Twin Tank Regeneration Frequency

[MG43066]

I'm getting ready to buy a new water softener. The Kinetico installer came out and said I need a 110,000 grain twin tank setup due to number of people in the house, bathrooms, hardness etc.

I had a clack installer tell me I only needed a 48,000 grain twin tank setup. They said the reason I don't need the massive tank setup is because it's a twin tank and it continuously provides water. They said it would regenerate more often. But, that's not really an issue like with a single tank. This answer makes sense to me. I know I might waste a little more water. But, if I have to regenerate a 110,000 grain once a week vs a 48,000 grain twice a week, wouldn't they use the same amount of salt?

Is there any reason why I would need a 110,000 grain setup when using the twin tank configuration? My water hardness is 30 and I have no iron. I have a well.

Our water pressure isn't massive, so there is no flow issue with the smaller tank. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Thanks!

 

[Reach4]

I had a clack installer tell me I only needed a 48,000 grain twin tank setup.

It may be that the installer that that installer was referring to each tank, and the Kinetico salesman was referring to the sum of the two tanks.

Have you seen http://www.qualitywaterassociates.com/softeners/sizingchart.htm ? Continue with the link at the bottom.

What is your level of iron that the softener will see?

Usually a single tank is best for a residence where regenerating between 2 and 4 AM or so is OK. Dual tank is better where things are more of a 24 hour operation.

Click Inbox above.

 

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[MG43066]

It may be that the installer that that installer was referring to each tank, and the Kinetico salesman was referring to the sum of the two tanks.

Have you seen http://www.qualitywaterassociates.com/softeners/sizingchart.htm ? Continue with the link at the bottom.

What is your level of iron that the softener will see?

Usually a single tank is best for a residence where regenerating between 2 and 4 AM or so is OK. Dual tank is better where things are more of a 24 hour operation.

Click Inbox above.[/QUOTE

I have very low iron, less than 1. Kinetico suggested the 2060s. The clack installer actually suggested a 32,000 grain initially. But, I have a full apartment in my basement with a kitchen, bathroom, dishwasher, washing machine. It's literally X2 on everything in a normal house. That's why I was more interested in the twin tank setup.

I don't know the gallons per minute on flow. But, our water pressure is not great. If we have two pipes running at the same time you can tell.

Thanks for your reply.

 

[Reach4]

Personally, I don't consider 0.5 ppm of iron to be very low. That is not the same as no iron. You might want to get an independent lab water test. I like kit60 from http://www.karlabs.com/watertestkit/ .
What did the calculator on the second page of that link I posted say you needed for size?

If you hook a fairly short 5/8 inch hose to the drain spigot and try to fill 3 to 5 gallons to a bucket while the pump is running and pressure is not dropping, you can calculate how fast you could provide water for regeneration. Things that could mess up your study is if the pressure tank pressure is dropping during your fill, it is providing water.

You could do the test outside, but that might be limited by the piping to the spigot. Maybe try there first, and go inside if you need more info. The advantage to outside is that you could easily run the faucet much longer than the time that the pressure tank can supply.

Note that you only need 25 to 30 PSI of water pressure during the backwash.

 

[Bannerman]

said I need a 110,000 grain twin tank setup due to number of people in the house, bathrooms, hardness etc.

Is there any reason why I would need a 110,000 grain setup when using the twin tank configuration? My water hardness is 30 and I have no iron.

Describe your household occupancy, bathroom quantity (any multi-head showers or other high consumption fixtures) and any other reasons why a 110K softener would be recommended. If your water was tested, the test result details would also be useful.

A twin tank softener is usually overkill for most residential applications. Because softening is immediately transferred to the alternate tank when the initial tank capacity has been depleted, a twin tank is best suited where soft water is needed on a continual basis. Since home residents usually sleep during the same time, water is not utilized continuously so regeneration of a single tank system is typically programmed to occur when the home occupants are sleeping and little water is being utilized.