new softener question

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curt21

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Hi I just installed a watts premier 40000 grain water softener and it seems to be working perfectly. Its only been a few hours since install and the treated water seems to have a slight salty taste. My hardness setting is at 25, if its swt too high would it cause extra salt in the water whoch would be causing the salty hint? Thanks
 

ditttohead

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Hi I just installed a watts premier 40000 grain water softener and it seems to be working perfectly. Its only been a few hours since install and the treated water seems to have a slight salty taste. My hardness setting is at 25, if its swt too high would it cause extra salt in the water whoch would be causing the salty hint? Thanks

The softener should be sent through another regeneration and if any salt has enetered your plumbing, the hot water may take a day to get rid of the salty taste due to simple dilution issues in the hot water storage tank.

You set the hard water setting to 25, did you test the water? The hardness setting has little to do with the salt, it has to do with how many gallons the system is good for and how often it regenerates. The salt per cu. ft. s determined by the brine refill time. Do you have the model number of your system? Or can you post a picture of it?

In general, the water should not have a salty taste. The "salt" taste is a combination of sodium and Chloride, NACL, the water exiting your system should be lacking the Chloride portion of that if the system is working properly. The chloride is a waste product during the regeneration.

Hope this helps.
 
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curt21

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Thanks. however i think i mistaken the off taste. I believe its actually hydrogen sulfide gas as the odor taste is that "rotten egg smell". Should the water softener eventually remove this or am i going to have to install a carbon filter under my kitchen sink? Keep in mind my softener is only installed since yesterday. I havent completed a softener disenfection either as I assumed the softener materials would not promote bacteria growth.
 

ditttohead

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Are you on your own well or municipal supply? Have you tested for H2S? If you are on a well, you should have a recent well water test. Do you have that available? Check the H2S smell, is it on both the cold and hot water or just the hot?
 

curt21

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I sent a sample to lab but little did i know they only tested for bacteria so i am waiting to find a lab to test more parameters. Only the cold water has this smell.
 

ditttohead

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There are many companies online that do a complete water test for about $100. you can also order H2S test kits fairly cheap and test it yourself.

A Carbon system can be installed to minimize H2S, depending on the level, chlorine injection can also be considered but not usually necessary.
 

Gary Slusser

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The best test for H2S is HER nose. Any her will do.

H2S comes out of the water as the water is depressurized and as it exits the faucet, now how are you going test the volume of H2S if it is dissipating into the air as you collect the water in a test sample bottle? Then even if you fill the bottle to overflowing as you cap it, the 'lab' or you has to uncap it and there so more of your supposed H2S off into the air before you can test the water.

Run water into a wide mouthed container as she hangs her nose on the edge of the container smelling for odor; that test works every time. And really, it doesn't matter how much H2S is in the water, you size a filter for the peak demand flow rate it has to service.
 

curt21

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So gary, the water softener will not remove any H2S? I have a rainfresh 5micron filter on the main line after the softener, should I swap the 5micron out for a carbon filter? Water softener systems are all new for me, i still have the system set at default levels for now
 

Gary Slusser

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Right, softeners do not remove H2S or other odors.

Disposable cartridge filters are a waste of money because they shuld not be used on POE (point of entry) service because they were made for POU (point of use) like a 'fridge or kitchen sink faucet. A 2.5" x 10" cartridge filter is not going to remove much H2S anyway.

You could be harming your softener running it on the factory default settings. Teh factory default setting are nowhere near actual water use parameters.

So program the thing and then do 2 manual regenerations one after the other with no water use during or between them at the max salt dose of 15 lbs per cuft of resin. That is to fully regenerate all the resin before you start using the softener.

If you don't do that eventually you will run out of capacity and get hard water and have to do it then.
 

Tom Sawyer

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So gary, the water softener will not remove any H2S? I have a rainfresh 5micron filter on the main line after the softener, should I swap the 5micron out for a carbon filter? Water softener systems are all new for me, i still have the system set at default levels for now


I would try swapping it out if only to see if carbon is enough to take care of the issue. If it does then a backwashing GAC filter would be recommended over disposable filters. If not then chlorine injection is the next option
 
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