Water Softener - need advice please?


  #1  
Old 11-04-11, 09:52 AM
O
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Florida
Posts: 18
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Water Softener - need advice please?

Hello

I have recently acquired a Hydro Quad water softener after doing quite a bit of research I have discovered that the Hydro Quad is just a pretty looking unit and about the same as any other system and uses a Fleck 5600 controller.

So the situation is the unit has been unplugged for 7 years but still been connected to the mains water so its had water flushed through it each day as normal house hold usage occurred but other than that its not been flushed, regenerated or had any salt water to flow through it.

So what does that mean to me as I will be reinstalling the unit at a different location, do you think the resin inside the unit will be bad because its not been regenerated or will it be good still?

Not sure if I should try replace it or just keep using it? Is there a test that can be done on resin to see if its still working?

Thank you

Stuart
 
  #2  
Old 11-04-11, 02:11 PM
Akpsdvan's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Alaska
Posts: 1,680
Upvotes: 0
Received 9 Upvotes on 9 Posts
You can try putting in 1 bag of salt to the brine or salt tank and starting a cleaning or regen cycle after the salt and water have had about 3 hours together to make a brine.
Then after the system has gone through the cleaning cycle you can do a simple test at the kitchen sink with a jar and some dish soap.. fill the jar about 2/3 and add about 8 drops of soap... shake and see what happens.
If the water is clear and foam on top then the system has come back and nothing else is needed save for salt going into the salt tank every x number of months..
If it is about half of each, then you should send the unit into another cycle and repeat till the water is clear.
It might be that the resin will need to be replaced, but the simple fixes first.
 
  #3  
Old 11-06-11, 04:15 PM
O
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Florida
Posts: 18
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Thank you so much for your reply, I got the unit installed yesterday and have been toying with it.

Couple of questions please, right now its in bypass because when I first started running water through it I got brown water through the taps...is this normal? I know I disturbed the resin when checking it out and moving it. The water started to clear after about 20mins but was still light brown.

I think the control a Fleck 5600 seems to be working correctly as it slowly started to fill the brine tank although I have not filled it with salt yet to see if it sucks the salt back when it starts.

Any tips on how to calculate the gallon capacity for tank?

Other than that all seems to be going well so far, more playing around tomorrow.

Thanks

Stu
 
  #4  
Old 11-06-11, 09:18 PM
O
Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: United States
Posts: 148
Upvotes: 0
Received 1 Upvote on 1 Post
It is VERY normal for you to get brown/yellow water from the unit after sitting for a while. Let it run and it will clear and/or regen it a couple of times and it will also clear.
 
  #5  
Old 11-07-11, 04:30 PM
O
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Florida
Posts: 18
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Thank you very much, ok she's all installed and ran her through a few Regen cycles and we appear to be working well.

I do have a feeling that my water doesn't smell as good as it did on mains water...you know that smell you get on your fingers when you handle money....its like a weak smell of that...is that normal...maybe a sign of old resin?

I did the water test as yes definitly more foam but it was like 25% more not lots and lots.

Also I am using potassium chloride instead of the normal salt, its a lot more expensive but figured it was better after doing some reading...is this a good idea?

Thank you

Stu
 
  #6  
Old 11-07-11, 09:06 PM
biermech's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: USA
Posts: 1,707
Upvotes: 0
Received 3 Upvotes on 3 Posts
You might want to pour a cup of non scented bleach in the brine well and regen the unit. This will disinfect the unit. I perfer salt over potassium because of the cost.
 
  #7  
Old 11-08-11, 04:56 AM
O
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Florida
Posts: 18
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Thanks again for the reply

I am not convinced the softener is working, I tested KH on a aquarium test kit but it showed the same test results on both water hard and soft...maybe I need a new test kit.

Had a shower this morning and was expecting a ground moving experiance but the water felt the same as before although when I wash my hands with soap I have a feeling that its a little more slippery.

The water does taste the same too and I was expecting a taste to the water from the potassium chloride but nothing? I am expecting to much?

Thanks

Stu
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description:
Your question will be posted in: