Which fleck to buy?

[lisabrown]

hello everyone!

I'm new to the forums so I apologize for the question that I'm about to ask. I'm looking to get a fleck 9100 sxt system 40k grain, dual tank for my parents. They recently purchased a new house around 4800 sq ft, 5 bathrooms, but only two people reside there. Grandchildren may occasionly spend the night, but nothing long term.

I tested the water and had the following results:
pH 7
Alkalinity: 240PPM
No iron detected
.1 copper
No chlorine
No nitrate or nitrite
425 PPG / 25 gig hardness scale

Should I stick with the 9100sxt dual tank or a single tank fleck 7000 64k or something else?

Also, if there is a reputable retailer or installer in Orange County, I would love your recommendations.

Thanks!!

 

[Bannerman]

Unless the water is extremely hard, or if the home occupants come and go at all hours, a twin tank softener is usually overkill for a residential application. Twin tank units are mainly intended for where continous soft water is needed day and night. As I anticipate your parents have a regular schedule where they go to bed normally at the same time every night, a single tank unit will be appropriate. When regeneration is occuring, soft water is not available but as regeneration will occur while they are sleeping, from their perspective, soft water will be always available when they need it.

The Fleck 7000SXT is an outstanding and reliable control valve that is easy to operate.

While 2 people normally do not require a very large softener, the house is large and could be occupied by many people all using water at the same time. The average water consumption rate is normally assumed to be 60 gal/person/day but if we anticipate a little higher at 75 gal/person/day, with 25 grains/gallon hardness, that would place their 2 person softening requirements at 3750 grains/day

The 64K unit you mention, would contain 2 cuft of softening resin. That unit can be programmed to utilize a very efficient 12 lbs of salt to restore 40K grains of capacity each regeneration cycle. As 40K / 3750 = 10.7, that would mean that regeneration is expected to occur every 10 days. If they actually use less water, regeneration may then be extended to 12 or 13 days. Once programmed, as the 7000SXT is demand based, the controller will schedule regeneration based on their actual water useage.

While the 2 cuft unit would satisfy their current requirements, if we look at more people regularly using water, a larger softener should then be considered.

A 3 cuft can be programmed at the same efficiency, to deliver 60K while using 18 lbs of salt. As 60K / 3750 = 16, then regeneration would occur approx every 16 days. While it is desireable to not regenerate more frequently than 1X per week, as the softener is not dealing with iron, regeneration could occur as little as 1X per month. As such, a 4 cuft softener would deliver 80K of usable capacity while using 24 lbs of salt, with an expected regeneration frequency of 21 days.

A reason for considering a larger softener is the ability to deliver a larger volume of water flow before hardness starts to leak through. While hardness leakage on occaision is not an issue and probably wouldn't be noticed, it shouldn't be planned to occur.

The constant flow rate supported by a 2 cuft is up to 13 gallons/minute, 3 cuft = 20 gpm & 4 cuft = 25 gpm. Unless they use a multihead shower system or other high volume fixtures, your parents requirements will likely not exceed 8 gpm so any upsizing is likely only in anticipation of additional full time residents.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[John Vegas]

hello everyone!

I'm new to the forums so I apologize for the question that I'm about to ask. I'm looking to get a fleck 9100 sxt system 40k grain, dual tank for my parents. They recently purchased a new house around 4800 sq ft, 5 bathrooms, but only two people reside there. Grandchildren may occasionly spend the night, but nothing long term.

I tested the water and had the following results:
pH 7
Alkalinity: 240PPM
No iron detected
.1 copper
No chlorine
No nitrate or nitrite
425 PPG / 25 gig hardness scale

Should I stick with the 9100sxt dual tank or a single tank fleck 7000 64k or something else?

Also, if there is a reputable retailer or installer in Orange County, I would love your recommendations.

Thanks!!

I have had issues with my Fleck 7000 SXT valve, leaking through the drain line after only three years. I would look to another brand as it seems Fleck seals are not very reliable.