Water softener + RO. Is remineralization possible?

[Caspid]

We're looking into a water softening system for the whole house. A local company called Home Water Pros (homewaterpros.com) is quoting $5000 for installation of a Clack WS1 valve with 12% resin, and something about 2.5 cubic feet of media.

Our municipal water report is here: https://gemgrp.com/eReports/CNCA000249Y20/

Some thoughts and questions:

• They're including an under-sink RO+alkalinization system for the kitchen. As a coffee drinker and scientist who's against the alkaline water fad, I'm uninterested in the alkalinization stage and will ask them to skip it. Is there a way to automate the remineralization without the alkaline water part, targeting the SCAA's ideals for water? This would save me from having to manually mix my own (e.g. with Epsom salt and baking soda). I've read that swapping the carbon post filter for a calcite and corosex filter could work, although might be inconsistent.
  
• The price seems high, but the business owner strikes me as being honest, choosing high quality parts (also all made domestically, which I'm sure is pricier), and having a strong work ethic and attention to detail. They also include a lifetime warranty. Curiously, their product descriptions are identical to those from apollotekinternational.com (perhaps a rebranding?) They did say they custom build their hardware in Irvine. The competitors in the area are cheaper but only have a few years of warranty and often don't have a product I can find any information on.

Any thoughts?

 

[Reach4]

12% resin,

Be skeptical of that.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Caspid]

Be skeptical of that.

Why is that? How should I verify?

 

[Reach4]

Why is that? How should I verify?

Maybe ask to see a data sheet from the resin maker, or some such.

 

[Bannerman]

Looking at their website, I see "12%" is not referring to the water softening resin, but to 12% multi-media that they claim will "treat everything from natural and man-made chemicals to heavy metals including chemicals like chlorine and chloramine (two super harmful chemicals). "Everything" is not realistic and "treat" does not necessarily signify remove as many would assume.

The quantity and type of each media is not specified, nor is the softening capacity for the 8% or 10% cross-link softening resin that will be utilized.

Mixing various media within a single tank without the media being separated is not recommended, but many dealers continue to do so.

Each media can weigh vastly different so the heaviest will settle to the bottom of the tank which depending on the media purpose, will be often where it will be least effective. Because each media will have a specific backwash requirement, backwashing at the flow rate needed for the heaviest media will usually lift lighter media too high so there will be potential of loss of that media to drain. Limiting the backwash rate for the lightest will be insufficient to backwash heavier media.

Each media can also have different replacement requirements so when mixed, all of the media will be typically replaced even as much may have many years use remaining such as the softening resin.

Recommend obtaining a dedicated water softener. If you further wish to remove chlorine, chloramine or other contaminants, obtain a separate backwashing filter system with appropriate media and sufficient capacity to remove those contaminants. If Chloramine is present, an appropriate quantity of Catalytic Carbon would be required for removal, but as it seems only chlorine is currently utilized by your municipality, plain Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) will be effective to remove chlorine and a wide range of other contaminants including disinfection byproducts.

A Reverse Osmosis system will remove minerals and other contaminants from the drinking water. Most RO systems in use do not include any remineralization or alkalization stages as those processes are usually optional and performed using additional filter cartridges that are installed inline after the RO membrane. Remineralization and/or Alkalization stages can often be added at any time to most systems if desired.

 

[ditttohead]

Lifetime warranties are typically marketing rather than real. They guarantee the system is repairable, but how can any company offer unlimited service and repairs at no charge forever? Obviously they can not. They may "guarantee" the resin for life, and only charge you $400 for labor... you can see the games already on this.

 

[Caspid]

Looking at their website, I see "12%" is not referring to the water softening resin, but to 12% multi-media that they claim will "treat everything from natural and man-made chemicals to heavy metals including chemicals like chlorine and chloramine (two super harmful chemicals). "Everything" is not realistic and "treat" does not necessarily signify remove as many would assume.

The quantity and type of each media is not specified, nor is the softening capacity for the 8% or 10% cross-link softening resin that will be utilized.

Mixing various media within a single tank without the media being separated is not recommended, but many dealers continue to do so.

Each media can weigh vastly different so the heaviest will settle to the bottom of the tank which depending on the media purpose, will be often where it will be least effective. Because each media will have a specific backwash requirement, backwashing at the flow rate needed for the heaviest media will usually lift lighter media too high so there will be potential of loss of that media to drain. Limiting the backwash rate for the lightest will be insufficient to backwash heavier media.

Each media can also have different replacement requirements so when mixed, all of the media will be typically replaced even as much may have many years use remaining such as the softening resin.

Recommend obtaining a dedicated water softener. If you further wish to remove chlorine, chloramine or other contaminants, obtain a separate backwashing filter system with appropriate media and sufficient capacity to remove those contaminants. If Chloramine is present, an appropriate quantity of Catalytic Carbon would be required for removal, but as it seems only chlorine is currently utilized by your municipality, plain Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) will be effective to remove chlorine and a wide range of other contaminants including disinfection byproducts.

A Reverse Osmosis system will remove minerals and other contaminants from the drinking water. Most RO systems in use do not include any remineralization or alkalization stages as those processes are usually optional and performed using additional filter cartridges that are installed inline after the RO membrane. Remineralization and/or Alkalization stages can often be added at any time to most systems if desired.

Thank you very much.

Lifetime warranties are typically marketing rather than real. They guarantee the system is repairable, but how can any company offer unlimited service and repairs at no charge forever? Obviously they can not. They may "guarantee" the resin for life, and only charge you $400 for labor... you can see the games already on this.

They ask for $150 "to get the plumber out there" but then cover parts/labor, purportedly.

 

[Eric Wesson]

Removing chlorine or chloramine is interesting, but is it overall cheaper and simpler to just top up the resin every few years, as the resin breaks down and is flushed down the drain?