Mike Ciccarelli
New Member
Hey all,
Total newbie here and DIY'er but here it goes...Built a house in 2018 on well water. 4 people in the home and use about 200 gallons daily. Water just only slightly hard at 5gpg and no trace of iron. Got sick of cleaning fixtures and toilet (rust color stains) and bought a cheap AO Smith 35k grain softener at lowes and installed between pressure tank and PEX manifold. I noticed a pressure drop in upstairs showers . Total water flow rate of well was rated at 15gpm when we built the home. 1HP well pump connected to tank that is set at 60/40. I did not measure the pressure after AO smith softener was installed but it was noticeably lower...Especially in the upastairs fiixtures...I'm assuming because of the longer run of the pipes. When I turn the bypass valve on the pressure would come back to normal. I decided that I would return this unit (since I've now read they are mostly junk with a water flow rate of 7.5gpm) and are typically throw away units.
I've since decided to go with overkill and buy the Fleck 5600 48k grain to increase the water flow rate (I believe it was rated at 12 - 20 gpm) and future proof my system as the kids grow. I set my softener setting to 30,000 grain to save on salt costs. To my dismay, water pressure drops are still noticeable in upstairs showers. It is definitely not as strong as if I have valve set to bypass.
My question is this...are pressure drops to be expected with installing any water softener system? My system is set up as.... well - pressure tank - water filter (new one installed just a few days ago) - water softener - PEX manifold. All connections are 3/4 inch PEX and the water lines running out of manifold are 1/2 inch PEX to fixtures.
I know I am spoiled with a 15 GPM output from my well but now that I've gotten used to great pressure out of my shower heads...its hard to go back.
Would increasing the pipe size running to and from softener 3/4 to an 1 inch help? The yoke included in the Fleck I bought is 1 inch male so I am wondering if the 3/4 flex line would be restricting necessary flow to the resin bed? thus impacting the water pressure to the home? I could easily change this.
Any help is greatly appreciated and I apologize for any newbie lingo I may have used. Plumping is definitely not my cup of tea.
Total newbie here and DIY'er but here it goes...Built a house in 2018 on well water. 4 people in the home and use about 200 gallons daily. Water just only slightly hard at 5gpg and no trace of iron. Got sick of cleaning fixtures and toilet (rust color stains) and bought a cheap AO Smith 35k grain softener at lowes and installed between pressure tank and PEX manifold. I noticed a pressure drop in upstairs showers . Total water flow rate of well was rated at 15gpm when we built the home. 1HP well pump connected to tank that is set at 60/40. I did not measure the pressure after AO smith softener was installed but it was noticeably lower...Especially in the upastairs fiixtures...I'm assuming because of the longer run of the pipes. When I turn the bypass valve on the pressure would come back to normal. I decided that I would return this unit (since I've now read they are mostly junk with a water flow rate of 7.5gpm) and are typically throw away units.
I've since decided to go with overkill and buy the Fleck 5600 48k grain to increase the water flow rate (I believe it was rated at 12 - 20 gpm) and future proof my system as the kids grow. I set my softener setting to 30,000 grain to save on salt costs. To my dismay, water pressure drops are still noticeable in upstairs showers. It is definitely not as strong as if I have valve set to bypass.
My question is this...are pressure drops to be expected with installing any water softener system? My system is set up as.... well - pressure tank - water filter (new one installed just a few days ago) - water softener - PEX manifold. All connections are 3/4 inch PEX and the water lines running out of manifold are 1/2 inch PEX to fixtures.
I know I am spoiled with a 15 GPM output from my well but now that I've gotten used to great pressure out of my shower heads...its hard to go back.
Would increasing the pipe size running to and from softener 3/4 to an 1 inch help? The yoke included in the Fleck I bought is 1 inch male so I am wondering if the 3/4 flex line would be restricting necessary flow to the resin bed? thus impacting the water pressure to the home? I could easily change this.
Any help is greatly appreciated and I apologize for any newbie lingo I may have used. Plumping is definitely not my cup of tea.