Clack dealer and is whole house carbon filter needed?

[umpqua5]

Thank you to all who post questions for me to learn from and even more to those who tirelessly answer them.

After a few weeks of lurking, I have decided to go with Clack and go through a local dealer. I have 1" softener loop in the house and am replacing a 16yr old system we brought from our old house 6yrs ago. I now know it is undersized @ 1 ft3 and has never had the resin replaced as I didn't know that was a thing. I'm surprised the company we bought it from and that also moved it for us did not replace the media. We replaced 2 dishwashers in the new house due to glass etching which we never had before, not realizing the softener likely has not been doing its job. We are the point now where the water in the shower is trickling if anyone flushes the toilet or runs a faucet. House is 3550 sq ft, 3.5bathrooms, city water, no metal tubing.
I believe I need a 2 ft3 softener (10%) and while I was also looking to get a 2 ft3 backwashing catalytic carbon filter (water company uses chloramine), I am wondering if it's needed as I am planning on a 4 or 5 stage RO @ fridge line as it's the only water source we drink from.

I do not see sediment in my water but can add 20" 50mu big blue pre-filter if needed. The only Clack dealer I found, who has called me to chat and then ghosted me for 3 weeks now, also mused about adding just a big blue with mesh screen to catch the resin should an issue ever happen with the softener..

I did the Labtech strips for the water test, so not sure how accurate it is. A plumber tested the hardness and came back with 180 ppm, the test strip came back with 250 ppm, and reports from the water company over the years have shown 380 -450 ppm.
Alkalinity: 180 ppm
pH: 9
Iron: one test showed 0, the other 0-.1 ppm
No: copper, nitrates, nitrites, coliform bacteria, lead, pesticide.
The water company report does show levels that I'm guessing test strips are not sensitive enough to detect: (https://www.pflugervilletx.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/9290/637605789487430000) does how

My questions:
1) Is 2 ft3 sufficient, 4 ppl in the house?
2) Is the whole house carbon beneficial enough to spend the money on in my case, given that the RO system will be used? I read someplace the potential worry with whole house carbon is bacteria growth in the pipes..
3) Is a sediment pre-filter needed? How crazy is the idea of a mesh filter post softener to catch the resin in an unlikely scenario something happens? My worry with both of these filters would be reduction of water flow by the time it gets to the RO system in the kitchen.
4) Can I get a PM with Clack dealers in my area, zip 78660.

Thank you!!

 

[Reach4]

I did the Labtech strips for the water test, so not sure how accurate it is. A plumber tested the hardness and came back with 180 ppm, the test strip came back with 250 ppm, and reports from the water company over the years have shown 380 -450 ppm.

Strips tend to be hard to interpret or wrong. Some water hardness varies over time, such as using river water more at times and well water more at other times.

ron: one test showed 0, the other 0-.1 ppm

Those are functionally the same.

1) Is 2 ft3 sufficient, 4 ppl in the house?

Yes. Even presuming 400 ppm hardness, You go a week presuming 60 gallons per person and 7.5 lbs of salt per cubic ft (15 lbs total).

3) Is a sediment pre-filter needed? How crazy is the idea of a mesh filter post softener to catch the resin in an unlikely scenario something happens? My worry with both of these filters would be reduction of water flow by the time it gets to the RO system in the kitchen.

Flow into an RO is very small. There will be insignificant drop for supplying the RO. Don't send RO water through metal, so if you send RO water to the icemaker, use plastic. I like a sediment filter before or after the softener, even with city water, but a lot of people don't. Look at your aerator screens. Any sand etch accumulated? Maybe go with a 50 micron filter to keep backpressure down.

 

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[umpqua5]

Strips tend to be hard to interpret or wrong. Some water hardness varies over time, such as using river water more at times and well water more at other times.


Those are functionally the same.

Yes. Even presuming 400 ppm hardness, You go a week presuming 60 gallons per person and 7.5 lbs of salt per cubic ft (15 lbs total).


Flow into an RO is very small. There will be insignificant drop for supplying the RO. Don't send RO water through metal, so if you send RO water to the icemaker, use plastic. I like a sediment filter before or after the softener, even with city water, but a lot of people don't. Look at your aerator screens. Any sand etch accumulated? Maybe go with a 50 micron filter to keep backpressure down.

Thank you Reach! What are your thoughts on the whole house cat carbon need?

 

[Reach4]

Thank you Reach! What are your thoughts on the whole house cat carbon need?

I guess that would depend... wells or river water near chemical plants? Sensitive to chlorine when you take showers?

While I would probably not opt for that, it makes sense for some.

 

[umpqua5]

Thank you, no chemical plants and sulfur odor only manifested once we noticed the softener was no longer doing its job. Not sure why that is since from I've read, the softener does not remove odor.

 

[umpqua5]

@ Dittohead, can you recommend Clack dealers/installers in Austin, TX area plz. Thx!

 

[ditttohead]

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