The LAST water softener sizing question to ever be asked

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antbruins

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My title is probably a lie and someone else will probably ask another sizing question. Sorry, but here's my problem:

I apparently have really hard water that's drying out my kid's skin. I tested it with a Hach5B and found I have 25gpg of hardness. Now I need help selecting a system and I was thinking the Fleck 5600sxt-80K capacity. There's 2 people + a baby, 1.75 bath, the sprinkler system is tied to the main water line (4 hose spigots and sprinkler line comes off of each one), I tested about 10gpm (both at a hose spigot and bathtub), I get water from the city, and the last bill showed we used about 164 gpd (sprinklers are broken and lawn hasn't been getting watered at all).

Is the Fleck 5600SXT-80K sufficient for my needs? What else do I need to test for? Should I buy TDS meter? Test for Iron? What else do I need to know before I make a purchase?
 

Reach4

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Try starting with http://www.qualitywaterassociates.com/softeners/sizingchart.htm and maybe do the calculator part from the link on the bottom first. Then come back to the first page, and check SFR. I have a feeling that SFR will not be a problem in your case. Understand that the "80000" grains is a conventional myth. That would normally mean 80000/32000=2.5 cuft.

Actually I just did that for you. The calculator says a 2.5 cuft would be good for 4*60 =240 gallons per day, and that a 2.0 would be good for 180 gallons per day of softened water. So maybe you already did that.

Do not pipe the sprinkler system to use soft water. Not only is it not needed, the softened water is not so good for the grass. I think you just mentioned the sprinklers to show that the consumption numbers did not include any sprinkler use.

How much iron do you have? Yes, a test would be good if you had a well.. How much red staining do you see on the walls your toilet tanks? Probably none. In that case, no test needed. With chlorinated city water, your iron is probably 0.0. I would put in a sediment filter before the softener (I like Pentek Big Blue). Chlorine converts iron to a form that can be filtered out. I would like to see other opinions on the desirability of a sediment filter before a water softener, but I think the filter sounds like a good idea. You can always leave the housing empty if you decide you did not need a filter.

You do not need a TDS meter unless you are in California or AZ The main purpose would be to look for salt, I think. The hardness test is what you need to act. If you had a lot of salt, you might consider some other action. Maybe try to get a water test report from the water department. It is good to test pH. I suggest pHydron 5.5 to 8.0 strip. It is sold for urine and saliva testing, but the range is good for most wells. Tho the instuctions say to read the color immediately, I think it seems to give results that match my other test if I wait maybe 5 seconds.
 
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antbruins

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I did use that site and figured 2.5 cuft as well. I was stating 80K because that's what qualitywaterforless.com listed as it's model with 2.5 cuft. I wanted to be sure that the Fleck 5600sxt would work before I bought it. I don't understand what's the difference between all the other Fleck models (2510, 2510sxt, 7000, 7000sxt, etc) comparing same cuft and if I need to go with another model like the 7000sxt.

Right now, the sprinkler system is tied in with the water line to the house, so I don't have an option to separate it. There's a hose bib coming out of the wall on every side of my house, and those feed the sprinklers. I need to get the sprinklers redone anyways so I'll have it split then.

I checked for iron staining and I didn't see any in my toilet. Wondering if I should get test strips for this or should I not worry about it?

I am in California, so you're saying that I should buy a TDS meter before I buy the softener? I do have the city's test report, but their hardness number was off from mine, 13gpg vs 25gpg, so I figured the other numbers would be off as well. I will get the pH test done, but the city report from last year says 7.6 (7.30-8.2).

I also have what look like small white particles of sand clogging my kitchen faucet like every few days. Is this from the hard water or something else?
 

Gary Slusser

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If you check the Fleck specs on the 5600, for a softener it is not to be used on larger than a 12" dia. tank, that's a 2.0 cuft. Ten inch for a backwashed or regenerated filter.

I suggest using a calculator, pencil and paper to do the math and then check your figures with my calculator. The reason being that computer programming really struggles with fractions and you'll get more accurate results by hand and.... you'll understand the process/formula much better and retain the info for a longer period of time. I suggest printing that page and keeping it for future use.
 

Reach4

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The reason that I mentioned California, they have a lot of water reuse and salt. If levels are really high, you might consider a point of use RO filter to take the salt out. I don't really know at what point you would want to consider that. The RO unit would be fed with soft water.


I expect white particles are something else like sand, but I am not sure hard water deposits have not flaked off. I think vinegar would dissolve calcium or magnesium carbonate particles, but not sand.
 

antbruins

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If you check the Fleck specs on the 5600, for a softener it is not to be used on larger than a 12" dia. tank, that's a 2.0 cuft. Ten inch for a backwashed or regenerated filter.

I suggest using a calculator, pencil and paper to do the math and then check your figures with my calculator. The reason being that computer programming really struggles with fractions and you'll get more accurate results by hand and.... you'll understand the process/formula much better and retain the info for a longer period of time. I suggest printing that page and keeping it for future use.

You're going to have to hold my hand and walk me through this one. I don't even know what I'm calculating. I've used the calculator on your website and came with the conclusion I need about 2.5cuft and SFR at about 10. The Fleck 5600SXT looked like the specs matched up. What model should I be looking at then?
 

Reach4

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You're going to have to hold my hand and walk me through this one. I don't even know what I'm calculating. I've used the calculator on your website and came with the conclusion I need about 2.5cuft and SFR at about 10. The Fleck 5600SXT looked like the specs matched up. What model should I be looking at then?

Fleck 7000 SXT with the 13" x 54" 2.50 cu. ft. ( 80,000 grains ) tank.
 

antbruins

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Fleck 7000 SXT with the 13" x 54" 2.50 cu. ft. ( 80,000 grains ) tank.

So should I buy the TDS meter and pH strips before I make the purchase or will those have no factor on which model I get?

Also, what is the difference between the 5600sxt and 7000sxt? Doesn't plumbing size have something do with it? I have a 1" main from the city and 3/4" copper in the house.
 

Reach4

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I don't see that. Given your city water report pH, I would not bother with the pH test strips for this either. I don't see results of either test to affect your decision. I sent you a private message.
 

ditttohead

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Main line size/pipe inside has to do with velocity, frictional loss calculations etc. I would recommend the 7000 for your application, the 5600 series is maxed at 12" tanks.
 
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