New house/well water- need advise on nuetralizer, iron removal, softening system

[Hokiescottyp]

I just built a new house in Powhatan, VA and I had my water tested by an independent lab and have moderately hard water (4 gpg) with slightly above normal levels of iron (.33 ppm) and manganese (.08 ppm), and pH of 6.0, so I'm looking into treatment options.

I've talked to 3 water treatment companies (since I have no plumbing skills, I won't be going the DIY route, even though I could probably save some money that way.)

I was recommended a few similar solutions:
A. Sediment Filter ("Big Blue") + Backwashing Acid Neutralizer Tank with Calcite + Water Softener with Salt
B. Oxygen Injection and Pre-filter + Backwashing Acid Neutralizer Tank with Calcite/Magnesium Oxide + Water Softener with Salt

Questions:
1. Do these seem like the right thing for my needs?
2. Is it a bad idea to try to remove iron with an acid neutralizer and softener? Do I need a separate Iron Filtering system?
3. Can I get away with only Calcite in the Neutralizer tank, or do I need some Magnesium Oxide?
4. Is the Fleck mechanical valve more reliable than the electronic one? I have gotten conflicting recommendations from 2 different companies. One swears the electronic one is more trouble than it's worth, the other says it's the best thing ever.
5. Is it OK to drink the water from a softener? (do I need a Reverse Osmosis filter?)

 

[Reach4]

5. Is it OK to drink the water from a softener?

Yes.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[_John_]

The magnesium oxide helps a bit for higher flow situations and lengthens the bed life, so it's better to have it than not IMO unless costs get crazy. It is more expensive than calcite, but you don't use that much when you refill the neutralizer.

The neutralizer will remove some iron while raising pH and being a physical filter and should work just fine with a softener for adequately removing iron.

Adding oxygen will help some with iron oxidation/removal in the filters, but not sure it's vital.

Ditto on #5 being yes. Particularly at 6-8 gpg hardness removed ultimately.

 

[ditttohead]

Questions:
1. Do these seem like the right thing for my needs? Sounds simple and reasonable
2. Is it a bad idea to try to remove iron with an acid neutralizer and softener? It is not considered the common way but it can be very effective Do I need a separate Iron Filtering system? Your iron is very low and easily treated, you probably do not need a seperate iron reduction system.
3. Can I get away with only Calcite in the Neutralizer tank, or do I need some Magnesium Oxide? Totally application dependent. Water temperature, flow rates, co2... and many other factors will determine this. Better to simply do calcite to start, add corosex later if needed.
4. Is the Fleck mechanical valve more reliable than the electronic one? not really. The mechanical valve has many more moving parts and is not highly adjustable. The electronic valves have far fewer moving parts and are much simpler. That being said, as long as it is an original Fleck, not some cheap knockoff from China, you will be fine with either choice. I have gotten conflicting recommendations from 2 different companies. One swears the electronic one is more trouble than it's worth, the other says it's the best thing ever. We still sell lots of mechanical valves but they have dropped off significantly the past 5 years. The modern electronics are nearly bulletproof now.
5. Is it OK to drink the water from a softener? (do I need a Reverse Osmosis filter?) Yes, it is fine to drink soft water from a softener. An RO is a personal choice, I would recommend it but... totally up to you.

 

[Hokiescottyp]

The 2 quotes I've gotten for purchase and installation of the acid nuetralizer and softener were both right at $3,300 (except for rainsoft which was $1,400 higher). Is that reasonable?

Could I save money by trying to find a plumber who doesn't sell water systems to install something for me? What's the best way to do that?

 

[ditttohead]

Can you post a picture of where the water systems would be installed?

 

[Hokiescottyp]

Also, with my house being brand new and basically no copper plumbing, is it really necessary to nuetralize my water with a pH of 6.0?

The only things with metal in them are probably my tankless water heater and my sinks and shower faucets. How likely is pH 6.0 water to damage those fixtures or any other appliances like washing machine, dishwasher, fridge (ice maker)?

 

[Hokiescottyp]

And with 6 people in the house, what size system should I get?

 

[Hokiescottyp]

Can you post a picture of where the water systems would be installed?

It will be installed in my crawl space about 4 ft tall. I'll try to get a picture to share.

 

[ditttohead]

pH is only a part of the equation. TDS, alkalinity, co2, DO, calcium, magnesium and much more goes into determining if a water will be corrosive.

Input your numbers into this calculator. This will give you an idea of what to expect.

http://www.lenntech.com/calculators/langelier/index/langelier.htm