Is 60000 grains too big for 2 people?

[Soupy]

I found a deal on an unopened boxed Watts PSWR160 FOR $600. My concern is it might be too big. I was initially shopping for 48,000 grain. The specs say that the minimum this can run is 40,000 grains 6lb salt.

We use around 100 gallons a day according to our last water bill. A test strip indicates a water hardness of around 15. I still need to get a professional water test. City water. https://www.watts.com/products/wate...ioning-solutions/water-softeners/pwsr/pwsr160

 

[Mswlogo]

15 grains * 100 gallons * 30 days is 45,000 grains

So it’s more than you need but not excessively more.

That’s pretty hard water. Test strips are not that accurate.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Soupy]

I went ahead and grabbed it. That is the calculations I had come up with. I was initially thinking I'd go with a 48,000 grain but program it for 36,000 grains. I guess I'll set this up for 40,000 grains and a day override of 28 days.

Now I'm trying to find a 12x52 Catalytic Carbon filter to match it. I'm not seeing many with the Clack WS1 which is what this softener ap[pears to have come with. I might just build one but I'm not sure what kind of pick up tube I need. Top basket or bottom basket?

​

 

[Bannerman]

Clack limits it's control valve market to installing dealers, not to online sellers or DIY outlets.

I was initially thinking I'd go with a 48,000 grain but program it for 36,000 grains.

To improve salt efficiency, this is commonly how softeners are programmed.

The 60K unit you purchased, will contain 2 cubic feet of softening resin. 2 ft3 resin will possess a total hardness removal capacity of 64,000 grains, but as depleting all 64K grains is not realistically possible, and would be highly inefficient and wasteful in terms of salt required, some brands specify their 2 ft3 units have 60K grains capacity.

The usual recommendation for a 2ft3 softener will be to program 48,000 grains usable capacity, as that will require only 16 lbs salt (8 lbs/ft3), thereby resulting in a hardness reduction efficiency of 3,000 gr/lb while supplying high quality soft water containing only 6 ppm of hardness.

Alternately, 12 lbs salt (6 lbs/ft3) will regenerate 42,000 grains capacity, but the water quality will be somewhat lower due to 10 ppm hardness leakage through the resin. Although salt efficiency maybe further increased with still lower capacity and salt settings, lower than 6 lbs/ft3 is not usually recommended due to even higher hardness leakage.