Water softener sizing question


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Old 01-29-10, 10:12 AM
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Water softener sizing question

Hi,

I'm trying to get some advice on how big of a water softener I'd need for our whole house.

The house is about 3000sqft, 3.5 baths and there are 2 adults and 4 little kids in our house. We're on city water and I called up the water company and asked them about the recent test that they did. I was told that the hardness level is 178ppm which he told me is 12 GPG. I later read online that 17.1ppm = 1 GPG so the math doesn't really work there (it comes out to about 10.5 GPG). On the other hand, I had a guy come out to our house from Culligan and his titrate test showed 18 GPG.

Anyways, I'd like to size the system so that it will hold correct for a while. The 4 kids don't currently consume a lot of water but they'll grow up pretty soon and then they will.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.
 
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Old 01-30-10, 08:48 AM
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Sounds strange ,but everyone might be right! Many city wate supplies run from well water (as opposed to river/lake sources). Very often, there are numerous wells, each producing sdifferent water qualities. During peak times when secondary wells kick in, the wter quality can change significantly.

Always calibrate for worst (hardest) conditions. An taht may be the 18 grain count. The city guy was just over estimating or rounding up to provide that elbow space when treating it. Moreover, the quality of the testing equipment or method may also be in question. When in doubt, aim high.

Chlorine (or chloramine) is another very important water quality. Find out what those levels are. TDS and other tests, too. The city should have detailed reports for public viewing.

Your system should be designed to provide treated water at all times of normal use. Flow rate is another important consideration. More details are needed.

Andy Christensen, CWS-II
 
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Old 02-04-10, 02:55 PM
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Ok, thanks for the reply. I finally go a hold of the water quality report from my supplier. It's from 2008 and they told me that's the latest one they have. What do you think of the sizing now?

Here's the link for the Water Report.
 
 

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