Prerequisite Information for Sizing

Hello everyone!

Sadly, last year I threw away the old water softening system that resided in my finace's basement when we changed out the water heater (it was just sitting there in bypass not being used in years, and the plastic bypass broke causing a water leak). I came to find out that it was a pretty decent system I tossed.

Well, now I see the importance of having a water softener, as our water is supplied from several acquifers and scaling has been pretty noticable (especially with my espresso machine).

I wanted to see if the following information is good enough, which was provided by our community yearly water report.

Barium (ppm): 0.01 - 0.013
Alpha Emitters (pCi/L): 7.2
Chlorine (ppm): 0.3518-0.3789
Fluoride (ppm): 0.46-1.57
Iron (pp-billion): 180-250
Sodium (ppm): 85-110
Total TTHMs (ppb): 33.2
Total HHA5: 6.8
Combined Radium (pCi/L): 2.9

I called up our water engineer and he told me the water hardness for our area was 21-23 grains. I bought some test strips, and they tested in the 25 grain range (last color in the color range for the test strips).

Is this information good enough to begin the process to size a water softener? I know there are additional calculations (flow rate, number of people in the house, etc.). But would the above information be good enough to get me in the ball park of sizing a fleck water softener? Or will I need a professional water test done?

Also, I'm not 100% if I need a prefilter of some sort. The water is clear from the sink, and there are no rust stains in the shower or discoloration. I do notice with our Brita jug, that if it's not cleaned out for 1-2 months, the edge where the lid is will form some light reddish crust (very little)... and it take a while for that to happen. I suppose this is from Iron in the water, which I believe is low.

Is there anything else I would need to measure/provide in order to size a proper water softener?

Thanks,
Gabe

 

With you iron thaty low, just calculating by the hardness alone can be sufficient.

With single taank softeners, it is important to guess how many gallons each day you use to properly size the unit.

With a twin tank system that is not an issue n the same respect.

Many professionals will test for free but may encourage you to buy directly from them. That;s not bad if they can solve your water issues with reliable equipment and prompt service.

Andy Christensen, CWS-II

 

Thanks for the reply. I've been looking at the Fleck 5600SE model, as that looks pretty decent. I'll gather some water flow measurements and start sizing the proper grained system.

There's no way a twin-tank system will fit in our utility closet (furnace to the right, water heater to the left) without causing some serious cramping issues. If a single tank system regenerates while we're sleeping, then I'm OK with it.

One last question, since it's just me and my wife living here, should the system be sized for two people? Or should I take into consideration when I have people staying over for several weeks (sometimes over a month) at a time, like when her parents are visiting for several weeks (I know... the in-laws ) Should I just size it just for us two and then assume the system will regenerate more often during their stay, and that being normal?

Thanks,
Gabe