Need Advice, water softener

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Nikobar

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ALCON,

I just moved to a new house, we are on well water. Water smells like rotten eggs. I called the local company he stated my water softener and brine tank is over 12 years old. He recommended changing that and adding carbon filter to get rid of the smell. Please take a look at below and let me know if the prices are reasonable.


CLACK WS-1M-48,000 WITH HIGH ION RESIN

$ 1300.00


CLACK WS-1M-64,000 A/B CARBON FILTER

$ 1300.00


FLEXCON FL12 PRESSURE TANK 82 GAL.

$ 350.00


Equipment Total

$ 2950.00

Installation

$ 200.00

Sub Total

$ 3150.00

Sales Tax

$ 189.00

TOTAL

$ 3339.00


*WARRANTY*

5

Years on Brine Tank (excluding lid)

5

Years on Controller

5

Years on Fiberglass Mineral Tank

12

Months labor included by local dealer to replace defective parts

NO WARRANTY on Resin or Filter Media
 

Reach4

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FLEXCON FL12 is a 35 gallon pressure tank.

What is A/B CARBON ?

What is HIGH ION RESIN?

What is your hardness?

What is your iron?

How many people?

I have no comment on the pricing.
 

Craigpump

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Hmmmm

Why not clean out the brine tank, dump and rebed the softener and put a new head on it if need be?

$350 is cheap for the tank, is he reusing old fittings and tank T? What's wrong with the existing tank?

I don't know how he can install that for $200, what's his hourly rate?
 

Nikobar

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Reach4: Iron is 5.5 ppm
Hardness: 28 ppm
TDS: 328 ppm
Hydrogen Sulfide: 1-2 ppm

Total number of people 4

not sure what is A/B carbon or high ion resin is. Why don't you comment on the pricing?
 

Nikobar

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i think he is making his money by marking up the equipment pricing. Anyone have any comments on the pricing? I want to pay the market value but do not want to get screwed.
 

Nikobar

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craigpump: contractor says tank may not work well and not designed for 4 people. Previous owner was single woman.
 

Reach4

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i think he is making his money by marking up the equipment pricing. Anyone have any comments on the pricing? I want to pay the market value but do not want to get screwed.
Of course he is making his money on the markups. $200 is too little for the install. Yet taking that into account, I don't know if the markups are reasonable or not. I am not a pro. I have one well. If you want to study and get your own pieces, you could probably find a plumber to install your pieces for $300 or so. But if you want a turnkey solution where if something is broken it will be resolved for you, the premium is may well be worth it. Things can be broken during shipping. Some people charge 100% markup on components. From my amateur view, those prices are less than that. There may be no markup on that pressure tank. But still it would be good to know what you are buying.

If that A/B carbon is activated charcoal, that would be totally inadequate. If it a catalytic carbon such as Centaur Carbon, it may be very effective. Mine has a solution tank to use some bleach solution during each regeneration. I need refill the solution tank with a gallon of bleach and top up with 14 gallons of water every 36 days, which I actually do every 5 weeks for scheduling simplicity. Some offer Centaur Carbon with air used during the regen. I will message (click Inbox above) you. I bought my iron+sulfur filter from a place on the recommendation of a friend who had picked his up himself. That place is pretty local to me, and they referred me to the installer who was great. I think mine got sent on a truck where they kept things upright. If it goes through regular shipping such as UPS, they will not keep things upright.

There is a newer media that looks really good, and if I were getting a new system I might go with Katalox Light. It requires more backwashing GPM than Centaur Carbon, but its specifications seem super. It handles iron+sulfur+more. Still, my Centaur Carbon filter was/is remarkable in its instant effect. I don't know what my H2S ppm was. That testing has provided value to you.

On a side note, I suggest you consider flushing your hot water heater. I got a remarkable amount of rocks and gunk out. I also replaced my anode with a powered anode. It does not do the sulfur reactions like the aluminum or zinc or magnesium anodes. Pulling an old anode requires a pretty good impact wrench with a 1-1/8 impact socket. The new anode does not need nearly as much torque as they use at the factory. I think about 15 ft-lb would be a good number to use.

And after your project is done, I suggest sanitizing your well and plumbing. http://www.moravecwaterwells.com/index.php/maintainance/disinfection-and-testing I say after, because doing the work will possibly introduce bacteria. I am hoping that procedure lasts me for years. Many people just pour a jug of bleach down the casing every year or two. If you read the more involved process, you will see that their use of the "flooding volume" makes sense.
 
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Craigpump

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I would hope his Mark up is at least 100%, but even with that, $200 is cheap. Labor rates here in Ct are $160-$180 an hour for 2 guys so I don't see how anyone could do that amount of work for that price and have a decent job when it's done. A softener around here installed is about $1850-1950 depending on the size, difficulty in installation plus a dry well for the backwash...
 

Nikobar

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Craigpump, $180 an hour for labor? That doesn't seem right to me. Are you plumber in CT?
 

Reach4

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With "Hardness: 28 ppm", you don't need a softener. That is less than 2 grains of hardness. You do need a good iron+sulfur filter.

The main thing that softener was dealing with was iron, unless you meant 28 grains instead of 28 ppm.
 

Nikobar

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I have a softener and working condition. He was telling he wants to change that because it's only 1 cubic and previous owner was single woman and my family is 4 people, he says new one will be 2.0 cubic. Does that sound right?
 

Craigpump

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Not a plumber, I own a well pump service company, and $160-$180 for two men in a fully stocked service truck is the going rate 5 days out of 7. The other 2 days are $200.00, holidays even more.

Of course you can hire a cheaper guy that probably isn't licensed, no insurance and doesn't have anything but a bucket of tools.....and works out of a station wagon.
 

Nikobar

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Thanks Craigpump.

Can you please tell me CLACK WS-1M-48,000 WITH HIGH ION RESIN and CLACK WS-1M-64,000 A/B CARBON FILTER is priced market value? He says he is using activated 8x 30 carbon. Centaur carbon doubles the cost. Is that sound right to you?
 

Craigpump

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I'm not a water treatment guy, I just know what my guy tells me he charges for his equipment.

The price your guy is quoting for a softener is less than what they sell for up here.
 
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