Is a Hydrogen Peroxide Water treatment system safe?

[Harry Potterish]

Hello friends,

I am thinking of adding a hydrogen peroxide water treatment system to my home. I found some info on them, but my main concern is if it is safe for drinking? Is it safe to use bleach to toilets? Is it safe to use ammonia to wash floors? The system I am looking into installing is an injection system which injects 20% hydrogen into the water lines when the well kicks in.

Thanks in advance,
Harry

[PinkertonD]

If you are on a well, then I assume you also have a Septic tank. A little research will assure you that the Septic tank will be pristine clean and swim-able in with Bleach being fed in. As a Septic tank to process waste however, it will be useless. I read somewhere that as little as six cups of Bleach will kill a 1000 gallon tank of Bacteria completely. Even worse apparently, is Liquid Plumber type stuff, which takes barely a cup full. I have no first hand experience of either of those issues as I would not use either in our Septic system. Also, a lot of toilet flushing system seals are attacked by Bleach.

I do not know much about the Hydrogen Peroxide approach, but I do purge our pump, filters and softener system with it about once a year or two. We have an Iron Bacteria problem that leaves a red stain on everything. Being a Bacteria, it is virtually impossible to filter, so trying to maintain some control is about as good as it gets. after purging with Hydrogen Peroxide, I always flush to ground rather than let it get in to the Septic system.

You can shock your well with Bleach if you have to, but be sure you flush it to ground before reconnecting it to the house supply.

We have two filters, 20-Microns and 5-Microns and a salt-charged softener. Drinking water is further filtered using a jug-type activated Carbon filter.

[lindadadson]

Mostly people use it as a disinfectant. I used it a few times. My research for water water monitoring was getting more aggressive when I was unable to find the solution of the problem I had. I want a water treatment and monitoring kit. I own a house with 2 bathrooms with Jacuzzi tub.These are the parameters I am concern of :

Hardness
Dissolved oxygen
Iron
TDS
PH Value
Tannins
H2S Ratio
Temperature

I need help in H2S treatment most of all. This cause unpleasant odor that really irritates me sometime. Can anyone suggest me an odor oxidizer? I am afraid of just because of the use of it, but want to try once. Your suggestions are valuable to me as I am new to learn in this field. I also want to measure optical characteristics of water with the help of a ...link removed.

[jackkingsford]

I read something about hydrogen peroxide treatment but I’m not sure if it’s safe for drinking. And bleach for toilets? Yes.

[Ctxgs]

Hydrogen Peroxide or H2o2 is safer than bleach. H2o2 breaks down rapidly to oxygen and water. It couldn't get any more safe. Chlorine or Bleach have a long list of harmful effects. I use 35% food grade to oxydize the 50+ ppm ferrous iron we have in our well water. Then after oxidizing it, I trap it in a sediment filter. Think of it like this, my water is clear and when exposed to air the oxygen causes the iron to start to form. Take my same well water and hit it with some 35% H2o2 it turns red and iron falls to the bottom. The iron is now in a ferric state and not dissolved. Now it can be caught by a filter. It depends on your water as to what other filtration you may need. a test needs to be performed. H2o2 also works for mamganes, iron bacteria, sulfate reducing bacteria, hydrogen sulfide or H2S, (stinky water).

[dnakos]

Ctxgs, I have been researching well water treatment systems and need a little help designing my H2O2 system. I have 30ppm iron and 0.1ppm manganese. I have a local supplier for cheap 35% peroxide. The basic system recommended by filter suppliers includes peristaltic pump, contact tank, Centaur catalytic carbon filter, sediment filter. One supplier says no contact tank because the carbon will release O2 and cause an immediate reaction. Both say 7% H2O2 max.

Do you use a contact tank? Any problems with 35% H2O2 besides safe handling?

Thanks for any help!

[Cragyon]

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA);

"Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) is rarely used in drinking water treatment as a stand-alone treatment process. H₂O₂ is a weak mirobiocide compared to chlorine, ozone, and other commonly used disinfectants. Consequently, it is not approved by regulatory agencies as a stand-alone disinfection treatment process. However, there are a number of technologies where H₂O₂ is used as part of the treatment program. The advanced oxidation process (AOP) uses H₂O₂ in conjunction of O₃ and/or UV light to produce hydroxyl radicals (·OH), which are very effective in removing taste and odor (T&O) compounds, and inorganic and organic micropollutants. H₂O₂ can also be catalyzed with iron, to produce hydroxyl radicals by Fenton's reaction. Addition of H₂O₂ in conjunction of UV light and/or ozone produces powerful hydroxyl radicals, which are more effective than ozone or UV alone. AOP involving hydroxyl radicals in drinking water treatment is used to remove various persistent organic and inorganic micro-pollutants. O₃/ H₂O₂ and UV/ H₂O₂ have been successfully used to oxidize many persistent pesticides, T&O compounds, pharmaceutical and hazardous chemicals that may be present in surface and groundwater.
In the Fenton process, H₂O₂ and iron generate hydroxyl radicals through a catalytic process. The process is based on electron transfer between H₂O₂ and iron ions. The hydroxyl radical produced during this activation process is a strong oxidizing agent able to oxidize organic compounds. The advantage of this process is that no energy input is necessary to activate the hydrogen peroxide. However, the main disadvantage of this process is the additional water pollution caused by adding the iron salt. Solid iron blocks have been used to avoid water pollution with iron salt; however, leaching of metal ions makes this process problematic. Fenton's Reagent has proven to be very effective in the treatment of organic molecules. However, the process is expensive because additional residuals, which require disposal, are generated and a continuous supply of feed chemicals is required."

[Ctxgs]

Ctxgs, I have been researching well water treatment systems and need a little help designing my H2O2 system. I have 30ppm iron and 0.1ppm manganese. I have a local supplier for cheap 35% peroxide. The basic system recommended by filter suppliers includes peristaltic pump, contact tank, Centaur catalytic carbon filter, sediment filter. One supplier says no contact tank because the carbon will release O2 and cause an immediate reaction. Both say 7% H2O2 max.

Do you use a contact tank? Any problems with 35% H2O2 besides safe handling?

Thanks for any help!

I do not use a contact tank on my well but, I am incorporation it into my systems design to give the precipitated iron a place to fall and take some load off of the sediment filter. The carbon is used to break down the H2o2 but to reduce it all the way to zero it has to be cataytic carbon. Peristaltic pump must be used with H2o2 because as it breaks down it releases oxygen and wont hold a prime on a diaphram pump. 7% is too weak in book opinion. I use 35% and have had great success. there are a few tests that need to be performed if your plan on using H2o2 for water treatment. Does the Ph drop after adding H2o2 or exposing to air ? Does your water turn extremely red when you leave it out or add H2o2 ? We have designed a system that can treat some of the worst water.
The reason cities does not use H2o2 in municipalities is that if more than 25 people are on that water supply its concidered public and must be followed up with chlorine. Also its not a long term disinfectant. Its breaks down over time unlike bleach. It cant travel 50 or 100 miles like bleach. Its much cleaner, stronger, and safer in my opinion. I only treat private rural water wells, and exclusively with hydrogen peroxide technology. There is not a lot of research on this subject but im keeping notes all the way.

[fstamey]

Hey, I'm new to this forium, but just a few comments. I've been using h202, 35% for about a week now, have used a quart so far, using a Stinner pump set on 3 gpd, this seems to be worki g fine. The raw water has .03 mag, .05 iron,a ph of 7.1 and h20s. I think I'm on the right track because the rotton egg smell has been gone a few days.
Any comments would be appreciated.

[msec123]

Yes,it is safe to use H2O2 compare to using bleach..Using Hydrogen Peroxide to purify water has been shown to create a higher level of oxygen in water which in turn is healthier for the body. Hydrogen Peroxide has been known to be a cleansing agent for eleminating toxins in the body’s system. Added in small amounts to water, Hydrogen Peroxide’s benefits can be a healthy alternative to bleaching water for safe clean water.
Large water treatment plants use (H2O2) for treating sewage water in water treatment plants. Eliminate the possible harmful effects of chlorine bleach in water by seeking other sources such as Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) for treating and creating purified water in emergency disaster situations.

[akashram]

Hydrogen peroxide is a powerful oxidizer. It reacts with a variety of substances. It is therefore diluted during transport, as a safety measure. However, for hydrogen peroxide disinfection, high concentrations are required.
Hydrogen peroxide slowly decomposes into water and oxygen. An elevation of temperature and the presence of pollutions enhance this process.

The concentration of hydrogen peroxide in a solution slowly decreases. This is caused by the following reaction:
2 H2O2 → 2 H2O + O2
This is a redox reaction. Hydrogen molecules partly function as reductors and partly as oxidizers.

[redwhitechemicals]

Hydrogen peroxide well water treatment for bacteria may not be as popular as other optionsfor the treatment of bacteria-infested well water, but it is just as effective as, say, chlorinationor shock treatment and, according to experts, is in fact safer.

[BellJeriBell2012]

I am planning to add a water softener to my home since we have hard water problems. I plan to also run a separate line off the softener so I can wash my cars.


I am also planning on buying a electromagnetic water softener which my plumber recommends. This will allow it to be run through the entire house and be used for cooking, ice cubes and drinking.


Have any of you had any experience with this kind of softener instead of the typical salt based systems.


Thanks!

[BellJeriBell2012]

I am planning to add a water softener to my home since we have hard water problems. I plan to also run a separate line off the softener so I can wash my cars.


I am also planning on buying a electromagnetic water softener which my plumber recommends. This will allow it to be run through the entire house and be used for cooking, ice cubes and drinking.


Have any of you had any experience with this kind of softener instead of the typical salt based systems.


Thanks!

Update:

I just now purchased Fleck water softener from Amazon, it's working good for now but still I can't comment on it without using for 30 days.