We recently purchased a 30+ year old home in the county. The water supply comes from a well and there has never been a water softener. The water hardness is about 11 gpg and the iron about 6. There are only two people and there are two bathrooms so I figure a 32,000 grain unit would be large enough. We had Kinnetico out and they wanted to put in a system for around $6,000 (came down to about $2,000 for a basic system) and EcoWater was around $2,500. I do not want to pay that much!! In looking online I find good reports on Fleck 5600 and today I found Softpro softeners by Quality Water. Any suggestions that you have would sure be appreciated!! Thanks!
What water softener to buy?
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Bannerman
Well-Known Member
The appropriate place to start is a full comprehensive lab test on your raw well water as all of the water's conditions often need to be considered when choosing appropriate treatment methods.
Removing a large quantity of iron (6 ppm is huge) with a softener is not an efficient method as each 1 ppm iron will utilize 85 ppm hardness capacity (5 grains per gallon) from the softener. The softener will also require frequent ongoing manual cleaning of the resin and valve internals as the iron will adhere and foul the resin, reducing its ability to remove hardness and additional iron. Separate removal of the iron before the softener would be advisable.
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ditttohead
Water systems designer, R&D
http://watercheck.myshopify.com?aff=5
Check out this test facility. A proper water test is a must.
6 ppm iron should not be treated by a traditional softener in most applications but many companies will do it in order to save some money and since it greatly increases the service requirements of most softeners it is a win/win for them.
Check out this test facility. A proper water test is a must.
6 ppm iron should not be treated by a traditional softener in most applications but many companies will do it in order to save some money and since it greatly increases the service requirements of most softeners it is a win/win for them.
With those numbers (much lower than what you expected), a 1 cuft (9x48) softener would be good -- giving about 23 days between regenerations, and so would a 1.5 cubic ft (10x54).
Having no softener would not be so bad, but having the softener is nice.
Is your well shallower, where it might be affected by surface water due to rains?
The well is about 90 feet deep. I think we do want to go with a softener because we do get some rust/pink color on the bottom of the shower curtain and when water sits for a while you can see the coloration. Would a 1 cuft softener take care of the iron?
Yes. If you typed your iron number correctly.
ditttohead
Water systems designer, R&D
Be sure to chemically treat your resin occasionally. With these numbers I don't really see any problems.
Bannerman
Well-Known Member
111 mg/L / 17.1 = (6.5) 7 grains per gallon hardness + 1 gpg for minimal iron = 8 gpg. An average water consumption estimate per person is between 50 to 75 gallons per day.
Using an average estimate of 65 gallons/day X 2 ppl X 8 gpg = 1,040 grains/day softening load.
For improved efficiency, a 1 cuft (32K grains total capacity) will deliver 21,000 usable grains per regeneration cycle when using 6 lbs salt, or 24K usable grains when using 8 lbs salt.
21,000 / 1040 = approx 20 days between regeneration cycles
24,000 / 1040 = ~ 23 days
A 1.5 cuft (48K grains total) will deliver 31,500 grains using 9 lbs salt, or 36K using 12 lbs salt.
31,500 / 1040 = ~30 days between regen cycles
36,000 / 1040 = ~34 days
As regeneration should occur at least on a monthly basis, assuming you do not require a higher than average service flow to supply high flow appliances or fixtures (ie: multiple shower heads), it would appear that a 1 cuft softener would be appropriate for your needs.
https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?attachments/resin-chart-jpg.53316/
In reviewing this site, you will likely recognize both Fleck and Clack control valves are highly regarded and most recommended.
Buying online is often not recommended as the control valve is not the only component of a quality softener. While on-line dealers may specify a great control valve, other components such as resin, tanks, and the bottom screen will often be lower quality so as to reduce their price to undercut their competition. As shipping is usually included, the online dealers will also typically not include gravel under-bedding as gravel will add to the shipping weight and therefore increase their expense.
Both Clack and Fleck have altered their policies to primarily sell through local area dealers who understand water treatment and will properly support and service the quality equipment that they sell.
With regard to the control valve model, consideration should be given to the diameter of the plumbing service in your home. A Fleck 5600 SXT will be best suited for up to a 3/4" mainline whereas the newer 5800, 5810 and 5812 will be more appropriate for larger diameter plumbing.
Using an average estimate of 65 gallons/day X 2 ppl X 8 gpg = 1,040 grains/day softening load.
For improved efficiency, a 1 cuft (32K grains total capacity) will deliver 21,000 usable grains per regeneration cycle when using 6 lbs salt, or 24K usable grains when using 8 lbs salt.
21,000 / 1040 = approx 20 days between regeneration cycles
24,000 / 1040 = ~ 23 days
A 1.5 cuft (48K grains total) will deliver 31,500 grains using 9 lbs salt, or 36K using 12 lbs salt.
31,500 / 1040 = ~30 days between regen cycles
36,000 / 1040 = ~34 days
As regeneration should occur at least on a monthly basis, assuming you do not require a higher than average service flow to supply high flow appliances or fixtures (ie: multiple shower heads), it would appear that a 1 cuft softener would be appropriate for your needs.
https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?attachments/resin-chart-jpg.53316/
In reviewing this site, you will likely recognize both Fleck and Clack control valves are highly regarded and most recommended.
Buying online is often not recommended as the control valve is not the only component of a quality softener. While on-line dealers may specify a great control valve, other components such as resin, tanks, and the bottom screen will often be lower quality so as to reduce their price to undercut their competition. As shipping is usually included, the online dealers will also typically not include gravel under-bedding as gravel will add to the shipping weight and therefore increase their expense.
Both Clack and Fleck have altered their policies to primarily sell through local area dealers who understand water treatment and will properly support and service the quality equipment that they sell.
With regard to the control valve model, consideration should be given to the diameter of the plumbing service in your home. A Fleck 5600 SXT will be best suited for up to a 3/4" mainline whereas the newer 5800, 5810 and 5812 will be more appropriate for larger diameter plumbing.
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