Red Water in Fort Wayne: AiO System Clears Iron and Sulfur on City Supply
A Fort Wayne homeowner was dealing with iron staining on everything despite being on city water. The fix was simpler than expected.
Water profile
Hardness
22 GPG
Iron
1.8 ppm
pH
7.4
Contaminants of concern
Source: Municipal (City of Fort Wayne)
Iron staining on city water — not as rare as you'd think
David had orange rings in every toilet bowl, rust-colored staining in his white bathtub, and discoloration on the grout in his shower. He assumed it was a well water problem. In fact, Fort Wayne's distribution system runs through aging cast iron infrastructure, and iron can leach into the water between the treatment plant and your tap. His in-home test confirmed 1.8 ppm ferrous iron — well above the 0.3 ppm EPA secondary standard.
An AiO oxidizes and filters iron in one vessel. No chemicals required.
The Aqua Otter AiO uses an air pocket in the top of the vessel to oxidize dissolved ferrous iron into solid ferric iron particles, then filters them out through the media bed. The system backwashes automatically to purge the captured iron. At 1.8 ppm, the AiO is sized appropriately — no additional chemical injection needed. The system also addresses Fort Wayne's high hardness, though David chose to pair it with a separate softener for the calcium and magnesium.
Aqua Otter AiO All-In-One
Air-charged oxidation tank removes iron, manganese, and hydrogen sulfide without chemicals. Automatic backwash.
Aqua Otter Pro 64 Softener
Added to address the 22 GPG hardness that the AiO doesn't touch.
Before vs. after
Before Installation
After Installation
“I was skeptical because we're on city water, not a well. But our test showed 1.8 ppm iron right at the tap. Six weeks after the AiO went in, the orange ring in the toilet bowl was gone. The white bathtub is actually white again.”
David — Fort Wayne, IN
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