Losing pressure after softener

[KCunningham]

Hello. I'm trying to figure out how much my well can produce and have noticed that, with all faucets and showers running, the pressure gauge at my jet pump says 50psi and the gauge on the outlet of my contact tank says ~30psi. If I toggle from bypass to service on the salt softener (which is the only filter before the contact tank) the psi immediately gains/loses 10-15psi.
I have a 9 inch diameter salt softener with Fleck control head, don't know too much more about it. It's about 2.5 years old.
Need to change the resin?
Appreciate any help
KC

 

[Reach4]

You refer a contact tank, which I think implies the use of chlorine or other thing being injected.

You say the softener is "before" the contact tank, which would imply that you are feeding your chlorine through the softener on its way to the contact tank. Right so far? Or have I mis-inferred?

 

[Sponsor]

 

[KCunningham]

Nope. Softener, then chlorine, then contact.

 

[Reach4]

Nope. Softener, then chlorine, then contact.

Good. What is the purpose of your chlorine injection -- only killing bacteria and not dealing with iron, manganese etc? If your softener is seeing much iron, the softener could be gummed up from that.

A 9 inch softener should have a backwash rate of about 2 GPM. I would play the drain line (if that is easy) into a bucket and see if that is about what you measure. If there was something holding back the backwash, this could maybe cause a flow problem. I am not a pro.

 

[KCunningham]

Fe and Mn primarily, caught by katalox after contact tank. I have flow rate of ~4.5 gpm so it helps take the load off katalox until I can get my GPM raised up

 

[Reach4]

Fe and Mn primarily, caught by katalox after contact tank. I have flow rate of ~4.5 gpm so it helps take the load off katalox until I can get my GPM raised up

You might post a diagram of your system. I suspect a better order of things would help, and that would help paint the picture. I looked back at your early posts. I think you might want to go back and look through those.

4.5 gpm is too much for backwash of a 9 inch softener.

4.5 gpm would be somewhat low for backwashing a 9 inch KL tank, and very low for a bigger KL tank.

If you are saying that you think your pump only puts out 4.5 gpm from your shallow well, there are cures for that. The horizontal 1/2 HP submersible with a flow inducer comes to mind as being able to easily deliver over 10 gpm.

So anyway, your softener is looking at your untreated water. So I suspect it is loaded up with iron. That would happen regardless of how much your pump could produce. Is cleaning your resin and controller worthwhile? Maybe. I suggest you use the above search box to search the softener forum for old posts that contain "iron out". There are also resin cleaners.

I have to believe that your softener should be after the KL and contact tank, etc.

 

[KCunningham]

Ran a backwash and I'm not even getting 1.5 gpm out of the softener's drain hose, so that would support the idea that the resin is fouled? I guess it's worth spending $6 to try a resin cleaner before replacing it. My system goes jet pump>proportional flow meter>salt softener>30gal contact tank>katalox>carbon>cartridge sediment filter. Once I get my GPM up, I will reorder so that the salt is later in line.

So next I need to raise my GPM so that the katalox and carbon can properly backwash, currently hoping to replace my jet pump with a more powerful one but first need to figure out if my well can handle it. With all faucets, showers, and hose spigots wide open I can only get my system down to 40psi, so having a tough time figuring out what my well can produce at the moment.

This has become complicated for a guy who knows very little about this, trying my best to piece it together with everyone's help.

 

[Reach4]

Ran a backwash and I'm not even getting 1.5 gpm out of the softener's drain hose, so that would support the idea that the resin is fouled? I guess it's worth spending $6 to try a resin cleaner before replacing it.

You will want to clean the controller insides too. I don't know that resin cleaner will clean better, but it would smell better than Iron Out.

So next I need to raise my GPM so that the katalox and carbon can properly backwash, currently hoping to replace my jet pump with a more powerful one but first need to figure out if my well can handle it. With all faucets, showers, and hose spigots wide open I can only get my system down to 40psi, so having a tough time figuring out what my well can produce at the moment.

https://www.cleanwaterstore.com/res...ump-flow-rate-on-systems-with-pressure-tanks/ seems like a good and fairly simple method.