Help with water softener system in new house

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gt213

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I recently moved into a new house that is on a well and has a water softener system installed - this is my first experience with one and i'm hoping to get some pointers on how to make sure it is setup and running correctly.

I've attached some photos of what i think are the relevant parts:

There are the 2 upright cylindrical containers - one RainSoft Gold Series and one Silver Series

Then what i believe is the brine tank next to them with some salt and water in it - hopefully you can see in the photo that both the water level and salt level are low. i bought some salt to put in the tank but i am not sure how much i should be putting in?

Does the amount of water in the brine tank vary throughout the day? is the low level of water in my tank an issue? This photo is from around 4pm if that is important at all.

Hopefully someone can tell me if the settings on the Silver Series are good (its me my wife and our 1 year old in the house) and if i need to do anything with the Gold Series.

Appreciate any help i can get.
 

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Skyjumper

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I was in your shoes some 12 years ago. Here's the most important things I've learned about managing well water and the conditioning equipment.

1. Get a good hardness and iron test kit to periodically monitor both your raw well water and your softened water. I use the Hach HA-77 it is worth the money.

2. Figure out if you have Iron Bacteria in the raw well. This is important to know. it's not harmful to your family, but it causes a lot of crud to build up in the system making it difficult to keep things clean. Fill a glass with raw well water (from an outside garden hose) and let it sit overnight. if it turns cloudy with some brownish orange sludge settling on the bottom, that's a good indication of iron bacteria. if you have it come back here and ask for help.

3. Iron filters require a lot of maintenance. Your 2nd tank might be an iron filter. I can't tell. if it is, you need to learn how to clean the internal valve components and replace the wear items (seals). This will have to be done every year, or more often depending on your conditions. Iron filters can work, but they will not remove 100% of the iron and some iron will still get to your softener.

4. Water Softeners remove iron, but the iron gets stuck inside them. Normal salt regeneration does not flush away the iron. The softener resin must be cleaned regularly to remove the iron with special resin cleaners (phosphoric acid, citric acid are two). This is true even if you have an iron filter. These cleaners are simply added to the brine tank with the salt. "Rust removing" salt is not enough to keep the resin clean in most cases.

5. This equipment has a limited life span. Your system looks pretty old and you should plan to replace it at some point. Trying to keep old water conditioners working is a losing battle in most cases. I'm a huge fan of Clack control valves and would suggest going with a Clack when you decide to upgrade.

As for your current system and if it is working properly -- much more info is needed. Are you having any water problems now? have you had a water test?

The salt level is low. The salt should fill up to the level of the water in the brine tank. The water level should not change throughout the day, it is a function of how the control valve is programmed.
 

Reach4

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2. Figure out if you have Iron Bacteria in the raw well. This is important to know.
I presume that if there is iron in the water, there are probably IRB. Ditto for SRB if H2S is smelled. I think they are slow growing, so that a really good sanitizing can knock them down for long periods. Have you ever tested a well that was not sanitized in the last couple of years that tested negative for IRB? The usual tests test for iron, but not IRB.

3. Iron filters require a lot of maintenance.
Maybe, but my backwashing H2S+iron filter, installed in 2012, has not required maintenance, other than filling the solution tank about every 33 days. That is 1 gallon of beach, and top up the 15 gallon solution tank. I used to top up with raw water, but I added a tap to make it handy to top up with soft water in just under 2 minutes.

Because I set a scheduler to remind me, if I start seeing the tank not empty on schedule, I will know to clean the injector and injector screen. That is using a Fleck 5600SXT, which is only good for about/almost 7 gpm backwash. My DLFC is only 5 gpm. So I don't think that I would feel good changing to a medium with higher backwashing requirements in my 10 inch tank, such as KL. If I went to KL, I would probably opt for a Fleck 2510, maybe SXT controller. Normally I would have expected my media to need replacing by now, and maybe it is time. Not smelling H2S so far, and any residual iron leakage is handled by the softener. My iron was lower than many, but still well above the SMCL. Nothing like the 4 ppm of gt213.
 

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There are the 2 upright cylindrical containers - one RainSoft Gold Series and one Silver Series

Then what i believe is the brine tank next to them with some salt and water in it - hopefully you can see in the photo that both the water level and salt level are low. i bought some salt to put in the tank but i am not sure how much i should be putting in?
The tank with the fill port near the top is probably an acid neutralizer, and it typically gets fill to about 2/3 full with calcite to allow room for the media to fluff up during backwash. Backwash might be every 6 days with your control, because that is the longest period it can select. The time for the backwash should not overlap the time for the softner regen. Softener regen can take place over a couple hours, and calcite regen is probably significantly less than 20.

Your calcite tank appears to be natural color, which would let you see the shadow of the media through the tank from a bright flashlight shining through in a dark room.

The brine tank for the softener should have the salt level enough that at at least some salt peeks above the liquid. There is somebody who thinks that the stratification I am trying to avoid by that is not a real problem. There is no upper limit on how much salt to add, although keeping it low for a while can be useful to let you know if salt is being consumed at a reasonable rate.

It looks like a nice setup. https://www.rainsoft.com/owners-manuals/ may have a manual for you. You might try phoning the house seller, who may like talking about that system.
 
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Bannerman

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The brine tank maybe filled to the top with fresh salt to extend the time before having to again monitor the salt remaining.

Each gallon of water entering the brine tank will dissolve 3 lbs salt so if the control valve is programmed for 3 gallons to enter at the conclusion of each regeneration cycle, then 9 lbs salt will be dissolved to prepare the appropriate quantity of brine for the following regeneration cycle.

The quantity of brine required is directly related to the amount of capacity to be regenerated. For example, if your softener's media tank dimension is 9" X 48", it will likely contain 1 cubic foot (ft3) of softening resin. While 1 ft3 of resin is manufactured with 32,000 grains total softening capacity, the softener will operate much more efficiently when programmed to regenerate when 24K grains have been consumed as that will only require 8 lbs salt. Although 8 lbs salt is suitable, a small softener with only 1 ft3 resin will be often programmed to use 9 lbs salt to regenerate that 24K capacity.

As you are now using a private well as your water source, you are the water utility. Highly recommended to obtain a comprehensive lab test to determine current water conditions as conditions will often change over time. National Labs WaterCheck is the lab that is most often recommended on this forum. http://watercheck.myshopify.com/?aff=5
 
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You did not identify NC or Illinois. If Illinois, you could try https://www.isws.illinois.edu/chemistry-and-technology/public-service-laboratory/water-testing. Since you have acid water, NC seems more probable.

I don't know what they offer for homeowner well testing today. Thy used to have a price list (relatively inexpensive) but I suspect they would be slower, if they even do it now. https://envirotestkits.com/product/safe-home-select/ is less expensive lab test that includes the normal stuff you want to test for for treatment. If you are going to test for coliform, then special sampling is required. If the lab tests for that, you will need expensive shipping too.

Or it may be reasonable (to me) to presume the testing was done previously before selecting equipment. You would want your own Hach 5-B softness test, and a pH meter. I would go with a cheap electronic type which you calibrate each time with a solution prepared with distilled water plus a buffer packet, and saved in clean lidded jars.
 

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I recently moved into a new house that is on a well and has a water softener system installed - this is my first experience with one and i'm hoping to get some pointers on how to make sure it is setup and running correctly.

I've attached some photos of what i think are the relevant parts:

There are the 2 upright cylindrical containers - one RainSoft Gold Series and one Silver Series

Then what i believe is the brine tank next to them with some salt and water in it - hopefully you can see in the photo that both the water level and salt level are low. i bought some salt to put in the tank but i am not sure how much i should be putting in?

Does the amount of water in the brine tank vary throughout the day? is the low level of water in my tank an issue? This photo is from around 4pm if that is important at all.

Hopefully someone can tell me if the settings on the Silver Series are good (its me my wife and our 1 year old in the house) and if i need to do anything with the Gold Series.

Appreciate any help i can get.
Depending on the make, some softeners fill the brine (salt tank) with water an hour or two prior to regenerating (cycling), and some at the end of the regeneration cycle. I'm not certain on which one of these scenarios your particular brand performs. it does appear, however, your may fill at the end of the regeneration cycle, judging by the water in the brine tank. one gallon of water dissolves three pounds of salt, so (if your unit is set to regenerate using only 9 pounds of salt) you would only be expected to have three gallons of water in the bottom of the brine (salt) tank. the amount of salt in the tank should (at minimum) fully cover the water. so you should never see water, only salt. I suggest you add two 40 lbs bags, then use a sharpie to put a mark on the inside of the tank, and check once a week to see if the salt level is dropping. This will indicates if the softener is functioning (cycling) In the meantime, get a water test (collected at the sink), testing for treated hardness and iron. this will give you an indication if the system is doing its job properly.
 
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gt213

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Thanks for the responses.

The previous owners shares the results from the water tests they had done a year ago and its looks like iron both pre and post treatment is low which is good.

Ok, so i'm going to add a couple of bags of salt to the tank and monitor the level is coming down, i'll also test the water hardness in the house (from what i can tell from the 3 weeks we've been in the house the water hardness is good).

Assuming the salt is being used and the water in the house is good, is the only ongoing maintenance going to be topping up the salt as needed, or anything else i should be looking out for/doing on a regular schedule?
 

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Assuming the salt is being used and the water in the house is good, is the only ongoing maintenance going to be topping up the salt as needed, or anything else i should be looking out for/doing on a regular schedule?
Once or twice per year, add calcite to 2/3 full. I presume you would lightly lube the plug with silicone grease when putting it back into place as you do with other seals.

Probably check the treated water pH now and then to make sure that some mix stronger than plain calcite is not needed. You would usually want at least 6.5. What pH did the water tests on the raw water show?
 

Skyjumper

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is the only ongoing maintenance going to be topping up the salt as needed, or anything else i should be looking out for/doing on a regular schedule?

refilling consumables is not maintenance. much like filling your gas tank is not maintenance... changing your oil, replacing spark plugs, cleaning your fuel injectors --- that's maintenance... and yes water treatment equipment requires regular maintenance as described previously.

but you still haven't shared your water report. you said you have one, but we can't give you specific advice without seeing it. "low iron" is not a meaningful description. 0.2ppm is enough to cause problems, but we don't know what you have. we also don't know your raw hardness levels so we can't comment on softener performance. we also don't know your pH. that 2nd tank may or may not be an acid neutralizer, you should probably figure that out before you start dumping stuff in there.

based on your photos the system is 16 yrs old. that's a very good sign it has lasted this long. but do you know its maintenance history? did the previous owners have it maintained by the water company? when was the last resin change? etc. highly doubtful it has lasted 16yrs with just salt refills unless you have incredibly clean well water. your water report would tell us that.
 

gt213

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Here are the test results from 07/2019.

I do not know how the previous owners maintained the system, although the only thing they mentioned regarding the water softener was to add salt when the alarm sounds, so i suspect that may be all they did. They were in the house for 4 years or so so the owner before them may have been more proactive in maintaining it...
 

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Reach4

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I do not know how the previous owners maintained the system, although the only thing they mentioned regarding the water softener was to add salt when the alarm sounds, so i suspect that may be all they did. They were in the house for 4 years or so so the owner before them may have been more proactive in maintaining it...
Your iron test result of "<.4 ppm" is disturbing in that usually a "<" means below the test sensitivity. I suspect that is the case in your test, and that is a pretty course test. Iron and manganese are your two things covered in your test that you probably treating for. But there are a lot of things your test did not cover. Arsenic for one.

pH on the raw water is good, so this would say that what I expected was a calcite tank would be something else. It could also mean that the calcite was effective, and that no test was from untreated water. I would get a pH meter and re-check the pH of the water directly form the well.
 

Skyjumper

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if we take those test results at face value then it is very good news for you - Congrats! although it makes you wonder if they used test strips or something. a real test lab result would be something like 0.13 mg/L iron. but if it truly is <0.4 then your job is much easier. I'd still suggest cleaning the resin regularly by adding 1/3 - 1/2 cup of citric acid with each bag of salt https://www.amazon.com/Milliard-Citric-Acid-Pound-NON-GMO/dp/B01DKRP1GM

given how nice your raw water is its entirely possible you still have the original resin in the tank, and it has just been cleaned periodically over the years. do occasionally check the treated water hardenss near then end of the softener cycle (eg the day before it regenreates) to see if any hardness is breaking through. that would indicate your resin needs a more thorough cleaning or possible replacement.
 

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Since the water pH pre-treatment was 7.7, it would then seem the tank with the fill plug is not an acid neutralizer. Perhaps the previous owner retained invoices or other documentation which will indicate the media contained in that tank. Alternately, if there is a label afixed to the equipment to indicate the supplier, that supplier may have kept records so you may want to contact them. As a last resort, you may need to open the fill port to obtain a sample of the media as one of us may be able to identify it by sight if you post a clear photo.

2.0 gpg hardness post softener is high. It is likely the resin is somewhat iron fouled and also likely the softener has been previously regenerated with insufficient salt so not all of the resin's capacity is currently available for use so hardness leakage is unusually high as a result.

You have not specified the softener's media tank size so assuming it is 9" X 48", it will most likely contain 1 ft3 resin. To restore all 32,000 grains capacity for 1 ft3, 20 lbs salt will be needed for a 1X restorative regeneration. To dissolve 20 lbs salt, 6 + 2/3 gallons water will be needed in the brine tank. If your current salt setting is 9 lbs to regenerate 24,000 grains usable capacity, then the tank will already contain 3 gallons so an additional 3.5 gallons maybe manually added using a bucket.

To assist the brine to remove iron from the resin, premix a substantial amount (ie: 50%) of Iron Out or an alternate acid resin cleaner into the additional water to be added to the brine tank. Warm water will dissolve a powdered cleaner more rapidly than cold water. Once the additional liquid is added to the brine tank, allow it to sit for 1-2 hours to allow the appropriate quantity of additional salt to dissolve prior to initiating manual regeneration.

To increase the cleaner's contact time with the resin, disconnect the softener's power plug once all of the liquid has been transferred from the brine tank to the media tank and then immediately manually bypass the softener which will stop the flow to drain. After ~1 hr, restore flow (un bypass) to allow the softener to slowly rinse the cleaner and brine from the resin. After an approx 1 hr slow rinse, restore electrical power to allow the control valve to continue to complete the remaining regeneration cycle on its own.

I anticipate the additional capacity made available by the additional salt and cleaner will substantially reduce hardness leakage. Once a Hach 5B test kit is obtained, the hardness both pre and post softener will be easily measured and compared.
 
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