Well Water Treatment & Whole-House Filtration
Armor Pro Services builds whole-house well water treatment for Helotes and NW Bexar Hill Country homes, and getting it right is about sequence, not a single tank. We treat private-well water in order: an air-injection oxidizing filter for iron up to about 10 ppm and sulfur, then the softener, then a 30 mJ/cm² UV system for coliform. Licensed under Texas RMP #36282, we size every stage off your actual tap test, not a municipal hardness number.
Well Water Treatment in Helotes: How We Approach It
A Helotes well needs a treatment train, not a single box. On the private-well properties we service across NW Bexar and the Hill Country, iron above 0.5 ppm and noticeable sulfur are common, and incoming pressure often runs 90+ psi. We test first, then build the system in the order that actually works.
The correct sequence never changes: oxidizing iron-and-sulfur filter first, softener second, UV last. Skip the first stage and the iron ruins the softener resin. Skip the last stage and coliform on a private well goes untreated.
Hill Country well reality: These are private wells, not SAWS service. We never quote well treatment off a municipal hardness number because your water isn't on the municipal system. The tap test is the only number that matters.
Here's the honest part most companies skip: a stock softener sold for city water is the wrong first move on an untreated well. Run iron-laden water through softener resin and it fouls fast, loses capacity, and starts leaking iron past the bed within a season or two. The oxidizing filter ahead of it is what protects that investment. Not sure what's in your water? Call 210-212-7667 and we'll test at the tap before recommending anything.
Iron and Sulfur Removal on Well Water
Iron and sulfur come off a well with oxidation, not softening. For iron up to about 10 ppm and the rotten-egg sulfur smell (hydrogen sulfide), we install an air-injection oxidizing filter as the first stage in the train. It draws a pocket of air into the tank, oxidizes the dissolved iron and sulfur so they drop out of solution, and backwashes the accumulated media on a set cycle. That's what stops the orange staining and the smell at every fixture in the house.
The iron filter goes ahead of the softener, always. Run raw well iron through softener resin and you'll be replacing that bed years early. We size the oxidizer to your tested iron load, not a guess.
We'll only claim what the installed media actually does. An air-injection oxidizing filter handles iron and sulfur within its rated range. It is not a bacteria treatment and it is not a whole-water-quality cure-all. If your test comes back with iron well above 10 ppm, or with manganese or tannins in the mix, we'll tell you what additional stage that takes rather than overselling a single tank. Talk to us about your water: get a free estimate.
Where the Softener Fits in the Train
Once the iron and sulfur are oxidized and filtered out, the softener does its actual job: pulling calcium and magnesium hardness out with an ion-exchange resin bed on demand-initiated regeneration. Sitting second in the train, downstream of the oxidizing filter, the resin sees clean water and lasts the way it's supposed to.
That ordering is the whole point of treating a well correctly. It's the same demand-metered softener technology we install for city homes, but on a well it is never the first component in line. For the full breakdown of softener sizing, salt-based versus salt-free, and demand-initiated regeneration, see our water softener installation page. On a well property, we simply place that softener after the iron filter and before the UV.
Whole-House UV Water Filter for Well Water
A private well has no municipal chlorination behind it, so coliform bacteria is a real possibility no filter or softener addresses. That's the last stage: a 30 mJ/cm² whole-house UV system installed downstream of the softener. UV light at that dose inactivates coliform and other microorganisms as the water passes through, treating every tap in the house.
UV only works on water that's already clear, which is exactly why it goes last. Iron, sulfur, and sediment cloud the water and shadow the lamp, so the oxidizing filter and softener upstream aren't optional if the UV is going to do its job. Two maintenance items keep it effective:
- Replace the UV bulb annually. Output drops off over a year of run time even though the lamp still glows, so a calendar replacement is how you keep the rated dose.
- Replace the quartz sleeve every three years. Mineral film builds on the sleeve over time and cuts the light reaching the water.
We set you up knowing exactly when both are due. Ready when you are: 210-212-7667.
High Water Pressure on a Well: Why You Need a PRV
Hill Country well properties frequently run 90+ psi coming into the house, and that's a problem the treatment train doesn't solve on its own. Code and good practice put the ceiling at 80 psi. Above that you get hammering pipes, stressed supply lines, prematurely failed fixture valves, and appliance inlets that give out early.
When your incoming pressure tests over 80 psi, we install a pressure-reducing valve (PRV) to bring it into range and protect both the plumbing and the treatment equipment you just paid for. The oxidizing filter, softener, and UV all have rated pressure and flow limits, and running them at well-pump pressure shortens their life.
Not sure if you need one? Don't guess. We gauge the incoming pressure during the water test. If you're already under 80 psi with a working PRV, we'll tell you so and leave it alone.
Where permit scope applies, we file under RMP #36282. For a deeper look at pressure regulation on its own, see our water pressure regulator service.
When Well Water Treatment Isn't the Right Call Yet
We'd rather lose the job than sell you a system you don't need. A few honest scenarios where you should hold off:
- Your water test comes back clean. If the tap tests low on iron, no detectable sulfur, and hardness that doesn't justify a softener, don't spend the money. Some Hill Country wells are genuinely good water. We'll show you the numbers.
- You've got a single isolated symptom with a simpler cause. A brand-new sulfur smell only at the hot tap is often the water heater's anode rod reacting, not the well, and that's a far cheaper fix than a whole-house oxidizer.
- You're about to change wells or the well is failing. Treatment sized to a dying well's chemistry is money you'll re-spend. Sort the well first.
If any of that fits your situation, we'll say so on the phone or at the tap test. When treatment genuinely is the answer, we'll size it to what your water actually contains. Either way: tell us what's going on and we'll give you a straight read.
Frequently Asked Questions About Well Water Treatment
The questions we actually get from Helotes and NW Bexar well owners, answered directly.
Frequently asked
Does well water need both a softener and a filter?
Usually yes, and in that order. A softener only removes hardness (calcium and magnesium); it does nothing for iron, sulfur, or bacteria, and running raw well iron through the resin fouls it fast. On the Helotes wells we treat, we install an air-injection oxidizing filter first for iron up to about 10 ppm and sulfur, then the softener downstream on demand-initiated regeneration, then a 30 mJ/cm² UV system for coliform. Your water test decides which stages you actually need. Some wells need all three, some need fewer.
How often do I replace the UV bulb on a well water system?
Replace the UV bulb once a year. The lamp keeps glowing well past its useful output, so you can't judge it by eye; UV intensity at the rated 30 mJ/cm² dose degrades over roughly a year of continuous run time. On top of the annual bulb, replace the quartz sleeve every three years because mineral film builds on it and blocks light from reaching the water. We tell you exactly when each is due when we set the system up.
Will a softener remove the rotten-egg sulfur smell from my well?
No. A standard salt-based softener does not remove sulfur (hydrogen sulfide). Sulfur comes out through oxidation, which is what the air-injection oxidizing filter does when it's installed ahead of the softener. If your Helotes well has both hardness and sulfur, we install the oxidizing filter first, then the softener downstream. Sending sulfur-laden water through softener resin damages the bed and shortens its life, so the ordering matters.
Why is my well water pressure so high, and do I need a PRV?
Hill Country well properties frequently run 90+ psi at the house, well above the 80 psi ceiling that code and good practice call for. High pressure hammers pipes, blows out fixture valves early, and stresses your treatment equipment. If we gauge your incoming pressure over 80 psi during the water test, we install a pressure-reducing valve (PRV) to bring it into range. If you're already under 80 with a working PRV, we leave it alone.
Can you treat well water if it tests positive for iron staining?
Yes. Orange or brown staining in tubs, toilet tanks, and on fixtures is dissolved iron, common in NW Bexar wells above 0.5 ppm. We treat iron up to about 10 ppm with an air-injection oxidizing filter that oxidizes the iron so it drops out and backwashes away, installed as the first stage ahead of the softener. If your tested iron is well above that range, or manganese or tannins are also present, we'll tell you what additional treatment that takes rather than overselling a single tank.
Is a Helotes well the same as San Antonio SAWS water?
No, and this matters. Helotes Hill Country properties on private wells are not on the San Antonio Water System, so a municipal hardness number tells you nothing about your water. City SAWS water is chlorinated and consistent; a private well can carry iron, sulfur, and coliform that municipal water doesn't. That's why we test your tap for iron, sulfur, pH, and hardness before recommending components, and why the treatment train for a well looks different from a city softener install.