Help me select & purchase my first water softener and RO system

[RayN]

I have review a lot of information and here is my info. The water supplied by the city comes from underground aquifers.

1. Water Hardness is 7 grains using Hach 5B kit. The city does not provide min or max values to its customers, so I do not know how much variation to expect.
2. The 2016 water quality report is located at http://www.waterdistrict25.com/pdf/waterquality16.pdf
3. Water pressure is 60 psi using Rain Bird P-2 pressure gauge
4. Water supply to inside of the house is 1" copper (1 1/8" OD)
5. Number of people in the house 3 Adults and 3 teenagers
6. Number of bathroom are 3

Assuming 75 gallons per day per person, the high seems to be 3150 grains per day and at 50 gallons per day per person would be 2100 grains on the low side. Based on the reading forum post it looks to me that Fleck 5810 SXT system with 48,000 grains (1.5 CuFt) will have a regeneration every 15 days to 23 days. Is this correct? I will have to get the piping done for the softener by tapping into the 1" supply line and running to a corner in the garage. Should I get the Fleck with 3/4", 1" or 1 1/4" fitting? I am assuming that perhaps PEX or CPVC piping could be done for the softener.

Also, Do I need to have a whole house filter like 5 micro paper type such as DuPont Standard Whole House Water Filtration System? Or a single stage Atlas Hydra filter? Not sure the cost of the Atlas Hydra and future supplies.

As far as a RO system under the kitchen sink, I was thinking of a 5 or 6 stage system with 75 GPD . I will have to run a line to the fridge.

Any thoughts, ideas and comments will be appreciated. Thanks

 

[Bannerman]

Based on the reading forum post it looks to me that Fleck 5810 SXT system with 48,000 grains (1.5 CuFt) will have a regeneration every 15 days to 23 days. Is this correct?

For efficiency, the softener should be programmed to regenerate when only a portion of total capacity has been utilized, while using a lower quantity of salt.

For example, 1.5 cuft of resin would require:
27 lbs/salt (18 lbs/cuft) to restore 48K capacity resulting in 1,778 grains/lb salt efficiency #
22.5 lbs/salt (15 lbs/cuft) to restore 45K capacity = 2,000 grains/lb
15 lbs/salt (10 lbs/cuft) to restore 40.5K capacity = 2,700 grains/lb
12 lbs/salt (8 lbs/cuft) to restore 36K capacity = 3,000 grains/lb *
9 lbs/salt (6 lbs/cuft) to restore 30K capacity = 3,333 grains/lb *

# not realistic due to anticipated resin loss from wear and breakage
* these are the usual recommended efficient capacity and salt settings. A 6 lb/cuft salt setting would be slightly more efficient than an 8 lb/cuft setting, but the 8 lb setting would provide slightly higher quality water.

When water is obtained from multiple sources, it is recommended to anticipate some hardness variation by programming 2 or 3 additional grains higher than tested at your location (ie: program your softener for 9 or 10 grains hardness).

As there is no iron in your municipal water, regeneration could be as little as 1X per month. Suggest obtaining at least a 2 cuft softener. The price for a 2 cuft would only be marginally higher than for a 1.5 cuft.

2 cuft programmed with 6 lb/cuft salt setting = 12 lbs salt to restore 40K grains (3,333 grains/lb)
2 cuft programmed with 8 lb/cuft salt setting = 16 lbs salt to restore 48K grains (3,000 grains/lb)

Using an average of 65 gals/pp/day X 6 ppl X 9 grains programmed hardness, 40K usable capacity would be anticipated to regenerate every 11 days whereas for 48K usable capacity, 13 days.

The piping and softener connections should remain consistent with your home's incoming line diameter.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reach4]

I think 1.5 cubic ft would be the better size for you. As Bannerman discribed, for salt efficiency, you would program for 6 or 8 pounds of salt per cubic ft, so it would regenerate more often than you planned, if you use 75 gallons of soft water per person. However you will probably use less than 75 gallons of soft water per person.

 

[ditttohead]

Houston has a tendency to go higher on the hardness. Either a 1.5 or 2 ft3 system will be fine, no loss in going to 2 ft3 other than a few bucks. Ne pre-filtration needed since you are on a municipal supply. The softener can handle small amounts of sediment as it is self cleaning.

RO... since you have a softener a modern 1:1 ultra high efficiency RO would allow you to use a simple 3 or 4 stage RO. 5-6 stages would be silly and no advantage would be gained other than a more complex system with more fittings and a higher potential of leakage in the future.

 

[RayN]

Thank you for your inputs. I will look into the Fleck 5810 SXT with 2 Cu Ft. System with 1" piping. As far as RO, 1:1 refers to the efficiency of the RO membrane correct?

 

[ditttohead]

Correct but... I always like to disclaim the 1:1 ratio is laboratory testing procedures... the actual ratio will typically not be that high but it is far better than most. Some companies claim higher recovery rates but we see these designs fail constantly. The Pentek membrane has so far been excellent and we have not had fouling issues in over 2 years so far. We are testing new designs weekly, so far they have not performed anywhere near as well as the Pentek version but in time...

 

[RayN]

Are referring to Pentair's GRO membrane?

 

[ditttohead]

Correct, the GRO from Pentek has exceeded our expectations so far. Longevity, rejection rates, quality of build etc. have all been great. out of tens of thousands we have distributed only a few have come back as "bad", this is a lower return/failure rate than almost any other membrane.

 

[RayN]

Thanks

 

[RayN]

Another question about 8% vs 10% cross-linked resin, any practical difference in terms of efficiency? or should I insist for 10% resin. Thanks again.

 

[Bannerman]

Both resins are usually programmed for the same efficiency in terms of usable capacity per salt dose setting.

Standard resin (8% C-L) is less tolerant to continuous chlorine than 10% C-L, so 10% is recommended and should last longer with your chlorinated water. 10% will cost more than 8% to purchase initially.

 

[Reach4]

Another question about 8% vs 10% cross-linked resin, any practical difference in terms of efficiency? or should I insist for 10% resin. Thanks again.

10% is slightly less efficient, but it is not a practical difference. 10% is more resistant to chlorine, and it should be used when softening chlorinated water.

I opted for 10% for my non-chlorinated water. It may have been a waste, but when I sanitize every 2 years, I can worry less. Yet 8% resin can take the occasional chlorine sanitizing treatment too.

The cheapest resin is not even 8% crosslinked.