water
Although I haven't tested the actual water quality in our house, we often get orange colored stains in toilets and around drains where water has evaporated – which I would assume are from high iron levels.
If a water quality test were to confirm this assumption, how would I fix the problem?
Would this be an inexpensive fix or a major expense? A quick fix or major renovation?
I have this exact same problem. The only option I have found is to use a chemical additive to precipitate out the the iron and then do lots of filter cartridge changes. Luckily, the cartridges don't seem to be deteriorated by the orange stuff, and you can just swap two of them every 12 hours and wash them off with the garden hose. If you have a full size filter, you will just need to do a backwash every day or two.
It also helps to get in the pool and stir up all the precipitate off the bottom so that it can be captured by the filter...there's nothing in there that will harm you, it's just orange.
The problem is your expansion tank, or lack thereof. Your home has a check valve somewhere in the system, possibly included with the pressure regulator or as part of the municipal water meter. When your water heater turns on, the heating of the water causes it to expand, and that pressure has nowhere to release until you open a faucet. What you need is an expansion tank installed in your water lines. If you already have one, then it has failed (they usually have a bladder separating the air from the water, and this can fail over time or if not properly maintained). Installing a tank isn't too difficult, but will require shutting off the water to your house, cutting your pipes, and adding a T to your water line. If you have an existing tank, then they are often threaded and are simple to replace (the connection is often threaded and can be screwed off). Note that if you don't fix this, valves in your toilet and other fixtures will start to fail, or the TPR valve on your hot water heater will begin to leak water.
Best Answer
It really does depend on what is in your water, and how much is there. You can buy home test kits to find out, at least roughly, or you can bring in one of the many water treatment companies. (I'd do the test kit myself first, to see if they are telling the truth anyway.)
Assuming you do have iron in the water (manganese has similar chemistry, and probably is taken out the same way.)
Iron/manganese can be removed in several ways. Again, the best scheme really depends on how much is in the water. For example, if there is just a bit of iron, along with other stuff, then a softener might be a good choice. To get a lot of iron out, you may need to go all out with a chlorination system, then filters to remove the remaining chlorine.
Edit:
As far as cost goes, if the iron is actually leaching out of old pipes in your own walls, that is a major cost of course. Tearing out walls and floors to replace plumbing will cost you large sums of money.
If a chlorination system is used, coupled with filters, a settling tank, and a chlorine pump, then expect a cost of at least $3000 to $5000. (Depending on where you live, it may be more.)
Smaller problems can cost less. If only a water softener unit is needed, then I'd expect the cost to be somewhere in the range of $500 to %2500.
If all you need is an inline whole house iron filter, that can be installed by a handy person with a torch and bought from the local home center, now you are talking several hundred dollars.