About to install softener and water filters

[BobbytheBus]

Agree. I would suggest a sediment filter, even for city water. A filter on city water should last a long time.

A filter not only filters, but serves as a QC device. If the filter catches nothing visible, you know the incoming water was pretty clean. An RO filter will have little cartridge filters on the front end too.

You seem to be extremely knowledgeable on here. Wondering if you know if I can run that drain line 35 feet and 5 feet up from the softener. Total is 8.25 feet from the floor. Total distance is 35 feet when you add all directions. The flow is 1.7 gpm.

 

[Reach4]

Wondering if you know if I can run that drain line 35 feet and 5 feet up from the softener. Total is 8.25 feet from the floor. Total distance is 35 feet when you add all directions. The flow is 1.7 gpm.

Yes, you can. To be extra safe and follow what the manual says, you could use 3/4 pipe. But in practice, 1/2 inch pvc or even pex would be plenty big.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Bannerman]

The flow is 1.7 gpm.

That drain flow rate seems unusually low. Does the softener use an 8" diameter media tank (0.75 ft3 resin)?

 

[BobbytheBus]

That drain flow rate seems unusually low. Does the softener use an 8" diameter media tank (0.75 ft3 resin)?

The mineral tank is 10x40. Is that 1.7 going to be hard to push far like I need it to?

 

[Bannerman]

The drain flow rate for a 10" softener will be typically 2.4-2.5 GPM to sufficiently lift and expand the resin across the entire 10" cross-section.

The flow to the drain is 'powered' by the incoming water pressure. If the well pump's pressure switch setting is 20/40, 30/50 or 40/60, that will be the pressure supplied to the DLFC (drain line flow control = flow restrictor).

Although water can be pushed virtually any distance, the flow rate needed to backwash the resin is specific. Because a long length of tubing may cause friction that can reduce the flow rate, the usual recommendation is to increase the drain line diameter when the length will exceed 20' or the drain line is to be routed up higher than the softener. This is intended to ensure the required drain flow rate is maintained throughout the entire drain line length.

 

[BobbytheBus]

The drain flow rate for a 10" softener will be typically 2.4-2.5 GPM to sufficiently lift and expand the resin across the entire 10" cross-section.

The flow to the drain is 'powered' by the incoming water pressure. If the well pump's pressure switch setting is 20/40, 30/50 or 40/60, that will be the pressure supplied to the DLFC (drain line flow control = flow restrictor).

Although water can be pushed virtually any distance, the flow rate needed to backwash the resin is specific. Because a long length of tubing may cause friction that can reduce the flow rate, the usual recommendation is to increase the drain line diameter when the length will exceed 20' or the drain line is to be routed up higher than the softener. This is intended to ensure the required drain flow rate is maintained throughout the entire drain line length.

It is very impressive the amount you know. Each time I keep learning cause I keep saying something stupid. My well pressure is 35-55. Hopefully that's enough pressure to push the water through the drain line.

I saw backwash and assumed that was the drain flow and not what was pushing the resin up. You made it seem like the one I got might not function well if it's 1.7.

 

[Reach4]

The mineral tank is 10x40. Is that 1.7 going to be hard to push far like I need it to?

What is your water pressure?

You are probably ok for 2.4 gpm at 30 psi, but with 35 psi or more, you would have extra margin.

 

[BobbytheBus]

You mention iron. Ferrous iron will be dissolved in the water and filtration alone will not remove it. While a softener can be utilized to remove a small amount of ferrous iron, it is not an efficient method and the softener will require frequent regeneration and ongoing acid treatments to remove iron buildup from the resin granules.

To remove iron will usually require the Ferrous iron to be oxidized to a Ferric state so the resulting iron solids (rust) may be removed by precipitation or filtered out through filter media. Suitable oxidants include chlorine, ozone, hydrogen peroxide or air. Elimination of iron solids from filter media will require frequent backwashing as a cartridge filter will typically become blocked with debris which will quickly reduce the flow rate through the filter.

Thank you for saving me money. I did run another test and the iron came back below the max recommendation so I'm going to just re-test it again in 6 months and keep an eye on it. For now no need for the filter. Everything else looked good besides coliform. It came back positive. Fecal coliform however came back absent so I don't know if I should be concerned or not. The recommendation I was provided was to drop bleach down my well and run the water until I smell bleach and then leave the water off for the day. I was then told it could take a week to get the chlorine out of the system and to keep running the water occasionally.

As a side note I'm getting close to putting this all together and still unsure of one thing. What height do I need the standpipe before the airgap? Is it the same 18 inches over the ptrap weir that they recommend for washing machines? With my limitations for space I was hoping 14 inches would be ok but I can make the 18 inches work.

 

[Reach4]

It came back positive. Fecal coliform however came back absent so I don't know if I should be concerned or not. The recommendation I was provided was to drop bleach down my well and run the water until I smell bleach and then leave the water off for the day. I was then told it could take a week to get the chlorine out of the system and to keep running the water occasionally.

https://terrylove.com/forums/index....izing-extra-attention-to-4-inch-casing.65845/ is my writeup. It is more rigorous. It would need for you to order stuff in advance. I use Aldi bleach.

 

[BobbytheBus]

https://terrylove.com/forums/index....izing-extra-attention-to-4-inch-casing.65845/ is my writeup. It is more rigorous. It would need for you to order stuff in advance. I use Aldi bleach.

Thank you for helping again. It looks like a great writeup. It will take me some time to figure that all out. I'm a bit of a slow thinker.