Water softener installation!!

[JoyfulNoise]

I was skimming the thread and wanted to ask you how your tap PH is? My first house we had the culligan had great soft water, but over the years I had to replace many of my shower valves and other fixtures the ph must have been acidic. In my new house we once again added a water softener but went with fleck valves and have a 3 tank system, softener, neutralizer (to neutralize any acidity) and a whole house carbon filter.

My tap water is Tucson city water which is ok. TA is about 100-120ppm, CH is anywhere from 180ppm to 250+ ppm (depends on the time of year) and the pH is 7.6-7.8. Water is always warm. Even in the dead of winter the “cold” water is around 55-60F and can get as high as 78F out of the tap. Heaters don’t need a lot of gas around here to heat water. And if you install a roof top solar heater for your water tank, they barely use any gas at all.

 

[proavia]

If you notice that the water in the shower doesn't seem soft (my wife will tell me the water feels "squeaky") well before a regen is called for, it may be that the brine tank needs to be cleaned out. Mine tends to get salt sludge and dirt buildup on the bottom of the brine tank after a year or two. If this occurs, let the salt level run low, drain the brine tank, remove any "good" salt for reuse and then dispose of all the salt sludge in the bottom of the tank. Then completely rinse the brine tank out, including the large tube that holds the float assembly as well as the float assembly itself.

I clean mine about every 12-18 months.

You can also experience a salt bridge in the brine tank. This is where the salt that is directly in contact with the brine tank water is dissolved and the salt above the water level forms a bridge. I haven't heard of anyone that lives in the air fryer we affectionately call the desert southwest have this problem, but it could be an issue for some that live in more humid environments. Sometimes a change of salt from crystals to pellets or vice-a-versa will help with this issue.

 

[Dirk]

I was skimming the thread and wanted to ask you how your tap PH is? My first house we had the culligan had great soft water, but over the years I had to replace many of my shower valves and other fixtures the ph must have been acidic. In my new house we once again added a water softener but went with fleck valves and have a 3 tank system, softener, neutralizer (to neutralize any acidity) and a whole house carbon filter.

I have the whole house filter and the softener (which I keep cranked up pretty good). I didn't consider acidity on the fixtures. It's calcium, here. I haven't run a suite on my city water for a long time. When I did, it was:

FC: 2.0
pH: 7.5
TA: 230
CH: 350
SALT: 100

I should run another suite. Matt, you can maybe see why I like my IntellipH more than you do.

The water tasted awful when I first moved in. I came from a town that used an underground mountain spring. Yummy! I asked a neighbor about how they deal with the awful taste, he said "What awful taste?" Not sure how you get used to that!

 

[Dirk]

If you notice that the water in the shower doesn't seem soft (my wife will tell me the water feels "squeaky") well before a regen is called for, it may be that the brine tank needs to be cleaned out. Mine tends to get salt sludge and dirt buildup on the bottom of the brine tank after a year or two. If this occurs, let the salt level run low, drain the brine tank, remove any "good" salt for reuse and then dispose of all the salt sludge in the bottom of the tank. Then completely rinse the brine tank out, including the large tube that holds the float assembly as well as the float assembly itself.

I clean mine about every 12-18 months.

You can also experience a salt bridge in the brine tank. This is where the salt that is directly in contact with the brine tank water is dissolved and the salt above the water level forms a bridge. I haven't heard of anyone that lives in the air fryer we affectionately call the desert southwest have this problem, but it could be an issue for some that live in more humid environments. Sometimes a change of salt from crystals to pellets or vice-a-versa will help with this issue.

Hmm, I'll have to let my tank run low and check the bottom. I wonder if my whole-house filter, which is plumbed just in front of my softener, helps with this issue. I have no idea how I would perform the cleaning task, though. I have one of these, and can't imagine how to clean and rinse it while it's installed.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I have the whole house filter and the softener (which I keep cranked up pretty good). I didn't consider acidity on the fixtures. It's calcium, here. I haven't run a suite on my city water for a long time. When I did, it was:

FC: 2.0
pH: 7.5
TA: 230
CH: 350
SALT: 100

I should run another suite. Matt, you can maybe see why I like my IntellipH more than you do.

The water tasted awful when I first moved in. I came from a town that used an underground mountain spring. Yummy! I asked a neighbor about how they deal with the awful taste, he said "What awful taste?" Not sure how you get used to that!

Yeah that TA is horrible. Does the water fizz from all the carbonation?

Crank up the acid doser to Warp 9 for sure ….

 

[proavia]

Mine has a separate brine tank which makes it a bit easier.

You could always disconnect your entire unit, drain the brine tank down and carefully move the unit outside. Then - carefully lay the unit on its side to help rinse the brine tank out. I don't believe there would be an issue with any resin escaping from the internal softener tank.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

My brine tank is separate too. Much easier to clean and easily holds 120lbs of salt

 

[Dirk]

Mine has a separate brine tank which makes it a bit easier.

You could always disconnect your entire unit, drain the brine tank down and carefully move the unit outside. Then - carefully lay the unit on its side to help rinse the brine tank out. I don't believe there would be an issue with any resin escaping from the internal softener tank.

Yikes! Maybe I won't empty my tank. If I don't see any sludge, is it really there?

Maybe my wet-dry shop vac could work? Of course, that will not appreciate a nice salt bath!

 

[proavia]

My brine tank is separate too. Much easier to clean and easily holds 120lbs of salt

Mine has a large round brine tank. I think it will hold 300# if I fill it to the top. I usually fill it to about the 3/4 point with salt.

 

[Dirk]

Size doesn't matter!

 

[proavia]

Size doesn't matter!

Just keep telling yourself that.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Size doesn't matter!

Says the guy with the dinky softener … I love eggplant parmigiana …

Anyway …. My softener is a “dual eliminator” where it has two stages - a GAC stage to remove chlorine/chloramine and heavy metals and then a 54,000 grain resin stage for minerals. It also has a Clack control valve and has been rock solid since it’s installation. WaterTec is the regional builder of my system and those guys are great. Very customer-oriented family business.

 

[Dirk]

I remember you describing your system once before. What would you estimate the sq ft that it takes up on the floor? I'd love to have a better system, when it's due to replace mine, but I really don't have much space. That Whirlpool unit is about it, and my whole-house filter is squeezed in behind it.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I remember you describing your system once before. What would you estimate the sq ft that it takes up on the floor? I'd love to have a better system, when it's due to replace mine, but I really don't have much space. That Whirlpool unit is about it, and my whole-house filter is squeezed in behind it.

Brine tank is 15” X 15” X 36” and the softener is about 12” in diameter and 72” up to the top of control valve. The brine tank can theoretically be place any distance (reasonably) from the resin tank.

 

[Dirk]

Thanks! That's smaller than I thought it would be. Is that something local to you, or available nationwide?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Thanks! That's smaller than I thought it would be. Is that something local to you, or available nationwide?

WaterTec is a local Tucson company but they operate in Arizona and Nevada. They actually manufacture their own softeners and sell to both commercial and residential customers. In fact, many of the smaller water treatment companies and plumbers here buy tanks and components from WaterTec and just rebrand them. I’m not sure they operate in CA though … you can look them up online. If they don’t do work in Cali then they may be able to refer you to someone that does.

 

[Wolfepack88]

WaterTec is a local Tucson company but they operate in Arizona and Nevada. They actually manufacture their own softeners and sell to both commercial and residential customers. In fact, many of the smaller water treatment companies and plumbers here buy tanks and components from WaterTec and just rebrand them. I’m not sure they operate in CA though … you can look them up online. If they don’t do work in Cali then they may be able to refer you to someone that does.

That is what the company I purchased from does. They use fleck valves and build their own systems as well. Still some good small local companies around which is great and what makes this country tick!!

 

[Paulbhyo]

I put in this bad boy a couple weeks ago. I had a 2"x10 standard filter 20micron. I installed 4" x 20" 5 micron pre-filter to clean out all the particulate and a 64k dual tank. I didn't want well water to go into the pool because we have a slight amount of iron. water softener doesn't do anything for the high TA though.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I put in this bad boy a couple weeks ago. I had a 2"x10 standard filter 20micron. I installed 4" x 20" 5 micron pre-filter to clean out all the particulate and a 64k dual tank. I didn't want well water to go into the pool because we have a slight amount of iron. water softener doesn't do anything for the high TA though.

Nice setup. Since you have detectable iron in the well I highly suggest using a iron-specific resin cleaner periodically. Ion exchange resins can reversibly exchange mono- and divalent metal cations like Na, Mg and Ca but transition metals like Fe tend to irreversibly bind to the resin and cause permanent loss of exchange function. Resin cleaners can pull the iron out. There’s also air injection into the well water stream to help oxidize the iron into insoluble precipitates if you can prefilter them out before they hit the ion exchange resins.

 

[Wolfepack88]

I put in this bad boy a couple weeks ago. I had a 2"x10 standard filter 20micron. I installed 4" x 20" 5 micron pre-filter to clean out all the particulate and a 64k dual tank. I didn't want well water to go into the pool because we have a slight amount of iron. water softener doesn't do anything for the high TA though.

Nice and clean set up and looks great!!