Reassurance on Softener Choice

[Jacob Robinson]

I am looking to get a softener for my house, I am on city water with an advertised hardness of 22 GPG. No iron or manganese to speak of. We are a family of 4 (2 babies) with 2.5 baths. Based on my water bill our largest usage has been 4000 gallons per month usually 3000 gallons; 133 gal/day x 22 gpg = 3,000 grains/day. I know that usage is pretty low and will grow as our sons get older, so I would like a bit of extra capacity for the future.

I am leaning towards a Fleck 5600SXT - 1.5 cu. ft. 48,000 grain capacity. Would this be a good economical yet efficient choice? How would it compare to the comparably priced Autotrol 255/460i

What I am not clear on is the details like, should I go with a 2.0 cu. ft. tank or is the upgraded resin worth the extra $$? Please help me out if I am about to make a big mistake.


Thanks for the help. . .

 

[Reach4]

See the calculator at http://www.qualitywaterassociates.com/sizing.php Also read the other page with a link at the bottom of that page. You don't want to calculated on the nominal grains, but rather on a more salt-efficient method where you expect only 30000 or 36000 grains of softening out of 1.5 cuft, but you only use about half as much salt.

When figuring how much water you use from the water bill, subtract any used for lawn watering. Note the softener should be plumbed in to not go to the outside hose bibs that you will use for watering. I think a hose bib with softened water for car washing and mixing lawn sprays would be nice. You might also install an inside tap for drinking water if you like.

With chlorinated water, I think the upgrade to 10% crosslinked resin would probably be good.

I would go with the Fleck 5600SXT.

You seem to be in the right ballpark for size.

I am not a pro.