Gary's softener sizing chart question

**kg2k** · 04-03-2011, 10:21 AM

On the softener sizing chart it instructs you to measure the flow from a tub and tells you how to do that. From there it tells you to call him to get the SFR gpm you need. What is the rest of the formula? I followed his test and came up with ~6.5 gpm from the tub. I have 2 bathrooms and one kitchen sink, washer and one outside faucet.

As far as usage, I do wash the car regularly when it's warm enough. I live alone, at least for now and the immediate foreseeable future. Shower, wash dishes daily. Sometimes I use the tub when my back hurts and do a couple/few loads of laundry per week, usually on the weekends.

My water test showed hardness at 45 mg/l, divided by 17.1 = 2.63. My iron was .38 * 4= 1.52 and my Manganese was .078 * 2 = .156. 2.63+1.52+.156=4.306, rounded up to 5. I am adding an acid neutralizer which someone mentioned would add 5 grains of hardness so add 5 for the AN and that puts me at ~10 grains of hardness. Did I do that right?

I am thinking of getting a 1.5 cu ft softener still, for expansion, even though it seems like I could use a 1 cu ft. for now.

Another concern I have is will the AN reduce the flow very much. If I put a softener after the the AN will I have enough gpm to properly backflush the softener? I have a spindown and an inline filter but plan on removing the inline filter and just letting the AN filter what the inline filters out now.

Thanks foe any help.

**Akpsdvan** · 04-03-2011, 10:37 AM

I would start with the AN first and see if you need the softener. While the AN is not to remove the iron or Mn .... by correcting the ph it often will remove the iron and Mn..
After the AN test the water again and find out if there is any iron or Mn and what the new hardness is.

As for the softener, the 1.5 would only need about 4gpm for its back wash, even with the AN first the softener should still be able back wash with no challenges.

**kg2k** · 04-03-2011, 04:13 PM

I was still thinking of that but when I figured the hardness was going to be around 10, I figured I should probably treat it. 10 is consdiered pretty hard, isn't it?

Thanks for the backflush info, that's good to know. I thought the 1.5 cu ft softener needed 7gpm for a proper backflush. Can't remember where I saw that.

**Akpsdvan** · 04-03-2011, 05:05 PM

Industry only rates the water hardness from 0-10,, but not above,,,, 22 years and I still do not know why they do not go higher..
10 is the extremely hard .. but I have seen higher in my area and have heard of stories else where of higher numbers..

So much today I hardly look at some of my books, but looking at them again today 1.5 shows back wash rates of 2.4 gpm... I have done 3gpm..

I would do a flow test from the pressure tank........ hose there turn the water on and when the pump turns on time it into a bucket...
If the 5 gallon bucket fills in 30sec... 10gpm........ in 60 sec then it is 5 gpm..
Tube is not really a good idea because of the number fittings and elbow between the pressure tank and the tub.

**Gary Slusser** · 04-07-2011, 08:56 AM

Counting seconds or the gpm by using the usual 1/2" (or rare 3/4") boiler drain on a pressure tank is not full flow from the pump; or the maximum output of the pump and it has little to do with the peak demand flow rate of the building.

The tub(s) in a house is about the only fixture that has no flow control on it, unlike sinks etc.. It is the best place to get a rudimentary idea of part of your peak demand flow rate gpm.