Ph after water softener First readings

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@flynwill my FC was already low so nothing was added to decrease it. It turns out our water department regulations require it if your chlorine is super high since some water is exchanged during the process and want to be careful that the water going into sewer is safe to dispose. There is a monitor on board that the company can see throughout the day that determines the amount of various things like CYA, TDS, and CH I believe. And when the levels get into appropriate low range, it turns itself off. The trailer has a bit of a humm going due to the generator on board powering it. I’ve asked them to let it run during the day and turn it off at night so neighbors aren’t annoyed with the sound. Company said it would likely take about 12 hours, but it can vary. So unlikely to be completely done with this process until tomorrow sometime. After that they add in chlorine, Cya, and calcium if necessary.
 
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@Rancho Cost-a-Lotta and @mknauss i read that you add salt to this softener to replenish? Is that the case?
I don’t have a salt water generator - would adding this salt be a problem in my case?
Also have you found the softener to be helpful to you or does the CH still increase over time?
 
kul said:
i read that you add salt to this softener to replenish? Is that the case?
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Yes. The Double is a 16,000 grain unit, the Park model is a 28,800 grain unit. The Park model requires six pounds of salt for regeneration. You use regular table salt or pickling salt. My Park model takes six pounds per regen.

My fill water CH is 125 ppm which is reduced to less than 10 ppm out of the softener. I should be able to keep my CH in range with only minimal water exchanges. I drain off a few inches prior to rainfall and take advantage of the CH-free rainwater.

I should be able to get more than 3,000 gallons of softened water per regen. In September, I lost about 1,200 gallons due to evaporation. In the summer, I will probably just stick to a monthly regen cycle for the softener.

Plumbing is easy. The units use standard hose threads at the connections. I plumbed mine into my auto-fill line and the unit is housed in my pool equipment shed.
 
kul said:
Thank you. Do you foresee any issues with using a softener like this for a non salt water pool?
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A water softener does not effect salt levels in the pool. Salt is used to cleanse the softener but is rinsed out during the regen process.
 
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kul said:
Thank you. Do you foresee any issues with using a softener like this for a non salt water pool?
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Water softeners do not ADD salt to water, the regeneration brine is only used to supply sodium ions to the softener resin to displace the calcium ions it removes. Once you regenerate, you flush the brine out of the resin and rinse the resin. Then you put the softener back into service. At no point does the brine enter the pool.
 
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@Rancho Cost-a-Lotta would you mind sharing why you chose to go with the larger size? Is the benefit that you wouldn’t need to change out the salt as often? My pool is about 15000 gallons so I’m thinking it through.
 
kul said:
@Rancho Cost-a-Lotta would you mind sharing why you chose to go with the larger size? Is the benefit that you wouldn’t need to change out the salt as often? My pool is about 15000 gallons so I’m thinking it through.
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Simply to give me more time between regeneration cycles. Portable units require manual regenerations, which is a bit of a process. Hoses are disconnected, the unit is drained, filled with salt, flushed at low pressure, then at high pressure. The frequency of regeneration is based on the size of the unit (in grains) and the CH level of the pre-softened fill water. Your water (at 125-150 ppm) is similar to my water here.
 
If you do get one, use pickling salt if you can or buy a 40lb bag of plain softener salt. Table salt is not a good choice as most have iodine in them and usually an anticaking agent. Neither of those are good for the life of the resin.
 
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The throat on mine is so small that anything but granular table salt will not flow into it. Have not tried pickling salt. I get plain table salt.
 
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Estimated capacities for various models can be found in the product description. Just click on Estimated Capacity tab. Capacity is shown in GPG (grains per gallon). One GPG equals 17.1 ppm.
JoyfulNoise said:
If you do get one, use pickling salt if you can or buy a 40lb bag of plain softener salt. Table salt is not a good choice as most have iodine in them and usually an anticaking agent. Neither of those are good for the life of the resin.
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Good advice I followed from your previous recommendation. Pickling salt seems to to have a smaller grain size than table salt. I buy 4-pound boxes from Walmart. Drying the throat well before dropping in salt helps to keep the throat clear. Getting six pounds of salt into the unit takes patience. :brickwall:
 
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mknauss said:
The throat on mine is so small that anything but granular table salt will not flow into it. Have not tried pickling salt. I get plain table salt.
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I notice for the one you have there is a brass version. Is that just a preference? I’m a bit indifferent unless it’s good for something.
 
You can also just make a full brine solution (~ 3lbs per gallon) by dissolving salt in water up to its solubility limit and then just fill the tank with the brine water instead of trying to jam salt powder down the throat.
 
Appreciate the info. I was able to also find it on Amazon so will likely go with this one if I get one.

On The Go OTG4-VM-DBLSOFT Portable Compact Double Standard 16,000 Grain Water Softener w/Brass Fittings, Back-Flush Adapter for RV/Marine Models https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085Q2LBJV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_KBWS96HR70SE8Z3KV94D

I like that I can just connect it to the hose bib. Regarding “pickling salt” - sounds like it would help make the softener possibly last longer? I wonder how long a typical water softener lasts?
 

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