Softener Connection needs

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Shawn Clabough

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I am going to be replacing a 10 year-old Kenmore softener with most likely one of these.

http://www.discountwatersofteners.com/premier-performance-on-demand-40-000-grain-water-softener.html

Here's a couple images of the current connection setup. What will I need in order to hook up the Fleck unit instead? Should I connect via the copper, or straight off the PEX coming out of the wall?

IMG_2922.jpgIMG_2920.jpg
 

Reach4

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The pipes that come off of the bypass valve will be horizontal toward the wall. http://www.discountwatersofteners.com/softener-parts/bypass-assemblies.html shows pieces that include the choices you select from. The self-install kit they sell uses John Guest http://www.johnguest.com/Home/about-us/speedfit-technology.aspx connectors to mate with your existing plumbing. I don't know if you can attach to what is existing there after taking a saw to it; I doubt it. The flex aspect sure looks useful to me. You can use conventional plumbing and you screw in with 3/4 or 1 inch pipe fittings -- depending on which size bypass valve that you choose.

If you just start unsoldering the copper, I am concerned that you will damage your plastic pipe. Others will know how to deal with this. Maybe they will recognize your plastic and tell you how to connect a new fitting to that plastic.
 

Shawn Clabough

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Yeah, it would be nice if the copper section wasn't needed anymore and flexible tubing could be used, but I haven't yet found out how to connect to the plastic tubing.
 

Akpsdvan

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One idea would be to care fully cut the metal band on the plastic and use a fitting that goes to the inside of the plastic and a different crimp ring and a male pipe thread 1" and then some falcon flex stainless steel tubing that has 1" female threaded nuts from there to the 1" plastic male yoke that you could order with the new system.
The other would be to use a sharkbite fitting with male threads , 1" will work.
The white is pex found in most box stores that use the ring crimp, either like what you have to the apollo type.
 

ditttohead

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Yes, that is a great solution. You would use the Fleck plastic MIP threaded connector instead of the one I referenced above.
 
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