Resin tank position

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Gravy

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Two of us live in a 2200 sf house on well water. Salesman says our water hardness is 11. I'm going to get the Hach kit to verify. I'm thinking of buying a system through Abundant Flow. Any comments? Looking at either a Fleck 5600sxt with separate brine and resin tanks, or maybe a cabinet type. Here's the problem: we don't have a basement, and would rather not give up space in the house.
The HW heater and well pressure tank are in the crawlspace, near the entry in the only part deep enough...about 5 ft. There's not much space remaining for a water softener.
Could the resin tank be mounted horizontally? From looking at flow diagrams, it appears not to be a good idea. But someone out there knows. I think the brine tank is only 36" high.
Even standing the resin tank up would be tight, since the head would be right at the joists. Not a good install...
How about the cabinet type? The top of a 32,000 g unit would be 48", maybe leaving me enough room to bucket-fill salt?
If not that, how foolish would it be to put a cabinet unit in a room with no floor drain (overflows, spills...)? I could pipe the drain via standpipe, and other piping, down thru the crawlspace.
Is that the only sensible solution?
 

ditttohead

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I dont normally endorse companies, but Abuundant Flow water has a couple of guys who are experts in the feild. I do recommend them over many other companies.
You can not install a softener horizontally. it will not work.

Have you considered using a post hole digger and burying the softener. This is not an uncommon practice. Leave the top few inches of the tank exposed and the head should be well protectecd. I have seen many Fake rocks from Home Depot used to cover the softener heads. The brine tank can be located anywhere within 20-30 feet without a problem.

I would not recommend installing the system inside the house. I am also not a fan of Cabinet style units.

Hope this helps!
 

Gravy

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Thanks for the reply dittohead.
Can't use a posthole digger in the crawlspace, but digging a hole for just the resin tank is something I hadn't considered. It would be difficult and I might hit water, as much as it has rained here this year: we're 15" over!
Can't put anything outside due to freezing down to 18" below grade.
How serious is your caution against putting either a two part or cabinet system indoors?
Is the concern leaks, overflows? I wouldn't do it without a drain pan and water alarm. Could even put in a floor drain. (I guess I could find a drain pan, floor drain for vinyl floor, and real alarm with shutoff, right?)
Or is noise a concern?
Surely some folks must have them indoors...why else would there be cabinet units?
Would it be more likely to cause water damage than the clothes washer, which sits in the same room? (with a wimpy water alarm...)
If I did decide to put one in the laundry room, which type would be safer?
I want to find a way to make something work here, even if its not ideal. But I don't want to be a fool and have water damage.
 

LLigetfa

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I contemplated digging a hole in my crawlspace but decided instead to let the heads stick up through the floor under the stairs instead. Mind you, my crawlspace is considered conditioned space. I wrapped my tanks in bubble-wrap insulation to prevent sweating and mold issues.

In my former home, I dug a hole for it and I did hit water but that wasn't an issue. I also sunk the brine tank in the ground. I thought of making a pit but decided to just fill around it with clean sand.
 

Gravy

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Gary, I'm looking at a location that is almost directly above my pressure tank. And even if it weren't, it's just a run of copper and PVC. So, is locating a softener in the house *that* bad of an idea?
I know that I'd have to insulate everything.
 

Gary Slusser

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Millions of softeners and backwashed or regenerated filters are installed in houses. More millions of houses do not have a basement or crawl space...

You can do that if you want to. Drill a hole for the line from the pressure tank to the inlet of the control valve and one for the line from the outlet back to the main line. And the drain line can go into the washing machine drain or a sink.
 
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