Regen coloring

LLigetfa · Jan 3, 2014

moreira85 said:
I filled up a 5 gallon bucket in 1 minute...

I assume that your media is fine with 5 GPM and that the DLFC would be less than that. I assume as well that you did this test with a new clean filter. The old filter may have netted lower results.

Keep in mind that a single draincock and hose could limit the GPM and so taint the true results. Moot, in this case since the DLFC is likely the lowest denominator.

moreira85 · Jan 3, 2014

LLigetfa said:
I assume that your media is fine with 5 GPM and that the DLFC would be less than that. I assume as well that you did this test with a new clean filter. The old filter may have netted lower results.

Keep in mind that a single draincock and hose could limit the GPM and so taint the true results. Moot, in this case since the DLFC is likely the lowest denominator.

Yes new filter

Sponsor · 2022-01-29T12:20:58-0800

moreira85 · Jan 3, 2014

moreira85 said:
I filled up a 5 gallon bucket in 1 minute with the sediment filter. I then reinstalled the sediment filter and virtually the same still 5 gallon bucket in 1 minute. I increased the salt dose and did a regen with super iron. I did tap the sides during backwash and it appears as though we have a significant improvement. I'll keep you updated.

Thanks Gary. So your saying to dissolve iron out in 2 gallons in a separate bucket for 2 hours. Then after 2 hours add it to the brine well and regen? I was just putting it into a half gallon of water and immediately emptying into the brine well and regenerating.

Gary Slusser · Jan 3, 2014

ummm it can't dissolve salt until the solution is poured into the water in the salt tank... and there is no reason to wait two hrs to pour it into the salt tank. So no, mix and add it without pouring the water through the salt.

Lifespeed · Jan 3, 2014

Just pointing out the obvious here: something got you into this situation where there is junk coming out of a brand-new softener fed with iron well water. I recommend you don't lose sight of this fact. Iron Out, regenerating and smacking the tank, changing a restrictive clogged filter to a restrictive clean filter, etc, don't seem like real solutions. Although I understand you have to do what is needed to try and clean out the softener in the short term.

It will be helpful for you to know the actual GPM your well can provide. 5 GPM is rather low and would not backwash an iron filter on it's own without a storage tank to provide volume. Actually, it would be quite difficult to operate a household on 5 GPM. You need good information about what you have (GPM flow, water analysis) to guide your decisions as to how to implement a long-term solution that doesn't require a hat-dance and voodoo chants every full moon.

LLigetfa · Jan 3, 2014

lifespeed said:
Just pointing out the obvious here:

It helps to rehash the obvious. You are correct, that the root cause needs to be found and addressed.

It can be a challenge to determine the true GPM since it can vary at different locations along the length of the plumbing. Best to cut in close to the softener with a full-port ballvalve.

Also important to plot the GPM through the entire regen cycle. One may get an initially high GPM with a full tank and a fully recovered well but then have it peter down after that.

The system also needs to be profiled before a sustainable solution can be proposed.

moreira85 · Jan 3, 2014

Well when I changed the brine fill time a couple weeks ago from 12 to 7 that could be the root cause. I increased back to 12 glair this week and it came out perfect.

moreira85 · Jan 3, 2014

Well when I changed the brine fill time a couple weeks ago from 12 to 7 that could be the root cause. I increased back to 12 this week and it came out perfect.

moreira85 · Jan 3, 2014

Gary Slusser said:
You get 3 lbs of salt in a gallon of water, so add the Iron Out to like 2 gallons of water and wait 2 hrs for the 6 lbs of salt to dissolve and then start the regeneration. Repeat without any water use during or between the 2 regenerations. Do one in the evening after getting ready for bed early and then when it is done on your way to bed, add the 2 gals and IO and set a regeneration to be done at 2 AM. A regen should be done in like 1.5 hrs.

Gary you lost me with this post and waiting 2 hours. The brine tank already has water in it that has sat in salt for a week. I usually take some iron out and dissolve it in a half gallon, pour it in the brine well and regenerate.

Gary Slusser · Jan 4, 2014

Yeah I assumed you'd know to pour the IO solution into the salt tank so it could dissolve salt..... Try this, mix a 1/4 cup (dry measure) of Iron Out or Super IO in 2 gals of water and pour that into the water in the brine tank. Wait 2 hrs for the water to dissolve the amount of salt it should (6 lbs), then do the first regeneration. And if I were you I would repeat this process a second time with no water use between or during the 2 regenerations.

BTW, that 12 you had changed to 7 and then back to 12 is minutes of refill, and if you have a BLFC of .5 gpm or 1.5 lbs/minute, that's adding 6 gallons, meaning it's using 18 lbs of salt per regeneration, which is way more than the max (12 lbs) for a 1.25 cuft softener AND, adding my 2 gallons will probably cause the water level to rise too high. It depends on how much salt is in the tank, and my 2 gals could cause overflow out the elbow outside the salt tank so... don't add 2 gallons, mix the IO in like 1 gallon or as much as needed to get it all dissolved and into the tank without overflowing on the floor. OR pour the 1/4 cup into the water in the tank and stir it up there to dissolve it. Then you don't wait the 2 hrs either.

moreira85 · Jan 4, 2014

Gary Slusser said:
Yeah I assumed you'd know to pour the IO solution into the salt tank so it could dissolve salt..... Try this, mix a 1/4 cup (dry measure) of Iron Out or Super IO in 2 gals of water and pour that into the water in the brine tank. Wait 2 hrs for the water to dissolve the amount of salt it should (6 lbs), then do the first regeneration. And if I were you I would repeat this process a second time with no water use between or during the 2 regenerations.

BTW, that 12 you had changed to 7 and then back to 12 is minutes of refill, and if you have a BLFC of .5 gpm or 1.5 lbs/minute, that's adding 6 gallons, meaning it's using 18 lbs of salt per regeneration, which is way more than the max (12 lbs) for a 1.25 cuft softener AND, adding my 2 gallons will probably cause the water level to rise too high. It depends on how much salt is in the tank, and my 2 gals could cause overflow out the elbow outside the salt tank so... don't add 2 gallons, mix the IO in like 1 gallon or as much as needed to get it all dissolved and into the tank without overflowing on the floor. OR pour the 1/4 cup into the water in the tank and stir it up there to dissolve it. Then you don't wait the 2 hrs either.

Thanks Gary. I'm aware of the .5 blfc and the pounds of salt. The water is not even close to the elbow it's like 1/3 full. I used 12 on the brine fill because the mfg instructions (fleck) said water that has iron of 3ppm or higher may need a higher setting on the brine fill and to use 12 a default. It's back to being crystal clear since I changed it back to 12. I'll monitor it after further regenerations.

Regen coloring

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LLigetfa

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