, for example, uses both coarse vacuum formation and other disruptions in your well and fine screens for effective filtering, and they are water filtering system. The ideal system is not only automatically flushed through the self-cleaning app. effective at 1.5 bar (22 psi) during the flush cycle, but These screens remove not only inorganic materials, also alerts you to high and low pressure. but also organic pests like moss, algae, plant residue The Mini Sigma will work at this minimum pressure and minerals. and will continue to be optimized at an operation Water and power consumption – it’s crucial that a pressure of 8 bar (116 psi). well water filter be cost-effective. Durable water The Sigma Pro, meanwhile, can operate up to 10 filtration systems with self-cleaning mechanisms bar (145 psi). The ability to work with low and high such as the Mini Sigma or Sigma Pro are extremely pressure keeps your system running smoothly, and cost-effective as they decrease downtime and use less prevents damage to your irrigation system through water and power. Look for well water filters that use bursts and leaks. a hydraulic turbine. This is a sure sign that the filter Filtration degrees – what is the filtration rating? This uses less power – and saves you money. rating, measured in microns, measures the amount Compatibility with current equipment – you shouldn’t of particles that can be removed from water using a need to buy new equipment for a premium water filter. Both example models have a filter degree of 80- filter! Versatility is the key to finding compatible well 500 microns, meaning they are well suited for picking water filters. A flexible inlet-outlet configuration up heavy sediments and chemicals. Your ideal water makes it easy to adapt new technology to your current filter should have the ability to pick up the harmful equipment. Continuing with our examples, the Sigma components in your well water, so it’s important to Pro allows you to adjust the inlet and outlet 180°, 90° test your water before looking for a water filter.

4/7 Water saving features – no one likes waste! But reject water is a part of the filtration process. How do the filtration options you are considering optimize and conserve water? Amiad understands the desire to conserve water, so we build our filters to get the most useable water as possible.

Flushing included? Remember when we discussed flushing as a method to prevent build-up in your irrigation laterals ? It’s the same with water filters. Check whether the well water filter you are looking at comes with a flushing function and how often it flushes. In addition to possible cake build-up, you want to prevent bridging. Bridging occurs when particles form a bridge from one side of the filter to the other, causing the filter to clog. Both Amiad Sigma You may have noticed we haven’t mentioned other models are self-cleaning, ensuring that the filters important factors like filtration area, inlet/outlet stay dirt-free and fully optimized. diameter, weight, flow rate or filtration velocity. These factors are crucial for compatibility, but most User-friendly installation and low maintenance companies now make filters of varying sizes. don’t spend hours trying to figure out a complicated The sizes then affect all of these factors. For example, installation manual. That’s not worth your time the Sigma Pro comes in size variants of 4”, 6” and or your money. Instead, look for companies that 8”. The Mini Sigma, as the name implies, comes in create user-friendly well water filters with quick considerably smaller sizes – 2”, 3”, and 4”. installations. In order to discover the ultimate low- maintenance solution, you have to look at these There’s no need to rely on costly chemical treatments aforementioned points: self-cleaning, flushing, or flushing to protect your irrigation system from the durability and versatility. These four qualities will problems associated with well water. If you look for determine not only how long your filter will last, but these nine features, you’ll find a well water filter that how well it will work over time. is low maintenance, cost-effective, and user-friendly.

5/7 The search for your well water filter is over!

Whether your clogging is caused by chemicals, sand are water and power efficient and effective even and sediment particles, bacteria, salinity, water during low pressure operation. In addition, hardness or high or low pH, we have you covered. the units are easy to install, and allow for multiple configurations – making them compatible with your Amiad’s Sigma Pro and Mini Sigma are two durable equipment. The Mini Sigma is the newest in the models that include self-cleaning mechanisms, series, and like the others, is built to handle water mobile-monitoring, and corrosion-free polymeric from various sources – not just well water. build. Like all the Sigma series filters, these models

Amiad’s water filtration systems offer the highest, most cost-effective results for well water irrigation.

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