Another please help me select a water softener and chlorine filter thread

[JAMES ROSE]

Hi All:

Here are some details:

House:
3000 sq-ft, located in Oro Valley AZ
3.5 baths
1.0" supply line at point of entry
Two small tankless water heaters
Mostly 2 people, with occasional guests (total of 5 people including us).
One tub, but NO fancy high flow multi-head showers.


Water:
City
hardness - little more than 6 gpg
Chlorine: 0.2 to 0.5 ppm
City Water Quality Report
https://www.orovalleyaz.gov/sites/default/files/media/docs/2018/ovccr2017.pdf

The system will be installed & supported by the plumber that did the work on the house. With this in mind, my preference is to buy online.


Questions:

1. For the valves, I prefer either the Fleck 5600SXT, 2510SXt or Autotrol 255. I am mainly interested in something that is reliable, set it and forget it, and is efficient. Is one more efficient or more reliable than the others?

2. Size of the softener. Does 1.5 cubic feet of resin make sense? Will greater efficiency be realized by going larger? The additional cost for possibly a 2.0 system is not an issue.

3. What are the pros/cons of a (a) a GAC tank/valve/backwashing system vs (b) a sediment filter + a simple in/out GAC tank. Which makes more sense?

4. Pros and cons of gravel. If you buy online, does shipping w/o the media in the tanks make sense to gravel can be added onsite?

5. Name of reputable online retailers.

 

[ditttohead]

1. For the valves, I prefer either the Fleck 5600SXT, 2510SXt or Autotrol 255. I am mainly interested in something that is reliable, set it and forget it, and is efficient. Is one more efficient or more reliable than the others? All three are ok. More modern valves are available but have limited distribution. Fleck and Clack got tired of companies selling their products, sticking them on the cheapest components, and then trying to defer all tech calls back to them even though as a seller, the basic tech questions are the responsibility of the seller...

2. Size of the softener. Does 1.5 cubic feet of resin make sense? Will greater efficiency be realized by going larger? The additional cost for possibly a 2.0 system is not an issue. 1.5 is fine, 2 would be slightly more efficient but the difference would be less than a bag of salt per year.

3. What are the pros/cons of a (a) a GAC tank/valve/backwashing system vs (b) a sediment filter + a simple in/out GAC tank. Which makes more sense? Non backwashing GAC systems are cheap but they have many flaws. Get the backwashing carbon tank. Non backwashing carbon tanks tend to be very nasty when we get them here at our facility, upflow carbon tanks is another popular design but these perform poorly.

4. Pros and cons of gravel. If you buy online, does shipping w/o the media in the tanks make sense to gravel can be added onsite? Many companies forgo gravel in order to save a few dollars. Use gravel. There are a multitude of reasons to use gravel. The only reason to not use gravel is if you use a Vortech tank which is a specific design that does not use gravel, all other tanks with standard bottom screens... use gravel.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reader90]

I have two different systems, at two different homes that are softener/carbon (for chlorine removal) based based on the Fleck 5810 and Clack WS1 valves. Very pleased with performance (set and forget for sure on both). There are some other posts on this site that provide detailed pics/diagrams you can search for. Personally, I find the Fleck 5810 (both STX or XTR2) easier to program, but the WS1 is fine too -- I just prefer the Fleck UI and programming paradigm. Others may have different opinions.

 

[JAMES ROSE]

Thank you Ditttohead.

Your answers are all very helpful and I am making progress on the decision process.

A few more comments and questions.

1. After checking into it further, my valve choice is the 5810SXT.

2. 1.5 is just fine.

3. Still undecided here. Seems there is no ideal solution.

Q: If backwashing is used, my understanding is a regen should take place every few days, which seems wasteful. Is my understanding correct? If so, approximately how much water is used each time?

Q: Would a pair of Big Blue sediment filters, with 15 gpm flow rates each, connect in parallel (not series) be a viable option instead?

4. The Vortex tank(s) make a lot of sense. Did not know they were designed for no gravel. Seems like all tanks should offer this option. Thanks for sharing.

5. Ditttohead, is there a way for you to share the names of reputable or an online or local company in the Tucson area.

 

[LiveFreeAZ]

James, I live in Marana and had the Ecowater guys out to my house recently and was sold on getting a system, not sold on how expensive they are!! Now have a friends plumber coming out to talk about what he can offer.

What did you end up going with? Any Tucson recommendations on plumbers or installers? I see a ton of ads for Culligan but not sure they are any better than the Ecowater.

Thanks!