I think that would tend be the case if the disinfectant is chloramine (harder to remove) rather than chlorine. With chloramine, you would use catalytic carbon in that tank. Ask your water people.
If you are removing chloramine, a 12x54 tank with 2 cuft of catalytic carbon might be appropriate. The softener size could be smaller if your softening needs are not so high.
The carbon media does not last indefinitely. The life could be 7 years, but the level of chloramine and the number of gallons of water put thru it will all factor in. The carbon tank will make softener resin last longer.
There are low range test strips. For measuring chloramine I think you want the total chlorine strips rather than free chlorine strips. I feel confused on that topic.
Ohhh, okay! Thank you! This is helpful! I think my water report wasn't super clear since a disinfectant is added back after initial cleaning. It does not specify. The chlorine level is incredibly high and since municipalities sometimes change to chloramine, I went ahead and got the catalytic carbon since it will remove both.
The water company said, "We don't have hard water here. You shouldn't need a softener at all." I prefer the feel of soft water, typically... I've had three tests by water softener companies with results of 10 (first test and the company I prematurely purchased from), 7, and 5ish . My test strips said 3. I have since purchased a hach b test and after softener it is reading 0 (even with spotting on everything). So, it's softening the water but could it be causing adverse affects for another reason? This is what I'm trying to find out since none of my other water softeners have ever done this. to be fair, I had well water before this but I've never had water leave these dirty looking spots or stain my showers.
My main goals are understanding how this system works, ensuring I have settings correct, and seeing if there could be any problems with the valve, parts, etc. I don't want to mess anything up, so I'm making sure to pose questions to the pros.
There are only 2 people within an hour that service Westinghouse - the first one is a person I'd prefer to avoid at any cost, and the second doesn't sell with them anymore (but is still able to service). He came out, tested the water, and said it was working. when I asked about these other issues, they were kinda glossed over since the water was reading "soft".
My skin and hair are so dry, which is not a typical outcome of having a water softener (from my experience, anyway). And if it didn't immediately change upon showering elsewhere, I'd chalk it up to other reasons. So, now I'm seeing if settings are correct. The guy who installed the thing admitted he only worked with the company for a few months and I don't have a lot of confidence in their ability as a company to understand anything beyond what they are taught to input. There has been no critical thinking that I've witnessed.
I'll keep trying and updating this forum in the hopes that these questions & and answers help identify the problem and are searchable for someone else struggling.
