How to Convert a Commercial Water Softener for a Residence

The difference between commercial and residential water softener systems is often the size of the unit. Commercial systems, often used for hospitals, factories, and apartment buildings, need to have higher salt capacities and flow rates than their residential counterparts. However, it is possible to convert a programmable commercial water softener for residential use.

Step 1 – Connect the Commercial Softener to the Home System

Shut off the water to the house before beginning. Next, solder the bypass valve to the main water line, so that the softener may be circumvented if it breaks down. Once the bypass is in place, set it so that the water is bypassing the softener and connect the unit’s input and output tubes to both ends of the bypass valve by tightening the fittings with a pipe wrench. Connect the control valve in a similar manner. If the drain is not near enough to the softener, 5/8-inch flexible tubing can be connected to the softener to extend the drain of the softener itself.

 Step 2 – Add a Gravel Under-Bed if Necessary

Commercial and large residential softeners that have a capacity of 64,000 grains or more, as well as, softeners that do not have a turbulator, will need a gravel under-bed. Consult the manual to see if the softener needs gravel and add the amount recommended; using a funnel may be helpful. Once done, add the necessary amount of water softener resin. Finally, turn the bypass off so water can flow into the unit and place the softener in regeneration mode, which will basically condition the unit for use. Some models will recommend letting a unit run through the regeneration mode multiple times before putting it into use.

Step 3 – Calculate the Proper Regeneration Rate

A commercial water softener will be able to soften much more water, much more quickly than usual residential softeners. For this reason it is vital to calculate the amount of water softening that will need to be done, so that the larger softener isn’t wasting salt and water and in doing so costing much more to run than necessary. Here’s how to calculate how much water softening will be needed daily. First, multiply the number of people in the household by the average number of gallons used per day in an average household (which is 70 gallons). Then, multiple this number by the total grains per gallon of hardness in the water. To find the hardness of the water, a water test kit will be needed and can be purchased at any store that sells swimming pool accessories. So, for example, if a house has 6 people living in it then at a rate of 70 gallons a day, they use 420 gallons daily. If the hardness of water in that same household is 8 grains per gallon, then the total number of grains per day that need to be removed are 3360 grains.

Step 4 – Program the Water Softener

Once the total number of grains that need to be removed per day is known, a person can divide that number by the size of the water softener tank to determine how much time it will take before the softener will need to be regenerated at its peak efficiency. Using the example from the previous step let’s say a household needs to soften 3360 grains of water per day and is using a commercial softener that can process 150,000 grains. By dividing 15,000 by 3360 grains we can tell that, with a tank this size, it will take around 45 days before the softener would need to regenerate. Typically though, a water softener should not need to regenerate any less than every 4 days and should not sit without regenerating for any more than 15 days. So, rather than using a full amount of resin and salt, try filling the softener until it is only about a third of the way full or the equivalent of a tank that processes about 50, 000 grains. So, dividing 50,000 by 3360 we see that this new measurement will only need to regenerate just about every 14 days, which falls within the range of proper operating time periods. To make this work, the flow rate will need to be adjusted on the water softener’s programmable control head by pushing the menu button and entering the correct new rate of flow to match the lower amount of salt and resin.