Enpress Vortech Tank (Softener) and Gravel

[farawayinmountains]

We purchased new softener with Vortech Tank Upgrade and SST resin few days ago. Someone who work at company which sold equipment seems clueless and suggested to put gravel (4.5LBS) before SST resin material. Can this screw up the Vortech basket at bottom and crack it? We only ran the softener for 2-3 minutes to test when we realized everyone online said to NOT put gravel into it.

Whats the best solution at this point? Can the whole tank be emptied/washed and resin re-added or do we go and tell them to send us new tank since this one is damaged already that we got few days ago?

Please let us know, its urgent.

 

[Bannerman]

The Vortech bottom screen, eliminates the need for bedding gravel. Bedding gravel is only used in an ordinary media tank.

If it was me, I would dump out the resin and gravel, or, use a shop vac to remove both. The bigger issue will be, removing the gravel from the resin without loosing too much resin.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[farawayinmountains]

The Vortech bottom screen, eliminates the need for bedding gravel. Bedding gravel is only used in an ordinary media tank.

If it was me, I would dump out the resin and gravel, or, use a shop vac to remove both. The bigger issue will be, removing the gravel from the resin without loosing too much resin.

Thanks. I guess gravel can damage that bottom screen since it's spinning when working inside? Also if we shop vac and remove everything and then re add new SST resin it should be good right?

 

[farawayinmountains]

Also vortech said that if media is super fine mesh then 1 inch of gravel can be added. Wondering if we should still empty it because when bottom plate spins (I don't know if it does) maybe it can damage or crack it?

 

[Reach4]

Also vortech said that if media is super fine mesh then 1 inch of gravel can be added. Wondering if we should still empty it because when bottom plate spins (I don't know if it does) maybe it can damage or crack it?

Interesting. I did some numbers. Assuming a 10 inch tank, and assuming a hemisphere at the bottom of a common tank, and assuming that 15 pounds of gravel will fill that hemisphere, I computed that 1 inch of gravel would weigh 4.50 pounds.

That would correspond to a density of 99 lb/ (cubic ft) for gravel.

 

[farawayinmountains]

Getting different opinions. Distributor told me that fine mesh resin like SST resin technically requires a bit of gravel 4.5LBS as per enpress spec sheet on vortech and they have been doing it like that since Vortech came out with no issues. But when I talked to enpress they are saying gravel is not needed but will not do any harm but may reduce performance. Also other issue is when gravel drops onto plastic plate during initial fill it may also hit something there. I am trying to also talk to more senior person at enpress who knows more about Vortech. So who is likely right? Emptying and refilling will be lot of work and money. Not sure if I should do that. Softener is hooked prior to another sediment filter and carbon block filter then whole house RO membrane system.

 

[farawayinmountains]

I guess if there is ever a plate issue, sediment and carbon block should catch most of it before it goes further? Will it send all that gravel and resin down the 3/4 pipe if something happens. I read some people having issues with Vortech where plates cracked. Should I add another mesh screen right before any other filters to catch that or will that affect flow or pressure? If it does crack is it just upflow that gets all that stuff inside it? It won't go back downstream to radon water filter and spin down filter and well since they are before it?

 

[farawayinmountains]

Interesting the senior guy at enpress said this.

You are able to put gravel onto the plate. For fine mesh resin we actually suggest to use an inch of gravel. The slots in the Vortech® plate are 0.01” which relates to approximately 254 microns.

So I guess maybe it's fine to leave it. Didn't know this.

 

[Bannerman]

guess gravel can damage that bottom screen since it's spinning when working inside?

The Vortech bottom plate screen does not spin, but is stationary.

It is designed with slits cut at an angle so during Backwash, the upward backwash flow will cause the resin granules to spin as they are being lifted and expanded upwards. (See video below).

As backwash flow through the plate will have less restriction compared to gravel, the backwash flow rate will be typically reduced by 15-20% compared to the backwash flow rate needed while using gravel.

For example, to backwash a 10" diameter softener tank equipped with a gravel under bed, will typically require a drain flow rate of 2.4-2.5 GPM. When using a Vortech bottom plate (no gravel), the drain rate should be reduced to 1.9-2.0 GPM, thereby reducing the amount of water consumed for each regeneration.

The Vortech bottom plate provides further benefit while the softener is providing soft water to your home as it expands the low pressure zone across the entire diameter of the tank, below the resin bed. This results in a larger percentage of resin being utilized to remove hardness, with less hardness leakage likely to occur prior to each regeneration.

I anticipate the inclusion of gravel, may interfere with the ability to spin the resin granules during each backwash cycle, and may also require an increase to the drain flow rate compared to when only a Vortech plate is utilized.