Softener and iron filter combo

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paul8028081

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Apologies for the detail here :)

When we bought our house (built in early '70s) I had a separate water inspection by a reputable water/pump company completed as we are on a private well. They determined the system needed an iron filter and a new softener (it was original). They spec'ed:

1.5 cubic ft. Birm Iron filter w/Fleck 5600SXT
32000 grain softener

and to complete the install at $4,200. That was very effective in reducing my purchase price but I said no thank you to the install and bought both on my own and installed for a fraction of the cost. Problem is, I didn't do enough research with the softener.

I bought the Lowes/Whirlpool/Sears softener which after further research here seems like it should have self destructed 3 months after installation. Well 4 years later and I think it's getting there. It no longer regenerates on it's own (probably a flow sensor?) and it's on a manual 2-3 day regen.

So my questions are...

1.) Is the fleck 1.5 Birm still a good solution? I believe my water test during the inspection was 7 ppm for iron. PH was 7 I remember. Our water has a LOT of iron in it...but it does not smell foul so no bacteria. Right now it's set to backwash everyday as anything less and you can still sense iron in the water even after the softener takes care of it.
2.) Should I bother replacing the junko brand softener now or wait until the whole thing fries? Online calculator says I need about 10000 grains per day and our hardness is 50 ppm.

I'm a pretty experienced DIY'er and grew up in the trades but there are so many filters, products, pumps, it has my head spinning. Thank you for the advice and insight!
 

Bannerman

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Suggest obtaining an up-to-date water test through a water testing lab. Mineral and contamination levels can change over time. As it appears your prior test was 4 years ago, the test should be updated, especially as you're considering new equipment.

While you indicate your hardness is 50 ppm, that would a very low hardness level as it equates to less than 3 grains per gallon (17.1 ppm = 1 gpg). Most people with that low hardness would not require a softener. If you meant to say 50 gpg, then that is a very different situation. A water test will indicate the current hardness and iron levels, among other test results.
 
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ENIGMA-2

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... It no longer regenerates on it's own (probably a flow sensor?) and it's on a manual 2-3 day regen.
These Ecowater units are cheap, but they can last (my Kenmore turned 10 last December).
While the sensor can vary be the problem, it's also possible that the sensor's wiring connector may be corroded (at the control timer).

One way to test to see if it's either the sensor, sensor's wiring connector or the electric control, is to put the unit into flow monitor mode and see if the control is reading flow through the unit. Hold down the select button until the control changes to "000". Then turn on any nearby faucet and if the sensor is working and being read by the control, the reading will start counting up, 000 to 200 (which is one gallon) and start over.

If the control shows it's counting up, it's probably the electronic control. If not, the sensor (cheap and easy to replace) or a corroded wire connection.

There's a company on ebay that rebuilds these controls for around $100.

Although you didn't state, the control runs a continuous self test, and will spit out an err code if it detects a failure. If you get err01, 03 or 04, then suspect the motor (unit is reading the water flow and setting a flag for "regenerate tonight"), but the motor isn't running the valve through a cycle.
An err05 indicates the electronic control has failed.
 
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