Looking to make my setup a little more correct

[kvar14]

So I bought my house about 3 years ago, had the water tested and all that and never got around to installing what was recommended, but looking to fix that.
Well Report (address omitted)
https://imgur.com/kYLtrwP
https://imgur.com/JsHxRUI

Old water test
https://imgur.com/2GYscva
Here's the initial water report, with a recommendation of adding a acid neutralizer and a water softener. There looks to be a acid neutralizer installed currently but its leaking and the old homeowner kept saying it was a filter. After that is a standard whole house filter with the blow molded cartridges. Additionally the old owner installed a 1HP 22gpm well pump, on a system with only a 20g bladder tank which causes the pump to cycle often as you would imagine. I have experienced light red staining in the toilets, dark green ring around the top toilet level in the tanks, sprinkler screens clogging with red stuff (outside spigots piped before filtration).

New water test
https://imgur.com/HpAeHA1

Looking to get a feel for what i need/should do and talked into/out of my current plans.
I'm thinking a CSV (They seem to be controversial around here) would be a good idea here considering the pump/tank setup (I would like to water my lawn and not blow the pump up), a mesh spindown filter, a acid neutralizer, and a water softener with something like the following arrangment
https://imgur.com/XuJkh0a
Idea being with the outside water piping I can maybe catch whatever was clogging the sprinkler strainers (i could also add prefilters to the hoses at the spigots if that makes more sense). If this plan seems ok I'd also like to know what size softener would be ideal, the calculator I found gave a very low grain size based on what I put in but maybe that's accurate. Thanks in advance!

 

[Reach4]

Your idea seems sound to me. The softener deals with the manganese (biggest item), iron, the bit of hardness in the raw water, and the hardness that the calcite neutralizer add. I am not a pro, and I might have missed something.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[ditttohead]

Calcite and softener would be a simple fix. If all of your plumbing is pex/cpvc, you might be able to forgo the calcite system. A Hydra to start would be ideal.

 

[DIYMissus]

If I read the report correctly ( not an expert ) 77 ppm hardness = 4.5 gpg you really don't need a water softener, your water is already pretty soft.
" The decision to soften is a personal choice that can affect your home and the environment. If your water’s hardness is greater than 7 grains per gallon or 120 mg/L, then you might need a water softener to ensure your appliances run well and to improve the taste, smell, or look of your water." https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/water/factsheet/softening.html

 

[kvar14]

It's all brass/copper/galvanized(would huck these) as far as I can tell.

https://imgur.com/wvHBz5A-> Current setup

https://imgur.com/JdqIwKt -> Tank leaking from the top (not the valve dripping, it seeps out of the laminations and drives me nuts, I have a fan running on it to keep it evaporating before it makes its way out into the basement). I'm a;so mentally prepared to move that oil tank on the right over to make room for whatevers gotta go in here.

If the actual components seem correct, what sizes would I be looking for on the two tanks, assuming 3 adults?

 

[kvar14]

If I read the report correctly ( not an expert ) 77 ppm hardness = 4.5 gpg you really don't need a water softener, your water is already pretty soft.
" The decision to soften is a personal choice that can affect your home and the environment. If your water’s hardness is greater than 7 grains per gallon or 120 mg/L, then you might need a water softener to ensure your appliances run well and to improve the taste, smell, or look of your water." https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/water/factsheet/softening.html

Is there a better option for dealing with the red staining? I didn't mention this earlier but washing whites gives a similar slight brown red tinge.

 

[Reach4]

A 1 cuft softener is enough for you I think, but 1.5 (10x54 tank) is usually the smallest recommended in the US for regular softeners. 10x54 is a nice size. For calcite tank, it will have a top fill port. I would guess that would be a 10x54 tank. Ideally that tank will not be painted, and you can check the level of media by shining a bright light thru. They can be upflow with no backwash, but better is to have backwash to keep the calcite from cementing in place or channeling.

Your pump is not appropriate for a normal house IMO, but let it keep going until it fails. A CSV could be used to tame that monster.

If you put stuff in, it can be a good idea to put a boiler drain valve between pieces. You can sample the water there, and you can mount a garden hose thread pressure gauge to check for any pressure drops.

Any plans for a cartridge filter?

 

[kvar14]

A 1 cuft softener is enough for you I think, but 1.5 (10x54 tank) is usually the smallest recommended in the US for regular softeners. 10x54 is a nice size. For calcite tank, it will have a top fill port. I would guess that would be a 10x54 tank. Ideally that tank will not be painted, and you can check the level of media by shining a bright light thru. They can be upflow with no backwash, but better is to have backwash to keep the calcite from cementing in place or channeling.

Your pump is not appropriate for a normal house IMO, but let it keep going until it fails. A CSV could be used to tame that monster.

If you put stuff in, it can be a good idea to put a boiler drain valve between pieces. You can sample the water there, and you can mount a garden hose thread pressure gauge to check for any pressure drops.

Any plans for a cartridge filter?

Cartridge filter as the final stage? I have no issue putting one in, there's currently one installed for the house water but not the outdoor spigots.
Here's some more pics to better explain the brown, somebody can probably tell right off the bat whats going on (silt or whatever)

https://imgur.com/oJTKftD
https://imgur.com/l1HDQMz ->Filter body with some sediment in the bottom

https://imgur.com/bQkfSx7 ->Poured out what was in there onto a paper towel, some shinies

https://imgur.com/fNJjVwL ->Filter itself, I change it out every few months

 

[Reach4]

Cartridge filter as the final stage? I have no issue putting one in, there's currently one installed for the house water but not the outdoor spigots.

None wanted for outdoor spigots. You have one, you are good.

If you don't have a bypass for your filter, at least keep an extra o-ring on hand.

Your first picture in this post worked. Nothing to get excited about in your filter housing.

For toilets, including toilet tank cleanout, try some Iron Out crystals for rust stains. The green is due to your pH interacting with copper. https://www.menards.com/main/grocery-home/housewares/cleaning-supplies/all-purpose-cleaners/iron-out-reg-rust-stain-remover/io30n/p-1444444183359-c-7097.htm

 

[kvar14]

None wanted for outdoor spigots. You have one, you are good.

If you don't have a bypass for your filter, at least keep an extra o-ring on hand.

Your first picture in this post worked. Nothing to get excited about in your filter housing.

For toilets, including toilet tank cleanout, try some Iron Out crystals for rust stains. The green is due to your pH interacting with copper. https://www.menards.com/main/grocery-home/housewares/cleaning-supplies/all-purpose-cleaners/iron-out-reg-rust-stain-remover/io30n/p-1444444183359-c-7097.htm

Ooh i have used that for laundry and the bowls and it works well, has a kinda odd smell to it. I'll put together a shopping list and diagram and continue the post later, preferences for the valve heads on the tanks? Fleck?

 

[ditttohead]

Fleck or Clack original valves, calcite and softener are a simple and effective way to take care of this water. A bucket of citric acid would beadvised, just add some to the brine tank when you add salt in order to keep the resin cleaner. You have an obvious sediment problem so a backwashing calcite, not a in/out design would be highly recommended. A post filter is usually not recommended but in your application it would be a cheap adder to help catch any junk that is getting through the equipment. Be sure to build a 3 valve bypass around the BB housing and do not get some cheap low cost online BB unless you like blown housings... very common problem. As to the CSV, I have been working with several pump manufacturers and as a commercial RO system designer, I would have to say they are fine for the majority of applications.

 

[DIYMissus]

Is there a better option for dealing with the red staining? I didn't mention this earlier but washing whites gives a similar slight brown red tinge.

I use Iron-out for whites, it does smell bad, I haven't tried going back to bleach since we got the new system set-up. . My thought since your water isn't really hard is to get something that is designed to remove iron rather then use a softener that is really designed to remove calcium /magnesium ( that you don't have in excess) but can remove iron too. The experts here seem to say to use a softener to remove iron in your case so that must be the best choice.