sizing a water softener

13 years ago

looking for some help in choosing a water softener

results from water test

18 grains hardness

321 tds

manganese 0

iron 0

well water

family of 4, including 2 teenagers

2 full baths, one with jacuzzi tub

regular laundry for family of 4

hose bibs for outside will not be softened

dishwasher, yes

guy from fairly respected business in city nearby suggested 30,000 grain model with fleck 5600sxt. After doing some reading on this site i was wondering if a 40,000 grain unit would be better suited? Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated.

Comments (7)

User
13 years ago
Your fairly respected guy doesn't know how to size a softener for either required SFR nor most efficient operation.

He is as wrong as he can be on everything he has recommended...

The 30k softener he recommends is only 1 cu ft of resin with an SFR of 9 gpm which is far below what 2 full baths and a Jacuzzi will require. And, to get 30k out of 1 cu ft of resin the salt dose will be at the maximum of 15 lbs/ cu ft which is VERY inefficient.

You should be looking at a 2 cu ft softener which will have an SFR of 13 gpm and will use a salt dose of 4 lbs/ cu ft of resin or 8 lbs for 2 cubic feet of resin for an optimal 7 day regeneration.

A 2 cu ft softener will use a 12x48 resin tank and the Fleck 5600 control valve is at it's limit on a 12" diameter tank so a wiser choice will be a Fleck 2510SXT or a Fleck 7000SXT.
trailin
Original Author
13 years ago
what size of brine tank would be required for this system?
can i build this in a cabinet style or would it be two seperate components, brine tank and resin tank?
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User
13 years ago
A 2 cu ft softener is too large for a cabinet style plus cabinet style makes servicingthe softener a real PITA.

A 15x17x36 rectangular or 18x33 round brine tank is OK. You'll keep enough salt in the tank to cover the water and check it weekly. Don't want to fill the brine tank with salt as that promotes bridging and mushing.

Just to give you an idea it would look sorta like this ...
trailin
Original Author
13 years ago
any other items to request when telling them how i want it built. Type of resin, type of bypass valve any other details, thanks
User
13 years ago
For either the 2510SXT or 7000SXT 2 cu ft softener...

top basket
gravel underbed
Noryl bypass
whichever Noryl yoke to connect to the plumbing
salt grid in brine tank
Fleck 2310 safety float

hi-quality standard mesh resin is OK

The softener should be set up with 30k capacity and an 8 lb salt dose with an 8 day calendar override and a reserve will need to be calculated.
trailin
Original Author
13 years ago
does it matter to system performance if the brine tank is a 12x48 or a 12x52? Also does the size of gravel for the underbed affect the system?
User
13 years ago
They would be resin tank dimensions and 12x48 is correct for 2 cu ft. Either brine tank size I posted will work fine.

Your dealer will know the correct gravel size and type.

You have all the info you need to go shopping.